"Know what?" Duncan asks, looking between the two of us angrily. He pushes me back down into my seat. I push back against him, trying to pull away. I don't want to go through thishere. I can’t. I rub my watch against my wrist, trying to center myself.
"This is for Maya to tell you, Big Guy. It's not bad." He tips his head to the side and raises an eyebrow.
Is he telling me he understands? He's also challenging me to tell Duncan. Okay, fine, I can share a little. I don’t have to reveal everything. Duncan would run for the hills if he knew.
"I have an inheritance, Duncan, that's what he's talking about." Joshua raises his eyebrow again.
He wants me to confess the other parts, but I can't. Only four people know about that, well, now five, damn him. Not even Ana knows all of it. She knows most, but not all.
"So, why hide that? I know about your grandmother's inheritance." Duncan is starting to really get upset, he steps back closer to Joshua and away from me.
I can see the veins beginning to pop on his neck, his breathing has increased, and he's standing taller. He thinks I'm hiding more stuff. Okay, I am, but really now, I can't do this here. I look at Joshua in panic. Why did he do this?
"Damn you, Joshua, seriously? How dare you invade my privacy this way? Only a few people know about that. I was able to keep it off my police application."
I hate being put on the spot. I feel cut open and exposed, fitting for this situation. The hot seat isn't where I was planning on ending up.
Joshua leans back, waiting for me to explain. Duncan looks like he's going to kill someone. I look over Joshua's shoulder again and see the view. London was always my calming place, until my stalker started threatening my family here. I pull myphone from my pocket and look at it, wanting to call Derek or Greg to help me. I'm such a coward.
"Honesty is the best policy in a relationship, Maya." Joshua taunts me. My eyes snap up to him.
"Really, Joshua, maybe you should take your own advice." He bristles and looks at Duncan, who's watching us like a tennis match. Head bob one, head bob two.
"Fine." I make my mind up to tell him what I can. This will get him to run and protect him from me. I pause. Am I protecting him or myself? "Duncan, come sit down. Joshua, you're a royal pain in the ass."
"I'd rather stand," he growls.
"Duncan, remember how I didn't listen to you about that French model? Calm down and think before you judge. You asked me that, now I'm asking for the same consideration, please."
I wait. I'll walk out if he doesn't give me this chance. I can't handle the pain again. We've not even made it a week together and we're crumbling. Maybe this is a bad idea. I stand and walk to the door. I don't need this shit. Running is so much better. Why face what I did and who I became before? I've tried to bury that girl. I've done everything I could to be better than her.
"Maya. Stop. Now!" His words hold an edge. I turn to look back at him.
"No, Duncan, I don't need this. I don't think this can work if we can't trust each other enough to let the other explain. I was wrong. I can't tell you more. I don'twantto tell you more. It hurts too much." I hear the catch in my voice and don't believe the words coming from my mouth.
"Always with the running, Maya, stop. I was just taking amoment so I didn't say something bloody wrong. My pause was bloody wrong, though." He walks to me, lowers his shoulder to my stomach, and lifts me over his shoulder.
He carries me out of the office and into another. He turns to face the door and locks it before putting me down. My hair is loose and falls around my face. I'm trying to push it from my face when he backs me against the door, caging me in with his body.
"Maya, now you'll explain and you won't run from me again." His hands rest against the door by my shoulders, pinning me in.
"Fine!" I know I sound like a child, but I don't need to justify myself to anyone anymore.
I take a deep breath and worry he's going to run. I'll have to tell him most of it or Joshua will rat me out.
"Duncan, I haven’t had to explain myself to anyone in years. I do have a pretty good size inheritance, from my parents and now Savta. Your sister is my sole beneficiary as of now. I had an ex-boyfriend date me in hopes of getting my money. I didn't want that between us, but I guess I put it there by not telling you. I'm sorry." Okay, part of it out, only two more facts Joshua could have found.
"Why hide it, Maya, I'm not like that wanker, Carl. What else is there? I can see you preparing. Let me in, baby," he begs.
"Duncan, please, the rest doesn't matter. It doesn't change us."
"Yes, it does, Maya. You keep yourself from me by not letting me in. I want to know all of you—physically and emotionally."
"I'm not sure what Joshua has found. I can guess somebecause, no matter what you do or how much money you throw out, your past will never go away."
"Just let me in. Tell me something. Anything."
"Derek isn't just housesitting for me, he's my roommate."
