Chapter 8 Maggie
MAGGIE
Watching Zoe teach Hayden some soccer moves settled something inside me. With Jaycee force-feeding Connor imaginary tea, I was beginning to love my little temporary life. Not only did Theo’s siblings welcome my kids, they downright adored them.
Connor had a history test coming up. And while I knew the kid would do just about anything to avoid studying for it, there were also a million other things he could rather be doing than playing tea party with a four-year-old.
“How did the English test go?” Knowing that with the end of the school year coming up, all the tests were important.
“Better than I expected.” Connor gently placed the plastic tea cup in front of him. “Well, if I want to be a writer, I figure I need to do well in English.”
I smiled, remembering someone else who wanted to be a writer. “One of my foster sisters used to say that writing history essays is the best way to learn how to tell a story. So maybe you need to look at it from that angle.”
“Oh.” He raised a single brow looking so much like his older brother. “Which one was that?”
“Sydney.” At his confused frown, I continued. “She was rescued with the rest of us. But within a year the authorities were able to locate her family. Cousins of her mother. They were more than happy to take her in.”
I smiled remembering Sydney and her quiet nature.
“Do you still hear from her?”
I frowned and shook my head. “I mean, we’ve never deleted her number from the Pancake Club, but she hasn’t spoken to us since high school. I’m sure she has a new number anyway. Holden had a huge crush on her."
“Wait, so the Pancake Club was a relic from when you guys were in high school?”
I squinted my eyes remembering the first time we gathered. “Caterina’s thirteenth birthday was the inaugural pancake making morning. We had a strict no boys rule that we still enforce today.”
It wasn’t a tradition we neglected, it had just become harder to get everyone together for birthdays.
Which reminded me. Tiffany’s birthday was coming up.
We needed to see who would be around and who would be joining via video call.
We could do it at Forte Femme. I needed to change the bedding and towels before any of them came home.
I suppose I could get Tiff to do it. Speaking of bedding and towels, my mind went to the tasks I needed to do for the home I was currently living in. “Ugh.”
“What?” Connor looked at me with a frown.
Jaycee looked ready to ground me as she lifted a finger. “Mama, don’t swear.”
It wasn't a big deal, but still, I didn’t want to seem incompetent or that I was easily distracted. Not in front of Theo.
“I took the bath towels out of the bathrooms. I need to replace them before your brother gets home. You know he likes to shower first thing when he walks in.”
“Relax.” Connor chuckled at my panic. “He’ll only be home much later.”
“Yes, but let me do that before I forget again.” I stood and took Jaycee’s hand. “Let’s move away from the pool until I get back.”
Without argument Connor helped Jaycee and I move the tea party to the grass. I locked the gate around the pool and made my way to the linen closet.
Based on the way Maria had packed the cupboard, Theo alternated between navy blue and hunter green towels.
I took the green ones from the top of the pile.
The main bedroom was at the end of the hallway.
It was huge with a California King, double French doors that led onto a balcony with a great view of the hills meeting the ocean.
The navy and beige tones of the bedroom complimented the coastal view perfectly.
Before I had the chance to register that the ensuite bathroom door was closed, I pushed inside and froze.
“Where the fuck are the—“ Theo raised a brow at me. “—towels.”
I, on the other hand, could not move. Shock had my feet rooted to the tiled floor. All I saw was that wet perfection in front of me. My mouth went dry, no doubt falling open as well. Several lungfuls of air and my brain still had a hard time functioning.
I had seen him topless. I knew the man had powerful legs. But wow. He even had that V that led all the way down to his cock.
A cock that was growing and rising the more I looked at it. And if that wasn’t enough, something silver glinted from the tip. “Is that a piercing?” The words tumbled from my mouth without thought. My gaze remained fixed on that bit of silver as thousand delicious thoughts raced through my mind.
“Maggie, as much as I love your eyes on me like that.” He stepped closer, his voice had dropped low, like gravel coated in sin. “Do you think you could hand me a towel?”
I did as he asked. At least, I think I did since he covered the lower half of his body and my eyes were forced up his torso, appreciating every ridge and valley. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down and then my gaze met his.
Those green eyes darkened and he stepped even closer. “You can’t look at me like that and expect me not to react.”
I swallowed hard. “I never said you couldn’t react.” I hardly recognized my own voice. I didn’t do breathy, and was that a challenge in my tone?
Another step closer and I stepped back into the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom.
“I’ve done nothing but annoy you.”
“Not recently.” He never annoyed me really. It annoyed me that he was right about my life choices. “In fact, recently you’ve been really sweet.”
He stepped closer pushing up against the door jam, one arm resting above my head. “Maybe, all this time I’ve been trying to get into your pants.”
Now, I was the one who was wet. My gaze lowered to his lips then back to his eyes. “Maybe, you should’ve tried harder.”
He nodded and lowered his lips to mine. Soft and firm, and filled with desire.
