Liar (Madison Kate #2)(13)

I crossed the room and sank to my knees on the carpet in front of him, wrapping my arms around his waist and tucking my face into his chest. He didn't move for a moment, but when his arms closed around me, I let out a long sigh.

"You don't have to open your wounds for me, Steele," I muttered, digging my fingers into his flesh to hold him closer. "I'm not running away. Not today."

Steele stroked his fingers through my hair, tugging my face back so he could meet my eyes. "But that's just it, Madison Kate. I've—we've been keeping too many secrets, and it's driving you to make stupid fucking choices like you did on Halloween. Because you don't trust us. When I saw you drive away, knowing how emotional you were, all I could see was the wreckage my sister was pulled out of." He swallowed heavily. "I saw the G-Wagen when it got towed, babe. All I've been able to think for two fucking weeks is how we almost lost you, just like Rachel."

I cupped his face, my heart breaking for his freshly uncovered pain. "I'm so fucking sorry, Steele," I told him with total sincerity.

This time, I kissed him, pouring my regret and apology into every slide of our tongues and every shared breath. I'd fucked up on Halloween. I’d reacted badly and made some dumb fucking mistakes that almost saw me dead on the end of some sicko's crimson blade. But worse than that, I'd ripped open those agonizing memories of Steele's sister—his twin sister—by echoing her actions. I felt like a total asshole, even though I hadn't known.

Steele's forehead rested on the bend of my neck, and I looped my arms around his to hold him close. The emotions between us were so raw, so exposed, I didn't want to move or speak and ruin it all.

After a while, though, my knees started to hurt from the position I was in, and I let go of him with a sigh, sitting back on my feet.

"Any chance you want to give me a lift to SGU today?" I asked him, gently shifting the subject to something safer. "Stupid Archer told Bree not to pick me up, and I don't want to suffer his company if I don't need to."

The corner of Steele's lips hitched in a smile. "I suppose I owe that bastard a thank you," he muttered, standing up and offering me his hand to pull me to my feet.

I snorted a sound of disagreement as I followed him out of his room. "For fucking what?"

"Well," he replied, taking my hand in his as we made our way downstairs, "for one thing, he found you when I was too busy sulking to even think about tracing Bree's financial records."

I rolled my eyes. I’d known that would be my downfall, but I hadn’t been thinking clearly the day I decided to check myself out of the hospital.

"And the other?" I prompted him. When he gave me a small frown, I explained. "You said 'for one thing,' which means there's another thing you want to thank him for."

A smile danced across Steele's lips, like he hadn't intended to say that out loud. Like he'd finished the statement inside his own head.

"Are we ready to go?" Kody asked, joining as we passed through the foyer and interrupting before Steele could answer my question. "You driving?" This was directed to his friend, who gave a nod and snatched a car key from the numerous hooks near the garage door.

"Yep," Steele replied, clicking the fob and directing us over to his sleek, silver muscle car. Thank fuck it was one with a backseat so I wouldn't have to sit in Kody's lap the whole way to school. Once had been funny, twice somewhat less so, and by this point that trick was a bit tired, considering how many four-or five-seat vehicles were in the garage.

"Sweet." Kody slung his arm over my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Babe, you tell him yet?"

I stiffened under his arm.

"Tell me what?" Steele asked, his sharp gaze taking in the casual way Kody touched me.

Kody's grin was pure evil. "That MK and I are dating."

Christ on a goddamn fucking cracker.

If I had ever wished for a time that the ground would open and swallow me up whole, that was it. Right fucking here.





6





To my intense relief, on the way to SGU Kody explained the whole "MK and I are dating" bombshell he’d dropped on Steele in the garage.

By the time he was done telling his friend about our diabolical plan to piss off Archer, Steele's infectious grin was back on his face. It reminded me of that first day when I'd returned from Cambodia and he’d smiled so much I wanted to hit him.

"I know," Kody said when Steele barked a laugh. "I'm a genius."

Steele rolled his eyes and shot me a quick look from the driver's seat. "You are," he replied to Kody, "but not for the reason you think, dickhead."

I gave him a tight smile in response, but couldn't shake the tension out of my body until we pulled into Steele's designated parking space outside the university entrance.

Archer's midnight-black Stingray was nowhere to be seen, but that was no great shock. He only had three lectures a week.

The three of us got out of the car, and I slung my bag over my shoulder. A dull ache tweaked as my stomach muscles shifted, and I cringed.

"Come on, babe," Kody called to me with a smug grin. "I'll walk you to class."

Steele whacked him in the stomach as he shifted past, making Kody groan. "Give us a second, you sneaky fuck," he growled, jerking his head to the building behind us.