Page 54 of Charmed, I'm Sure
Grocery shopping? I’ve been on a few unconventional dates in my time, but going to the grocery store is certainly a new one. A smile pulled at the corner of my lips as I parked my Bronco in Magnolia’s driveway nineteen minutes later. I hadn’t even unbuckled my seatbelt before she came bounding down the front steps and stole the breath from my lungs. She looked like the girl next door—if the girl next door had pink and blue hair, tattoos, and the attitude of a mountain lion. The emerald green dress she wore flowed down to her shins, and the cream sweater had slipped off her shoulder. It felt like time moved in slow motion as I watched her jog toward the car, and I still hadn’t unglued myself from my seat by the time she threw open the passenger door.
“Hey,” she said in a breathless exhale as she pulled the door closed, her cheeks slightly flushed as she briefly met my gaze before digging through her purse.
“Hey, yourself.” It came out smoother than I felt, and as I took a deep breath to calm the nerves that sprang to life anytime she was near me, her spicy floral scent filled my lungs, and all I wanted to do was breathe her in.
Angling my body toward hers, I silently watched and waited for her to finish whatever she was doing. My God, she was beautiful. The golden-hour sun shone through the windows, highlighting all the little hairs that had slipped from her braids and framed her face. It caught on the ends of her long lashes, traced the delicate contour of her nose, and accentuated the fullness of her lips.
With a quick puff of air, she blew the strands out of her face and brought her gaze to mine. “Sorry, I thought I left my list at the shop, but I found it,” she said, holding out a sheet of blue paper with a triumphant grin. Tilting her head, she quirked a brow. “What? Do I have something on my face? In my teeth?”
“What? No—”
Hastily flipping down the visor, she continued. “Sorry, I was trying to eat before you got here so I wouldn’t go to the store starving—”
“Mags—” I tried to cut her off, but there was no slipping between the words tumbling from her lips at sixty miles per hour.
“And I didn’t have time to check the mirror before I ran out the door—”
“Mags!” I chuckled, reaching across the console to grab her hand as she frantically searched her face for an imperfection that wasn’t there. When her gaze finally landed on mine, I said, “You’re perfect. I was just admiring the view.”
Faint pink colored her cheeks, and she pursed her lips to hide her smile. “Smooth, cowboy. Real smooth."
“I speak only the truth, cher,” I replied, releasing her hand as I pushed the ignition button. Even though I wasn’t looking directly at her, I didn’t miss the sarcastic side-eye or the mouthed “oh, okay” as she rolled her eyes and pulled her seatbelt across her chest. That just wouldn’t do. Unlatching my seatbelt, I turned her way, wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her toward me.
Shock widened her eyes as my nose brushed against hers, and I felt her swallow hard. But in less than a fraction of a second, heat filled her gaze as it traveled down to my lips and back. Sliding my hand around to grip her chin, I held her still as I whispered, “Hi.”
“Hi,” she replied in the same tone.
“I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”
Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded against my hand. “Yeah, okay. Sounds good.”
My lips brushed against hers, and I felt her melt in my hold. I intended for it to be a quick, simple dusting of lips, but as her sweet little hum vibrated from her mouth and into mine, I pressed harder. My hand rotated from her chin to around her nape, tugging her across the console as her hand gripped the front of my shirt for balance. But before it could go too far, I pulled away, resting my brow on hers, our ragged breaths mingling as the air in the cab grew heavy with tension.
“That was one hell of a hello, cowboy,” she whispered, a smile evident in her tone.
Chuckling, I pressed my lips against her forehead and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “You sure you want to go grocery shopping?” I asked when I finally settled back into my seat. “I can think of a few alternatives, one of which includes a lot more of that hello.”
“As promising as that sounds, Ineedto go to the store. Areyousure you want to come with me?” she questioned, a singular brow rising as she readjusted her seatbelt.
“Sunshine, if the store is where you need to be, then the store is where we’ll go.ButI do have an idea.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked saucily, her brows inching toward her hairline as she tried to mask the smile on her lips.
“Yeah, baby. When it comes to you, I’ve gotloadsof ‘em.” I winked, then threw the car in reverse.
“Good Lord, woman. Are you buying the whole damn store?” I jested as we turned down another aisle. The contents of Magnolia’s cart ranged from fresh produce to liquor to toothpaste, and a little bit of everything in between.
“Shush you. I have to shop for this Friday, restock things for the shop, and pick up some stuff I need at home too.”
Shaking my head, I looked down at the list she’d handed me when we walked in and called off the next item. “The next line says alligator/chicken? What’s that for?”
“I’m making some variation of sauce piquante for a dinner party on Friday, just not sure which one yet. Hence the slash.” She placed a large bag of powdered sugar and a bottle of vanilla the size of my face into the buggy, then turned toward the butcher counter at the back of the store.
“Ooowee, lookin’ good, cher!” the plump man behind the counter hollered as we approached.
“Hey there, handsome. Did Jae call you?”
“Yeah, hang tight, and I’ll go grab it for ya from da back.”
