Page 19 of Minus

“Hatchese?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s mostly a series of primitive grunts and growls. I suppose it’s a bit like learning to speak Wookie. Now, tell me, love. What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s a mess, Maze.”

“How so?”

I filled her in on mine and Minus’s altercation, as I wasn’t sure how much Hatch had told her from my freak out the night before.

“So, you hit him?”

I nodded. “Drew blood. A lot, I think.”

“Goodness, that’s quite impressive.”

I sighed. “But now I’m feeling all guilty and shit.”

“Why, love?”

“How much can I tell you without it getting back to Hatch?” I challenged.

“I share everything with him, Cricket, but if it’s not relevant to your protection, or something that might piss him off, I’m open to keeping that between you and me.”

“Like something that happened when I was a teenager that might make my brother fly into a homicidal horse-like rage?”

Maisie laughed. “Again, horses don’t willingly commit murder… but yes, that.”

“Minus was my first love. He was my first… everything, and as much as I try to tell myself that I’ve gotten over him, I don’t think I ever have. I think he’s the reason I’ve never been able to fully drop my guard in any relationship I’ve been in, and why I’ve never been able to picture myself staying with anyone long term.”

“Sounds lonely,” Maisie said, sweetly.

I’ve always been able to use my business pursuits as an excuse for not getting overly attached to any man, but maybe Minus has always been ‘the one’ in my mind.”

“I take it Minus is quite handsome.”

“No, sis, he’s fuckin’ hot. And he’s amazing in bed.” I gasped. “Sorry, that last part was supposed to be internal.”

“It’s been a long time since you’ve been together,” Maisie said. “Maybe he’s not as good in that department as you remember.”

“Maybe.” I laughed. “God, I want to find out, though. Especially now that he’s got this southern twang thing going. So, so sexy.”

“Youarean adult now, love. You can be with him if you so desire.”

I shook my head. “I’m not ready to go down that rabbit hole. I mean, not that he’s offering, or anything. He totally hates me, and I’d like to keep it that way, because the second that man’s dick is inside of me, I know two things: I’ll want more, and I’ll ignore some of his glaringly bad personality flaws.”

“Well, I can relate to the wanting more,” she said. “But I’ve never seen you explain away or excuse character flaws… with anyone.”

“You’ve never seen me with Minus,” I admitted. “He’s my Achilles heel. My Kryptonite”

“Wow. Your brother didn’t mention all of this.”

“My brother doesn’tknowall of this.” I grimaced. “Minus and I were together for almost a year, but we kept the depth of our relationship secret right up until the end. No one knew the whole story.”

“Him leaving must have been tough for you.”

I nodded, biting back tears. “One day he was here, the next he was gone, and I never heard from him again.”

“What a bastard.”

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