Chapter 19
NINETEEN
I’m awake and ready to be a problem.
—Text from Magnolia to Beau
BEAU
I had two sleeping girls in my bed, and both of them were taking up the majority of the king-size mattress.
Gently as I could, I moved Iris farther into the middle of the bed, then crawled into the small space that I was allotted.
I’d just closed my eyes, exhaustion deep set in my bones, when my phone started to vibrate on the table next to my face.
I reluctantly hit accept and walked back out of the room, stubbing my toe on the tiny shoe that was in the middle of the hallway. One that I’d seen, but chose to leave because I was too tired to pick it up earlier.
Cursing, I answered the phone slightly breathless. “What’s up, Black?”
Black sighed. “Hate to wake you up but…got a minute?”
Instead of answering, I slipped outside onto the back patio so I could speak without waking up the whole house. “What’s up?”
“Got a call about thirty minutes ago,” he said. “It’s Magnolia’s place.”
I blinked. “What about it?”
“Drunk and disorderly out front,” he said. “Name’s Eloy Wilkinson.”
I groaned. “That’s Magnolia’s ex.”
“Well, I brought him in and he’s airing out in the drunk tank,” he said. “But someone’s already come by to bail him out. I had to explain that he couldn’t get out until he was arraigned in the morning.”
“Who tried to bail him out?” I wondered.
He paused as he looked for the name. “A one…Cain McDuff.”
My stomach soured. “Fuck.”
“What?” Black asked.
I rubbed at my forehead. “How drunk was Eloy?”
“Sloshed,” he said. “Got the code to his phone, though. He was very helpful in providing that for us. Let me see if he made any calls.” He paused. “Do the two know each other?”
“If they do,” I said, “it would be very peripherally. Rose, Magnolia’s sister, was dating Cain at the same time Magnolia was dating Eloy. But from what I understand, Magnolia didn’t have much to do with Rose or her fiancé at the time because she didn’t like Cain, and Cain didn’t like her.”
“Well, that I can agree with. Dude was a prick.” He chuckled. “Flashed his license like I would know who the fuck he was just by simply knowing his name. And when that didn’t work, he started rolling off hundos and looking at me expectantly.”
“Great,” I grumbled. “Well, maybe you could hold ol’ Eloy longer. Maybe until we can figure out what he shared.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he grunted. “Just wanted to give you a heads up. Her house is fine, though. Mr. Drunk and Disorderly didn’t break into her place. Just knocked on the door for a solid hour while calling out her name in a pitiful voice.”
My mind raced for the next two hours, unable to go to sleep despite being bone weary.
In the end, I ended up texting Apollo to let him know everything that I knew, then asked him if he could find anything out about why Cain was in town.
I didn’t want to have to make a fuss if I didn’t have to.
Turns out, I did have to.
Apollo called within twenty minutes of Black calling to let me know that despite his attempts otherwise, Eloy was bailed out by Cain.
Also, according to Black, there were only a few exchanged texts between Eloy and Cain, but nothing was ever said besides “I have some news you might want.”
Apollo had the same news to share but said that he would keep an eye on both men.
The worst part was having to share all this news with Magnolia when she woke.
The look of fear in her eyes was enough to make my heart wrench.
“We’ll figure this out,” I promised. “He won’t get his hands on her.”
“You don’t know that,” she whispered brokenly. “Iris is his. DNA will prove that. I won’t have a leg to stand on.”
I squeezed her hip one more time before saying, “I’ll handle this. I promise. Let me get Iris to school, then we’ll come home and talk.”
Thankfully, Iris was a lot better about going to school today knowing that Magnolia was home and doing okay.
When I got home, it was to find Magnolia waiting for me.
She threw herself into my arms, then her mouth was on mine.
I knew what this was.
Fear.
But seeing as she seemed to need it, and she wasn’t letting go, I didn’t try too hard to persuade her otherwise.
Our kisses were heated and desperate.
We also never made it to the bedroom.
We did, however, make it to the couch. One step up from her being pressed against the wall.
