Chapter 36
Ian
“Ian? Where are you?” Maggie calls from across the garage, and I roll out from under my Bronco.
Circling the back of the vehicle, she smiles as I sit up and wipe sweat from my face with a rag.
Maggie wrinkles her nose, but her grin widens.
She kneels next to me with her hands on my thigh. “You’re very sweaty.”
I laugh. “That I am. You should give me a kiss anyway.” My hand goes to the back of her neck and pulls her toward me.
After a few seconds of resistance as she protests with a sweet giggle, she relents and gives me a quick kiss.
With a mock frown, I pat her ass and ask, “You come out here to help me?”
She shakes her head. “You absolutely do not want my help. I missed you, so I wanted to come find you.”
Warmth spreads through me. I always miss her, so it’s nice to have a reminder that the feeling is mutual. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong. You would be an excellent assistant. Come on. You can help me put oil back in this thing.”
She stands and reaches down to help me up. I place my hand in hers, but I don’t put any pressure on her hand as I get up.
With a look of reproach, she complains, “You could’ve at least pretended like I actually helped you.”
I give her a quick kiss on the forehead. “You help me more than you could ever know.”
Before I can pull away, Maggie grips my shoulders and leaps into my arms as her legs wrap around my waist. I stumble back a half-step before catching my balance with a laugh.
“I love it when you say stuff like that.”
I spin us so I can press her back to the side of the Bronco, settling my hips in my favorite location—right between her luscious thighs.
Her soft palms smooth down my cheeks until she’s cradling my jaw.
My eyes search her beautiful face. I’ll never tire of staring into her expressive green gaze.
Since I’m still sweaty, I lean in to give her a chaste kiss, but instead her arms wrap around me, and she deepens the kiss.
With a growl, I adjust my stance to put pressure where we both want, and Maggie releases a low moan when I tilt my hips.
Both of us freeze as a vibrating sound comes from across the garage. Disengaging my lips from hers, I glance in the direction of the noise.
Maggie’s palm on my cheek turns me back toward her. As she wiggles her pussy against me, I bite back a groan. “Ignore it. It’s just my phone. I’m sure whatever it is, it can wait.”
Without wasting another second, I recapture her lips and am just about to take this make-out session further when the vibrating starts again. A frustrated growl echoes through the garage. “Go answer it so I can fulfill a fantasy I have of fucking you against the Bronco.”
She half-laughs and half-moans as I let her slide down my body in agonizing slowness. Patting my pec, she leaves me to go answer the phone as I follow behind her. Just as it starts to vibrate again on my workbench, she picks it up.
“Hello?”
A muffled voice is audible, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.
“Yes, this is she.”
Maggie’s face is blank as she listens to whatever is being said. My concern surfaces when her hand shoots out and grips my forearm, looking unsteady. I wrap an arm around her waist to support her in case she falls.
“Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you so much for calling me.”
More muffled words.
“Okay, thank you again.”
Maggie’s hand drops to her side as she turns in my arms. Her expression is mixed with bewilderment and what I hope is happiness.
“Maggie, you’re killing me here. What was that about?”
“Ian, he was found guilty. Reese is going to prison for a very, very long time.” Her voice quivers on the last few words.
I crash my lips to hers, celebrating what we both hoped for but were afraid to vocalize too often for fear of jinxing it.
The thought crossed my mind plenty of times over the last few weeks about what I would need to do to keep her safe should he be found innocent.
I never came up with a good solution, but it was never far from my thoughts.
But we don’t have to worry about that anymore.
“Maggie, I’m so fucking relieved.”
She wipes her damp cheeks. “Me too. I feel like such a weight has been lifted off my chest, like I can take my first deep breath in years.”
“Let’s go celebrate,” I suggest.
“Yes, please! What should we do?”
I think for a moment, then say with a grin. “Trivia?”
When her eyes light up, I know I made the right choice.
“Yes! Trivia! That is perfect!”
I swat her ass. “Let’s go get ready, then we can head out.”
Maggie pulls me back toward the spot we were just a few minutes ago. “We can start the celebration now, too.”
With a smirk, I rip my T-shirt over my head and drop it to the garage floor. “Fuck yes.”
I wrap the towel around my waist and glance back at the shower where Maggie is finishing. Picking up my phone from the vanity, I step into the bedroom and connect the call.
After a few rings, Franklin answers. “I’m assuming Maggie got the call.”
Relief and happiness have a smile spreading across my face. “Yes, she did. It’s been quite the weight off her shoulders.”
“I can imagine it would be.” He pauses. “But I have a feeling that is not why you’re calling.”
“Not entirely,” I confirm.
He laughs. “I figured it wouldn’t be long until you called. I will say…this wasn’t easy to arrange.”
“Franklin, I owe you big time.” And I mean that. I'm amazed he managed to pull this off in such a short time. It hasn’t been long since I contacted him.
“Yes. Yes, you do. You should have an email with all the details sent to you very shortly.” Franklin clears his throat.
“I’ll assign two agents to follow you when you touch down and while you are driving to the meeting point.
They’ll keep a low profile but just know they’re close by should anything happen.
There will also be agents with the others. ”
“Got it.” My phone vibrates against my ear with what I assume is the email he referenced.
“You’ll have to fly to one city and drive to another. It’ll be a little bit of a drive. But it’s the safest option. Lessens the chance of anyone figuring out where you two will be.”
“I don’t care how far we have to go to make this happen.”
Franklin exhales audibly. “Just don’t get stupid. Stick to the plan. Things will still be a little hot for a while since the verdict has just been announced.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. The last thing I’d ever do is be stupid with Maggie’s safety.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But my ass is on the line, so I gotta say it.”
“I understand. Thanks again, man. I’ll let you know if anything changes or happens.”
“You better.” He disconnects the call. Just a few more days. Nerves and excitement roll through me. I’d do anything for this woman. Planning this surprise is the least of them. All I can hope is that everything goes off without a hitch.
I walk back into the bathroom just as Maggie is finishing putting lotion on her face, and she smiles at me through the mirror. “Who were you talking to?”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pull her back into my chest. I don’t like lying to her, but in this case, it’s necessary. “Jack called to ask me something about work.”
My lips press against her neck, my teeth grazing her skin before my tongue soothes my bite. Maggie’s low moan travels through me from where she’s pressed against me. I turn her around gently and lift her up, setting her on the counter between the sinks.
“Ian.” Her words are breathy with need.
I drop to my knees as I push her thighs apart and attempt to relay all the feelings I struggle to put into words as I worship at the altar of her body.