Chapter 6 #3
The front door is barely closed before Magnolia squeals loudly, throwing her arms around my neck and jumping into my arms. I catch her without a second thought, my hands immediately finding their way to her ass as she wraps her legs around me.
It’s like being in my arms is where she’s always belonged.
I breathe her in, the scent of sweet florals and sea water punching me in the gut.
Fuckkk, she smells good. Almost instinctively, I hold her tighter, my fingertips digging in to the firm flesh of her perfect ass.
She burrows her face into my neck, her shallow breaths skating across the skin there.
I want her. More than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone before.
But I also feel a need for her I’ve never felt before.
I feel stronger with her than I ever have.
Like I could demolish armies, or slay dragons, as long as I have her at the end of the day.
The idea that this relationship isn’t real is slowly dissolving in my mind, becoming something that feels like so much more.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers, and I’m a fucking goner.
I don’t want a fake girlfriend. I want this woman all day, every single day.
I want her to belong to me, because fuck if I don’t already belong to her.
Pulling back, our lips barely an inch apart, I see the fear written all over her face.
The heat between us the first time I kissed her could not be ignored.
She felt it too, just like she feels it right now.
“Tell me I can kiss you, Magnolia. Please,” I beg her shamelessly, letting my forehead rest against hers. She shifts, and I feel her body tense uncomfortably. Twisting in my arms, she drops her feet to the floor. She tries to step out of my grasp, but I’m reluctant to let her go.
“It’s a bad idea, Dalton. We both know that we shouldn’t,” she says, giving me a fake half smile.
Usually I don’t care when people use my nickname.
I earned it over years of stupid decisions.
But when she calls me by my name, the name God and my mother gave me the moment I came into this world, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt in my life.
Like I’ve been asleep for years and my eyes are finally open.
I never want to hear her call me Iris again.
“Don’t. Dont give me your fake smile, and don’t give me some bullshit about how we both know it’s a bad idea.
I don’t know that. I think kissing you right now is the best idea I’ve ever had.
If you’re scared, then just say that, Magnolia,” I tell her, finally letting her step back.
She crosses her arms over her chest, shutting me out.
“I know we didn’t exactly define what we were doing here.
And I’m so grateful for your help with my parents, but I’m not a one-night kind of girl.
I don’t judge you at all for being that way, but it’s not me,” she says, her words like a fucking knife to my heart.
It’s all I can do to nod back at her, putting a little more distance between us. “I’m sorry, Dalton.”
My name on her perfect pink lips is like salt in the wound, burning in my chest. Walking down the porch steps and stopping beside my bike, I hold out the helmet for her.
There’s nothing I can say to change her mind, nothing I can tell her to make her believe I’m good enough to stand by her side.
If I didn’t think I was beneath her before, I surely do now.
But I can’t imagine not having her in my life now that I know what it’s like.
If her friendship is all I can possess, then I’ll take it.
This time I take the quickest way home possible. As much as I loved the feeling of her arms around me, I can’t torture myself any more tonight. Pulling up beside the curb at her apartment building, I hold out my hand to help her off. She hands me the helmet, a conflicted look on her face.
“Please, don’t be upset with me,” she says, and I scoff out a laugh. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
“I’m not upset, Magnolia. I don’t agree with you, but I’m not upset.
It feels like I can see all the angles of you.
The scared, insecure little girl who still searches for her parent’s approval.
The brave, beautiful woman who still can’t see how incredible she truly is.
And I…I want them all, Magnolia. Every side of you.
But you’ve chosen to only see one side of me.
Understandably, I guess. But I can’t pretend to be happy about it.
That’s not who I am, angel. I can’t fake it with you or anyone else.
” If she doesn’t want to try, I can’t make her.
“I’d never want you to-” the sound of her phone ringing cuts off whatever excuse she was going to give me. She huffs out an annoyed breath, checking the screen before swiping to answer it. “My dad, just hold on a sec.”
There’s nothing I want more than to escape this incredibly uncomfortable conversation, but I’d wait forever just because she asked me to.
“Hey dad, what’s up? It’s late,” I hear her dad’s muffled voice come through the line, but I can’t make out what he’s saying.
“Um, yeah. Yeah, I’m still gonna be there.
Dalton? Oh, well, I don’t know, dad. It’s kinda short notice, he might have plans or-” I grab the phone from her hand, hearing the end of her dad saying something about the Fourth of July.
“Hey, Mr. Monroe. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t have plans,” I tell him, and she rolls her eyes.
“Oh, hi Dalton. I was just talking to Mags about our annual Fourth of July celebration. We’re planning to do it at our beach house this year and I hope you both can make it.
I know it’s still a few weeks out, but we would love to have you both there,” he says, his tone hopeful.
I know we didn’t exactly part of the best terms last week, but he’s always gonna be Magnolia’s dad.
“Yeah, of course. We will be there, sir,” I tell him, and we agree to iron out the details later. He hangs up, Magnolia staring back at me with wide eyes.
“That’s the kind of man I am, Magnolia. Hopefully, one day, you can see that.” I kiss her cheek softly, strapping the helmet on the back of my Ducati and heading out into the night.