“C’mon, Maggie,” he growled, grabbing her hand and leading her away.
Maggie. Of course. It all made sense. She looked just like her mother, her face as familiar as my own. But what was she doing here in the middle of the day?
“Shit,” I muttered, continuing my walk. I eyed Little Gracie as I walked by, the thought of a dead body left lying at her feet leaving me sick.
By the time I made it back to my bike, I knew what I had to do.
Chapter 27
ROSE
With no responsibilities for the rest of the day, I started my Friday night around two in the afternoon. After one margarita, the next one just seemed to flow right into me without much thought.
By the time I heard the rumble of an engine, followed by a quick rap on my door, I wasn’t sure if I was living in reality. But I went to the door anyway, expecting nothing like what I actually saw when I opened it.
Blade stood there, his expression serious, his body stiff and stoic.
“Did someone die?” I asked, laughing.
“What?” he asked, his eyes widening.
“Sorry,” I said, waving him in. “I’m a little tipsy.”
“Nobody died,” he replied. “Why would you say that?”
“You look so serious,” I said. “Want a beer? Margarita? Whiskey?”
“A beer would be great,” he replied. “It’s fucking hot.”
I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge before handing it to him. He popped it open and took a long swallow, allowing me a moment to get a good long look at him.
And oh my god, was it a good look.
How had he gotten so sexy? He’d always been a beautiful man, but there was something different about him now, something raw and sensual and dangerous, something completely and utterly appealing in such a savage way that it tore right through my consciousness and left my body buzzing with heat that had nothing to do with the relentless sunshine.
He finished drinking and stared over at me, his serious gaze shooting flames right to my center.
“I saw you drive by yesterday,” I said.
“I know you did. I saw you watch me drive by.”
“Why didn’t you stop?”
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“No. I probably know anyway,” I said, my eyes crashing into his.
He waited a beat, then scoffed. “Maybe you do.”
I walked over to him, closing the distance between us because I wanted to smell him, to be as close to him as possible. None of this was conscious, of course, it was my body reacting to his body, just as it always did. Anytime Blade was in the same room with me, you could bet I was going to be within hand’s reach of him.
We’d not been in the same room together for a very, very long time.
He smelled exactly the same. The musky scent of oil and sweat, mixed with the smell of his shampoo and soap. I inhaled deeply, wanting more, needing more.
“Where are your kids?” he asked, looking around.
“At school, and then going home with friends for the weekend,” I replied. He nodded, breaking my gaze and looking around the house.
“Nice crib,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s too big for us.”
“Us?” he asked, lifting a brow.
“Me and the girls.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it now. I asked Derek for a divorce.”
He ran his hand through his hair, his forearm flexing as he looked back at me again. “Sera told me about that.”
“Of course she did. The entire town loves to speculate on the reasons.”
“I’m not surprised about that. So, what’s the reason?” he asked, his eyes staring right into mine, as if daring me to give him the real answer.
Should I have told him? That all I did for years was think about him, miss him? Should I have told him that my marriage to Derek never had a chance because he’d left such a huge hole in my heart that I could never love anyone again?
I didn’t say any of that, though.
“It just wasn’t working out,” I said.
“Dating someone else now?” he asked.
“God, no,” I said, laughing. He raised a brow in question. “I just, you know, haven’t really met anyone…”
His eyes darted down to my mouth, and my words trailed off.
“What about you?” I asked, lifting my chin daringly.
“Single,” he said, shaking his head slightly, his eyes still glued to my lips. I bit my lower lip, anxiety ripping through me.
“Oh.” I said, nodding. “That’s…good.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, his voice thick and gruff.
The sparks flying between us seemed to ignite in an instant. Everything we’d missed out on, everything we’d felt so long ago, everything we’d never said that we’d thought we’d have forever to say — it all came rushing back in the form of this white hot band of heat that flowed between us and once ignited, the pressure seemed to propel us into each other.
We crashed into each other’s arms, our lips meeting in a flaming kiss that held all the passion of the past and the present wrapped up in it, my arms wrapping around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me so close I could feel his hardness throbbing between us.
This is insane, I thought to myself, as I opened my lips, his tongue delving in, claiming my mouth, his hands sliding up and down my sides, hot and gripping as he searched my mouth with his.
Tears stung my eyes as I leaned into him. I squeezed them shut, melting into him and ignoring the hot wet heat as they poured down my face. I’d missed him so much.
I’d loved him so much.
I’d even hated him, for just a little while, until hating him became too much to bear and I went back to
