Chapter Twenty-One
An hour and fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at her kitchen table eating. The casserole was delicious. It had just started to burn when they saved it from the oven. Even the slight char on top didn’t detract from the mouthwatering taste. Good thing he had such a physically demanding job; if he didn’t, Maggie’s delectable cooking and cupcakes would make him gain a hundred pounds. Colton helped himself to a third helping of the tuna casserole.
“So, what else is in the bag?” she asked, drawing his attention away from her enticing dinner. “Don’t tell me you actually bought every box of condoms the drug store had?”
“I was tempted, believe me, but no. I just bought the one box.”
“Yeah, a one hundred-count box. I think we’re stocked up for a while, Colt.”
He let his gaze roam over her. After their appetizer, she had tossed his T-shirt on over her naked body. It was sexy as hell seeing her in his clothing. His blood heated, thinking of the cloth touching her naked skin. Who knew he could be envious of a T-shirt? He wanted nothing more than to rip the shirt off and take her right there on the kitchen table.
But they had both worked a long day, and after the calisthenics in the bedroom, needed to build up their strength by refueling. And she thought the one box was going to last them…silly woman.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Magpie.” He scooped up another delicious mouthful of casserole. “I doubt we’ll make them last the week.”
She swallowed, hard. He knew his eyes were filled with raw lust and didn’t care. He wanted her. Now, later, always.
“The bag is my stuff.”
Her brows drew down. “Come again?”
Shoveling another forkful of dinner into his mouth, he chewed and swallowed. He had to do this the right way. If Maggie thought he was pushing her, she’d toss his butt out the door. Of course, if she did that, he’d just camp out on her doorstep. Her bed would be a much more comfortable option. The fact she would be sharing it with him made it all the better.
“I was thinking, this jerkoff is doing most of his work at night after you close up, right?”
Her eyes narrowed as if she tried to figure out where he was going. “Yes, that seems to be the case.”
“Well, if you’re not going to temporarily close—and I’m not saying you should,” he rushed, before she could cut him off. “Then this guy is just going to keep attacking you. The daytime is safe enough. Your shop’s open. Lots of people around, but at night…you’re all alone, and it scares the hell outta me.”
Her hands twisted together. Worry lines bracketed her mouth and eyes. It was obvious she hadn’t thought about that.
Reaching across the table, he grasped her hands in his own, giving a reassuring squeeze. “I have to be at the ranch during the day, but at night, for now, until this bastard is caught, can I please stay here with you? I won’t get much sleep if I’m at home worrying about you.” Trying to ease her tension, he let his voice drop to a husky timber, gaze trailing over her body with unveiled hunger. “Plus, we’d get through that box much faster if we were sharing the same bed every night.”
She laughed when he waggled his eyebrows. “I should have known you’d use this as an excuse to keep me in bed.”
“What can I say, sweetheart? I’m a lover not a fighter.”
Her smile dimmed. She was thinking about it, but something else worried her. Something other than the attacker was on her mind.
“Maggie?”
She pulled her hands out of his, placing them in her lap under the table. “It’s a sweet offer Colt, but this…whatever we have going on—”
“A relationship.” Damn. Why couldn’t she admit that?
“Relationship.” She nodded.
That’s better.
“It’s still very new.”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
She glared. “Yes, but we’ve only been sleeping together for a few days.”
The fire left her. That beautiful green gaze darted down to her lap. Where he would bet her hands were twisting in a nervous motion.
“I don’t want to start depending on you too much.”
“It’s not bad to let people help you, Magpie. You aren’t weak if you need someone.”
Her gaze snapped up to clash with his. The fire was back. The mossy green had sharpened to a deep emerald.
“And what happens when the people you need, the people you care about leave you? If you depend on people, they just let you down.”
What? Where the hell is this coming from?
“Maggie, wha—”
“People leave, Colton. Especially men,” she mumbled, cutting him off, anger coloring her cheeks. “When my mom got pregnant, my dad took off. When she needed him most, he just left her.”
“Well, your dad was an ass.” Was she comparing him to her father? Better not be. “I’m not going to abandon you just because you think you’re getting dependent on me.” As if Maggie Evans could ever be dependent on anyone.
“I won’t depend on anyone.”
