Chapter 14 Augustus #3
Determined to have the last word, she brought the candy toward him a third time. Maverick opened his mouth, expecting her to finally give it to him, but at the last second, she slipped the candy into her own mouth instead.
Before she could laugh at him again, Maverick’s expression changed.
His hand slid from her waist to the back of her head, and he pulled her toward him. With one smooth movement, he turned her in his arms and kissed her, stealing the candy from her lips.
Rose’s laughter disappeared into a startled breath as she instinctively gripped his arm.
Neither of them noticed the third person who had entered the house.
The sight in front of them kissing made Ivan’s fury explode.
He stormed toward them and grabbed Maverick by the arm, roughly pulling him away from Rose.
Maverick stumbled back a step, completely caught off guard by the sudden intrusion. The impact made him lose his balance for a fraction of a second, but he recovered almost immediately.
The moment he saw Ivan standing there, his entire demeanor changed.
Maverick moved toward Rose without hesitation, stepping directly between them and blocking Ivan’s view of her. His shoulders squared, his body becoming an unmistakable barrier between Rose and the man who had just barged into the room.
His expression turned cold.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Ivan’s face was already flushed with rage. His chest rose and fell heavily as he glared past Maverick, his eyes fixed on Rose.
“Are you fucking doing this to me?” he shouted. “Have you forgotten that you’re my girlfriend? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Rose stared at him in disbelief.
For a moment, she couldn't even find the words to respond. Then her shock gave way to anger.
“Are you kidding me?” she demanded, her voice steadier now. “I broke up with you before I left. I told you we were over. We’re not together anymore.”
She stepped closer to Maverick, her fingers instinctively wrapping around his arm. She looked up at him again, her expression softening as concern replaced the anger in her eyes.
“Are you all right?” she asked quietly.
Ivan seemed to lose whatever restraint he had left.
“How can you betray me?” he shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of his fury.
“You and I are supposed to get married in a few weeks! How the fuck can you kiss someone else? Is this the bastard you’ve been sleeping with?
Is he the one you were with the other night when I called you?
Were you making out with him then, too?”
Rose drew in a slow breath, forcing herself to remain calm despite the anger boiling in her chest. Then she lifted her chin and met his furious stare head-on.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Her voice rose with every word.
“And I didn’t just kiss him or make out with him. I slept with him, too. More than once.”
Ivan went completely still.
For several seconds, he simply stared at her as though his mind had refused to process what she had said. Then his face twisted with disbelief, and the fury burning in his eyes intensified.
“You’re my girlfriend!” he shouted. “How could you do this to me? How could you humiliate me like that?”
Rose let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“You’re the one who spent our entire relationship parading Jessica around in front of me. And now you have the nerve to stand here and accuse me of betraying you?”
She stepped toward him, anger tightening every muscle in her body.
“Weren’t you the one who was always telling me I was immature? That I didn’t understand you? That I wasn’t intelligent enough for you? That I was childish?”
Her eyes flashed.
“You found fault with everything I did. You made me feel like I was never good enough for you, and now you’re standing here demanding to know why I don’t want to marry you anymore?”
Ivan’s jaw clenched.
“I already told you we’re broken up,” Rose continued. “So why the hell are you still coming after me?”
“Whatever happened between us, we can fix it.” Ivan stepped toward her, his voice dropping as though he were trying to regain control of the situation. “Come with me. We’re going to talk.”
He reached for her arm.
Maverick moved before Ivan’s fingers could even touch her.
His hand shot out and caught Ivan by the wrist. With one hard shove, he knocked Ivan’s hand away and sent him stumbling backward.
He immediately stepped in front of Rose, his broad frame blocking Ivan from reaching her again.
His expression was cold enough to make the room feel suddenly smaller.
Rose barely had time to react before Ivan’s furious voice filled the room again.
“You’re really going to do this to me?” he demanded, glaring at Rose over Maverick’s shoulder. “How can you betray me? You’re my—”
He faltered for half a second, as though even he could hear how ridiculous he sounded.
“You’re going to be my wife!” he shouted instead. “Do you think I’m that easy to get rid of? I’m your boyfriend!”
Rose stared at him.
Then, slowly, she reached for Maverick’s arm and moved closer to his side.
“I’m married now.”
Her fingers tightened around Maverick’s arm.
“To him.”