Maggie #2
I poured half a glass, then quickly downed it.
I’d just poured me another when Paisley started barking, and there was a tap at my front door.
My pulse quickened as I put the bottle down and adjusted the hem of my sweater.
I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping it would settle my nerves.
It didn’t.
If anything, it made it worse.
Now, I had to worry about smelling like a boozehound when I greeted him.
I pushed the thought from my head and rushed over to answer the door.
I peeked out the window, and a rush of excitement surged through me when I spotted Ronin standing on my front step.
He was wearing a dark plaid flannel that hugged his bulging muscles with the same leather vest he’d been wearing when he helped me with my car and a pair of dark jeans and boots. The man looked positively divine.
I took a moment to savor the view, then stepped back to open the door.
I pushed the dog back, then turned the knob and smiled as I greeted him. “Hey. You made it.”
“Of course.” His eyes skirted over me, sending chills down my spine. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Well, come on in.”
I don’t know which turned me on more—his cologne or his sexy little smirk.
Both were quite the turn-on, and I feared I would have a difficult time keeping my hormones in check.
Paisley was also intrigued by our guest and had commenced to jumping up on him, sniffing him from every angle.
He gave her a friendly pat as he said, “Well, hello there.”
“Paisley, down!” I quickly closed the door then rushed over and grabbed her by the collar. “I’m sorry. She’s not the best about meeting new people.”
“I don’t know. She didn’t bite me, so I’d say she did pretty well.” He took a quick glance around. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” I motioned him into the living room as I asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure. A beer or whatever you’re having will be fine.”
“You got it.” I walked over to the fridge and grabbed him a cold beer, then carried it over to him. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” He popped the top as he motioned his head towards the kitchen. “Can I help with anything?”
“No, I’ve got it.” I poured some wine into my glass as I told him, “The chicken needs a few more minutes.”
“No rush.” He sat down at the counter and glanced over at my pictures on the fridge. “Those your kids?”
“They are.” I reached for the most recent picture and brought it closer. “Nathan is almost thirteen, and Samantha is eleven.”
“Your daughter looks just like ya.”
“Thank you. I love her dearly, but she can be a handful.” I placed the picture back on the fridge as I added, “I shouldn’t complain. When I was a kid, I was a handful, too.”
“I’m going to need a little clarification on handful.”
“Oh, I wasn’t that bad.” I chuckled under my breath.
“I mean, not really. I had a little bit of a smart mouth at times, but that was only because I was determined not to fall under the shadow of my brothers. They were always right about everything, and... Anyway, I can still remember my mother saying that she hoped that I’d have a daughter who was just like me, and I’m afraid she’s about to get that wish. ”
“Now, that’s what I call a spoonful of karma.”
“That it is.”
I was pleased that the conversation seemed to come effortlessly. He listened with genuine interest, and that was something I wasn’t used to. I don’t even remember when Chad stopped listening to me. For that matter, I’m not sure he ever did.
I stepped over to the stove and stirred the pasta as I asked, “What about you? Do you have any kids?”
“No. Can’t say that I do.” He took a sip of his beer before adding, “It’s not that I don’t want any. I just haven’t had the opportunity.”
“So, no one special to speak of.”
“There have been a few here and there, but nothing that stuck.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.” He gave me a bit of shrug, then continued, “Besides, my way of life isn’t for everyone.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but I’m a member of Satan’s Fury.”
“The motorcycle club?”
“Yeah, that’s them.” He took a deep breath and met my gaze as he explained, "I joined more than ten years ago and still believe it’s the best thing I ever did, but it has its challenges.
We are gone a lot. There are no set hours or lines drawn in the sand.
You don’t always know what’s coming, and there are things that go on that I can’t share with anyone but a brother.
Adjusting to those demands can be tough, and it can be even tougher when you’re with someone who doesn’t get it. ”
“Sounds like quite a commitment.”
“It is, but the club is a part of who I am.”
I knew he was taking a chance telling me about his life, but I appreciated his honesty.
It was the first step in really getting to know him, and I wanted that.
I wanted to know all there was to know about him.
“I won’t pretend to understand what it’s like to be a member of a club like yours, but it sounds a lot like family.
