Round Thirty #2
“I mean, I have to be with my clients at ten.” I spin on my heels and avoid the astute detective’s study. “My client is in Barlespy, which means I have to drive. I’ll be there most of the day, then I have a meeting at my house at seven.”
“Tonight?”
“Yep. Tonight.” I snatch up the shirt I wore last night and charge into the hall.
My bikini on the weekend exposed more of my chest than my bra does, but taking Billy’s shirt off and trading it for the other, all while Jeremy watches is just…
it’s too much. It’s insanely disrespectful.
So I duck into the bathroom and make the exchange.
I catch my reflection in the mirror, my messy hair, frizzy from last night’s storm, and my swollen lips, more swollen than usual.
Billy left marks on my neck last night; not the kind from his teeth and tongue, but a gentle red grazing, because of the way his stubble scratched my skin.
Drawing a shuddering breath, I trail my fingertips over his work and swallow the nerves slowly clogging my throat.
Good one, Maggie. Sleep with my client you swore you’d find love for… Twice.
Real professional.
“I’m coming in, Magnolia.” Billy doesn’t even give me the benefit of knocking on the bathroom door before he steps in and closes it at his back.
He wears sweatpants, but no shirt. His chest swells that way it always does right before we argue, and his eyes burn against the side of my face.
He flips the lock on the door and folds his arms. “What’s wrong? ”
I spy a half-full laundry basket sitting by the bathtub, so I ball his shirt and toss it in, then I turn back to the sink and flip the tap on. Anything to keep my hands busy. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“You were relaxed, and then your heart started sprinting.” He lifts an inquisitive brow.
“I was listening the whole time. I can’t think of anything you and Jeremy talked about that could’ve made your mood change the way it did, which means whatever happened, it was inside your head.
If you speak it, I might be able to help. ”
This isn’t my life, Billy! This isn’t my home. This isn’t my family.
“I have to work. It’s really that simple.” I fold over the sink and splash water onto my face. I scrub the icy liquid over my eyes and get a little into my hair. But that’s okay, because I was planning to wash my hair just as soon as I got home and had a proper shower anyway.
“You say work,” he grumbles, inching closer until I feel the warmth of his chest on my arm. “I’m saying retreat. You’re running away, just like you did after Saturday.”
“No, I—”
“But instead of getting mad about it, I figure I might just hold on.” He slaps the tap off and takes my chin in his hand, drawing me up straight and wiping the water from my face.
He grins like the world is just so friggin’ easy.
It’s not! “First time, you ditched pretty much as soon as we were done touching. Second time, I got you to sleep beside me for eight whole hours. Third time might even include dinner or something, if I’m lucky. ”
“Billy—”
“Is Elson your Barlespy client? Is he who you’re running toward this morning?”
I narrow my eyes and set my hands on his chest. Not to hold him, but to push him away. If only he’d let me. “That sounds kinda stalkerish, Detective. Do you make a habit of inserting yourself into my business like this?”
He smirks. “I like to keep tabs on the things that matter to me. Who is coming to your house tonight? Why?”
“None of your—”
“He’s not a buyer or anything, is he? Or a real estate agent? Because there are a million other steps you can take before you have to sell that house.”
“I’m not selling it.” I slide out of his hold and stride to the side-by-side towels hung on the wall.
One is slate gray, and the other is decorated with dinosaurs.
Hedging my bets, I take the gray and wipe my face.
“I’m literally trying to explain to you how I need to leave…
so I can work… so I can continue to pay for the house.
” Dropping the towel, I straighten and meet his eyes. “I really need to go to work, so—”
He grabs my arm before I can walk away and holds me in place, shoulder to shoulder, his enlarged chest growing the longer we stare. His Adam’s apple bobs with his nervous swallow, then he clears his throat and nods. “Are you okay… after last night?” His eyes flicker between mine. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” Weak-willed, I press my lips to the ball of his shoulder. “I like how we do the things we do. I’d even be willing to do it again some other time when I’m not busy working.” Damn it, my lips curl up on one side. “Soon.”
“Except the bit where I didn’t use a condom.” Tension thickens between us as his hand grows tighter around my arm. “I didn’t even ask. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay—”
“You should swing by the drugstore today. Get a Plan B.”
“I…” I jolt back from the determination in his words. “W-what?”
“I’ll pay for it. They’re only about thirty bucks, and you just have to ask at the counter.” His jaw grits and releases, his fingers digging into my skin. “The sooner you take it, the more effective it is.”
“You…” I frown so severely, my brows create shadows above my eyes. “You’re worried I might’ve gotten pregnant?”
“I should’ve used protection,” he answers instead. “I was shortsighted and impulsive, which was really, really dumb. If you’re too busy this morning, I can go buy it.” He searches my eyes. “I’ll run to the drugstore now, and you can have your shower while I’m gone.”
“No, it’s fine.” I shake myself free and show him my most convincing smile. I’ve loved this boy since I was eight years old, so I lean in and press a second kiss to his shoulder. I’m defenseless when he’s around. Powerless when he looks into my eyes. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.” I cross to the door and swing it wide, but before I leave, I pause on the threshold and glance back.
I look him up and down, from his broad shoulders to tense jaw.
From his moppy hair, despite the recent haircut, to that green stare…
God. The stare I never forgot. “You don’t have to worry about…
” I gesture toward my belly. “This. I promise.”
He stares for a long beat, considering, blinking, then nodding. Finally, he exhales and allows his chest to shrink back to its normal size. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I turn on my heels.
“Hey, Magnolia?”
My heart aches, and my soul is brittle. My entire body is exhausted, but this man has always had the power to stop me in my tracks. Drawing a deep breath, I steel myself and meet his eyes. “Yeah?”
“I had a nice night.”
I choke out an almost silent, breathy laugh. “Same.”
“You ditching now?”
“Working.” I turn again and continue into the hall. “I’ve got bills to pay.”
“Hi, Maggie!” Jeremy sprints from his dad’s bedroom to his, shirtless and wild.
He’s a bit like that boy from the cartoon.
Donny Thornberry. “Wait for me, Maggie!” He slams his door and stomps around his room.
“Wait for me! I’m gonna get dressed, then I’ll be ready and I can hang out with you all the way till I have to go to school. ”
“I’m not sure I have—”
His door bursts open again, and he races out with just one jean leg pulled on, the rest of the denim dragging on the floor.
He battles with a shirt, his body all twisted up in the fabric, and he wears one sock, carrying the other in his hand.
He trips his way to the top of the stairs and risks his life with a bright smile.
“I got another loose tooth.” He shoves his sock-holding fingers into his mouth and gives the tooth a wiggle. “That’s three in a month, Maggie!”
“That’s a lot.” I block the top of the stairs and help him pull his shirt down. “The tooth fairy probably doesn’t even need a map to get to your house anymore, huh? She’s been here loads of times now.”
“She keeps leaving me money, too.” He presses his sock into my hand and goes to work fixing the other half of his pants. “The cleaner my tooth is, the more money she leaves.”
“I think that’s a fantastic reason to brush really well.”
“Uh-huh! And if I keep going the way I’m going, I’ll be rich.
Then I can give you all my money so you don’t have to work anymore.
” He drags his jeans up and releases the elastic waistband on his hips.
“If I pay your bills, you won’t have to.
And if you don’t have to worry about them, then you can stay with me more.
I don’t even like brushing my teeth.” He steals his sock back.
“But I’ll do better from now on. I promise. ”