page18 (1/2)

Maya didn’t argue when Alain chose to bring her back to her place But she led hie It held too ether and Maya didn’t want any of those ment Once upstairs she offered Alain solass for herself

“You s on yourthe ee of the couch Maya sat on the other end, hugging her ar forward

“I’ yourself,” Maya said calmly

“What if I asked you to trust that it’s for the best?” Alain lifted those arresting blue eyes up to Maya’s “You always put faith in whatever I said Has it changed?”

“Oh, you have no idea what’s changed,” Maya said with a dramatic shake of her head “But there are a few questions I have When I called your number, it was a woman who answered and I wasn’t sure what to think Is she some secretary, or…”

“That was Cerise She’s an assistant at the company where I work You don’t have to bother about her or anyone I’ress you made And if you really want to make your mark in the car community like you’ve implied Is that really your dream?”

“So now you care about , barely even call me or keep in touch, and suddenly ht?”

Maya saw Alain’s cheeks flush slightly and she felt a twinge of satisfaction Whether he was angry or just embarrassed that she called him out, it didn’t matter If she didn’t love him so much, she’d have kicked him out from the first second

Feeling annoyed with herself, with everything, Maya sprang up from the couch Alain rose too, and now his broas furrowed, this time in concern “Maya, are you okay?”

“What?” she asked wide-eyed, surprised at the look on his face

“Your nose is bleeding” He gently grabbed her shoulders, swearing harshly in French even as he peered into her face “Just what the hell is happening? Are you sick?”