Dirty Summer 8

Maggie’s voice softened. “Well, you can’t take all the responsibility.” She paused. “I should have told you who I was the moment I met you. If I had, maybe this would have never happened. I am sorry.”

“There is no excuse for how I acted that day.” He turned toward her.

“Well, you’re here now. So ask your questions. Shoot.”

“Ok. I want to know when you started going behind my back and talking to Zeal—I mean your dad—about our boats.”

“The middle of August—when I went home to Charlotte for my dad’s birthday weekend. But I swear, Reid, I was just trying to help.”

He processed the timing. “So after the day on the yacht when you showed up in the rain?”

Maggie blushed. “Yes, after that day.” It came out as a whisper.

“Just tell me this. Is your dad planning on buying us out? Is he trying to get the capital together to absorb us into Z Power Boats?”

“No!” Maggie squealed and jumped to her knees. Somewhere in her frenzy, the pillow she clutched fell to the floor. “Reid, I would never do that. He would never do that. If I thought for one second that you might think that, I wouldn’t have talked to Daddy about your boats. I swear.”

Reid looked at the bits of blue sparking in Maggie’s eyes. God, she was cute.

“I am a Zeal and I should have told you.” Maggie sighed and folded back on her heels. The side of her sweater slid open. Reid saw the glimmer of the lighthouse necklace in the lamplight.

“You still wear that thing?” He reached out carefully, and traced the chain against her neck.

Her breath quickened. “Yes, every day.”

He looked at her while letting his hand toy with the pendant dangling above Maggie’s chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me your name?” He positioned himself closer to her on the couch.

“Honestly, it didn’t seem important at the time. I was a girl on summer vacation. You were a cute boy I wanted to get to know.” She blushed. He couldn’t resist touching the hair at the nape of her neck. “And by the time I found out how you felt about my dad’s boats, I was in so deep with you, I was afraid to mess it all up. We—well at least I—was having so much fun.”

Every time she spoke, he felt the urge to hold her grow stronger. Right now, everything she said eased the pain and disappointment that had festered for a month. Was it possible he could forgive her? He wanted to so badly.

“Reid, I just wanted to help you and Justyn,” she explained. “Did you know Daddy started Z Power all by himself when he was nineteen in his father’s garage? It’s a lot like your story.”

“I don’t think I’ve read that anywhere,” Reid said. His eyes settled on the rise and fall of her chest.

“Yeah, it usually gets lost in all the mix of sales records and marketing awards. But he got a lucky break when NASCAR investors decided they wanted to diversify—”

Reid silenced her explanation as his mouth pressed against hers, desperately wanting to reclaim a connection with her body. He had been hungry for this moment since she said she was sorry. He had all the answers he needed.

“Maggie, I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m an ass.” He broke away and held her in front of him. There were still things to sort through, but he wanted her to know he meant the apology.

“Maybe we can agree that you were an ass—one time—past tense.” She looked like she was still trying to catch her breath from the kiss.

He laughed an entire-body-shaking laugh then put his arms around her and drew her to him.

His lips claimed hers and it was as if they had never spent a moment apart. She pressed her body into his and tried to make up for lost time.

“Reid?”

“Mmm?”

“I …” she started. “Why did you really drive six hours in the middle of the night? Was it really to get answers? Because I—”

“Do I really have to tell you?” he said, pushing the cardigan off her shoulder and tracing her finger over her collarbone. He growled in her ear, “I missed you, tiger.”

The rain pelted at the windows. Maggie smiled at him while his eyes blazed. He hovered over her, ready to lean down for another one of those mind-blowing kisses. He knew what these kisses meant. They were falling back together, and for the first time, falling had never felt so right.