Chapter 17
Levi
Those are the words I want to hear from her.
They’re strong, flirty, and way more confident than anything else she’s said in the past hour.
Whatever Cody did to her, it’s going to have long-lasting effects.
The only thing I can try to do is drag her out of her comfort zone and show her she’s wanted.
Even if it’s by me. I’ve got to trust what she can take, and since she told me that she can take this. I’m going by her word.
“Yeah, so I have a couple of things to tell you. I won’t be working on the force daily while Dakota and I are doing this.
They’re possibly going to be watching us.
A member of the unit will be coming to get my Fish and Wildlife SUV this afternoon, and driving it back to the station.
I won’t be reporting for duty. I’ll be one thousand percent hanging around, waiting for them to text or call. ”
“You’re gonna be here?” She grins, glancing around the room. “More often?”
“Looks like it.” I shrug, sighing. “I don’t think these guys are going to get into a big hurry to trust me and Dakota.
It might be nice that we don’t have to be working all the time, especially during the holidays.
” Which makes me wonder what she’s going to be doing for said holidays. “What are your plans?”
“My plans?” She’s rolling some pretzel sticks in colored chocolate.
“Yeah.” I put some gloves on, so that I’m not touching the food with my bare hands.
Although I don’t anymore, I worked at The Café during high school, and I know how to properly handle everything.
“Obviously you and Cody aren’t celebrating together.
What are your plans?” I ask her again, as I push one of the pieces of cellophane under the heat sealer.
“I didn’t really have any. Was planning on lying to Molly when she asked, and was going to spend the day drinking and watching rom-com’s.”
While that sounds like something that Magnolia would love to do, I can’t imagine in the end she would feel good about it. “That’s easy, you’re coming with me to my family.”
Her eyes meet mine, and if I’m not mistaken there’s some moisture there. “I don’t want to disrupt your holiday. Especially with your family.”
“Magnolia, you’re our family. You’ve been a part of our family for years.” She opens her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. “What do you think my mom would say if she knew I let you spend Thanksgiving on your own? I’d never hear the end of it from her.”
“Levi, I just...” she takes a deep breath. “I don’t want people to look at me like I’m a charity case. I can’t.”
Doesn’t she know how I look at her? That I see her as one of the strongest people I’ve ever known?
Getting up, I walk over to her, and stand in front of her.
Normally I wouldn’t be this blunt, but she needs it.
Reaching out, I grab her hand and bring it to the zipper on my jeans.
Around her, I’m always slightly hard. “Does that feel like you’re a charity case? This is what you do to me.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “You just have to know I’m not used to this.”
“You should be,” I whisper. “That husband of yours knew what he had, and he let it go. That’s on him, not on you.” I lean in, rubbing my nose against her forehead, dropping my mouth to her ear. “Let me show you what it can really be like.”
“I want to,” she closes her eyes. I can feel her lashes on my skin. “But I’m tired of falling and no one catching me.”
“I’ll catch you,” I say softly, dropping my lips to touch her. “Just give me a chance.”
Pulling away from me, she lifts her eyes, and I’m struck by how gorgeous they are. A deep blue that could rival any ocean. “Be patient with me,” she pleads.
“I will, I ain’t going anywhere, Magnolia Grace. Now that I know I have a chance? You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”
She nods, pushing her hair behind her ears, and then folds into herself. “I’ve really got to get this work done.”
It’s her way of putting the brakes on when things get a little too serious, and I know her well enough to recognize that. “Alright, we’ll get it done. Don’t worry.”
So we work. For a couple of hours with her podcast playing in the background.
Until she seems to have enough of that and then turns on some music.
I don’t press, because I don’t want her to pull away from me the way she did before.
I’m working on packing up boxes when she goes over and starts melting some more chocolate.
“How much do you have left?” I ask, needing to hear our voices. It’s been way too quiet.
“Just one more order, and I really don’t have to do it today, but I can get ahead if I do,” she answers. “Over the next few days I’ll be working for my Thanksgiving pop up at The Café.”
I get up, stretching my arms over my head, groaning when I hear my shoulders crack. “That’s cool, I’ve loved the pop ups since they started doing them a few years ago.”
“Yeah.” She smiles. “I’ve met some very cool people there.”
