Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Magnolia
My panties are still drenched from our sexting FaceTime session on Sunday night, and not being able to see him until tonight has been torture.
We talked and teased each other for two hours until he was close to falling asleep.
I knew he had to get up early for work as did I, so we called it a night.
Then we did the same thing last night, except he only made it an hour before his yawning took over and I told him to go to bed.
Tripp works a lot, so that’s nothing new, but I’m finished with work by three or four since my targeted customers are early birds.
But tonight, I plan to stay glued to him for as long as he’ll let me.
I’ve waited long enough to get Tripp like this, and I’m not wasting time now that I have him.
Luckily, he’ll be off work earlier than last night, but I still have two hours until he picks me up so I can take my time getting ready. He won’t tell me what his plans are for our “first official date,” but I picked out a pair of jeans and a sweater since the weather’s cooling off.
Since it’s Tuesday, he stopped by for a coffee this morning, which gave me a chance to quickly kiss him.
I feel bad not telling Noah, but the last thing I want to do is to outshine her special weekend by talking about Tripp and me.
We’re only four days away from the wedding, and then she goes on her honeymoon.
Once she’s back, I’ll tell her everything.
When my phone chimes with a text message, I smile in anticipation of seeing Tripp’s name, but once I tap my screen and see it’s from Travis, I frown.
Travis
Maggie, baby. Come over tonight. I wanna see you.
My stomach turns at the thought of seeing him in person ever again.
Magnolia
I thought I told you to lose my number.
Travis
Don’t play hard to get. We had fun last time, so come over and we’ll have a repeat.
Magnolia
For the last time, that was a MISTAKE. It’s never happening again, so stop texting me.
Travis
That’s not what you were saying when I was fucking that slutty pussy of yours.
God, I hate him so much.
Magnolia
I’m blocking you now.
And then I do what I should’ve done earlier and block his number.
Just the memory of his hands on me makes me want to claw it out of my brain.
When Tripp texts and says he’s on his way, I can hardly contain my excitement.
Tonight’s the only night we can hang out this week since I’m booked with wedding stuff with Noah.
I already told her I’d be at her beck and call, so Tripp and I will have to stick to texting and FaceTiming until we can be alone again.
A knock on the door has me fleeing across my apartment. As soon as I open it, Tripp scoops me up in his arms and crashes his mouth down on mine. I wrap my arms and legs around him as he steps inside and then kicks the door shut behind him. Then he spins us around and pushes me back into the wall.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you.” He presses harder into my body as he slides his tongue between my lips, and his erection poking into me confirms just how much he has.
“I can tell,” I taunt, arching my back against him. “You been walkin’ around with that weapon all day?”
With a laugh, he leans back and cups my cheek with one hand while the other palms my ass.
“That’s just from finally gettin’ to see you, Sunny.”
I lower my face to hide my blush. “Wow. That’s quite a talent.”
He tilts my chin and presses a tender kiss to my mouth. “Are you ready to go on our first date?”
“I still think you teachin’ me to drive stick shift was a date. I mean, there was a happy ending after all.”
“We’ll consider that the prequel to the real one because tonight you’re also gonna learn something new for the first time.”
When he lowers my feet to the floor, I pout. “You’re educatin’ me on another thing? Why do I feel like you’re gonna give me an exam by the end of the month?”
“Trust me. You’re gonna like it.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll see about that.” I grab my bag, slide on my boots, and take his hand as he leads us out the door. “And if you did give me an exam, I’d pass it with flyin’ colors.”
“Because you’d be naked?” He lifts his brow with amusement on his face.
I nod once. “That’s right, cowboy.”
Tripp drives us out of town. Though I love Sugarland Creek for its charm and epic mountain views, there isn’t a ton of stuff to do. But when he parks in front of an unfamiliar place with a big picture of an axe on the window, it’s the last thing I expected.
“What’s this?” I ask when he helps me out of the passenger’s side.
“Axe throwing.”
“You think I have enough arm power to throw an axe?”
He threads his fingers through mine and walks toward the door.
“Not sure, but it’ll be fun watchin’ you try.” He winks as he motions for me to go inside.
“Tripp Chattanooga! You brought me here to embarrass myself.”
“I’ve seen plenty of your embarrassin’ moments. But this allows me to stand behind you and help you.”
“If you wanted to touch me from behind, all you had to do was ask,” I tease and enjoy the way his face turns red.