There’s always some kind of push or pull, but in the end, you’ve always got someone to fall back on. ”
“You get it better than you might think.” He smiled as he added, “I had a feeling you would.”
That smile gave my stomach butterflies. I don’t know what it was about him, but he had me thinking of things I had no business thinking about.
But it felt good to have a man interested in me again—especially one who was so extremely handsome.
In no time, dinner was ready, and the food was all set on the table.
Ronin grabbed a fresh beer from the fridge and the bottle of wine from the counter then came over and sat down next to me.
He poured some more wine into my glass as he asked, “So, how long have you been a Star Wars fan?”
“Umm... I’m not actually a huge fan. I mean, I like Star Wars fine.
They’re great movies, but I’d gone to that marathon because the kids were at their father's.” I took a sip of my wine before saying, “The house was starting to feel a little big and hollow, so I thought the marathon would help take my mind off things for a bit.”
“Makes sense.”
“What about you? Are you a big Star Wars fan?”
“It’s more a nostalgia thing for me... I watched the original trilogy with my dad, and it just kind of became our thing.
” It was impossible to miss the emotion in his eyes as he spoke about his father, and that tugged at my heart.
“We’d watch one here and there, and when his mind started slipping, those movies were one thing that would bring him back. ”
“Oh, that’s really sweet and sad, too.”
“Yeah, it was hard to see him like that. He was always such a big, powerful man, and it broke me to see him fade away into nothing.”
“So, he’s not around anymore?”
“No, we lost him a couple of years back. Now, it’s just me, my sister Kendall, and my mom.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure it was tough for all of you to lose him.”
“It wasn’t easy, but we got through it.” He took a bite or two of pasta, then asked, “What about your ex? What’s the story there?”
“Not much to tell. We met in high school. Got married way too young and started a family. And things were good until they weren’t.” I took a long sip of wine before adding, “I thought we would figure it out until I found out he was hooking up with his secretary.”
“Damn.” Ronin shook his head. “You gotta be a real asshole to have a woman like you and fuck it up.”
“You’re sweet to say that, but he wasn’t the only one at fault. I had my part to play in it, too.”
“Sounds like you tried to make things work.” He cocked his brow as he asked, “You fuck around?”
“No.”
“You hurt the kids or smack him around?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then, that shit’s on him.”
“I wish it was that simple.”
“I’ve never been married, so I don’t claim to know all the ins and outs. But I do know that if I was married to a woman like you, I’d do my damnedest to do everything in my power to keep you, and I sure as hell wouldn’t fuck around, especially not with my fucking secretary.”
“Well, she is very pretty.”
“Don’t care if she’s Ms. Fucking America,” he argued. “He crossed lines that should’ve never been crossed. And he had you sitting across the table, looking the way you look. Damn. You gotta be some kind of jackass to do that shit.”
He was a bit brusque with his delivery, but I appreciated his take on the situation.
He saw how wrong it was for Chad to not only break his vows to me, but to get involved with a woman that worked under him.
Seeing the injustice of it showed that he had a great deal of character, which only made me like him more.
I gave him a warm smile as I told him, “Thanks, Ronin. It’s really sweet of you to say all that. Unnecessary, but sweet.”
“Just telling it like it is.” He took his last bite of chicken as he said, “This chicken is amazing.”
“Thanks! I’m glad you like it.”
I felt a wave of panic as I picked up our empty plates and carried them over to the sink. I was so worried about making the perfect dinner that I didn’t think about what we would do after. Now that dinner was done, I wasn’t sure what to do—I just knew I wasn’t ready for him to go.
I was wrapping up the leftovers when he came up behind me and asked, “You up for taking a little ride?”
“Umm, sure. Where to?”
“It’s a surprise.” A sexy smirk swept across his face as he said, “You might wanna grab your coat and boots... Maybe some gloves.”
“Gloves?”
“Grab ‘em. It’ll be worth it.”
To say I was intrigued was an understatement. I felt like a giddy schoolgirl as I rushed to gather my things. I had no idea where he was taking me, nor did I care. I was just happy that I was getting to spend more time with him.
It was an unexpected feeling, and it felt good—really good.