Knockout Love

by Susan V. Vaughn

  “Sean! Please stop,” Maggie begged. She had given up fighting to get her pad and now sounded close to tears. Sean’s chest tightened uncomfortably. He had no idea why she was trying to hide her sketches. A woman this talented should be proud of her work. Instead, Maggie drew in private it as if it were shameful.

  “These are amazing, Maggie.” He turned back to her, offering the pad. “You are extremely talented.”

  “Shut up, Sean.” Maggie snatched her drawings and turned toward the window.

  “Why?” He placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling another pang in his chest. He’d only wanted to find out what was on the pad. He didn’t think doing so would hurt her so much. “I had no idea you could draw so well.”

  “Just leave me alone.” Maggie shook off his hand, tucking the pad into her purse. When he caught a glimpse of tears on her face, something inside him snapped.

  “I don’t understand why you’re acting this way.” He grabbed her hands, forcing her to look at him.

  “What way is that?” she challenged back, as if her eyes weren’t swimming with tears. “Crazy?”

  Sean didn’t respond, because she was acting crazy.

  “You’re the one that stole the pad out of my hand without my permission, and then sped the car off an exit without an explanation.” Maggie’s eyes narrowed with anger as though she was reading into his silence. “You are the one acting insane!”

  She attempted to pull back her hands, and Sean tightened his grip, confirming that his sanity was slipping. How could he have made her this upset? He’d only wanted to know what she was doing, and had even complimented her ability when he found out. Why was that bad?

  “I’m insane?” Sean chuckled bitterly. “You’re the one who clicks the Lock button three times before entering a car and has to sanitize an entire restaurant table before eating.” Maggie didn’t respond, but another tear rolled down her cheek, forcing Sean to squeeze her hands tighter as more of his sanity slipped. “You’re the one who was scared to let me drive because I might adjust the seat settings.”

  “So?” she spat out, as though finally ready to fight back. But more damn tears kept rolling down her face, making Sean squirm.

  “So,” he responded, ignoring those damn tears. “Just when I get a grip on you controlling everything, suddenly you hit a switch and no longer care. And that’s when the truly insane part comes in. Because you’ve gone from bossing me around to huddling up in a corner drawing. And when I compliment your artistic talent, you act as if I caught you robbing a drugstore.”

  “Let go of my hands, Sean,” Maggie pleaded in voice dripping with strong emotion.

  Sean could tell his comment was right on the money. “Not until you tell me why you are so upset, Maggie.” He looked into her eyes searching for some sort of softening. But all he saw was her putting up a wall.

  “Let go of my hands,” Maggie repeated in a dead tone, pulling back against his grip.

  “Fine, have it your way.” Sean released her, shaking his head. One minute she was ignoring him, the next, she was crying, and now the tears had stopped and she was a robot. It was too much for him to get a grip on. “I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal out of this.”

  Maggie didn’t respond, only turned toward her window, shutting him out completely. He couldn’t believe her behavior or the effect it had on his head. If he stared at her new, closed-off position one more minute, he would likely break the windshield with his fists. Sean didn’t understand Maggie’s erratic behavior and couldn’t understand why that bothered him. He had never cared to figure out a woman past the bedroom before, so why should she be any different? Sean just needed to get away from her for a moment to regroup.

  “I’m going to the bathroom.” Sean opened the car door and slammed it shut behind him, not waiting for a response.

  ***

  Maggie watched Sean stomp toward the gas station and began to laugh hysterically. The fact she had been crying only moments before proved his point about her mental state. For some reason this thought only made Maggie laugh harder. The entire situation was insane. Here she was, sitting at some random gas station somewhere in Florida, crying and laughing over a man she hardly knew. Only days ago, she had been prepping for her first nursing interview and planning her wedding while living in a beautiful home. Maggie was never good with change, so these drastic, rapid changes must have made her snap.

