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And yet she couldn’t bring herself to give Max a half-truth. She didn’t really know why.
“She…an eleven-year-old tried to drown you?”
“She was pretty strong. And she thought it would be interesting to see how long I lasted underwater.” Mary shook her head. “I didn’t like putting my head under the water unless it’s in the bath, so for her to do that when I refused…”
“And what did your mom say?”
“That I should have played along with my sister. She was just a kid and wanted to know, and I got myself hurt with my stubbornness. You can imagine how much Dad yelled at her for saying that an attempted drowning was my fault.”
Mary was beginning to realize something the longer she talked. Even though she knew what her sister had done over the years was wrong, she hadn’t noticed how completely psychotic she was. Olivia had gotten away with far too much, and she still thought she could do no wrong.
No wonder she had withdrawn into herself at an early age; she wasn’t about to go up against a manipulative little girl. Unfortunately, it seemed to have set a precedent. Now Olivia thought she could do what she wanted. Mary wished she could just be left alone to do her own thing.
Max sat back on the couch and shook his head.
“You have something seriously wrong with your family if they think this is okay.”
“I’ve been thinking there’s something wrong with Mom for years. Which is why I don’t live anywhere near them.” Mary huffed. “Even then, I still couldn’t stop my sister from sleeping with my ex.”
“Didn’t he know?”
“Oh, he knew. He knew everything.”
And he still chose to fuck Olivia and not care about it. Mary didn’t think she had been this betrayed since Olivia almost drowned her. Delia said Olivia could do no wrong; it was like her common sense had been completely disconnected from reality.
“So, because of these people in your life, you’re stuck with them for the weekend.” Max shook his head. “If they hate you that much, they should have left you behind.”
“I told them to leave me at home. They don’t like me, and they’ll be the only people I know. But they were insistent.” Mary frowned. “I wish I was better at standing up for myself. Every time I try, I’m called difficult, entitled, and selfish. Dad does his best, but he lives further away than I do. It’s taking him this long to get here to pick me up, otherwise I would have been out of here on the first night.”
And I might never have met Max.
“Your mother and sister sound psychotic.”
“I’ve been thinking that ever since we were kids. I never thought normal people could behave like this.”
Max was silent for a moment. Then he reached out and brushed his fingers across her shoulder. The touch made Mary shiver.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a gentle soul. It’s considered a good thing. But there’s nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. You can turn this around and do something for yourself, for a change. Make the most of a bad situation.”
“Like how?”
“Take charge. Do something you want to do. And forget about them for now.” He gave her a smile that started a persistent throbbing between her legs. “They don’t tell you what you do right now. So, make the most of being away from them.”
Mary almost asked what did he think she should do, but she had a feeling she already knew. The look Max was giving her was enough to put the point across.
Why not? She was an adult, after all. It was just a bit of fun for one night, after all. Given what had happened very recently, Mary didn’t really want to enter into another relationship. Trust was something she was still struggling with.
What was one night?
Gathering up her courage, Mary leaned in and kissed him. Max didn’t move to touch her, but he did kiss her back. And Mary didn’t think she had tasted anything so delicious.
It was really inflaming her.
Gently pushing on Max’s chest, she shifted over and straddled his lap, still kissing him. Max’s hands went to her thighs, where they rested. They didn’t move anywhere, and Mary could feel the ache growing for him to touch her everywhere. Especially when she felt his erection pressing against her, right against her clit. Mary rolled her hips, which caused Max to groan and his hands tightened on her thighs. She pulled back, seeing the tension in his face as he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Mary…”
“Do you want me to stop?”