Walking toward her, I try not to crowd her or make sudden moves that she might feel are threatening. “Did you do it last year?”
She shakes her head. “I was in the middle of starting social media marketing. I hadn’t had any big videos yet.
That really happened more toward the first of the year, after they’d already had the pop up.
Leigh had another one this summer, and I sold out.
I’m hopeful the same thing happens next week. ”
“I’m hopeful for you too.” My eyes follow as she moves around my kitchen like she owns it.
I don’t know how she’s already so comfortable here, I find that I’m constantly trying to figure out where shit is, even though I’m the one who remodeled it with my dad.
She reaches up into the microwave and pulls the chocolate out that she was melting.
“You should try this,” Magnolia says, dipping her finger into the colored chocolate. “You’ve never had any of my chocolate covered treats, I think you’d like them.”
She holds her finger up toward my lips, and my eyes go between the finger and her eyes.
Carefully, I lean over, wrapping my lips around the tip, and swirling my tongue to pick up all the sweetness.
Her eyes darken, and her breath stutters as I let it go.
“Tastes good,” I say. “Almost as good as you.”
Reaching out, I grab her around the waist and haul her toward me, before reaching behind her and sweeping everything off the kitchen counter. Bending my legs, I lift, and put her ass on the edge, stepping between her spread knees.
“Levi,” she whines, swallowing roughly. “I have work to do.”
“We’ll get it done,” I promise. “After I do this.”
Tangling my hand in her hair, I hold her still while I take the kiss I’ve been thinking about since I left her this morning.
She moans as her fingers grip my shirt tightly, giving herself over to me.
Maybe it’s the tension that’s been between us since she pulled away earlier, maybe it’s just because I find myself needing to touch her, but I bury all my feelings in that kiss.
She spreads her knees wider, giving me all the room I need while I press her back against the counter.
We’re a flurry of hands and fingers as we each work quickly to get rid of clothing.
“Fuck, Magnolia Grace,” I moan, my nostrils flaring as I get her t-shirt over her head and let my gaze move up and down her body.
She’s wearing a pair of jeans that hug the indention of her waist, moving up to full tits cupped by a blue lace bra. “Blue’s my favorite color.”
A smirk spreads across her face, and her eyes become lazy, lids drooping as she looks down at my crotch. “I can see that.”
My cock is thick and pressing against the front of my jeans. Reaching down, I palm the front. “I’m about to do something to you I’ve never done before.”
She raises her eyebrows, amusement making her eyes twinkle. “Oh yeah? Should I prepare myself? Maybe I’ve never done it either.”
I tilt my head to the side. “I know you’ve done it before.”
“Well now I’m intrigued.”
My cheeks burn as I think about what I’m going to tell her.
As soon as she hears it, she’s going to think I’m not old enough for her, that I don’t have enough experience.
I’m almost embarrassed to tell her, but one thing I’ve learned is that it’s best to be honest with one another.
Grabbing her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I tilt her face up so that our eyes meet.
“I’ve never had sex with the same woman twice. ”
“Levi, are you serious?” Her mouth opens in an o, as it dawns on her exactly what I’ve said.
Dipping my chin to my chest, I nod, before lifting my eyes to hers.
“Yeah. I’ve never been with a woman more than once.
When you get me, you’re getting a man who has never been in a relationship, never stayed for the morning after.
Not because I didn’t want to, but because it just never felt right.
I know that makes me sound like I’m phobic of commitment.
” I stop for a second, collect my breath, and my thoughts.
“Trust me, I’m not. Watching my parents and grandparents have the relationships they have has always made me want to find that, too. They’re the dream, right?”
She swallows roughly, reaching up to cup my cheek in the palm of her hand. “That is the dream, that’s what I was hoping I was going to get when I got married.”
Licking my lips, I close my eyes. “Do you still believe in it, Magnolia Grace? Am I putting myself out here and you’re not even looking for it?”
“This is fast,” she whispers.
“I’ve always been the kind of guy who goes for what I want when I want it,” I remind her.
“If it’s too fast, tell me. But if you give me the word, then I’m all in with you, babe.
” My heart is pounding, and the tension in the room is thick.
The next words she says will make or break whatever this is between us.
“I’m still married...”