Scenes of Passion by Suzanne Brockmann Page B

Maggie, and it was all he could do not to laugh.
    â€œWhat?” said Mrs. Stanton.
    â€œWhat?” said Mr. Stanton.
    â€œMatt!” said Maggie.
    He shut her up with a quick kiss. “It’s no secret that I’ve been crazy about her for years,” he told them, then looked at Maggie. “Right, babe?”
    The Stantons—all three of them—wore identical looks ofshock. Matt knew not to kiss Maggie again. If he did, they’d all fall out of their chairs.
    Mrs. Stanton looked at Maggie. “But…”
    â€œShe said yes,” Matt said, squeezing her shoulder.
    â€œI said no,” she countered, elbowing him in the ribs.
    â€œObviously, we’re still working it out,” he said quickly, putting his hand on her knee, and sliding it up her smooth, bare thigh. His shorts looked good on her. “You can understand her hesitation. She’s not sure if this is the real thing or if she’s just on the rebound.”
    â€œI see.” Mr. Stanton was staring at Matt’s hand, still moving north on Maggie’s thigh.
    Out of desperation, Maggie grabbed Matt’s hand and held it tightly. But that was, of course, exactly what he’d wanted her to do, since it looked as if she’d taken his hand intentionally, instead of in self-defense.
    â€œWe’ve decided the best thing to do is to live together, see how it goes,” Matt said.
    Her parents, of course, were appalled.
    â€œYou must know that we don’t approve.”
    â€œI realize that, sir,” Matt said solemnly. “But I want Maggie and I’m afraid if she goes back home with you, she’ll never make up her mind.”
    Hey. Maggie shot him a look, but he refused to look at her. The muscle in the side of his jaw was jumping, though. Matt was clenching his teeth to keep from laughing. He actually thought this was funny! She squeezed his fingers, wishing she actually had nails to dig into him.
    Her father shook his head. “Well, decision making’s never been her strong suit,” he said ruefully.
    They were talking about her as if she were a horse being sold or a child or a…a…houseplant.
    â€œI can make up my mind quite easily,” she said hotly. “In fact, there’s absolutely no decision here. This is ridiculous and…”
    And she stopped, suddenly realizing that if she said no, she’d end up going back home with her parents.
    They were all watching her, her parents with anticipation, Matt with one eyebrow lazily lifted, his expression carefully bland. But his eyes were sharp and he was watching her as if he were trying to read her mind.
    What would he do if she said yes? Wouldn’t that scare him to death? She smiled, imagining his frantic backpedaling as he tried to keep her mother from pulling out her Polaroid camera to snap an engagement photo to send to the society page of the Shore Line Times.
    Matt watched Maggie smile and realized that she was actually considering saying yes. The shock value would be tremendous—it would blow her parents right out of the water. Come on, Mags, say it.
    Except, God, he’d have to tell her the truth about where he’d been, what he’d been doing these past three years. If they were going to get married, he’d have to tell her all that, and more—Whoa, Stone, slow it down. This was fiction. This was acting. This was not real life.
    Still, he leaned toward her. “Say it,” he whispered.
    She stared at him.
    â€œSay it,” he repeated. “Come on, Maggie. Marry me.” He slid off the couch onto his knees on the floor in front of her and brought her hand to his lips as the audience—her parents—watched in undisguised shock. “Please?”
    Maggie couldn’t believe him. Oh, overacting! she wanted to shout. God, she hated improv because she was never really sure how the other actors wanted her to respond. Now, did Matt really want her to say yes, or