Purgatory Masters(74)
“Never,” he answered honestly. “Fortunately, my friend Mason was here for me back then. When I couldn’t cope with it anymore than my mom could, he took over. There were babies involved. Fuck, there are so many people wrapped up in my father’s lies it takes a small army to keep it contained. We’ve done a pretty decent job over the years.”
“And then you met me.”
He slapped her bottom. “Not what I meant at all. More like your return has woken me up and I want something more than just getting by. Things have to change.”
“But I come with too much baggage. If privacy is what you need to keep everyone taken care of, I can’t promise that. If I stay here there’s a somewhat decent chance a news truck will eventually roll in and disrupt our lives. We can never work.” The finality in her voice tore through him, wrapped around his chest.
“You’re not getting away from me that easy. You poked the bear and now you’re stuck with him.”
She frowned up at him. “Hardly. More like the bear hunted me down and threatened to eat me if I didn’t do what he said.”
Tucker laughed and Maggie smiled, transforming her sadness in a heart beat. “You’re so beautiful when you smile. I think I’ll have to find new ways every day to make you do that.” He kissed her mouth, only lingering for a few extra seconds. “I love you, Maggie.”
“Oh God. Tucker.” Her smile vanished and tears shimmered in her eyes. “As much as I love you, I don’t see how we can work.”
“One day at a time.” He kissed her again, this time delving into her warm mouth. He’d drag her to his dark side using kisses and more if he had to. With more than a little reluctance, he released her mouth. “Mason and I will find a way to control the situation. We always do. What matters the most is that we can trust you and if you can live with who I am and where I come from, I’d really like to keep you.”
“Which you? The hardheaded man who jumps to conclusions or the Dom who has the power to bring me to my knees and love every second of it?”
He grinned at her assessment of him. “That’s the whole package, Miss Maggie. Although I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forget and forgive the conclusion jumping. I was an ass, but I’d like to think I learn from my mistakes.”
“Are you ever going to quit calling me Miss Maggie?”
“Nope. Calling you Miss Maggie reminds me that you’ve been the one for me since that first kiss. I’m never letting that go.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You don’t really believe that do you? Since the first kiss?”
Tucker shrugged. “You marked me that night. We might not have realized it then, but that’s what happened. No kiss since then has been as memorable.”
She wiggled in his lap, rubbing her bottom across his crotch. “No kiss?”
He tightened his grip on her arms. “Careful, Maggie. Acting like a brat will get you more than you bargained for. I’ve already settled on how the rest of this night will go. So give me a kiss and then go in the bedroom and wait for me.”
The change in her demeanor from his words alarmed him. She went from warm and happy to tense and awkward in a few seconds.
“I can’t. Oh shit I forgot.” She scrambled from his lap and reached for her tattered clothes. “I have to go home, I have an early morning flight.”
“Maggie, stop. What the hell are you talking about? Flight? Where are you going?”
She slowly turned in his direction. “I accepted a new job in Boston. I leave tomorrow.”
Chapter Seventeen
“You did what?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “In just a few short days you not only found a new job, but you’re leaving tomorrow?”
“What was I supposed to do? Mope and eat bon bons? Maybe spend a month watching Lifetime sap? That’s not who I am. I might have cried while I did it, but I was determined to give you what you wanted and get as far away as possible.”
“That’s not at all what I want, baby.” She couldn’t leave now.
“Well, I know that now. Unfortunately I have a new commitment and I have to leave tomorrow.”
He stood from the couch and crossed the room. He grabbed the clothes from her hands and threw them in the corner. “You can find a job here if you want.”
She placed her hands on her hips and pushed out her breasts. “Not like this one I can’t and I’ll thank you to quit manhandling my clothes already. Relax, I’ll only be gone six weeks. The college in Boston offered me a chance to be a guest lecturer for a special class they are sponsoring.”