“This isn’t your house, sweetie,” Sam fired back, challenging her.
Kari held up her hand. “See this? This is proof that this is my house. My man. This,” she said, sweeping her hand around the room, “is all mine because Max wants it to be all mine. You are not welcome here. Get out.”
“I sure as hell was welcome when you weren’t around.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kari demanded.
My stomach rolled, not sure where Sam was going with this, but knowing it wasn’t going to be good.
“The night you left him. The night he found out that you didn’t care enough about him to tell him that you couldn’t have a baby. That you are so diseased—”
“Samantha!” I thundered but Kari stopped me.
“This is mine, Max,” she rumbled, casting me a quick look before stepping to Sam. “You don’t know anything about me. But I know everything I need to know about you and that includes the fact that you better get your ass out of my house before I assist you. Got it?”
“You’re going to assist me out? What about the night I had to assist Max in?” Sam tossed me a look, her hands on her hips. When she moved, her purse slipped off her arms and the contents went flying around the tile. “What about that night, Maxie?” She spit the nickname out, glancing at Kari, making sure it pissed her off. She bent down and started picking up the items from her purse. “What about the night I had to go pick you up from the bar? I had to bring you home, put you to bed, undress you. That pic I took of you that night—damn, Max. You are a sexy drunk!”
Kari looked at me over her shoulder, her eyes shooting daggers and welling with tears at the same time.
I ran my hands through my hair, tugging on the roots, feeling the pain. Damn it!
“Oh, didn’t he tell you? When you left him because you didn’t want him, he needed someone. Me. Not you. Me.”
“Get the hell out of here.” I took a step forward, seething. “I’ve sworn I’d never hit a woman, but by God you’re making it hard.”
“That’s what you said that night, too,” she laughed, looking evilly at Kari.
“Out!” I roared, taking another long step towards her. She took a few steps backwards until her back was at the door.
“Blaine wants you back, Kari. And when she takes him,” she said, looking at me, “I’ll be here for you. Like I always am.”
MAX
I reached for Kari but she stepped out of my reach. “Don’t touch me,” she spat.
“Kar—”
“Don’t you ‘Kar’ me! She was here with you? Naked?”
“No, sweetheart! Damn it! No!”
She sank in the sofa, looking pale. “You better start talking.”
“She’s sayin’ this stuff to get to you.” I pulled at my hair again. “And it’s obviously workin,’” I muttered under my breath.
“How could it not work? This is something I should know!”
“I couldn’t stay here that night! Do you know how empty this place feels when you aren’t here? I just drove and drove and wound up gettin’ wasted. Bri and Sam came to get me. Nothing. Happened.”
I paced the room, trying to figure out what to do. A piece of paper lay by the end table and I picked it up. “I should’ve said something, I reckon. But the next morning I was hungover and just needed to get to you and I forgot all about it.”
I bent down in front of her, tipping her face to mine. “Nothing happened. I was at the bar and she called, heard I was drunk, and she and Bri came and got me. They brought me home, Sam walked me in, but did not get me naked. I think I woke up with my shirt off, if I remember, but hell if I know if I took it off or her.”
“Then how do you remember what happened otherwise?” she whispered, her eyes full of fear.
Good question. I didn’t know how to explain that. How do I explain to her that she’s my entire world? That nothin,’ come hell or high water, would make me do anything to hurt her?
“Because I wouldn’t do that, Crown or no Crown,” I said simply. “I remember I kept asking where you were before I passed out. Even drunk, you’re all I think about, apparently.”
That got her to crack a smile.
“So that little performance of hers was to start a fight. When I saw her the other day, she was telling me, ugh . . .” I didn’t want to go into detail, but it looked like I had to. “She was telling me that she and I should be together.”
“I’m gonna kill her!” Kari said, her eyes going wild. “I’m gonna take her cowgirl boot off and shove it up her ass!”
“Don’t waste your energy. I only want you,” I whispered. I kissed her on the lips. At first she was unresponsive, but I licked and nibbled at her bottom lip and before long she gave in and kissed me back.
Eventually she broke the connection and sat back. She studied my face and started to grab my hands, but felt the paper in them. “What’s this?” she asked, taking it from me.
I shrugged, handing it over.