Magic Man Page 12

  “What’s wrong?” He pulled me in for a tight hug, and I relaxed in his arms.

  “She’s never spent the night with a friend before. I know this is a normal activity for a nine-year-old girl, but the mom in me worries. What if this kid’s dad is a serial killer or something?” I laughed at myself. Obviously, I wasn’t really worried about Mr. Marshall being a mass murderer, but you never knew what went on behind closed doors.

  “Who is the little girl?” Maxwell didn’t laugh at me or tell me I was silly. He wanted more information.

  “Jessica Marshall. They live over on Pine Street, close to Lucy. Lucy said they were good people.” I shrugged. Lucy would know, so I needed to chill.

  “I know her parents. I agree with Lucy - they are good people. I think Ivy will be okay, but why don’t we leave her the cell phone? She can call my phone if she gets uncomfortable. I’ll let Nathan and Darby know you won’t have the phone tonight.”

  I leaped up into his arms, causing him to stagger back a step or two in surprise. “Whoa! What’s that all about?”

  “Thanks for understanding.” I kissed him long and hard.

  Maxwell touched his forehead to mine. “We need to get her a cell phone. Nothing fancy, because she doesn’t need all of the bells and whistles at her age. And you can keep it locked up when she doesn’t need it, so we don’t have to worry about her getting online unsupervised or texting strangers. But she needs a way to reach us in an emergency.”

  I noticed all of the “we’s” in that sentence, and my heart melted. Maxwell was starting to feel ownership of my daughter, and it was clear he wanted to have a hand in helping out with her. I approved.

  Ivy wasn’t a roadblock or an obstacle to Maxwell. She was important to him, and that meant everything to me since she was my world.

  “Do you have time to take a ride with me? I want to show you something.” He raised his eyebrows while he waited for my reply.

  Curious, I started washing my hands. “Of course. Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see. I’ll meet you out front in about twenty minutes, okay? Maybe when we are done there, we can come back to my place, and I’ll cook us some dinner.”

  Exactly twenty minutes later, Maxwell opened the car door for me. “Got the phone? We can run it by the Marshall house on the way to our destination.”

  I held up the slender phone, waving it in the air. We headed for town.

  Maxwell clicked on the radio. “Find something you like.”

  I surfed from station to station, rejecting song after song in silence. Finally, after I was on my second run through of all the choices, Maxwell quirked an eyebrow at me. “Are you looking for something in particular? We are going to be at the house before you settle on a radio station.”

  I smiled. I had been waiting on this question with supreme patience, like a fisherman with a baited hook, and Maxwell had taken the bait. “I’m trying to find something you would like. You know, like a golden oldies station.”

  I squealed when he made a grab for me with one hand, laughing my head off. “It’s not my fault that you are so old.”

  “That’s it, little girl. Payback is coming your way very, very soon.” Maxwell’s smile had a touch of evil glee in it, and I shivered in anticipation.

  I usually liked what he called payback.

  I found a station playing One Direction. “Is that better?” I batted innocent eyes his way.

  He rolled his own eyes, and I laughed again, singing along. Ivy and I both loved boy bands, and I knew every word.

  It was a beautiful late afternoon to be riding with my man, and my heart was bursting with happiness. The sun slanted over the road ahead of us, sharing its golden light through the thick tree limbs overhead.

  We pulled up to the Marshall house, and I jumped out and ran to the door. Mrs. Marshall opened it with a welcoming smile, and when Ivy heard my voice, she came running, too.

  I smilingly declined her offer to come inside. I had already discretely checked out the house earlier today when I dropped off a bag for Ivy during my lunch break. I held out the phone. “Maxwell wanted you to borrow this phone in case you need to reach me, okay?”

  “Ooh, that’s so cool.” Her friends crowded around as they examined the sleek device. I pulled Ivy aside and whispered, “If you need me for anything, no matter what time it is, call Maxwell’s number okay?”

  Ivy hugged me. “I’ll be fine, but thanks, Mom.”

