Chapter Eight
Piper
I wake up disoriented. It takes a moment for me to realize I’m not at home. The smile I normally wear falls when I feel the weight of an arm over my stomach. My eyes open and I see a very handsome man beside me. My smile returns. What a night! I look over to a clock and see it’s almost noon. Considering we didn’t get to sleep until about seven in the morning, I’m not surprised we’ve slept so late.
Magnus looks completely at peace as he lets out a sigh and turns, his arm leaving me. An immediate chill flows through me as I lose the heat of his body. As much as I want to stay right where I am, I know I need to run now. I’ve never done a morning after, and I don’t want to start with this man. I quietly slip out of Magnus’s luxuriously soft and comfortable bed, being very careful not to wake the incredibly handsome man.
The afternoon sun is trying to peak through Magnus’s thick curtains. I’m glad they’re shut or he’d most likely wake and things could get awkward very quickly. There’s just enough light for me to see him while still leaving us both in a cocoon. I tiptoe away from the bed, my smile not disappearing. I have zero regrets. I hope I still feel this way when the full reality of the night seeps in.
Gathering my dress, I’m a bit mortified. I can’t exit this house in the dress. It will be written all over my face what happened here. I sneak into his closet and find a pair of sweats and a cotton shirt that are far too big for me. I can make them work. I tie the pants and put a knot in the shirt, then find a bag for my dress. I throw my hair into a ponytail, then exit his bedroom with only one more lingering look his way. I pull up my Uber app and am thrilled when my ride is only five minutes away.
I slip outside and am filled with a tinge of sadness as I slip inside and watch his house fade away as I successfully drive out of sight. Seeing his home in the day is enough to leave my mouth hanging open. It’s massive and perfectly manicured. I wouldn’t mind coming back even if it is an hour away from my own home. I don’t think I’ll allow this to continue though. I can see how easily I can fall in love with this man. Heck, if I’m being honest, I might be halfway there already.
We aren’t more than five minutes down the road when my phone vibrates. I lift it and see Magnus is calling me. My heart skips a beat. I’m so not ready for this conversation, especially sitting in the back of an Uber with someone listening. At least the man driving me isn’t talkative. I don’t want to make small talk right now. I send the call to voicemail. Less than thirty seconds later a text message appears.
Magnus: You can run, but you can’t hide.
My smile grows as I read his words. I hesitate before replying. I’m not so sure I want to completely close the door between us, but I need to set some limits, that’s for sure.
Me: I’m not hiding. It’s just time to come back down to reality.
There are little bars on my phone telling me he’s answering this message. I don’t want to react, but the butterflies are taking flight in my stomach.
Magnus: I don’t like this reality where you sneak out of my bed after we’ve just had an amazing night. Why don’t you turn around so we can have an even better morning. I have more ways to make you call out my name than I’ve already shown you.
Me: Tempting. Very tempting. But that was a one and done. I have zero regrets. It was the greatest night I’ve had in a very long time, but I have a lot of work to do.
Magnus: You’re sadly mistaken if you think it’s one and done. That’s two, baby, and there will be many more nights. I’ll give you a day . . . or two. Then I’m coming . . . and so are you.
My breath hitches and I’m grateful the driver can’t see what this conversation is all about. I’m sure if he looks in his rearview mirror he’ll see the flush in my cheeks. I can’t win a war of words with this man even with being a librarian. He’s too dang smooth. He turns me on so much I lose brain cells.
Magnus: Nothing to say to this?
Me: The reality is I don’t live in your world. It was nice visiting it, but I think the fun is over now.
Magnus: You belong in any world you choose to step into. Haven’t you learned that in your beloved books? I think we make a mighty fine team. I’m not easily dissuaded.
I don’t know what to say to this so I decide it’s time to put my phone away. There are far too many emotions washing through me in this moment. I lean back and close my eyes. Even though I didn’t get a lot of sleep, I’m wired now. It really was a great night. I can tell myself I’m not going to see this man again, but it’s going to happen. I’m not sure what will come next, but I don’t take Magnus as a man to give up on anything. I might just like this about the man.
I finally make it home, thank the driver, and rush inside, praying no one sees me doing the walk of shame. This is a very small town and I’m sure someone, somewhere will be reporting on the fact I’m arriving home in oversized clothes at one in the afternoon. I’m a grown woman and shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I can’t help it.