More than desire, it was years of anger and regret and unspoken what-ifs.
My lips parted for him and when his tongue touched mine the world reduced to just me and the man kissing me like I was his everything.
Kissing me like he should’ve been doing it all his life.
Theo’s free hand slid up my neck and over my jaw. He gripped my hair until my scalp stung. My hands moved up his back, savoring the smooth skin as his muscles rippled beneath my fingers. His body pushed up against mine and his desire pushing into my belly only served to feed mine even more.
A whimper escaped my lips as he moved his mouth from mine across my jaw and into my neck. My leg moved up to his hip, and I could feel the towel moving. One little tug and this man would be naked in front of me.
A buzzing came from my back pocket. For a moment I froze, trying to get my bearings. The buzzing continued even as I let go of Theo and lowered my leg. He stepped back, holding onto his towel.
It took me another moment or two to understand what was happening. My phone was ringing in my back pocket.
I pulled it out and checked the caller ID. Tiff. “Why would your sister be calling me?”
“Answer and find out.” He chuckled and walked past me completely discarding the towel as he stepped into his closet. Damn. The man had a great ass as well.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and answered. “Hi. Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She sounded hurried. “I just got home. There was a package for you at the front door. Says it's urgent. There’s also other mail. I can take it to work and you can pick it up there.”
Because she wouldn’t set foot in this house.
I wasn’t expecting anything but it could be something important. “No, I'll come get it. Just let me get things settled here first."
“Will Theo bring you?”
I took a deep breath and tried not to snap at one of the women who had been with me through everything. “I am perfectly capable of driving myself. Your brother can stay here and watch the kids.”
“What am I doing?” Theo chose that moment to walk out of the closet in a pair of jeans and nothing else.
“I’ll see you in ten minutes.” I said into the phone before looking over at Theo again. “There’s a package for me at the manor. Tiff says it's marked urgent. Can you keep an eye on the kids for a while. “I’ll get that and pick something up for us for dinner while I’m out.”
Theo was not having that. “Yes, I can watch the kids. But just so you know we have two teenagers who are perfectly capable of babysitting for an hour or two as well. And I’ll order us dinner. You get the package and gossip about whatever you and Tiff gossip about.”
“When I get back you need to be wearing more clothes.” I smiled as I walked from the room. “Besides, at some point I want to know more about that piercing I spotted.”
He chuckled and pulled me back to him. “You play your cards right and you’ll be able to feel exactly what the point of it is.”
The route to Forte Femme is less than ten minutes away. I pull into the driveway and notice the lawn needs to be mowed. I’m torn between reminding Tiff to call someone or doing it myself.
I stepped into the house and was genuinely surprised. It’s not what I would call a museum, but it is tidy. Tiff was right when she said she’d be able to handle living there alone.
“Honey, I’m home.” I called out the greeting she usually used.
Her reply is the same one I gave her too. “In the kitchen.”
The kitchen was spotless except for the dish on the counter with the lid off and microwave whirring in the background.
On the massive kitchen table was the box.
Maybe a little smaller than a shoebox, it looked out of place in the beautiful kitchen.
The dents looked like the box had been used before and the excessive amount of tape looked like overkill.
I pulled it closer to me. The original labels had been ripped off.
It was heavy, and whatever was inside did not fit snuggly. “Did you open it?”
“No. But I did listen to hear if there was ticking.” Maybe working for a security company for so many years was rubbing off on her. “There was none, by the way.”
I took the smallest knife from the block and cut along the tape.
The sound was unnaturally loud as I pierced the blade through multiple layers of tape.
Peeling back the flaps, I let out a loud gasp.
My heart moved to my throat as I took in the contents of the box.
“Oh my God.” Nestled in the box was a bird.
I didn’t know how long it had been dead, but the blood looked fresh.
The smell overwhelmed me and I needed to swallow hard not to throw up.
It wasn’t moving. “Oh no, its wings are broken as well.”
My blood ran cold thinking about who sent me a dead bird. Was this his plan? To terrorize me with dead animals.
Tiffany looked over my shoulder. “Oh Fuck. Mags you need to call the police.”
I needed to call someone. I pulled my phone, and scrolled through my contacts. My thumb tapped on Theo’s before I even thought about what I was doing. He was the only person I wanted. Not Shiloh, not 9-1-1. Him. In a matter of two weeks he had become my safe space, my beacon.
Theo picked up on the first ring. “The kids have decided on pizza—“
“Theo.” My voice cracked, but still tears wouldn’t come. “He was here.”
“Maggie.” His voice was ragged like he was running. “Zoe, can you watch the kids? Maggie just needs me real quick.” A small pause then he spoke again. “I’m on my way. What did that asshole do?”
“He left me a —”
Tiffany frowned at me. “There’s a note in there as well, Mags.”
Theo was tense as he shouted. “What does the note say?”
“That’s right, little bird. I will break you too.”