  I hustled back out to the car as quickly as I had left it, waving goodbye again to Ivy and her new friends.

  Maxwell smiled over at me. “Feel better?” There was no teasing in his voice. I think he really understood my fears, as much as anyone who wasn’t a parent could understand.

  “Yes, thank you very much. Now, where are we headed?” I was curious about his ultimate destination. What did he have in mind?

  Maxwell didn’t answer, just reached over and squeezed my hand before backing out of the driveway. We drove back towards the estate, but he continued past the main gates without comment.

  He drove until he found a narrow gravel road, not far from the borders of Peacock Alley. He turned onto the gravel and made his way slowly, bouncing in the numerous potholes. Tall grass grew up in the middle of the road, and it seemed a bit like an African safari adventure.

  I cut my eyes his way, but I didn’t bother asking him again. He wanted to have an air of mystery, okay. I would wait until he was ready to reveal our destination to me, but the curiosity was eating me up.

  Maxwell pulled up in front of a rusted trailer with broken windows and kudzu vines threatening to consume it alive. He parked the car and got out. Hesitantly, I followed him. What was this place?

  A breeze had kicked up, giving us some relief from the unrelenting heat. And large trees loomed overhead, also giving us shelter, but they did their own part in creating a spooky and intimidating scene.

  Maxwell cleared his throat. “This is where I grew up.”

  Surprised, I glanced back at the trailer. Ouch. I thought Ivy and I had struggled? Nope.

  “No one has lived here in a long time, so it’s gotten worse over the years, but you get the idea. It was never a comfortable home.” We walked forward, and Maxwell draped his arm over my shoulder.

  It was too hot for snuggling, but I didn’t remove his arm. I realized he needed some human comfort right now. His face reflected the pain he had experienced in the past, living here with abusive parents.

  “Where are your parents now?” I leaned my head into his side, trying to absorb a fraction of the pain he still carried around with him.

  “My mom died of liver cancer a few years ago. She basically drank herself to death.” Maxwell blew out a stream of air. “I don’t have a problem with alcohol in my own life, but I don’t drink very often because it reminds me of her.” He rolled his head on his neck, stretching his muscles. I realized being here was probably making him tense. “I tried to make her life better once I started earning my own money. But I could never really reach her. She wanted to live here in the hopes that maybe my dad would return to her one day.”

  “He left her?” I craned my neck to watch his face as he answered me.

  Slowly, he nodded. “Yes. I was already out of the house for good by the time he left, but he got arrested for beating a stray dog that blocked the path of his truck when he was in town one day.”

  I winced.

  “It was a misdemeanor, so they let him out the next day after he saw a judge and paid a fine. For whatever reason, he never returned home. He found some other sad woman who was willing to take him in, and he still lives there with her.” He clenched his jaw. “He didn’t even visit my mom after she got sick.”

  “He’s still alive?” Huh. For some reason, I thought his father had died.

  “Yes. He’s in his seventies and still mean as a snake. Sometimes I think the meaner you are, the longer you live.” Maxwell shook his head.

  We walked around the trailer holding hands. M
axwell pointed to a small window on the back.

  “That was my room.” He led me right up to the window, and we peered inside.

  Through the dirty, cobweb-covered glass I could see a room still full of furniture. A sagging twin bed was pushed against one wall, and heavy shag carpeting moldered along the flooring. The room was tiny, but the walls were decorated with pictures ripped out of magazines. Tears sprang to my eyes. I pictured a teenaged Maxwell doing his best to brighten his corner of the room, and it made me sad.

  “What are the pictures hanging on the wall?” I couldn’t make them out from here, and you couldn’t pay me to go in the rickety structure.

  “Um.” He looked in to remind himself. “Pictures of the beach, I think, and some are from a magazine spread about Peacock Alley. Those were the places I loved the most, places where I found happiness. I certainly never found real happiness here.”

  “You really love the estate, don’t you?” He always spoke about it with such reverence, and now I realized it wasn’t about how lavish Peacock Alley was. No, it was about how he found friendship and acceptance within its walls, something he never saw in his own home.

