“So she may have had a low-key thing with a guy. Maybe … it’s just a rumor.”
I don’t bother answering Griffin, I don’t even halt my steps. The truth is it’s not just a rumor when she’s out with me but leaves the second she sees him. That’s not fucking gossip; that’s reality.
“You should just ask her,” Griffin calls out as I walk down the narrow hallway to the master suite. Again I don’t answer him but I at least agree with that sentiment.
Shower. And then I’m damn well going to see her, talk to her and ask her if she’s got anything to hide. If I could get her out of my head, I wouldn’t bother.
But I can’t and what’s worse, is that I don’t want her out of my head.
The ring that comes with the door to the gallery swinging open is followed by a “Welcome!” and then “I’ll be with you in just one moment” from somewhere in the back right corner. It sounds like Magnolia is rearranging a piece or two with her back to the door. Her smile’s bright and wide, looking gorgeous on her sun-kissed skin paired with a pale blue dress that has buttons all the way down the front of it.
Of course, it fades when she sees who it is who walked into her gallery. Her eyes grow a little wider, and I’d feel like shit if they didn’t flash with something that looked like relief and her chest didn’t flush all the way to her cheeks. If she didn’t stand there looking back at me like I just stole her last breath.
Yeah, I’d feel like shit if our gazes weren’t locked with something that seemed an awful lot like hope.
“You look beautiful.” I can’t help but to tell her.
“You always say that,” she says then blushes deeper and the smile comes back, although not full force.
I shrug. “You always look beautiful.”
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she avoids my gaze as she tells me thank you beneath her breath and strides through the displays at a leisurely pace to the counter. Her on one side, me on the other.
When she finally peeks up at me, her forearms resting on the counter so she’s leaning closer to me, I can see the desperation, the want, the longing in her doe eyes.
“You didn’t text me back,” she says, her voice soft and knowing.
“No, I didn’t.”
“So what are you doing in here?” Her voice is soft and velvetlike, but there’s a sadness still present.
“You wanted to talk and I thought we should.”
With a nod, she murmurs, “Right.” Ripping her gaze from mine, she stands taller as a crease mars her forehead. “I have some things that I think you should know.” She clears her throat and it’s obvious she’s uncomfortable.
“Is Robert one of those things?” I get right to the point, tired of this bullshit. “Because I don’t really care if you had something before with him. If it’s over, it’s over. I give a shit that you up and leave me when you see him, though.”
“He didn’t know and—”
“Didn’t know what?” I ask to clarify but hate that I cut her off when she’s finally telling me what the hell is going on.
“That I was …”
“That you were seeing me?”
“That I was seeing anyone. You don’t understand.” Frustration brings her hands to her hair and she takes a deep breath. I wait as she appears to start to say something but then takes another deep breath first.
“He helped me through a lot when I had no one. I owe him a lot and a big part of me loves him still. So I didn’t want him to find out that I was seeing someone by literally walking in on a date.”
“Do you still love him?”
“Not like that. I haven’t loved him like that in a long time, but I don’t want to hurt him.” Her confession is earnest and she never breaks our gaze. Swallowing thickly, I let her confession settle before asking, “What do you want to do?”
Her gaze darts away from me and she hesitates.
“No more lies.” I lay down the one thing I really need from her. No more hiding shit from me. It’s driving me crazy. She’s driving me damn near insane.
Her words are tight and her doe eyes pleading for understanding. “There’s one more thing,” she practically whispers.
The daughter. I already know she’s got a kid. “Griffin told me you have a daughter.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“The father’s not in the picture, but it seems like Robert is the father to a number of people.”
“Is that …” Turmoil rolls through her after she trails off and I hate the tension in her body. She struggles to keep herself poised. With her eyes closed and her expression crumpled, I know the truth about her situation is tearing her apart. So I speak up, hating that whatever happened is killing her like it is.
“A problem for me? No.” She doesn’t react and I take a step forward, telling her every truth I have. “I want you and I told you I wanted a fair shot. You told him about me?” Adrenaline rushes through me at the thought of him being an obstacle because of a town rumor.
“Yes.” There’s not a single hint of hesitation in the answer but she still hasn’t opened her eyes.
“Good. I just want to kiss you.” I don’t know that I’ve ever spoken a more honest statement. When she doesn’t respond, still appearing trapped in the uncomfortable conversation, I lean forward against the counter and whisper, the tip of my nose close to hers, “I just want to kiss you, Magnolia.”
Her lips part once but there are no words. Maybe she’s not used to the bluntness. Maybe she thought having a daughter would send me packing.
“It hasn’t been this hard for me to get a kiss in a long time … probably since I met this girl at a bar named Rose. Took hours of convincing back then,” I joke, attempting to lighten the mood. Her beautiful blue eyes open slowly but she doesn’t budge.
Her expression softens but when she swallows, her throat tightens.
“I just want to kiss you,” I repeat.
“Please,” she pleads with me but I don’t know what for.
“Please what? Tell me what you want,” I say, pushing her for more.
“Please kiss me.” Her voice is begging and I’m more than relieved to oblige, leaning over the counter with my hand gripping the back of her neck. It’s a desperate, deep kiss that steals the tension, shattering it when her lips crack against mine.
If it was sparks I felt on the pier, as I did at the bar that night years ago, right here, right now, those sparks just burst into flames. Her lips part and I deepen the kiss, my hands moving lower.
Fumbling in between the heated kiss, she leads me back to the corner of the gallery. My body’s pressed against hers, caging her in. Needing to breathe, she breaks the kiss but I can’t. Not with the way her fingers dig into my shoulders like she needs me to stay right there with her. Nibbling down her neck, I let the memories of years ago wash over me and mix with the here and now.
A soft moan escapes her lips and my need turns primal. “I want you,” I groan against the curve of her neck. This woman makes me want, she’s a beautiful tease, but there’s a softness and sweetness to her that makes the longing deeper and something more.