16. Maggie
MAGGIE
“So, what are the rules?”
“No fighting, no name calling, no talking back, and no snooping around,” Samantha answered.
Nathan added, “And say thank you and clean up after ourselves.”
“Good.” My nerves were wreaking havoc on me, and they only got worse as we approached Ronin's house. I wanted the kids to have a good time, but I didn’t want them to have too good of a time, especially at his expense. “And be respectful. This is Ronin’s home, and we are his guests.”
“Mom, chill,” Nathan huffed. “We know how to act.”
“Yeah, and none of that.” I motioned my hand in the air. “I don’t need you telling me to chill or to calm down—even if I need to. You got that?”
“Yes, ma’am. I got it.” When we pulled up into Ronin’s drive, Nathan leaned forward to get a better look and gasped, “Dang, this place is huge.”
He was right. Ronin’s house was rather large and very beautiful, and just seeing it brought butterflies to my stomach.
Once I was parked, we grabbed our things and got out of the car.
As we started up the steps, I glanced over at the kids, and their eyes were filled with both curiosity and excitement.
It meant the world to me that they were so excited about staying with Ronin. I couldn’t help but think it was a good sign. I knocked on the door, and it wasn't long before Ronin appeared with a big smile on his face. “Hey, guys. Come on in.”
With wide eyes, we all stepped into his house and took a quick glance around.
All the natural tones and large windows made it the perfect mix of old and new.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting something quite so stunning.
I couldn’t hide my surprise when I gasped, “Wow. It’s so beautiful. ”
“I’m glad you like it.” He motioned his head towards the stairs as he told the kids, “The guest rooms are upstairs. Why don’t you two go up and figure out which room you want...”
He didn’t even finish his sentence before they both bolted for the stairs.
Their footsteps echoed through the house as they charged up the steps, and Ronin laughed when they each shouted their claims to one of the rooms. I shook my head and said, “I guess I better go up and put my things away, too.”
“Not a chance.” He reached over and took my bags from my hand. “You’ll be staying in my room with me.”
“But it’s kind of soon, don’t you think?”
“You got two smart kids, Maggie. They know what’s what.” He narrowed his eyes. “It’s only a big deal if you make it a big deal.”
“Okay, but if they ask what’s what, I’m going to let you explain it to them.”
“Deal.”
Smiling, he leaned forward and kissed me, then disappeared down the hall with my bags.
When he returned, he took my hand in his and led me to the kitchen.
It was twice the size of mine, with a large island and stainless-steel appliances.
The walls were painted white, and the cabinets were a beautiful dark gray, which gave it a modern flare.
“Wow, Ronin. This kitchen is amazing.”
“It’s a work in progress.” He walked over and pulled a pan of lasagna from the stove. “Just like dinner.”
“Oh my, you went all out.”
“Well, yeah. Gotta do what I can to impress.” Ronin grabbed the Caesar salad from the fridge and carried it over to the table. “I thought I’d make us a fire after dinner and let the kids roast some marshmallows.”
“That sounds perfect.”
I helped him make the drinks, and then we called the kids to come down to eat.
The rich aroma of lasagna and garlic bread enveloped us as we gathered around the dining table.
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Nathan and Samantha’s eyes light up when they saw that Ronin had made lasagna.
It was one of their favorite meals, so I wasn’t surprised when they eagerly dove into their plates.
We talked and laughed throughout the entire meal, and it wasn’t long before all my nerves had subsided, and I was feeling completely at home with Ronin and his beautiful home. After we finished eating, the kids and I helped Ronin clear the table and load the dishwasher.
As soon as we were done, Nathan asked, “Are we still gonna do a fire?”
“Only if you and your sister will help me get it started.”
“Yeah, I’ll help.”
“Then, let’s get to it.” Ronin got up and grabbed a few wire coat hangers from the hall closet and a lighter from the drawer. “Give us a second to get the fire started.”
“What can I do?”
“Ummm.” Ronin opened the back door. “You could get us a couple of drinks.”
“You got it.”
Ronin and the kids went outside, and together, they started tossing wood into the fire pit.
Once he had the flames rolling, Ronin and Nathan gathered a few chairs and started placing them around the pit.
I took that as my cue to start grabbing the drinks and the two large bags of marshmallows he’d left on the counter.