I’m only inside for about fifteen minutes when Livie comes walking through my door. I’m lying on the couch in Magnus’s clothes. There’s no hiding what I’ve done. I give her a smile and a shrug.
“I’ve been by here three times already. I didn’t call or text because I didn’t want to interrupt anything. Now, you have to spill all,” she demands, not bothering with greetings. She gives me a long look from head to toe.
I give a drawn-out sigh. “It was amazing, and now it’s done,” I tell her. She waits, her hands on her hips, her belly protruding, her foot bouncing.
“That’s all you have to say, that it was amazing?” she gasps. “I need more.”
“I don’t know what to say other than it was the best night of my life. But I’m already half in love with this man and this is nothing more than a fling for him. I can’t grow more attached,” I tell her, my voice pleading.
“Oh, Honey, if you’re halfway there, distance won’t help. You’ll simply obsess about the man. Trust me, I know this well. It didn’t work out so well for me when I was putting myself through hell. But it did work out in the end when I stopped fighting myself. Learn from my mistakes,” she demands as she sits next to me.
“It’s different. Tyler was so into you, and he proved that he loved you, that it was about so much more than a fling.”
“Not in the beginning. He broke my heart, but the heart wants what it wants, and I’ve never been so happy with my budding family. The only thing that can possibly bring me more joy is to see you just as happy as I am,” she says.
I give her a smile. “We both know that fantasies never live up to reality,” I tell her. “Honestly, I’m glad I spent the night with him. He was wonderful at the event, and the lovemaking is out of this world. But we live in two different worlds.”
“You’re giving up too easily. You met this man a year ago, and he’s here again. That means he hasn’t been able to get you off his mind. It could mean as much to him as it does to you. What if you’re the one he’s been looking for without knowing he was looking?”
“In my favorite books, that’s how it would be,” I tell her with a laugh. “But as much as we both love fiction, we also know we live in the real world. I don’t want to go too far over into fantasy.”
“You’re the one who always says we must use our imaginations,” she challenges.
I think about her words, considering them. We sit in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation hanging in the air between us. She knows when to speak and when to give me a moment to let everything process in my frazzled brain.
Before more conversation can happen, there’s a knock on the door that sends my heart immediately racing. I groan as I stay where I am wondering if it’s Magnus. He told me he’s going to give me time, but his idea of time and mine might be totally different. I look at Livie.
“It’s your door,” she says, not moving. I reluctantly get up and go to the door. When I open it, there’s a delivery driver holding a huge bouquet of flowers, and a bag.
“Sign here please,” he says, handing me a paper. I sign it, and he hands over the items, then turns and disappears, not waiting for a tip. There’s no doubt this is from Magnus, and the tip was generously included.
“What is it?” Livie asks as she jumps up and looks in the bag.
“I don’t know,” I say. I set the gorgeous flowers on the table, then open the bag and find a variety of chocolates and a velvet box. Sweat beads on my brow as I open the box to find a stunning pair of diamond and ruby earrings that most likely cost more than my monthly salary, or many months of my salary. I’m trembling.
“Oh girl, keep this man,” Livie says as she examines the earrings. They’re really beautiful.
“I can’t keep these,” I tell her, but I want to put them in my ears right now.
“Yes, you can!” Livie insists. She grabs one, and before I can stop her, she inserts it in my ear. “Gorgeous. They were made just for you.” She puts the other one in and I walk to the mirror, completely in love with the inappropriate gift.
I move to my phone and text Magnus. What is the man thinking? What am I thinking? Who in the heck knows.
Me: This is way too much. I can’t keep these earrings.
His reply is fast.
Magnus: You will keep them, and this is only the beginning.
Livie claps her hands in excitement, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “I’m going to have so much fun watching this man break down every wall you’ve ever built. He might just be your match.”
The truth of her words hit me like a sword. I think he’s already broken down my walls. I also don’t think he’s going to give me time to put them back up again. I’m in serious trouble where this man’s concerned, and I’m starting to realize, I like trouble. Livie might just be right, this could be just the beginning. I have no idea what else Magnus has in store for me. Whether I’m ready to admit it or not, I’m looking forward to finding out.