  She took a breath, wiping her tears away—tears that were both sad and happy, tears that were completely Sean’s fault. The man was relentless. If he wasn’t teasing her to get a reaction, he was filling her mind with sinful memories of his touch. With Sean, she never knew what to expect next or how she may feel next. He was challenging and unpredictable, and for some reason, he meant everything to her right now. She had yet to get over the release he had given her last night. She thought about the encounter constantly and even found herself reaching out to him to entice another. Those dangerous, out-of-control urges forced Maggie to retreat into a protective shell. She drew in her little corner in the car, refusing to speak or look at Sean. Unfortunately most of her drawings were of him, anyway.

  All of this was bad enough, but then he had to open his big mouth and entice a war. Their drive was so peaceful until that point. Maggie almost believed that once she dropped Sean off at the EWXN training center, she would be able to drive away and move on. But now he’d discovered her secret passion for drawing and her shame over it, she knew she couldn’t just drop him off. Not without opening up about why she was so upset.

  Maggie pulled her drawings out of her purse and bit her bottom lip. It meant a lot to her that he thought she was talented, but her creative side was not something she was prepared to reveal. Despite her rekindled love for it, Maggie saw her artistic side as a weakness, so when Sean had looked at her drawings, she really had felt as thought she’d been caught robbing a drugstore. She couldn’t stand the feeling, so she’d started crying and lashing out, and that had driven him away. She’d seen the pain swimming in his blue eyes. Sean acted all tough, but there was definitely a little boy hiding beneath that tough exterior seeking approval. Why he wanted her approval was beyond Maggie. Just another confusing layer to their extremely confusing relationship.

  Maggie tapped her fingers over the pad and waited for Sean to come back. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say, only that she wanted to make him feel better. There was no reason to do so, really. She didn’t owe him a thing. In fact, he was the one who owed her money and gratitude for this entire trip. Still, Maggie felt the need to make things right before they went their separate ways. If she hadn’t gone on this trip with him, she would have never rediscovered her love of drawing or taken her life back from her parents and Trevor. Because of Sean, Maggie was living her own life, even if it was a messy one.

  Plus, he had opened the world of sex up to her, helping her experience her first release. Maggie now knew she was passionate. She’d just never had the right partner to bring that side out. Who knew her sexual preference was for damaged, meathead wrestler types? Maggie smiled. Thanks to Sean’s handiwork, her new life had purpose, because passion and art went hand in hand. And speaking of passion, she wondered what more of his handiwork could do. Her brain immediately began to spiral to a naughty place, making her blush.

  “I’m back,” Sean said, throwing open the passenger-side door.

  Maggie jumped back in surprise. He had removed the large white bandage from his nose. His skin looked raw and bruised where the bandage had been, but the swelling was not too bad. In fact, she could clearly see the entire shape of his nose, and for the first time, the angles and lines of his face. He was devastatingly handsome—blue eyes, strong jawline, dimples in both cheeks. His nose was a bit off-center and scarred, but it only added more devilish appeal.

  “Why did you take your bandage off?” Maggie swallowed hard and picked her heart back up off the floor. “It’s too early.”

  “Nah.” Sean shrugged. “
I was sick of that thing. It itched like hell.”

  “So what?” Maggie rolled her eyes. He was acting just like every patient, ignoring the advice of medical professionals—just because the solution itched and was bothersome. “You needed that bandage to heal properly.”

  “Says who?” he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Says the nurse in the car,” Maggie challenged back, ignoring his sex appeal.

  “Well, luckily for me, you’re a lousy nurse,” Sean teased, wagging his brows. “Otherwise, I might be forced to take your advice into consideration.”

  Maggie let out a breath, shaking her head. She should be horribly offended that he had referred to her as a lousy nurse, but it was more than likely the truth. And anyway, it was hard to concentrate under the full effect of his devastating smile. Those dimples were more than she could handle.