I carried them outside and sat down next to Ronin. He handed each of the kids one of the hangers he’d unwound and told them, “Here you go. Roast away, but don’t get too close to the fire.”
The flames illuminated their faces as they placed a marshmallow on the end of the skewer and extended it over the fire.
I watched them for a few minutes, then grabbed myself a hanger, poked it through the marshmallow, and held it over the flame.
“I can’t remember the last time I roasted marshmallows. ”
“It’s been a while for me, too.”
“We did some at Dad’s last summer, but he had those gross marshmallows from the gas station.”
“They weren’t that bad,” Samantha argued.
“They melted right off the stick.”
“That’s because you burned them.” Samantha pointed to his marshmallow over the fire as she fussed, “Just like you’re doing now.”
“Oh, man.” He quickly pulled it from the fire and started blowing on it. It was completely black and crispy. “What do I do with it?”
“Eat it,” Ronin answered.
“No way. It’s gross.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Ronin reached over and grabbed the marshmallow from the end of his stick, then tossed it in his mouth with a smile. “Burnt is the only way to go.”
“I wanna try a burnt one!”
Samantha took another marshmallow from the bag and stuck it right in the fire. Once it was engulfed in flames, she pulled it out and blew on it. Worried she might burn herself, Ronin warned, “Give it a minute to cool off first.”
She waited a second, then popped it in her mouth. She chewed for a second, and it wasn’t long before she winced and started shaking her head. “Nope. I don’t like it.”
“It’s an acquired taste.” Ronin chuckled. “You’ll appreciate it more when you get older.”
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
Samantha put another marshmallow on her skewer and placed it over the fire. She and Nathan ate a couple more marshmallows, but the excitement started to wear off. Noting the shift in mood, Ronin looked over to Nathan and asked, “Hey, man. What’s your high and low for the day?”
“My what?”
“Your high and low?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s something my dad used to do with my sister and me.” Ronin glanced over at me, then back to Samantha. “You tell your high or your good thing for the day and your low, which is something that was not so great.”
“Ah, okay. I got it.” Nathan thought for a minute, then answered, “I’d say my low was failing my science test today. It sucked, but everybody else failed, too.”
“This is the first I’ve heard about the test.”
“Everybody failed it, Mom.”
“I’m not worried about everybody else.”
“Any-way... I’d say my high was not having to go hunting with Dad.”
“Oh, yeah.” Maggie grimaced. “What did you tell him?”
“Just that we were going out of town.”
“Good.”
“Okay, Samantha,” Ronin interrupted. “It’s your turn. What’s your high/low?”
“Hmmm.” Her brows furrowed as she toyed with her skewer.
“I don’t really have a low. It was an okay day, but if I had to name one bad thing, it’d be when Ms. Downy wouldn’t call on me in math today.
I knew the answers and raised my hand, but she wouldn’t even look at me.
It was like she was doing it on purpose, but whatever.
It doesn’t matter. My high was having lasagna for dinner. It was the bomb.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Ronin turned to me as he said, “And what about your highs and lows?”
“Well, my low would be finding out that my kids had a not-so-great day today and that they didn’t even mention it to me.” I let out a breath, then added, “And my high would be right here and now, with all of you. It’s been nice.”
“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it.”
“What about yours?” Nathan asked Ronin. “You gonna tell us your high/low?”
“Sure.” Ronin’s smile faded as he started, “My low was pretty low today. I lost a good friend, and we had his funeral a few hours ago. It was tough.”
“Oh, Ronin,” I gasped. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“I know, and it’s all good,” Ronin let out a sigh. “He had a good run and will be remembered well. Can’t ask for more than that. Besides, I’ve gotta pretty damn good high that’s helped get me through it.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“You.”
He cocked that sexy eyebrow, and it was all I could do to keep myself from going over and kissing him long and hard. But that wasn’t going to happen—not after what happened the last time we were together. I had no choice but to keep my hands and mouth to myself.
I did my best to play it cool as I asked, “I’m your high?”
“You are.” A sexy smirk crossed his face as he added, “I like having you here at my place. The kids, too. Hell, I might have to just keep you here.”
“Oh, it’s early yet,” I snickered. “Let’s see how you feel on Sunday.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
I had to admit I was a little surprised. The night turned out better than I could’ve imagined, and it was clear from all their laughing and carrying on that the kids felt the same way.
