Page 100 of I Got You

I pull my eyes from him, knowing it’s starting to get weird, but I want to leave this minute and figure this out. I want to know what he and I can be if we let ourselves. He’s making me want to risk it.

If I let myself fall and let him have my heart, can I trust him not to break it and then take it with him when he moves on? Or is it possible that he and I can be everything I imagine we can be?

Chapter 36

SHANE

Maggie is staring at me, and I’d give my good knee to know what she’s thinking. Is she mad about what I said to Danny? If so, I don’t care. This dipwad needs to know exactly what will happen if he messes with her in any way.

Mark starts his story about getting drafted, and she pulls her eyes away. I can tell her ankle hurts, and she’s trying to tough it out, but I’m pretty sure physical pain is not what’s on her mind. I’m ready to get out of here so she can tell me how her day really was and maybe get out of her whatever is brewing inside that pretty head of hers.

A waitress appears to take our order, and I hope she makes this quick. I want to go home and listen to anything Maggie is willing to tell me.

“You should have heard him. He screamed like a little girl for about a minute.” Sean laughs.

“Hey, I’d like to see you wake up to a giant snake hanging over your head, and we’ll see how you react,” Mark defends.

“At least it wasn’t a mouse,” Maggie says, her eyes flicking to mine and back. “You’re lucky he doesn’t have a phone yet. He would’ve blasted that all over the web. I gave you fair warning, but now he’s waiting for you to retaliate.”

Mark grins. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m planning my revenge.”

They move on to talking about football and this season's stats, then switch to critiquing the Moose defense.

“After what you’ve done with these guys already this season, it’s only a matter of time before other schools hit you up,” Mark says.

“We’ll see how the rest of the season plays out.” Thinking about the future creates chaos in my head that I can’t handle, so I avoid it. I haven’t even considered what that would mean to my situation with Maggie, and I don’t want to think about it. “I’m learning a lot here, and it doesn’t get better than working with Cavanaugh. He’s tough but genius.”

Sean nods. “Yeah, I wish he’d been my coach in college. Things might’ve looked a lot different for me coming out of the gate.”

The waitress brings our food, and Maggie picks at her plate. I don’t know if she’s just that tired or if there’s more going on.

Danny starts discussing the show and what he and Maggie have been working on. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s the best there is. When she started at Juilliard, she was so quiet. She wouldn’t talk to anybody. I saw this skinny little thing walk into class one day. She looked like she might break. We all wondered what in the world she was doing there.” Danny smiles. “Then, one night, I caught her sneaking into the studio to practice. It was like watching someone come back to life. I’d never seen anyone dance like that, with that kind of rawness.”

“You shouldn’t have been watching. That was private,” Maggie says, not looking at him, and there’s something in her tone I’m not familiar with.

Danny laughs like it’s a joke, but she doesn’t think it’s funny. “Yeah, well, it only took her a month or two to set the whole place on fire. There wasn’t a guy there who didn’t want to dance with her, and the girls never wanted to be in the same class. We all thought she only got in because her dad made a phone call. I mean, you looked anorexic and strung out when you showed up. You definitely didn’t look like you belonged there.”

Maggie drops her fork but keeps her focus on her plate as Danny talks about graduating and starting his own studio. Mark and Sean chime in about the people he’s worked with, but Maggie is somewhere else, and I don’t like it. I put my arm around the back of her chair, leaning closer to her. “Are you ok? Want to get out of here?”

She only nods.

“It’s been fun, but we’re going home,” I announce. I toss my keys to Sean. “You can either follow us or hang out here.”

I stand and help Maggie up after removing the ice and putting her boot back on. I move to pick her up again, but she insists she can walk, and I don’t push her.

In the parking lot, I lift her into the passenger seat and climb in beside her. We drive in silence as she stares out the window, and all I know is this is not the same woman who found me at the bar tonight. I don’t know what happened or where she went, but I’m going to find out.

Chapter 37

MAGGIE

Shane pulls my car into the garage, and all I want is to sit in a hot bath until I’m perfectly pruned. I don’t want to think anymore today. Besides my entire body feeling like it’s burning from within every time I move, my brain is functioning on overdrive. Too many neurons are firing, and there’s not enough power to do any good.

Shane hops out, and before I can move, he’s opening my door and leaning in. I ease myself to the side, ready to climb out, but he blocks me. I let out a breath, knowing I don’t have the strength for this.

He leans in even closer, his big body hovering as he rests his hands on the seat next to my hips so we’re eye to eye. His hazel eyes are soft and tender under the bill of his hat, and they make me want to crawl into his arms and hide there forever, where it’s safe and warm.

“Tell me what happened.” His gentle demand causes conflict to rage within me.

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