“What the fuck?” The divider is up between the front and back seats, and I can’t see Moses, but I have to assume he’s driving. “Hey! I know you’re up there.”
When he doesn’t roll the divider down, I slap at the thing.
A moment later, it moves down several inches, until I can see his face in the rearview mirror.
“Give me five fucking minutes to calm down before I lose my goddamned mind over what I just walked in on.” Moses’s deep voice is so low, it’s barely audible. It’s more of a growl.
“What the fuck are you pissed about? It’s not like I was doing anything wrong.”
He brakes hard as we approach the rising gate he shouldn’t have been able to get past to get into the club in the first place, and I put up a hand to brace myself. Then he turns around and stares me dead in the eye.
“If you think you weren’t doing anything I’d be pissed about, maybe I don’t know you like I thought I did. And you sure as fuck don’t know me.”
The divider slides back up, leaving me alone in the back of a Rolls Royce, wondering what in the fuck just happened.
Thirty-Eight
Moses
“What the fuck are you pissed about? It’s not like I was doing anything wrong.”
Magnolia’s words repeat in my head as I drive back to the city.
Not doing anything wrong? Maybe not to anyone else’s way of thinking, but Jesus Christ.
Chess was ours.
I still remember the exact moment I knew she was unlike any other woman I’d ever met.
Fifteen years ago
“You wanna play again? Really? Don’t you know I’m just gonna keep beating you?” Magnolia flashed me a megawatt smile as she settled onto the chair opposite from me and crossed her legs.
God, this woman was something else. The face of a siren, the body of a goddess, and the chess skills of a master. She was the whole damn package.
She didn’t care who I was or what I did. She was just grateful not to be alone, trying to protect her house from looters who might decide they wanted something more. Like the last ones . . .
I thought of the men I killed. Their bodies were long gone, so at least I didn’t have to worry about anyone pinning that shit on me. The only thing I wished was that I could have made them suffer longer.
Maybe it was hypocritical, but I didn’t care. What they planned to do to her . . . no real man ever did that shit to a woman. I thought of the orders I’d given right before I left Biloxi, and regret, something I’d never much felt before, trickled through me.
It didn’t make sense, but this woman . . . she was changing me. I didn’t know how, especially this fast, but I guessed that was how shit worked sometimes.
I smiled at her across the table. “I’ll keep playing you until I win.”
She laughed, and it wasn’t one of those nervous giggles I was used to hearing from women. It was loud and throaty as Magnolia threw her head back.
Goddamn. That’s a beautiful sight.
“Then you’ll be playing me for a long damn time, Moby. Because I’m that good.” She winked as she used the nickname she’d given me.
In that moment, I wanted to see her laugh for a hell of a lot longer than I’d be staying in New Orleans. I had a ticking time bomb on my hands, and I wouldn’t be able to stick around much longer. Hell, I shouldn’t have stuck around this long. But as I took my seat across from Magnolia, I was certain I’d stay as long as I fucking could.
God, I should just take her with me.
The thought came out of nowhere, but I couldn’t say it was altogether crazy. Hell, it was the only good option, because I sure as shit didn’t want to walk away from New Orleans and leave her here.
“You’re one of a kind, mama. Never met a woman like you before.”
Her laughter died away as her whiskey-colored eyes met mine. “I find that hard to believe. Besides, you’re already getting laid. No need to flatter me for it.”
She couldn’t see what I saw in her, and that was a goddamned tragedy.
“It ain’t flattery when it’s the truth,” I told her. “Now, let’s play. You gotta admit I’m getting better. A few more days, and I’m gonna give you a run for your money.”
Her hand froze as she reached for the chess piece. “You’re staying a few more days?” she asked quietly.
I nodded slowly. “Damn right, unless you want me out of here.”
That brilliant smile of hers came back, and it was even brighter than before. The world was going to hell outside her doors, but inside that rickety old house, it was paradise. “I’ll let you stay. You’re good entertainment.” She winked again, and my dick went rock hard.
I rose from the chair. “Game can wait. I’ve got something else to keep you entertained right now.” One step brought me next to her, and I scooped her out of her chair and bounced her against my chest. “Unless you’ve got a problem with that.”
She was laughing as she kissed me, and it was the best fucking kiss of my life. It was the first time I realized Magnolia tasted exactly like happiness. Like forever.
“Does it feel like I have a problem with that? I already know how the game’s gonna go. This way, at least you might surprise me.”
This woman. One of a kind. “You’re asking for it now.” I carried her to her bed and held her a few feet above it.
“You’d best believe I’m asking for it,” she said with a cocky, playful grin.
So I dropped her.
Her laughter came even harder when she bounced twice, and then I was on her.
“Laughing at my chess skills. Laughing at me as I take you to bed. You just can’t stop laughing,” I said as I pulled her against me and rolled so I was beneath her. The stitches in my shoulder smarted at the movement, but I hid it. At least, I thought I did.
She sat up on top of me, her face flashing to serious in an instant. “I saw that. You’ve gotta take it easy. Leave the manhandling for later.”
I reached out to grip her around the waist. “I’ll manhandle you every chance I get, stitches or not.”
“Stubborn fucking man.” She shook her head, and her thick, dark hair swayed between us. “You’re lucky I like you.”
“Is that right?” I asked, feeling my lips lift at her admission. My hands skimmed down to the curves of her peach-shaped ass.
“That you’re lucky? Fuck yes, because I’m about to do all the work.” She pressed her palm against the center of my chest, and I settled back onto the mattress.
I was talking about the part about her liking me, but I decided not to press her too hard on it yet. There’d be more time for that later. More time to see if she’d leave with me. Walk away from this life and figure out a new one together.
Who the fuck am I right now? Thinking like this?
It didn’t matter how fucking crazy it sounded—it was the only answer that worked for me. You didn’t find a woman like Magnolia without thinking shit like that.
Later.
Because the second her hand closed around my dick, the only thing I cared about was how many times I’d be able to get her off before I lost my mind inside that tight cunt of hers.