Trust Me .(63)

“Vanessa? How in the hell did you meet her?”

I step back out of his arms. If I’m going to talk to him, I can’t have his arms around me or I’ll never be able to focus. “I ran into her today at the mall. She had quite a bit of interesting information to share with me.”

“What kind of information?” His eye brows both shooting straight up.

“Information about you and her, and the fact that you are still in a relationship with her while you are sleeping with me.”

His face takes on a look of pure confusion. “What? Avery, I’m not in a relationship with her. How can you even think that?”

“She told me that you guys have been dating each other for months, that you never broke up like you told me, and that you have been sleeping with me to,” I say while making the air quotes, “get sex with other women out of your system so you guys can settle down and get married.”

“That’s ridiculous, Avery. I’m not in any relationship with that woman. I went on a few dates with her months back and realized that she wanted more out of our dates than I did. I broke it off with her and haven’t talked to her since.” Maddox makes a grab for me, but I pull back out of his grasp.

“So, I could check your phone and there won’t be any calls from her?”

His face begins to take on an angry look for the first time, his eyes starting to fill with fire. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t expecting me to question his phone calls like some crazy, jealous girl. “There might be calls but all from her. She’s called me a few times, but I rarely answer,” he answers with his hands firmly on his hips, irritation evident on his handsome face.

“She had a picture of you and her together from last night,” I say, my voice small and afraid.

Maddox stops and thinks back. “Right. Last night. I met Jake at Jack’s Pub after work like I told you I was going to. We each had two beers and before we could leave, Vanessa came in with a group of friends. She said they were celebrating her birthday and she was taking pictures will all her friends. She snapped that picture before I could get away. I left after that. Alone,” he reiterated through gritted teeth.

I consider the fact that Vanessa could have made more out of that picture than what really happened. It was possible.

My mind is reeling. I don’t know what to think or what to believe. Maddox is standing before me with a look of desperation on his face.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble and take a step towards him.

“You really think I’m cheating on you, Avery?” The hurt in his voice is now evident and cuts at me. “You think I’d screw around on you or on her with you? That’s what you think I’m capable of? Dating two or more women at the same time?”

“I didn’t know what to think. She totally blindsided me. She had this big elaborate story complete with pictures. What was I supposed to think, Maddox?”

He glares down at me, hands still perched firmly on his hips. “You’re supposed to trust me, Avery. Trust in me; in us. Trust that I would never do what Drake and Kevin did to you. That what I feel for you is more than what anyone should feel for someone.”

“What do you feel?” I ask in a hushed whisper.

“Doesn’t really matter, does it? You made it pretty damn clear of what you think of me,” he turns to walk out the door.

“Wait! I do trust you!” My voice is pleading, tears streaming down my face.

“No you don’t, Avery,” Maddox says in an even, serious tone. “If you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, we would be laughing about how catty and ignorant that woman is. I’ve been one-hundred percent honest with you from the very beginning. I’ve done nothing to make you think that you couldn’t trust me.”

I look up into his chocolate eyes, mixed with so much hurt and anger. He works his jaw back and forth as if trying to calm himself down.

“I’m trying, Maddox. Really, I am,” I mumble through the lump in my throat.

“You know what your problem is? You don’t really want to be happy. You just sat back, angry at the world for handing you guys like Drake and Kevin, and waited for the first chance where you could think I was betraying you so you could bail. You’ve been looking for your chance to run. If you really wanted to be happy, you would be. You’d let go of the past, of what happened before me, and just be with me. You can’t have me and still live in the past, Avery. Drake and Kevin are done. Gone. And guess what, honey. Not everyone is like them. I am not like them. I thought you of all people would deep down know that about me.” He stops and takes a breath, then looks down at me, his anger still marring his normally content face.