See.
That stubborn little chin tilted high in the air, but he could see the fear in her eyes behind all her bravado.
“You can’t rely on people. They just leave you or use you. My dad left before I was born. Mom and Gran both died. Every guy I dated in LA just wanted something from me, and then Miles—” She cut herself off, her face going red with embarrassment.
Miles. She had mentioned that name once before. An ex, he was now sure of it. He already hated the guy and didn’t even know him.
“Who’s Miles?
She shook her head, waving a hand in the air. “No one. It’s not important.”
“Oh no. I’m not moving from this spot until we clear a few things up.” He held up a hand and started counting off on his fingers. “First, don’t insult me by comparing me to that deadbeat dad of yours. Second, if I promise something, I always follow through with it. And third, people die, Maggie. It’s a way of life, and no one gets to choose when it happens, but I don’t plan on it happening to me for a long, long time.”
The worry lines on her forehead started to soften. He wished he could stop there, but they needed to get things out into the open. Their relationship could never move forward if she didn’t start opening up and letting him in.
“And again, who the hell is Miles, and where is he so I can kick his ass?” The last part was supposed to be a joke, but it came out a little more serious than he intended. He kind of did want to kick the guy’s ass. If only for the fact he had Maggie and let her get away. What kind of idiot would do that?
A thought occurred to him—if Miles still had her, then Colton wouldn’t right now. Maybe he should thank the guy instead.
Then he’d kick his ass.
“Miles is my ex.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Okay. So, what happened?”
“We broke up. It’s what happens to thousands of couples every day. Not a big deal.”
But it was if she counted Miles in the group of people who left her. Colton would not be in that group. No matter what she thought.
“It is a big deal. When Sheriff Ryder asked if there was anyone who might have a grudge against you, why didn’t you give him Miles’ name?”
“Miles lives in LA. Why the hell would he fly thousands of miles to sabotage my bakery?”
“Losing a woman like you would do crazy things to a man. Perhaps he thought if he messed with your business you’d close up shop and go running back home to him.”
She laughed, sharp and bitter. “He didn’t lose me. We broke up.”
“Maybe he got lonely once you left and realized how stupid he was for breaking up with you.”
Her hard gaze pinned him. Now, it was her turn to hold up a hand and count off. “A, I broke up with him. B, the break up was months before I left town, and C, he wasn’t lonely because he had his other two girlfriends and wife to keep him company.”
Whoa. Busy guy.
It did seem highly unlikely he would follow Maggie all the way to Colorado. But people have been known to go nuts when someone dumps them.
“I still think you should tell Ryder about him.”
“Fine,” she shouted, throwing her hand up. “I’ll call him first thing tomorrow, but it’s pointless. When I broke up with Miles, he didn’t care. He had plenty of other women to run to. There is no reason for him to chase after me.”
Okay, now he really did want to slug the guy. What an idiot. He hated cheaters, always had. It was why, even when she had begged, he never gave Natalie a second chance. The selfish woman knew what she had been doing and how it would hurt him. Yet, she hadn’t cared. She only thought of herself. Miles sounded just as vain. A man like that didn’t deserve Maggie.
“I still want to stay here until whoever is doing this to you is caught.”
Her frustration was palpable. Rising from her chair, she grabbed their dinner plates and took them to the sink, slamming the plates down with such force he was afraid she’d broken them.
“Whatever. I’m sure I can’t stop you anyway. You’d probably just camp out on my front stoop if I said no.”
Damn right.
“But, you listen to me, Colton Denning.” She brandished the dish sponge as if it was a sword. “I’m not some helpless little girl who needs you to defend me. I am a grown woman. More than capable of taking care of myself, no matter what is happening in my life or who’s trying to ruin it.” She started to turn back to the sink, but then snapped back around to add, “And the toilet seat stays down!”
A grin tugged his lips. He’d won. She might not be particularly happy about it, but she agreed to let him stay. Not that he would have let her kick him out. While she was right about being able to take care of herself, there was no way he was leaving her alone at night unprotected. There was safety in numbers, no matter who you were or how capable.
He walked over to where she stood. “Thank you, Magpie.”