  Surprised, Maxwell looked down at me. “Sure. I mean, it was my secret home away from home for a long time, and now it is my home. And it’s a cool place with tremendous history. I still haven’t shown you the place with a proper tour, have I?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’ll have to fix that when Ivy comes home.” He squeezed my shoulder and looked lost in thought for a moment.

  “Who owns all of this now?” The place was really creepy, like a time capsule to an unhappy period of time, a tragedy that had happened twenty-plus years ago.

  “I do.” He started walking away, pulling me after him. “After my mom died, my dad took it over. They never got divorced, so it was always half his property anyway. But he never bothered to pay the taxes, so I bought it in a tax sale.”

  Maxwell waved a careless hand, encompassing the whole property. “It’s a beautiful piece of land, and it adjoins Peacock Alley. Arkabutla Lake is a short walk away. I always thought maybe one day I would build a house here and have a family of my own, but that this new family would be a happy one.” He frowned. “But here I am, an old man in my forties.” Maxwell cut his eyes my way, and I chuckled. “Still no family of my own.”

  My heart hurt for him, despite his attempt at humor, and I stopped under the shade of a large oak tree. “Maxwell.” My eyes said all the words my stupid tongue couldn’t conjure.

  He leaned his forehead into mine, and we stood in perfect peace for a moment or two. Then he grinned and waved at the tree. “Come look at something.”

  He walked to the tree trunk and indicated a scratching high up the tree. I scrutinized it. I could just make out his initials.

  “When I was twelve, I carved my initials in the tree.”

  I smiled at him. Despite his tragic history, he had still managed to find good times in this place.

  Maxwell leaned against the massive tree trunk and pulled me close to him. “I love you, Millicent.”

  I caught my breath and started to speak, but he stopped me.

  “You are young with your whole life ahead of you, so don’t feel pressured to stay a damn thing back to me. Just know that I love you very much, and what we have right now is enough. I know you have plans to go back to school, and you have things you want to accomplish. I will not get in your way by trying to tie you down too soon.” Maxwell kissed me.

  “But, Maxwell...”

  He threw up his hands. “I know I’m too old for you.”

  I opened my mouth, but he cut me off again. “I know we haven’t been a couple for very long.”

  “Maxwell...”

  “I know we haven’t even told Ivy that we are together.”

  I pressed my hand over his mouth. “Will you shut up already?” I scowled at him.

  He gaped at me, and I laughed.

  “I love you, Maxwell. That’s all I wanted to say.” My whole body was bursting with love now that I was saying these simple words back to him.

  Maxwell grabbed me up and spun me around, startling more laughter out of me. I wiggled away from him, and he chased me through the field behind the trailer. The scorching sun finally dropped below the horizon, and the twilight brought a slight coolness to the air that was more than welcome. Lightning bugs began to light up the night around us as we frolicked like children.

  He would catch me, and we would kiss with the urgency of two people in love, and then I would free myself, and the chase would begin all over again. My heart was light when I saw how happy he was.

  Finally, he caught me in the small barn at the edge of the field. “Thank you for bringing joy to such a dark place.” He kissed me again, and I wiggled against him.

  Maxwell dropped a hand between my thighs and squeezed. I breathed out a moan of pleasure, and he stripped me naked without ceremony. Safe in his arms, I didn’t mind a bit.

  Then the loving began in earnest. Soft bites against my neck and shoulders. Teasing licks of my breasts and stomach. When Maxwell dropped to his knees on the moss growing in front of the barn, I threw my head back and examined the stars as they popped out against the darkening sky.

  His tongue traced the seam of my pussy, and I lazily draped a leg over his shoulder to give him better access. Soon I was seeing stars of a different kind. After he had made come twice, Maxwell stood and turned me around to face the barn. I braced myself against the old stone, and he slid inside me and chased his own release.

  Eighteen

  Later that night I stood with him in the old silo, helping him cook dinner for two. I chopped vegetables for a salad while he grilled steaks on his top-of-the-line range. We kept the menu simple as neither of us were great chefs, but the food smelled delicious, and my stomach had already growled more than once.

