A Bleu Streak Summer (The Bleu Series Book 3) by T.I. Lowe Read Free Book Online Page B

out of his head. Looking around, all eyes were on him again.
    “Do you want this or not?” the MC held up the trophy as he addressed Max.
    Snapping to attention, he offered his lazy shoulder shrug and strutted to center stage. As he accepted the trophy, Max noticed Logan and Dillon lifting Mona to the stage. His heart sank seeing her hesitantly walk over to him, knowing she was doing all of this for him tonight.
    Selfish…
    So selfish…
    Not allowing his spot-on thoughts to rob him of the moment, Max tossed the trophy toward Dillon with the giant of a man easily snagging it.
    With both arms free, Max pulled Mona to him and whispered into her ear, “I’m so sorry,” before dipping her and laying claim to her lips. Her posture remained stiff, but her hands laced around his neck anyway to allow him even more than he deserved.
    The crowd erupted in catcalls and whistles, totally oblivious to the truth hiding behind the charismatic rocker’s charade.
     
    •♫•♫•♫•
     
    Silence encapsulated the back of the limo with only the faint echo of passing traffic breaking through every so often. The ringing continued a languid vibration in his ears from the performance as Max reached for Mona’s hand with her allowing it. He knew it was only going to make the sharp sting of him severing their ties that much harder. Mona knew, too, which made them both a masochist.
    The imminent finality of their situation seemed to cause Mona to tighten her grip on his hand as she spoke, “Joe, do you mind dropping Max off first?”
    Joe’s eyes searched for Max in the rearview mirror. Max nodded his head, knowing they needed the privacy the beach house’s gated drive would allow.
    “Sure thing, sweetheart.” Joe navigated to the right lane to begin the new trek.
    They remained quiet until the limo was parked in the dark driveway.
    “Give us a sec, Joe,” Max muttered as he pulled Mona out with him. After closing the door, he pinned her to it and greedily inhaled her subtle scent, memorizing it.
    “Max…”
    He shook his head, keeping it burrowed to her neck. “This is too hard.”
    “But it’s what you wanted.”
    He felt the tremble of her thin frame. His throat constricted painfully with knowing how much he truly loved her, but that just wasn’t enough to push past the barrier he had constructed around his heart. No matter how much force Max inflicted through prayer and advice from his band family, the self-doubt and debilitating fear of abandonment refused to budge.
    “I know… You deserve better,” he repeated, holding her closer.
    After he witnessed Mave get his act together and create a righteous life for his wife and kids, Max naively thought he could do the same with just as much ease as his brother. Without thought, he proposed to Mona and she agreed with no hesitation. All seemed to be on track until last summer when every cruel scar inflicted from his childhood made headlines.
    “We can’t keep doing this,” Mona whispered, bringing his focus back to the night.
    Blinking, he raised his head and met her watery gaze. “I know. Baby, I love you… I want you to have the world filled with sunshine… Never dark skies… I promise I’m done hurting you after tonight.” He brushed his fingers over her delicate jawline. “I’m letting you go.”
    Her features plummeted even further, making him realize she was still holding on to some flimsy thread of hope. Mona took the diamond off and tried handing it over, but Max refused it.
    “No. Please keep it.”
    “But it’s gotten too big.”
    “What?”
    Mona slid it back onto her finger to show how it dangled dangerously. “I’ve lost my appetite with everything going on…”
    Max knew it was him who was the cause of the stress, reiterating the need to let her move on. It wasn’t healthy to be with him. He slid the ring off and moved it to her index finger.
    “There. It can be a statement ring.” He inwardly flinched at his choice of words, knowing the