Placing his hands on her tense shoulders, he kissed her forehead. Since she had his shirt on, his chest was bare. It rubbed up against her own as he pulled her to him. Her nipples harden beneath the thin cotton. His jeans tightened as the scent of her invaded his nostrils. It had only been an hour, but he wanted her again.
“I promise not to make my staying here too hard on you,” he said, rubbing a particular hard part of his anatomy against her.
A sigh rushed out of her on a shaky breath. “Well, they do say that the harder things are, the more they’re worth it.”
Cheeky woman. Damn, she’s perfect.
“Let me prove my worth to you right now.”
Grabbing the hem of the shirt, he lifted it up and away from her body, leaving her gloriously naked. She gasped, and he took advantage of her open lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Her skin was smooth and soft as he roamed over her bare flesh with his hands, touching, teasing, tantalizing. She met his fervor, running her hands down his back, matching his tongue thrust for thrust.
Their mouths simulated what their bodies would soon be doing. She was so open in her hunger for him. It drove him wild. He needed to be inside her soon or it would all be over much too quickly.
“Bed,” he murmured, pulling away from her lips.
“Too far.” Tugging the tie from her braid, she shook her head, sending her silky hair tumbling over those perfect breasts. “Here. Now.”
Fine with him. He didn’t care where they made love. And it was making love, because Colton realized something when Maggie was opening up to him. He loved her. Loved her strength, her courage, her independence, and most of all, her heart.
But it wasn’t the time to tell her. She had just opened emotional wounds from her past and not all that willingly. Based on what she’d told him, he knew Maggie wouldn’t trust his love if he declared it to her now. He would just have to show her and keep on showing her, until she believed it when he finally did say the words aloud.
Colton’s thoughts scattered as she found his zipper. The rasping sound hit his ears as she opened his jeans and reached in to find him. The anticipation of what was to come had him painfully hard. He needed to be inside her, to fully connect with her on every level.
She pulled him close. Wrapping her leg around his hip, she guided him to her. Heat radiated from her body to his.
“Maggie, oh God!” It felt so good. His mind was a fog of need, but one rational thought crept in as he felt her warm, naked flesh against his own. “Protection. Sweetheart, wait.”
She paused with him halfway inside her. Damn. She was so tight and perfect. Amazing. But he knew if they didn’t stop, things could happen. Strangely, the thought of Maggie round with his child didn’t cause one iota of panic in him. Instead, he saw a little girl with his smile and her bright green eyes. The picture was so real his heart skipped a beat.
“Damn. Where’s the box.” Frustration laced her words.
He might not be afraid of a more permanent connection, but it sounded like she was.
Regretfully pulling out of her warmth, Colton reached down to his jeans and snagged a packet from his back pocket.
“When did you put that there?” she asked with surprise.
Ripping open the foil, he gave her a wicked grin. “I was a boy scout remember? Always prepared.”
Her lips found his in a scorching kiss. The condom disappeared from his hand as she grabbed it and rolled it on his length. Then he was inside her again. Right where he belonged.
It was going to be quick. For both of them. He could already feel her inner walls quivering against him, squeezing him tight. Grasping under her thighs, he lifted her, bracing her back against the pantry door as he furiously pumped into her.
Colton angled her hips so every thrust brushed against her sweet spot. In minutes, she was screaming out a climax. He gave one more hard thrust, and then joined her in ecstasy.
****
They should have closed the curtains. Or at least shut off the lights. She couldn’t see much from her vantage point in her car across the street, but she knew what they were doing. All that face sucking and bouncing up and down…disgusting!
Slut! Whore! Bitch!
The foul words she never uttered out loud screamed inside her mind. She hated Maggie Evans more with each day.
The little tart stole what she wanted, what she deserved. What’s rightfully mine!
Now, the stupid whore was going to pay. Maggie should have left Colton alone. He didn’t belong with the LA harlot. Brown-haired bitch should have left town. The shop wasn’t hers. Colton wasn’t hers. Why did the woman keep taking things that didn’t belong to her?
Time to stop messing around. Time to stop attacking the shop and start attacking the owner. Her mother and grandmother should have taught the bitch baker her place in life, but since the dead women hadn’t…guess I’ll have to.
She had to make a new plan. More direct, more painful. Maggie would get the message this time, and if she didn’t…