  “But since I don’t have to listen to you,” Sean continued, that devastating smile growing before her eyes, “I am going to follow through with my plan.”

  “What plan?” Maggie raised one brow, caught off guard.

  “The plans to take off my bandage, open your car door, and end our argument.” Sean unfastened her seat belt, grabbed her hands, and pulled her to her feet.

  “Sean, what are—?

  He pressed his lips against hers and swallowed Maggie’s question whole. She could no longer think, no longer breathe, as everything around her became Sean—the feel of his slow, sensual, murdering kisses, and his large hands traveling down the small of her back. She didn’t even remember surrendering, only that her arms found their way around his neck, and her lips matched his in hunger. The moment lasted only seconds, but already Maggie was feeling that burning sensation deep inside her core—the one she thought about constantly since their last sexual encounter.

  Sean broke the kiss, breathing hard, looking as if doing so pained him too. “Now that our argument is settled, beautiful”—he cupped her face in his hands and smiled,—“you can tell me why you got so upset in the first place.”

  Maggie wasn’t sure how to respond. She’d planned on telling him the truth before he opened her car door and kissed her until she could no longer breathe. Now she could think of nothing but her wicked desire and her pounding heart. She cleared her throat, deciding to buy herself time. “Give me the keys, Sean.” She held out her hand. “I’m going to drive the rest of the way.”

  “Not until you answer my question.” Sean pulled the keys out of his pocket and dangled them just out of her reach. The devilish twinkle in his eyes told her that he could do this all day.

  “I promise to explain everything”—Maggie sighed,—“as soon as we’re on the road again.”

  Sean inclined his head, as if contemplating that, and then his lips parted in a dazzling smile. The kind that made her heart skip not just one beat, but several. “Promise?” he asked, holding out her keys. When she grabbed them, he covered her hand with his, waiting for a response.

  “I promise.”

  Sean winked and allowed Maggie to pull away from his grip. She walked over to the driver’s side, keys shaking in her hands. Sean was playing some sort of game, and the effects on her nerves were alarming. She had to gain back control before she was offering him not just an explanation of her past, but her body as well. Maggie had a feeling he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had gotten both.

  She sat in the driver’s seat and busied herself with adjusting it and the mirrors. The whole time she could feel Sean’s eyes following her every movement as he waited for an explanation. It was unnerving! Maggie had yet to come up with any plan to gain the upper hand, and by the time she’d pulled the car onto the expressway ramp, he already had his hand on her arm.

  “Okay, we’re on the road now.” He inclined his head and squeezed her arm gently. “Now talk.”

  “We just got on the road, Sean.” Maggie rolled her eyes, shaking off his hand. “Can’t you give me a second?”

  Sean crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk.”

  “Fine.” She sighed loudly, giving in to defeat. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why you got so upset when I looked at your drawings.”

  “That’s easy.” Maggie snapped her eyes to his. “Because you did it without my permission.”

  “That’s not why.” Sean shook his head, looking annoyed. “You were crying, Maggie! As if I ruined your life by complimenting your artistic ability. I don’t understand—”

  “Because it’s not for you to understand,” Maggie snapped. She’d had enough. Sean was a stranger. She didn’t owe him a thing.

  “Maggie.” He narrowed his brows in her direction. “You promised.”

  “I changed my mind,” she responded simply and concentrated on readjusting her review mirror. She had thought it was back in place, but it looked to be about a half inch off.

  “Fine.” Sean pulled the pad out of her purse. “Then I’m going to go through each one of your drawings and tell you what I think, until you talk.”

  “What?” Maggie dropped her hand, snapping her attention back to him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  He held up the pad and smiled devilishly. “Wouldn’t I?”

  Maggie bit her bottom lip, her attention darting between Sean’s teasing eyes and the road. She couldn’t believe he’d instantly found a loophole in her plan. There was no way she could stand hearing him describe her sketches. They were so personal. And the emotion she felt from creating art again felt so fresh.