When her slick heat slid over my condom-covered cock two minutes later, I was dying.
“We really need to figure out a birth control situation where I can be inside of you bare,” I growled as she started to slowly ride my cock.
Her casted hand was wrapped around the back of my neck, rubbing the sensitive skin there raw.
However, I didn’t stop her. Couldn’t stop her.
She was riding me like I was the answer to her prayers, and I was holding on for dear life.
I was trying so damn hard not to come that I missed what she was saying until she was pulling herself off of me and taking the condom off of my cock.
“Baby, what are you…” My voice trailed off into a garble of unintelligible words.
I blinked, my hands going to her hips, as she slowly slid me back inside.
I groaned, throwing my head back as heaven and hell settled inside my soul.
Our lovemaking from that point forward was slow and sensual.
My open-mouth kisses along her exposed neck, cheeks, and chin were causing pebbled flesh to well up each place my lips met her skin. I was also counting backward from a hundred while simultaneously clenching and unclenching my toes to keep from coming too fast.
This.
I’d never had this before.
Every single sexual encounter I’d had since I lost my virginity at sixteen had been with a condom. I’d never felt anything like this before in my life, and I was hanging on by a goddamn thread.
“I’m close, Beau,” she whispered into my ear. “I’m so wet for you.”
“Sweet Magnolia,” I groaned, my head once again finding the back of the couch as I lost what little control I had with her words. “For the love of God, please come fast. Touch yourself.”
I felt her hand snake in between our bodies, her finger now circling her clit in quick strokes.
“There,” she whispered. “I’m coming.”
I could tell.
She hadn’t needed to announce it, because I could feel her core tightening around me. She also got hotter and wetter. It was a phenomenon to me because again, I’d never felt anything like it.
I could tell you, though, with utmost assurance, that I was going to be doing this again.
She’d unleashed a monster. One that refused to be put back into a cage.
“I’m about to come,” I informed her, wanting to know what she would do.
She kept grinding her ass against me, making no move to pull me out of her hot, tight core.
“Fuck!” My hands clenched on her waist, fingers digging in way too hard.
But I couldn’t control myself.
Couldn’t do anything but fill her full of me.
Hot spurts of cum left my cock to fill her pussy, making her even wetter on her next glide down.
The orgasm felt like it went on forever, not slowing down until long seconds later where I’d felt like I’d been wrung dry.
Her small body collapsed onto my own, her face turned into the side of my throat.
“That was…”
“Irresponsible?” She snickered.
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But I was more thinking of the best experience of my life. Which is pretty impressive because I’m forty-two years old this year.”
She placed her hand on my throat, her fingers resting against my pulse. “I want to do that, over and over again.”
My fingers finally let up on her waist as I said, “We can. As much as you want. I’ll even quit my job so I can be at your service, twenty-four-seven.”
She snickered. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
Agreed. “Black’s on his way over, and Apollo is flying in now.”
“Do you think we can stay with you for the time being?” she asked, leaning back to sit up straight, forcing my cock, which still hadn’t abated, to sit deeper inside of her.
Despite my body’s insistent need to continue what we’d just started and finished, I forced myself to ignore it because this was important.
“You’re more than welcome to move in with me,” I said. “Permanently.”
Her lips parted.
“We’ve been playing a game for eight months, sweetheart. I don’t want you farther away than a room so I can hear you if you need me. Move in. Permanently. Then let your friend move into your place.”
Her lips curved up softly at each side. “That would actually work really well. Are you sure, though? Iris isn’t like most kids, but she’s still a kid. She makes messes, has tantrums…”
I caught Magnolia by the face. “Noli, baby. I promise you. I know that you’re a package deal.
I know that Iris likes to get moody in the afternoon before dinner.
I know that you get crabby yourself when you’re hungry.
I know that each of you aren’t morning people.
Trust me, I know what I’m getting into. And I want it.
I want all the things when it comes to the two of you. ”
Her shoulders slumped. “This could get messy.”
I grinned. “Messy’s my middle name.”