  The silo was amazing. Modern and sleek with touches of fine antiques as a nod to the past, it was a small but cozy dwelling. I could see why Maxwell loved living there.

  We took our food out on the balcony that overlooked the duck pond. Across the way, I could see the screened porch that belonged to my own apartment, and I marveled at how close we were, in every possible way that mattered.

  “I’d like to talk to you about something important.” Maxwell cut his steak with his knife and fork and didn’t make eye contact with me.

  Curious, I sat down my wine glass and waited.

  “I’d like to tell Ivy that we are dating. We don’t have to make a big deal of it, but I would like to be able to hold your hand in front of her or kiss you when the mood strikes. What do you think about that?” He still didn’t look at me.

  I could tell he was nervous, and that fact made me smile. Maxwell was always so coolly in control that this was a different side to him, and I was enjoying it.

  “I don’t know. We need to talk about this. I don’t want to tell Ivy too soon. I rushed into this relationship with you after just a few days of knowing you. What if we don’t work out?” I took a bite of my salad.

  Maxwell frowned. “Are you just waiting for all this to end? Do you have that little confidence in us as a couple?”

  “No, of course not. And I certainly don’t want it to end. But I need to be aware of Ivy and her feelings. What if she gets attached to you and then it ends? Then what?” I stared him down. “I would be a terrible mother if I didn’t consider her feelings in all of this. I can’t just be selfish and think of us only.”

  He stared right back. “I’m not leaving. I’m all in, kitten. And I think it’s time Ivy realized I have feelings for both of you.”

  Touched, I nodded. “Okay.” I could feel the sincerity of his words.

  “Okay? Just like that?” He studied me, looking for signs of any lingering doubts on my part, I guessed.

  “You convinced me. I think it’s appropriate to let Ivy know about us. But I think I should be the one to do it, okay?” I resumed eating, feeling okay with my de
cision. It had helped to talk it out with him. “I want her to feel comfortable being completely honest and ask whatever questions she needs to ask me.”

  Maxwell shot me a worried glance. “You don’t think she’s going to be happy about it?”

  I shook my head, quick to reassure him. “Oh, no. I think she will be over the moon. She’s crazy about you. It’s just that a serious relationship like this one is kind of a game changer, and I think I owe it to her to make that a quiet conversation for two.”

  “Is this a serious relationship, Millicent?” Maxwell cocked his head, teasing me.

  “It better be, mister. If nothing else, I’ve had some serious orgasms come from it.” I savored a bite of my tender steak with a moan. We did an excellent job with this dinner.

  Maxwell’s eyes darkened. “And you are going to have some serious orgasms after we eat, too.”

  “Is that a promise?” I loved when he got like this, all dark, broody, and mysterious.

  “No, that’s a threat. I’ve got plans for you.” He leaned back, all of his confidence back.

  Uh oh. With Maxwell, I had learned that could mean just about anything.

  Now I was the nervous one. “What do you have in mind, Sir?”

  “Ha! You always trot out a ‘Sir’ when you want something. What do you want, kitten?” Maxwell smirked at me.

  “There’s a list of things I want, Sir.” My eyes sparkled at him as I sipped my wine.

  “Tell me your list.” He spoke calmly, but his tone brooked no argument.

  “Let’s see.” I put my wine glass back down and traced my bottom lip with one finger. Maxwell watched the path my finger took, and I knew he was getting turned on.

  “I want to know what your plans are, for one thing.” I glanced at him with hope in my eyes.

  He shook his head at me and gave me a stern face.

  Damn. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

  “Okay, then, I want to suck you off tonight. You never let me do that for some reason.” My tone was as petulant as a child who has been denied a favorite toy.

  Maxwell stood abruptly and grabbed our plates full of food. He marched them over to the oven and slid them in, selecting the warming feature. He shoved our salads and wine in the fridge, and I watched all of his actions with bemusement.