Page 57 of Charmed, I'm Sure
It was more than the undeniable chemistry between us—and believe me, Itriedto deny it. It was more than how a simple touch or look made my heart skip or my breath catch. It was this man who cleaned up my yard without asking, who agreed to an asinine “date” at a grocery store just because our schedules never aligned and he wanted to see me. It was the man who snuck date-night items into my cart to turn a mundane trip into something more. That was the manworming his way into my heart, gently soothing the hurt girl that lived in the back of my mind and kept reminding me this was a bad idea.
And it was that man I pushed up onto my toes to kiss as the song came to an end.
Taylor
A bomb could have gone off at that moment, and I wouldn’t have noticed—not as every cell in my body sparked to life like I’d stuck my finger in a socket. Magnolia’s lips were soft and hesitant against mine, her spicy floral scent wrapping around me like a blanket I never wanted to take off. When she tried to pull away, my arm tightened around her waist, my other hand slipping from hers to cradle the side of her neck, holding her close.
A contented sigh vibrated in her throat as her hands wound their way around my neck and her fingers tangled in my hair. God, every slide of her skin on mine, every movement of her lips, was like setting fire to gasoline. She could burn me alive, and I’d thank her for it.
Warm skin met my palm as I slid my hand up her back, my fingers tangling in the delicate ties crisscrossing her spine. All it would take was one little tug, and it took everything I had not to act on that thought. I wanted to take my time—wanted her writhing beneath my hand and tongue before giving in to our basest needs. But as her fingers pulled at the hair at the base of my neck, I needed her like I needed air in my lungs. I needed to taste her like my very life depended on it.
Grabbing the back of her thighs, I lifted her into my arms, and her legs wrapped around my waist, heels digging into my ass as I made my way toward my car.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked, giggles escaping her lips before they moved across my jaw. When she reached my ear, she nipped the tender flesh, and I dug my fingers into the pliant muscle of her ass. I’d never been an ‘ass man,’ but as my hands tightened around her, all I could picture was her bent in front of me, my handprint red and angry against her skin as she moaned my name.
Something like a growl rumbled in my throat when she sucked my earlobe into her mouth, and I hastened my steps. Throwing open the back passenger door, I sat her on the bench seat and claimed her mouth with mine. Time ceased to exist. The music faded into nothing as every synapse and thought focused solely on Magnolia. On the sounds she made as I sucked the skin where her shoulder met her neck or dipped my tongue into the hollow at her clavicle. Every nerve lit up like fireworks when her hands delved beneath my shirt, my muscles jumping as she tenderly ran her hands along my back. I wanted to explore her in the same way, but Ineededher consent. I needed to know she wanted this as badly as I did.
“Magnolia,” I breathed, resting my brow on hers as her hands continued to push my shirt upward. “Mags, baby, I need to know—ow, fuck!” I slapped the side of my neck, pulling my palm away to reveal a little splat of black and red.
A motherfuckingmosquito.
“Taylor?” she asked hesitantly, her brows pinched together as she nervously brushed her skirt back down from where it had gathered at the tops of her thighs. Beautiful, sun-kissed thighs I’d barely gotten to explore; one of which was decorated with a portrait of… was that Audrey Hepburn?
Groaning, I leaned forward until our noses brushed. “Mosquitos.”
“Pardon?”
“There are mosquitos, sunshine.”
“They might as well be the state bird. There arealwaysmosquitos, cowboy.”
“That mouth,” I ground out before pressing my lips to hers, relishing the way she melted into the kiss before I broke it off. “I am aware, Magnolia.” I slowly trailed my lips along her jaw, sealing each statement with a kiss. “But the first time we dothis…”kiss. “The first time I get to feel you…”kiss. “Get to taste you?”kiss.“It’s not going to be with tiny vampires flying around.” Dragging my lips to her ear, I whispered, “If anything is going to be biting you, it’s going to be me.”
A shiver ran through her body, and I pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek as I pulled back. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted as her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. “Any questions?”
Seeming to give herself a mental shake, she leaned back on her hands, tilting her head to the side, a smile that could bewitch a soul painting her full, thoroughly kissed lips. “Just one.” When I raised a brow, she asked, “You got that house yet?”
My nostrils flared as I stepped back into her space and pulled her behind the knees until her ass was nearly hanging off the seat, forcing her to wrap her legs around me to keep from falling. “Baby, if I had a house, we’d be there already."
“Pity,” she whispered as wide baby blues locked onto mine and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
Fucking hell.
The car ride back to Magnolia’s house was uncomfortable, to say the least. My dick was painfully hard behind the zipper of my jeans, and it seemed Mags was just as tortured as I was. Every few minutes, she’d squirm in her seat, readjust her dress, or mess with her seatbelt. I couldn’t miss how she clenched her thighs together anytime our eyes met or the hungry way she looked at me when she thought I was paying attention to the road and not her. News flash: I was always paying attention.
By the time we reached her house, a gentle breeze could have snapped the tension between us. But there was nowhere for us to go to work it out. She lived with her aunt and sister. I lived with my goddamn parents and occasionally my sister. Screw our schedules being unconducive to a relationship; everything about our situation was fucked. We were in our thirties and dating like teenagers.
As I cut the engine, Magnolia blew out a heavy breath through pursed lips and turned my way. “Can you help me with the bags?”
I held her gaze for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, baby. Hang tight, and I’ll grab your door.”
“You don’t—” I was already out the door and on my way to hers before she could finish. When I pulled it open, she rolled her eyes but gave me a demure smile. “You don’t have to do that.”
“A, I’m pretty sure my mother would smack me upside my head if I didn’t. But aside from that, and more importantly, B, Iwantto.”
Something like shock flashed in her eyes before she quickly masked the emotion. It made me wonder how many douchebags she’d been with who didn’t treat her like the goddess she was. Then a pang of guilt slammed into my chest at the realizationIhad been one of them. It didn’t matter that it had happened what seemed like lifetimes ago. I had contributed to the look in her eyes—the one thatsaid she didn’t think she was worthy of having her door opened for her, and God only knows what else.
We worked in silence, each of us taking trips back and forth to the car until all the bags were lined up on the porch by the door. “You sure you don’t want help carrying them in?” I asked as she turned her key in the lock.