The place is packed, but he must’ve reserved a spot for us ahead of time because we’re shown right into an empty stall. We’re required to wear protective glasses, but he opts in for us wearing hard hats until he sees me throw one.
That earns him a glare.
There’s a bar at the other end, and I don’t know why it makes me laugh, but a place that is loaded with axes shouldn’t be anywhere near a place with alcohol.
“Alright, you ready to try?”
I exhale harshly. “I’m fairly confident I can throw it right in the center of his heart.”
There’s a wood target several feet away, and we had the option of a traditional bull’s-eye with point markers or a paper silhouette of a man. I asked for the paper because I like the visual, but also in my mind, it’s Travis’s body, and he’s going to finally get what he deserves.
Tripp chuckles, then hands me the axe. “Let’s see what ya got.”
I grip the handle with both hands, squint my eyes as I slowly aim it toward the chest, then stretch my arms behind my head.
“Do you want help with your aim?” Tripp asks.
“You better step back,” I warn him confidently.
I want to at least try on my own before I succumb to his help.
He chuckles, moving farther away. With as much force as possible, I whip the axe in front of me, and then we watch it fly. Even I’m surprised when the sound of it hitting the wood target reaches my ears.
“Ya nailed him!”
“Did I get his heart?” I ask eagerly.
“His neck.”
I bark out a laugh and give him a high five. “Even better.”
Tripp goes next and, to no one’s surprise, gets him right in the chest. “Bull’s-eye.”
“Imagine if I could get the crotch.”
His eyes widen as he adjusts himself. “Aim low.”
And so I do. Although there are only a few inches of wood beneath the photo where the cock would be, I focus as best as I can and throw it right at the groin.
“Goddamn!” Tripp cheers with an enthusiastic clap.
I cross my legs, wave out my arm, and bow. “Thank you, thank you.”
“I bet you’d love archery.”
I furrow my brows and grimace. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. My arm already feels like it’s gonna fall off.”
My dad didn’t teach me any outdoor activities, and a part of me wishes he had, but he was too busy trying to keep my mom alive and basically raise me as a single dad.
My parents weren’t prepared for me at all.
They weren’t exactly trying for kids either.
My mom got pregnant with me in her forties, and by that time, she was already diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
She also suffers from depression, sleepwalking, and has had episodes of self-harming. I love my parents and never resented my upbringing, but as an only child, I spent most of my time at home, alone in my room.
Even though I’ve been best friends with Noah since we were kids and she lives on a ranch, I was never into riding horses and four-wheelers. I only got out of the house when Mrs. Hollis picked me up, and I slept over at the ranch on the weekends.
Noah and her brothers tried to get me to do outdoorsy stuff, but I couldn’t find it in me to try.
Part of me was too scared to get hurt so my dad didn’t have a second person to take care of on top of a full-time job.
Mom couldn’t work. She never left the house, so I hung out with her after school until Dad came home and made supper.
In the mornings before school, he’d make a pot of black coffee, and we’d sit at the table before Mom woke up and talk about anything and everything. It became our tradition even though I hated the taste.
When I was old enough, I found a job at a coffee house so I could learn to make coffee I liked. Once I saved up enough money, I bought an espresso maker and practiced making drinks at home. Dad always taste-tested them for me.
Every one I made for him got his thumbs-up of approval.
When I was working on my coffee menu, I decided to name a latte after him, Bless Your Black Heart. Although he’s the sweetest man you’ll ever meet, that was his favorite Southern saying anytime he talked about someone being cold or cruel.
“Hey, you okay?” Tripp asks, and I blink away the daze.
“Yeah, I’m good. Is it my turn?”
“Not yet. I’m thinkin’ of where to get him next.”
I glance at our half-mutilated silhouette.
“The eyes,” I tell him.
“Savage. I love it.” He laughs, then gets into position.
“Should we make it interesting?” I ask before he throws.
“Such as?”
“Whoever throws the most times in a row without missing gets something from the other.”
He arches a brow, licking his lower lip. My gaze traces his mouth as he contemplates my offer.
“Hardly seems favorable for you, but okay, I’m all ears.”
“Rude.” I smack his flexed bicep. “Whoever loses is at the mercy of the other person’s request.”
“And what would yours be?”
“Oh, that’s the best part. We don’t tell each other until there’s a winner.”