"Maria, when I heard Logan sprout off about being with you, I admit my fragile male ego took a beating. I was jealous that this, this absolutecreep, had gotten the privilege to be with you." Now that the dam broke, it was all flooding out of me.
"I thought, 'Maybe she doesn't feel the same way as I feel. Maybe he's the kind of guy she's into, and she was just on the rebound with me but not really into me.'"
She made a small sound of disapproval. "Th-that's so far off the mark, Brian."
"I know," I softly replied. I stepped forward, silently rejoicing that she stayed in place. "Do you know how I know that that was all bullshit?" When she remained quiet, I continued. "Because I remembered."
"Remembered?" She was so close I could see the specks of white within the denim blue of her eyes. I could smell the sweet, intoxicating scent of her perfume.
"Our chemistry."
Her pupils dilated, and a pink flush spread across her high cheeks. She glanced away, taking a step back in the process.
"I know you felt it too, Maria."
I caught a little indignant sniff and eye-roll, but I persisted. "And that kiss we shared." I shook my head. "Do you remember?"
It was a rhetorical question, but I noticed a subtle shift in her demeanor. Her breath hitched, and she started rubbing at her left forearm. Little prickles of bumps appeared on her skin.
"It was fucking fire, babe." I ached to reach out and stroke the smooth expanse of her exposed arms but held myself back. Barely. Talking about that kiss ignited a hunger in me, triggered by the sweet smell of the fragrance she wore on her body and thesight of those pink lips I had the pleasure of plundering; albeit briefly.
"That kind of chemistry, passion, it can't be faked."
She finally gave me her eyes and I almost groaned when she worried her lip with her little white teeth. "Of course, we had chemistry, Brian. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy the kiss. I'll even admit that I would've followed you home and fucked you that day."
A strangled sound came out of me at that casual remark. She even lifted a shoulder as if she was informing me what she had for breakfast, and not that she would have willingly slept with me given half the chance.
"So why –"
"It wasn't aboutyou," Maria reiterated.
"Right," I shook the stupidity out of my head. “It wasn't about me. I know." The pieces of the puzzle were starting to click together, although I was a few short of having the full picture. Something had occurred between her time with Logan and me to cause a shift in her thinking. My curiosity was piqued, but I doubt Maria would ever let me close enough again to let it be quenched.
"Is that all you wanted to say to me?" She shifted on her feet impatiently. "Because I need to get back."
"Just a few more minutes, please."
Maria gave a little huff before folding her arms again. "Fine," she mumbled.
A rock lodged in my throat as I thought about the next part of my confession. "Anyway, what I was getting at with Logan. Those feelings of irrational jealousy and anger, they led me to almost do something stupid."
That seemed to tickle Maria's interest. She straightened her shoulders and lifted a quizzical brow. "Oh, yeah? And what was that?" Her voice sounded like honeyed sugar.
Sweet. Inviting. Cajoling.
Yet there was a particular look in her eye.
Calculated. Cold. Knowing.
I was slightly thrown off that I fumbled my delivery. "I, uh, well, you see –" I rubbed at my forehead again, the dull ache growing increasingly severe. "Wh-when I was out, I –"
"You slept with Lissa."
A cold chill went down my spine and I had to work my mouth closed at her startling reveal. Her intonation was bored and flat, her face remaining still. Yet her eyes held a flickering emotion that was suspiciously akin to hurt. My heart took a nosedive to my stomach.
"How did you know?" I said, before the weight of her sentence hit home. "Wait,sleptwith Lissa?" I held my hands up in frantic denial. "No, I never –"
"Isawyou," she accused. "At The Homestead. I was there that night. Lissa was practically on your lap."
