Chapter 34
Rob
Rob: Any chance you'd be interested in me swinging by a few hours earlier than planned before dinner with the family?
Magnolia: Of course I'd be interested in that.
Rob: Would it be presumptuous to swing by a day earlier? As in this afternoon?
Magnolia: I can't imagine how being presumptuous could get in your way.
Rob: So…is that a yes? I need a clear signal here. I want to show up in the middle of your Very Serious Talk with Brock like I want a broken nose.
Magnolia: Good news for you—I've already had the Very Serious Talk.
Rob: How did the old boy take it?
Magnolia: You sound exceedingly smug.
Rob: Me, smug? Noooo.
Magnolia: Yes.
Rob: Back to the early arrival…
Magnolia: I've been weeding all day and I need a shower. The back door is open.
Rob: You're giving me too much to work with here, honey.
Magnolia: Your mind is a dark and depraved place.
Rob: If you only knew the half of it…
Magnolia: I've estimated pretty well, thanks.
Rob: Would it be presumptuous for me to ask you not to get dressed after this shower?
Magnolia: You're asking me to…what? Lounge around the house nude?
Rob: That sounds divine.
Magnolia: Gronk doesn't account for clothing or lack thereof. He'll jump on my lap regardless. I love my dog but not enough for that.
Rob: Can't blame me for asking. I'll see you soon, babe.
I should've mentioned I was already on the road.
I should've mentioned I'd left my apartment two hours ago or that I was now driving in circles around one of Boston's assorted suburbs, waiting for some sign she'd had the official sit-down with Ben.
I should've also mentioned I was a raging ball of neediness, at once rough and tender and just fucking anxious because there were no guarantees here.
It was like working out way too hard and waking up with aches that made it impossible to pull a shirt over my head or hold a cup of coffee without my hand shaking—all while wondering if the ground beneath me was about to give way.
Should've.
Didn't.
That was how I found myself parked in Magnolia's driveway not more than twenty minutes later.
Twenty one minutes later, I found myself staring across the street at Ben Brock. I should've anticipated running into him here but that concern sailed away right around the time I'd said "Fuck it" and jumped in my car.
"Hey," he called as he shoved a box into the bed of his truck.
"Hey," I replied.
With that comfortable distance between us, he said, "Congratulations to the victor."
I shook my head. "It's not about winning. It was never a game."
"And yet you still won." Before I could argue that point, he continued, "You know I'm only busting your balls, you fuckin' fragile prick. Calm down, would you? Jeeeeesus. Not that it matters but I've moved on. Actually, I met someone."
I dipped my hands into my pocket, jerked my chin up. "Is that so?"
"Yep." He glanced at his truck, his yard, down the street. Then, back at me. "Is this going to be weird? You and me? Because I don't want to have uncomfortable moments every time we see each other and I'm gonna get hosed if I try to sell this house right now."
Note to self: convince Magnolia to move in with me immediately.
"Nah, man. Of course not. And you know Magnolia wouldn't allow that," I said.
Ben scuffed the toe of his shoe against the pavement. "That's the damn truth."
A silence settled between us, not awkward but not enjoyable either. It was like the stillness that stretched on the way a drawbridge lowered—slow and crucial, and achingly long yet nothing could make it any faster.
Then, "I gotta get to Home Depot," Ben said, his hands in his pockets. "I have to return this stuff. I got the wrong—well, I don't even know what I did. It's just fuckin' wrong."
"Right, right," I murmured. I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, in the direction of Magnolia's house. "I should—"
"Yeah," Ben interrupted, stabbing a finger toward her door. "What the hell are you doing out here? Get in there. Do you have treats for the dog? Sometimes, I'll hide some bacon biscuits in my pocket and he's my best friend."
I reached into the back seat, retrieved a bag of toys and snacks from a pet boutique I'd visited earlier in the week. Back when I was really losing my cool. "All good."
"Smart man," he replied with a fleeting glance at her house. "Good luck with the family tomorrow. They can't be any tougher than her friends."
"That's what I'm hoping," I replied, backing up the driveway. "Good luck at Home Depot—and with the person you met."
I wasn't afraid of Magnolia's family, not when Magnolia was the only one who actually mattered in this equation…and she was probably naked right now. Why the hell was I still talking to this guy?
"Grace. You wouldn't like her," he called. "We'll have to get together some time."
