AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What?”
But Ryan was saying to Cris, “We need to talk about that same girl.”
Cris threw him a distracted look, his eyes going right back to me. “What?”
“Cris.” Ryan stepped in front of him, blocking his view of me. “Rispins is the blogger.”
“Wha—move! I need to see my girl.”
I reacted, hearing an unhinged feral tone coming from Cris, and pulled out of Mac’s arms, running around Ryan. I hit Cris’ chest as he had taken a step around his roommate to find me. We collided in an almost violent way, but his arms wrapped around me, and he hauled me up.
All the bullshit was over.
I’d been so stupid. I should’ve confronted him. I should’ve. . . But no. I pulled out of Cris’ arms. “She blackmailed me.”
He blinked. “What?”
10
MACKENZIE
Blackmail?
I shared a look with Ryan, going over to him as Cris gripped her tighter to him. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead to his chest.
“What do you mean, blackmail, baby?”
God. The name. The way he said it. So tender. He loved her. My eyes were almost bugging out, I was sure, because I was so happy for Maren, but also so terrified. Like I was holding my breath kind of terrified because I wanted her to be happy. She deserved to be happy.
Why wasn’t she happy?
She wasn’t answering Cris. She was only drawing in deep, shuddering breaths.
Ryan’s hand squeezed mine as he whispered in my ear, “You ask.”
“Maren,” I called her name, but I didn’t move from Ryan. For some reason, it was important she was in Cris’ arms.
She looked up, such agony in her eyes.
It made me pause because I’d been there. I’d felt that at times as well. I ached, not wanting anyone to experience that emotion. “What do you mean that she blackmailed you?”
“Last year,” Maren rasped out. “I know Kellie. She’s from my hometown and she knew something that was happening in my family. She threatened to write it up on her blog, which I wouldn’t have cared about, but she said she was going to bring Cris’ name into it if I didn’t leave him.”
He stiffened. “The fuck?”
She cast him a wary look before refocusing on me again. Tears swam in those eyes of hers, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Her jaw hardened, pushing the tears away. “That’s why I—” She looked up again at him before stepping away from him. “My dad was fired from his job last year, because he was arrested for embezzling from the company where he worked.”
Cris didn’t reach for her, his hands fisting briefly at his side as his jaw clenched.
“He’s in prison and she was going to splash it all over campus, said she could do it. I know how articles like that get attention, how the headline would be written. She’d use your name, make it sound like you’re attached to my dad going to prison, and I just didn’t want any of that to fall on you.”
“That’s why you started fucking that asshat?”
She flinched, casting me a look before looking down to the floor.
“She’s done it before,” Ryan spoke up over my shoulder, one of his arms crossing my chest, holding me against him.
Cris glared our way, but the glare wasn’t for any of us.
