Free A Thousand Yesses by Jane Henry Page A

the hair on her arm stand on end. This was not good.
    Not.
Good.
    She
wasn’t used to seeing Maverick’s eyes looked panicked, and in that moment, she
knew, even though he’d been a jerk, even though he might never love her the way
she wanted him to, no matter what, she’d do anything to ease that look in his
eyes.
    “Let’s
go,” she whispered.
    Two words that said everything.
    He
blinked. His eyes warmed, a look that spoke back to her.
    Thank
you.
    He
looked to Shane.
    Shit.
Shane.
    She
turned back to him. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was set. He was no
fool. It was why she’d been attracted to him to begin with. Shane jerked his
head to the doorway, and Celia and Maverick nodded. Maverick went up to Rodney,
said a few things, and Rodney shooed him out.
    When
Shane, Maverick, and Celia joined each other in the hallway, Celia grabbed the
phone from Maverick. “What’s going on with her?” she said. “Is your mom okay?”
    Maverick
shook his head. “Don’t know. I tried calling and she didn’t answer.”
    “Shit.”
    His
eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Yeah, he hated it when she swore but
whatever. He couldn’t do anything about it, and she had no motivation to keep
her tongue in check.
    “Go
with him, Celia,” Shane said. His hands stuffed in his pockets, he was leaning
up against the wall. “I get it. I’m not a dumbass.”
    Celia’s
stomach twisted. Damn it. She liked Shane. He was a good guy.
    “I’m
sorry,” she said. “His sister is disabled, and she likes me. She listens to me.
If I go with him, I can come later and—”
    Shane
shook his head. “I said go, ” he said. “And I don’t mean for the night.”
    Celia
looked from him to Maverick, but Maverick was already taking out his keys,
oblivious to what was going on between Shane and Celia.
    “You
ready?” Maverick asked her.
    Looking
back at Shane, she silently begged him to understand. To her immense relief,
she saw that he already did. He crooked a finger at her, and she took a step
closer.
    “I
get it,” Shane whispered in her ear. “You’ve been with me for two weeks now,
and it’s been good. Real good, babe. But you’re not
mine and you never will be. You won’t ever be anyone else’s.” His eyes went to
Maverick. “Go. I’m not mad. But we’re done. Got it?”
    Celia
swallowed, the impact of what he was saying screwing her up, making her want to
laugh and cry and scream all at once. “Yeah,” she whispered in a shaky voice.
“Thanks, Shane.”
    He
nodded, and kissed her cheek. “Be good. Bye.”
    The
bye was more than for the night, and she knew it. Shoving all her feelings and
emotions down, she turned and raced down the hall to catch up with Maverick.
    * * *
    They
drove to his house in silence. She had so much going through her mind, she
didn’t even know where to begin. How could she? Where were they? And what did
they need to talk about now, anyway, when something could be going horribly
wrong back at the house? He drove so fast, she feared
they’d be pulled over.
    “Jesus,
Maverick, you’re gonna get a ticket,” she chided. He
ignored her. Hell, she could swear he even accelerated. She tried a different tactic.
    “You’d
be okay with me driving this fast?” she said. Growling, he slowed down.
    He
pulled in front of his house, screeched the car to a halt, and she was
following behind him in seconds, the echo of the car doors slamming still
reaching her as he yanked the front door open. Her heart skipped a beat when
she saw Marianna sitting on the couch with Maverick’s mom. His mom looked at
them, as if her eyes were unfocused and unseeing. She was confused, and didn’t
seem to recognize either one of them.
    “I
can’t... seem to. I don’t know where I am,” she whispered.
    “Maverick,”
Marianna said, her voice trembling. “Help her! What’s the matter with her?”
    His
mom stood, and as she did, her legs trembled and she pitched forward. Maverick
grabbed her just in time, carrying