  “Sean, please don’t do this.” She shot him a desperate gaze, hoping to pull on his heartstrings. If the devil had a heart, that is. “Aren’t there things in your life you don’t want people to know about?”

  “Yeah, but they’re all bad things.” Sean gestured to her pad. “These sketches are the furthest thing from bad. You should be proud.”

  “But I’m not.” She sighed again, this time shaking her head. “You don’t understand.”

  “Then help me understand, Maggie.” He placed her pad back in her purse and grabbed her free hand. “I want to know why you’ve been hiding your art from me, as if it’s somehow bad.”

  “Because it is,” Maggie responded, fresh tears stinging her eyes. She turned to hide her emotions. “Or at least I was raised to think so.”

  Sean didn’t respond, only squeezed her hand, urging her to continue. She took a deep breath, deciding it was too late to turn back, and it didn’t matter anyway. She could say what she wanted because she would never see Sean again after she dropped him off. It was like free therapy in a way, and the tears rolling down her cheeks would suggest she needed this therapy.

  “When I was little, I dreamed of illustrating the books I loved to read.”

  “Makes sense,” Sean said, “considering your natural creativity.”

  “Yeah, well, my parents didn’t think so.” Maggie took another settling breath before revealing the past she had kept even from her own fiancé. “They didn’t approve of my ’doodling,’ as they called it. They were both doctors and wanted me to follow in their footsteps.” More tears dropped down her cheeks as she bitterly remembered. “Unfortunately, my grades were never good enough, and they were forced to adjust their goals for me. ‘Our daughter will be a future doctor’ became ‘our daughter will be a future nurse.’ And my art, well… That was a thing I had to hide and be ashamed of. Until high school hit and my parents wanted me to get into the University of Michigan. Then I had to drop the whole secret-art thing and concentrate on meeting their goals.”

  “Why did you care about meeting their goals?” Sean sounded angry, as if the notion of pleasing someone else disgusted him.

  “They were my parents, Sean.” She turned to him, looking for understanding. “Every child wants to please their parents.”

  “Not me,” he responded adamantly, and for the first time she could see Sean’s own bitterness about his childhood. He might have not tried to please his parents, but he was angry all the same, proving Maggie’s point—i
t didn’t matter what dreams she chose to follow. She would always be stuck seeking her parents’ approval, just like all people did.

  “Well, I tried to please them, Sean.” Maggie turned back to the road, hiding more tears. “And because of it, I had to let go of my art.”

  “Obviously you didn’t.” Sean gestured to the pad in her purse, and he looked extremely proud.

  Maggie couldn’t help but smile. She felt good knowing someone was on her side. “Last night was the first time I drew in years.” She shook her head, hardly believing it was true.

  “And how does it feel?”

  “Good, really good,” Maggie admitted with another smile. “But that doesn’t change that it was something I had been taught to hide and be ashamed of. I guess it’ll take some time before those feelings go away.”

  “Those feelings will fade as you take back your life.” Sean grabbed her hand again and squeezed. “From what I’ve seen you’re off to a good start.”

  Maggie didn’t respond, only squeezed his hand back and let the tears fall. She knew now it was a good decision to open up to Sean. Not only did letting go of some of the pain from her past feel good, it also was nice to hear someone confirm what she already knew—it was past time to take back her life. There was no better person to hear it from than the man willing to follow his dreams, even though his face was broken and his wallet was empty. For the first time since the trip began, Maggie realized that maybe she was the one who was getting the most out of this little Florida adventure.

  CHAPTER 9

  Sean rubbed the raw skin on his nose and stared out the window. It had been over an hour since Maggie had talked about her childhood. He was upset by the cruelty of her parents. That same cruelty was why he never felt bad about packing his bags at eighteen and never turning back. Parents had a way of ruining their children’s lives when they set out to. Sean didn’t feel he owed his alcoholic, abusive father a thing.