Which is perfectly fine with me. Having her against me is precisely what I need.
I wanted to ask her so many questions. But I didn’t. We have plenty of time for that. She has every reason not to trust men after what her ex put her through, so the fact that she told me about something so shameful and terrifying for her is so precious to me. I’ll never take for granted that I was the one she trusted with her past. And no matter what elsemay come out, I’ll still care about her just as much as I do now.
My hand rests on the back of her head, her hair soft on my palm. I press a kiss to the top of her head, and she snuggles into me more with a sigh.
There’s one thing that I need to know.
“Are you awake?” I ask softly.
“Hmm,” is her sleepy confirmation.
“I have a question.”
Her head rises, and her stormy green eyes find mine when she rests her chin on my chest. “What is it?”
“You don’t have to tell me what it is, but is your first name really Maggie?” There’s no way they let her keep her last name, but I’m not sure about her first name.
She gives a soft laugh. “My name is Maggie. They recommended keeping my first name. They said it’s a lot easier that way, so you don’t draw attention to yourself by not answering to your new name.”
“Huh, I never thought about that, but that actually makes a lot of sense.” I scratch my fingers into her hair and caress her scalp. She shifts her head to give me better access, and her eyes close once again. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you trusted me with this.”
When her gaze returns to mine, she has a sad smile that breaks me a little. “I know it’s a lot. And it’s still very much my reality, since it isn’t over, but I’m so glad you’re sticking around.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Maggie’s smile grows. “Can we go to bed?”
“Absolutely.”
She rolls to the side, and we sit up. Before she can move to get off the couch, I pull her onto my lap, holding her closeto me and gripping the back of her thighs. “Hold on tight, beautiful.”
When her arms wrap around my shoulders and she’s secure enough, I stand, and her legs tighten around my waist, pressing the heat from her core against my stomach.
A gasp flies past her lips as I jostle her into place, turning into a laugh. “Ian! Put me down! I’m too heavy!”
My hand lands on her ass with a satisfying smack.
“What have I told you about saying shit like that? I can carry you wherever the fuck I want.”
She wiggles against me, and I bite back a groan. I plan on spending the rest of the night showing her exactly how much I want to be with her.
“Ian,you’re going to be late,” Maggie says with a giggle before I capture her lips in one more deep kiss.
She’s still in bed, and I’m sitting next to her with her caged in with my hands on either side of her. After my quick shower, I had to kiss her one more time before I rushed home to change and get to work.
“I don’t care,” I mutter against her lips.
Her palms push at my chest to disengage our mouths. “No, I’m not going to be blamed by your coworkers as the reason you started being a bad employee.”
I sigh as I relent. If I could call out of work, I probably would. The thought of leaving Maggie alone after what she revealed to me gives me a severe level of anxiety.
“Do you have to work today?” I ask as I study her face.
She shakes her head.
“Good, can you do me a favor and stay home today until you hear back from the marshal?”
“I can’t stay home forever.” Her tone is filled with mild frustration.