We’d been sitting out by the fire for almost an hour when Nathan stood up and asked, “Can we go set up our PlayStations now?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, but I don’t want to hear any shouting.” I glanced over at Samantha as I said, “And that goes for you, too, little Ms. Screecher.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
And just like that, the kids disappeared, and Ronin and I were left alone by the fire.
It was the first time I’d had a chance to really look around, and it was truly a beautiful spot.
The porch was slightly elevated, which gave a better view of the ocean.
The moon was full, and the light shimmering on the waves beckoned me to come for a better look.
I stood and leaned over the railing. Ronin came over and stood next to me, and we both watched as the waves crashed against the rocks below. “It’s so beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
I glanced up at him, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw the way he was looking at me—like he’d never get enough of me.
His hands slipped around my waist as he leaned towards me and pressed his lips firmly against mine.
The kiss was hungry and full of desire as he pulled me closer.
I wound my arms around his neck as his calloused fingertips roamed down the small of my back.
When he touched me, it was just him and me, making me forget about everything else—the doubts, the chaos, and everything in between faded into nothing. A low moan vibrated through my chest, and that’s all it took for Ronin to pull away, breaking our embrace.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Ronin snickered as he stepped back. “None of that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know damn well what I mean.” He motioned his hand between us. “You get me all worked up, and the next thing you know, we’re going at it.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Fuck no,” he scoffed. “Fucking you is a high every day of the week.”
“Well, if that’s the case...”
I reached down and took hold of his hand, then led him into the house.
I closed the door behind us and continued through the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me. There was just something about him that had me thinking things I’d never thought before—very naughty, wicked things that had me wanting to try things I’d never tried before.
As I stood there before him, I’d never felt so alive, so sexy and carefree.
I wasn’t just a mother; I was a seductress, and I had my sights solely set on him.
His eyes locked on mine as I slowly dropped to my knees, reaching out for the waistband of his jeans.
His eyes widened when I undid his jeans and started inching them down his hips.
“Maggie.”
A torturous groan vibrated through his chest when I took him in my hand and began to stroke up and down his hard, rigid shaft. His fingers clamped around the edge of the dresser, and his eyes shut when I brushed my tongue across the head of his cock.
“Fuck,” he mumbled as I took him deep in my mouth.
I continued to stroke him slowly, with my fingers wound tightly around his cock, feeling him throb against my tongue.
His fingers tangled in my hair as his hips thrust forward, guiding me to take him deeper.
Seeing how his body responded to my touch gave me such a sense of power.
The thought of making this man lose control fueled my desire and made me want him even more.
With just the twist of my hand, a guttural moan echoed through the room, and a pained expression crossed his face.
I loved seeing him fall apart by my touch, and I was shocked when I was suddenly yanked up from the floor and tossed onto the bed.
Without saying a word, he started to undress, and I took that as my cue to do the same. It was his turn to be in control, and he took full advantage. He made love to me long and hard, and it was a toe-curling, heavy panting time that left us both exhausted and wondrously sated.
I nestled into his side and rested my head on the crook of his arm.
We lay there motionless for several minutes, trying to catch our breath.
I’m not sure what spurred the thought. Maybe it was feeling the connection between us growing stronger, or maybe I just needed him to know how I felt.
Either way, I looked up at him. “Ronin?”
“Um—hmm.”
“I was thinking.” I propped up on my elbow, so I could look at him as I said, “I don’t know about you, but I think you and I have a good thing. And that scares me a little. No, that scares me a lot.”
His voice was soft and low as he whispered, “Maggie.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’d prefer that you didn’t. I just wanted you to know that I’m happy.”
“There it is.” A smile swept across his handsome face. “I’m wearing on ya.”
“And here I thought I was the one wearing on you.”
“Oh, you are, baby. Without a doubt.”
I curled into him a little closer, then closed my eyes and listened to the soothing sound of his breathing. I tried to fight it, but I was wiped and drifted off to sleep. I woke up the next morning in an empty bed with a note from Ronin on my pillow.
Good morning, beautiful.
The kids and I are down by the water.
There’s coffee and toast in the kitchen.
He was right.
He was wearing on me—in all the right ways.