"Yeah. That all makes sense."
He lifted his hands up. "Does to me."
I waved as he hopped into his truck. Since I had no interest in watching him drive away or doing anything that didn't involve going inside and just being with Magnolia, preferably nude, I hiked around the side yard toward the back door.
Gronk was waiting for me there, his bottom on the floor and his tail wagging just inside the door.
"Here's the deal, buddy," I said, reaching into the bag. "If you give me and your human some alone time, you can have all these toys and treats."
His ears perked up at the mention of treats. I opened the package of ridiculously expensive jerky and offered him a small piece, nearly losing a finger in the process.
"It's good, right?" He held the dry meat between his paws and went to work, making some noises that sounded strangely similar to nom-nom-nom in the process. "It was fourteen dollars a pound so I need you to really appreciate this. It's the high-quality shit, okay?"
Gronk ignored me, which was fine. We didn't need to have conversations. Not today. Not when I didn't have to hold back anymore, didn't have to share. Didn't have to wait.
While Gronk nommed all over his snack, I hid the toys and treats around the kitchen and living room.
A knotted rope under the coffee table, a small tennis ball on one of his many beds.
I was on my hands and knees, tucking the jerky into places he could reach on his short legs.
It wasn't my finest moment but I'd watched Magnolia do that once and learned it gave Gronk something to do when she needed him occupied.
He'd go hunting for his loot and stay too busy to notice she was on an important call or painting a wall or something non-dog like that.
"If you leave much more of that out for him, you'll learn what it sounds like when a Boston terrier vomits," I heard from behind me.
And it meant I was too busy to notice the bathrobed beauty watching me from the hall.
I gained my feet and brushed my hands together. Her hair was wet and her eyes smiled. "Hi there." Several feet and a sofa separated us. "Question for you. Is it wrong to bribe your dog to get your undivided attention?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. Just keep in mind his stomach is very small and he doesn't stop eating when he's had too much. Also, he'll always expect goodies from you now."
"I can accommodate that." I shrugged. "His approval is critical to this."
"This," Magnolia repeated as she wrapped the robe's thin belt around her finger, unraveled it, and started over the process again. "We're really doing this, huh?"
"I think we are." Skirting the sofa and closing the distance between us, I continued, "Though I'm wondering about something. If I hadn't asked to come here today, would you have come to me? Or would you have made me wait to see you until tomorrow?"
"I needed to wash up," she started with a shaky breath, "before inviting you over. I was a mess from working in the yard. I had brambles in my hair and dirt all the way up my arms. I was filthy—"
"You haven't seen filthy yet, sweet pea," I interrupted.
"I wanted to be ready for you," Magnolia replied. "Not all garden gross."
I lashed my arms around her waist, skimming my hands over the soft, torturously thin fabric of her robe. "So, I beat you to it."
"You have a way of doing that, Rob," she said with a laugh. "You come right out and ask for what you want."
"Speaking of which…" With both hands on her waist, I speed walked her toward her bedroom.
She laughed, braced her hands on my biceps as the backs of her legs hit the side of the bed. "Yes? Something you were saying? Don't tell me you're all talk until it's go time. That would be a major disappointment after months of verbal foreplay."
I pressed the heel of my palm to my fly but it alleviated none of the pressure there. Made it worse if anything. It had been months of foreplay. No wonder I was a wreck. "I love that mouth of yours."
Reaching for the belt holding the robe in shut, I tugged until the fabric parted and a delicious strip of skin was revealed.
After a quick glance up at her to confirm this was okay, this was what she wanted, I trailed my lips from her collar bone to the valley between her breasts.
"Magnolia," I said, her name heaving out in a growled sigh.
"I've been thinking about this for so long, I don't know what to say right now. "
"Don't say anything," she replied. "Just show me."
I slipped my hands under the robe and over her shoulders, sending the garment to the floor. For a moment, I stared, drinking in her luscious curves, her dusky brown nipples, her smooth, glowing skin. Then I drove my fingers through her damp hair and sealed my lips to hers.
By some gift of muscle memory and teamwork, we unfastened my belt, popped the buttons on my shorts open, pushed my boxers down, and wrenched the shirt over my head. It wasn't pretty but it was effective, and that was all we required today.
"Right here," I said, trading places with her. I sat on the edge of the bed, caging her between my legs. "I want you right here."