Page 77 of Deserving Maisy
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Something had to give. Stone wasn’t sure he could continue on like this for much longer. With every day that passed, it was more and more difficult to keep his distance from Maisy. The more he tried to keep away from her, the more he wanted tobewith her. Especially when she was trying so hard to fit in. To help out around The Refuge.
He found her in the barn with Tonka and Jasna one day, shoveling shit out of the stalls. Another day she was in the kitchen with Robert and Luna, laughing as she made a huge bowl of salad. And yet another day, she was hiking with some of the guests and Brick, making small talk and keeping them happy as they walked.
But things between the two of them weren’t good. Stone just wasn’t sure what to say to her anytime they were in a room together.
Ry had cornered him just a few days ago and shoved a thick sheaf of papers at him and told him to get his head out of his ass. That if he thought Maisy wasn’t as much a prisoner in that house as he was, he was an idiot.
By the time he’d finished reading through the emails and texts from Jason to his so-called friends, he was ready to fly back up to Washington that second and take the man out.
The correspondence went back several years. He regularly made fun of Maisy, telling his buddies that she was pathetic and a “tight prude.” He despaired of ever finding anyone to marry her because she was so fat, stupid, and ugly. He thought he was so smart, using antianxiety drugs to keep her compliant. Other emails complained about how bad his wife was in bed, and he didn’t show one ounce of concern when she “disappeared.”
But it was a recent conversation between Jason and his friend Don that had Stone rethinking the thoughts about Maisy. It was a couple of weeks after they’d been married. Don had asked if Maisy was causing any trouble with the new brother-in-law living under the same roof. His response was burned into Stone’s head.
no. my sistr is so in love wth him she does whatevr I tell her to
Maisy had told him that she loved him more times than Stone could count. And yet after his memory returned, he’d doubted everything she’d ever said. Now that he’d had more time to think, to come to terms with what had happened, he had a feeling she hadn’t been lying about loving him.
He’d never been with a woman who was so in tune with him. Anytime his head hurt, she knew, and she’d lie down on their bed with him. They didn’t talk, but feeling her against him somehow made him feel better.
And they didn’t have sex…they made love. He seriously doubted any woman could be as good an actress as Maisy seemed to be when they were alone. He’d had a one-night stand or two, and they’d seriously lacked the connection he and Maisy had between the sheets. She eagerly did anything he asked of her, even when she was obviously nervous. There wasn’t a chance in hell that she’d slept with him because she’d been ordered to do so by her brother.
In fact, she’d gone out of her way to avoid being alone with Jason, something Stone had fully approved of and encouraged. The few times she’d been unable to avoid him, she’d returned to Stone with bruises.
The signs had always been there, but because of his hurt and betrayal, Stone had refused to acknowledge them. But after reading the communications between Jason and his dumbass buddies, the full scope of the hell Maisy had endured for years hit him hard. Yes, he’d been a victim of the man’s evil plan, but Stone had been treated reasonably well because Jason didn’t want to risk him getting suspicious. Obviously he didn’t have the same concern when it came to his sister.
Maisy had been completely reliant on her brother. She’d been a minor when her parents had died, when her world had been shaken from its foundation. And the person she thought was fully on her side was actually the enemy in disguise. He’d drugged her for years, stolen from her, then came up with the kidnapping scheme and threatened to kill not only Maisy, but whoever he brought in to marry her as well.
And then Stone took her away from everything she’d ever known, forced her to live with him, told her that he would be annulling their sham of a marriage as soon as possible, and treated her as if she had a communicable disease.
The problem was, he didn’t know how to fix it. Hisfeelings for Maisy were confusing as hell. He didn’t want to be near her, but he couldn’t imagine not having her with him in the living room each night. He wanted to know all about what she was doing each day to stay busy, but every time he heard her voice, he got mad about her deception all over again.
The nights were the worst. He wasn’t sleeping well. At all. His bed seemed too big, too empty, without her in it. And,God, he missed the feeling of being inside her. Of seeing her above him, smiling down at him, as she rode his dick. Of how she always seemed so damn surprised when she orgasmed. It was cute. And such a massive turn-on.
She made him feel as if he could do anything. Like he could be her protector, her rock, the man she turned to when she was upset.
All that had been ripped away with the return of his memories…but again, now that some time had passed, Stone couldn’t help but wonder if notallof what happened had been a lie.
Tonight had been the worst yet. He’d made them a simple taco dinner, and they’d eaten in complete silence. Then he’d turned the TV to a baseball game. They’d sat on opposite ends of his couch without saying a word. He could smell her unique apple scent—she’d obviously ordered her favorite shampoo and had it delivered—and every time she shifted, Stone had to force himself not to turn to her and ask if anything was wrong.
Eventually she’d sighed, told him quietly that she was going to go to bed and read, and left the room. The second she was gone, the room seemed empty in a way he’d never felt before. Stone wanted so badly to talk to her. To tell her that he forgave her. To ask if their marriage had beenreal in her eyes or simply a way to keep her brother from hurting her.
By the time he’d shut off the television in disgust and gone to bed, Stone was heartsick. He still wanted Maisy. Wanted to be her husband. Wanted to hear her talk excitedly about her evening with the girls the other night. Instead, he’d overheard her telling Carly all about it the previous afternoon, while she’d been helping her clean one of the guest cabins.
Stone was missing out on everything Maisy was doing, everything she was thinking, anything she might be planning for her future…and hehatedit.
He lay in bed for a long while, his ears straining for any sound coming from the room next to his. He wished things were different. That he had the guts to pull Maisy onto his lap and make her talk to him. No, that wasn’t fair.Hewas the one who wasn’t talking. Who was going out of his way to make her feel unwelcome. This was all on him. Not Maisy.
Eventually he fell asleep, but his brain wouldn’t settle. He kept thinking about every minute he’d spent in that house with Maisy in Washington. How…happy he’d been, despite everything. And it was because of her. She made all the difference.
Maisy wasn’t sleeping. She hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since…well, since she’d last fallen asleep in Jack’s arms. She was safe with him. Her brother hadn’t come into her room once after he’d arrived. He was like a wall between her and Jason, keeping him from saying mean things, pinching her, pushing her to the ground. And without him at her side, every noise felt as if it could be Jason returning to take revenge on her for leaving. For ruining his plans.
By now, he’d have realized he wasn’t getting her monthly stipend. He might have even gotten notice of the canceled life insurance policies. Possibly even realized somehow the house got put on the market and it wasn’t in his name anymore. He must be freaking out. Trying desperately to figure out a way to get control back. Control of her, of her money, of the situation.
Because she was awake, she heard the soft knock on the front door. She was confused for a moment, then leaped to her feet. It was eleven-thirty, way too late for someone to come for a social visit. Something had to be wrong.
Maisy rushed out of her room and automatically looked at Jack’s door as she exited. It was shut tight. He did that every night, closed his door, making it clear she wasn’t welcome in the private sanctuary that was his bedroom.
