It’s been a long day. I spent a good portion of it with Director Drake and Dakota planning what our next moves will be. As I pull into my driveway, there’s another SUV, and I’m reminded that Magnolia is here. I’ve never come home to someone else in my house before. Except once or twice when my mom brought food out, or my dad was helping me with a DIY project.
There’s never been a woman here.
Which settles deep in my stomach as I realize how much I want it. How happy I am that she’s here. It’s going to be hard when she leaves, but as I park and grab my stuff, I vow that I’m going to enjoy this however long it lasts.
As I come through the door, I’m thankful I have to unlock it. I was worried she’d let her guard down out here, but this makes me feel better. There’s a song playing on what I’m assuming is her phone, she’s singing along loudly to it, shaking her ass as she stands at my stove.
I clear my throat loudly, hoping that she will hear because the last thing I want to do is scare her. But she doesn’t.
“Magnolia,” I try.
Nothing.
“Magnolia,” I try again.
Nothing.
This time I raise my voice slightly. “Magnolia Grace.”
She jumps slightly, but not nearly as much as I thought she would. “Sorry, I was listening to my music a little too loud.”
The way she apologizes makes me think that Cody didn’t like her doing anything she enjoyed. “You can listen to your music as loud as you want here. There’s no one around for miles, and I sure don’t give a shit.”
“Thanks.” She smiles at me, and it’s one of those smiles that goes right to her eyes. “It helps me to concentrate. By the way, I’m making dinner.”
It smells amazing. “What is it? My stomach is growling.”
“Just some baked chicken, broccoli, and mac and cheese. Nothing elaborate, but after a long day working, I like to have a decent dinner. What do you normally do?”
This is where I admit that I’m horrible at this part of being an adult. “Want the truth?”
“Always.” She grins, taking a drink from her bottle of beer sitting next to her.
“If I don’t stop and grab something on the way home, I end up buying stuff to make a sandwich. When I want to eat really well, I go home.” I smirk, scratching the back of my neck. “Mom is always ready to feed her youngest.”
“I’m sure she is.”
“So whatever it is you want to give me for dinner, I’ll take it. I’m not picky, and if it’s hot, I’m gonna be happy.” Walking over to my closet, I start taking off my gear, but I can feel Magnolia’s gaze on me. She watches as I take off my duty belt, jacket, and unhook the holster at my thigh. I check the gun and put it in the gun safe I use while at home. Some officers keep their guns at work, but I prefer to bring mine home with me.
“When you come home and take all that off, how does it feel?”
“What do you mean?”
She shakes her hair out slightly, before taking another drink from her beer. “Like when I get done at the end of the day. I always take a shower, but when I get to take my bra off? It’s the best thing in the world. That’s when I know I’m done for the day, and it’s okay for me to relax.”
Now I’m thinking about what she might look like without a bra on, and if I don’t watch it, I’m going to be walking around here with a hard on that’s bound to make us both uncomfortable. “I guess so, but it’s really more when I get to change into my sweat pants.”
Her eyes move down my body to the waistband of my tactical pants. I wish I knew what she was thinking, but she licks her lips before telling me, “Why don’t you go change? Dinner will be done here in a few minutes. Are you good to eat together or would you like to have some time by yourself?”
“If you’re here Magnolia, I wanna be hanging out with you.”
She’s pleased by the way she smiles. “I wanna be hanging out with you, too. I kind of took over your table. Is it okay to eat in front of the TV?”
“That’s honestly where I normally eat anyway. Let me change, and I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
Walking down the hallway, I hook a left into my bedroom. I’m feeling more nervous than I imagined I would. It’s not as if I’ve never been alone with a woman before, but I’ve never been alone with one here, and it didn’t mean as much as this does with her. Shutting the door, I take a minute and realize that this is exactly what I’ve wanted for a good portion of my life. Always wondered what it would be like to have a life with her. Although I’d thought about that as a teenager, and didn’t realize what that looked like as an adult.
