Page 58 of The Rebound Plan

“Maybe you should.” He closes the gap between them and tugs on the ends of her towel, pulling her against him. He lowers his head, hovering his mouth over hers. “Maybe you should go and visit him, for me.”

“What are?—:”

He cuts her off, kissing her roughly.

“Max, no.” She twists her head away and he kisses her temple next. I stake a step forward, my fists drawing up. Ready. I miss what she says next, the words carrying in the wrong direction, away from me.

“Just a friendly dinner,” he says. “A weekend in New York. Do some shopping?—”

“I’m not going to New York.” She ducks out of the towel, leaving it in his hands, and she paces away from him. Her long, bare limbs are visibly shaking, just like her voice. “I can’t believe you would think?—”

“It’s nothing you haven’t done before.”

“Fuck you,” she snarls.

My spine snaps straight up. Have I ever heard Shannon Tilman angry?

She turns on him. “I am not for you to trade away.”

Max sighs. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes, you did. I’m not stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“Yes, you do. You wouldn’t ask me to do this if you hadn’t already talked about it with someone. Who was it? Your agent? Or did you speak to Francois directly? What did you tell him?Shannon would love to catch up with you. I’m sure I can arrange for her to come to New York.”

When he doesn’t reply, she laughs. “Damn it, I’m right, aren’t I? For fuck’s sake, Max, it wouldn’t even help you, don’t you see that?”

“How do you know it wouldn’t help?”

“Because I know him!” She throws her arms wide. “I know his world! I know my value in it, and I promise you, it’s not what you think. Definitely less than when I was young and beautiful.”

“You’re still beautiful.”

“Fuck off.” She resumes pacing, then stops again. Furious.“Who the fuck are you to whore me out?”

“I’m your God damned husband,” he roars. “Treat me with the respect I deserve. I’m fighting for our future.”

“Our future isset, you selfish bastard.”

“My next contract isn’t going to be as good?—”

“You have more money than?—”

“I have nothing compared to him.” Max’s voice has taken on a sulky tone that I recognize from the end of the last season. He’s not a good loser at the best of times.

But I can’t make sense of what I’m hearing.

Max thinks the Ice League is a better bet for the next stage of his career? Heisfucking stupid if that’s the case.

And the way he’s treating Shannon is unacceptable. I’ll stay in the shadows as long as she seems to be holding her own and getting some kind of cathartic release out of yelling at the dipshit, but the second he makes her cry, I’m intervening.

“Him, who?” Shannon gives Max a look I can’t quite decipher in the moonlight. “Francois?”

“Do me a favour,wife,and stop being so fucking familiar about him if you won’t spread your legs for him one last time.”

She gasps.

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