Chapter 5
Ian
“You can’t just put down another draw four!” Maggie yelps as I place my card on the pile.
I throw my hands up. “I literally can do that. It is in my hand, which means I can put it on the table when I see fit.”
Maggie lets out the most adorable, frustrated sigh.
We’ve been playing Uno for the last hour after we ate a lunch consisting of pizza and more coffee for Maggie and water for me.
I have no idea where I even got the Uno deck.
It’s been in my junk drawer for a while.
So, when Maggie asked me if I wanted to play a game, that was the only one I had to offer.
I also suggested strip poker, but I couldn’t find my regular deck of cards.
Too bad we aren’t playing strip Uno because she would be very naked right now.
She’s lost every game we’ve played. And she’ll probably lose this one, too.
Her dramatic eye roll has me laughing. I cannot remember a time I’ve had this much fun with, well, really anyone, but especially a woman.
Small talk is difficult for me. Just seems so superficial and meaningless when the harrowing burdens of life weigh each of us down.
I usually come across as a grumpy asshole because I opt for not talking rather than talking about the weather or someone’s job or kids.
My best friends and now bosses, Jack and Nate, have started to break down those walls, but I still have a long way to go.
But Maggie…there’s something about her that calls to me.
It slips into the cracks and swirls around me, disorienting me until I have no option but to give in.
Like I could lay those burdens before her, and she would help me carry them.
That’s probably just the high of sex and the mystery of this woman I don’t know talking, but regardless, I want to revel in it for as long as I can.
She tosses her cards on the table. “I can’t lose another game. It’s bad for my ego.”
I laugh and gather the cards as her gaze travels around my house, and a rare feeling of insecurity flares inside me.
When I was looking to buy, I opted for a smaller home, as it’s just for me.
It’s located in an area of Nashville that’s been slowly revitalizing over the past decade or so.
My home is no different. I did a complete remodel last year when I bought it, inside and out, and did most of the work myself.
I’ve always loved it. It’s the first place I felt really at home for as long as I could remember.
But as I watch Maggie take it all in, I’m worried it isn’t good enough and that she won’t like it.
I breathe an internal sigh of relief when she says, “I love your house. It’s all broody and manly, but it’s still very cozy and inviting. Very fitting for you.”
My eyebrows pinch. “Cozy and inviting aren’t exactly words I hope would be used to describe me.” I jokingly flex a bicep with a smirk. “Now, manly, on the other hand…”
Maggie chuckles and shakes her head at me before standing and picking up her coffee cup. “I’m going to get more coffee. You want anything else while I’m up?”
“I’m good.” Taking a few moments to admire the view of her walking away from me, I ask, “Considering that’s, like, your sixth cup, I’m assuming coffee is your favorite drink?”
She throws a wide grin over her shoulder. “Most definitely.”
“Good to know.”
She rejoins me. “I would say bringing me coffee is the quickest way into my pants, but apparently, all it takes is helping me be mean to men in bars.”
The thought of anyone else bringing her coffee has me irrationally angry, not because I think she would sleep with them, but because I want to be the one who makes her happy. No matter how idiotic that sounds, given that I’ve known her for less than twenty-four hours.
Any further concern about how insane my thoughts are vanishes when Maggie sets her coffee down in front of me on the table and throws her leg over my lap, straddling me. My hands grip her ass, and I drag her closer. Her soft hands rest on the sides of my neck as she smiles down at me.
“Want to play a different kind of game?” she asks, with a teasing glint in her eyes.
Standing, I take her with me, my grip tightening. My chair scrapes against the floor as I kick it back and set her ass on the table, moving her coffee cup out of the way. I kiss her deeply before my lips slip down her neck while my hands push up her T-shirt.
“My turn to pick the game. It’s called how long can I edge you before you lose your mind?”
Her laugh turns into a moan as my lips capture her nipple.
I slam the car door shut after helping Maggie inside.
Gritting my teeth, I round the car to climb into the driver’s seat.
It’s Sunday night. We agreed that she’d go back home, but I don’t want her to leave.
This weekend has been fantastic. I was enjoying my time with Maggie so much that I even declined a job Jack called me about, which I never do.
He asked me multiple times if I was okay before finally accepting my answer that I was and relenting.
But now I’m not okay. And I’m not sure how to handle it. I back out into the street and sneak a quick look at Maggie. She’s staring straight ahead with a slight smile on her lips—ones I’ve kissed more than any others before. I reach over and capture her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers.
“You have a busy week ahead of you?”
From where our hands are clasped, I feel her shifting in her seat.
She lets out a little sigh. “Definitely not. My weeks are rarely busy, just boring mostly.”
Keeping my eyes on the road, I swallow hard. I hope I know what her answer will be, but apprehension that I could be wrong settles inside me. “Well, uh, I have some jobs I have to work this week, but can I see you in the evenings when I’m not working?”
The silence in the car has my stomach clenching. I don’t want to look her way because what if I find a face that’s trying to figure out a way to blow me off?
Maggie squeezes my hand. “You want to see me again?”
The tone in her voice has my eyes finding hers for a moment before shifting back to the road. Her face is a mixture of surprise and what I hope is happiness.
“Yeah, of course I do. This weekend has been great.” I lick my lips nervously. “Better than great, really.”
“Well, I guess you were right.” I throw her a quick look with my eyebrows raised in question. “We really did become friends,” she explains.
My smile returns as I pull our hands to my mouth. I accelerate down the road and press a soft kiss on the back of her hand. “I guess we did, didn’t we?”
The rest of the ride to her apartment is silent as dread and excitement feud within me.
I pull into her apartment parking lot, and she directs me to her building, where I find a spot and turn off my vehicle.
Out of the corner of my eye, Maggie shifts in her seat to face me as if this will be our goodbye.
I hope she knows I’m walking her to her apartment.
“Ian, thank you for this weekend.” Her voice is soft. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much this has meant to me.”
My fingers thread through her hair, my palm settling on the back of her head.
I drag her face up to meet mine, and she releases a low moan when our lips meet, gripping the wrist of the hand holding her to me.
I don’t know how many more days it’ll be before I can do this again, so I take my time.
Tasting her. Savoring her. Her tongue toys with mine, and I deepen this kiss even more, not caring we’re in the middle of the parking lot.
I don’t want to, but I reluctantly release her when she shifts and pulls back.
She grins up at me. “I really hope I hear from you again, Ian.”
I run my thumb over her bottom lip. “I can promise you that. Sooner than you think.” Dropping my hand, I move to open the door. “Come on, let me walk you to your apartment so we can do that one more time before I leave you.”