“Thank you for dinner and Bingo. I had a really great time,” she said before biting her bottom lip.
“I did too.”
Her hand was on the door handle.
“Are you going to kiss me and run again?”
Maggie felt her cheeks warm at the memory of the night before. Her heart sped up in her chest.
The corner of Jonah’s mouth lifted. “You’re not going to kiss me at all?”
His question threw her off-guard. “Do you want me to kiss you?”
“No. I want to kiss you.” Her stomach flopped.
He leaned closer and she met him halfway. Timid at first, she brushed her lips over his before relaxing into him. Jonah smelled so good, the heat radiating from his body soaking into her skin. The kiss was gentle. Sweet.
Thick fingers brushed her hair. This was dangerous, she thought. If she didn’t pull back soon, she’d be asking him to come inside. Oh, how she wanted to. She was still toying with the idea when Jonah pulled back.
Her eyes fluttered open and she sucked in a deep breath. Jonah leaned forward again, this time placing a small kiss of the top of her nose. Maggie smiled.
“Do you want to do something tomorrow night?” he asked her.
She could barely contain her excitement. “Three nights in a row? I’m one lucky girl.”
He chuckled. “I thought we’d do something different.”
Maggie tilted her head. “Oh? What did you have in mind?”
“Reminiscent of our younger years, I thought we could go for a hike.”
She smiled at the memory of them traipsing through the woods as children. “I’d love that,” Maggie said. “I can pack us something to eat if you want.”
“That sounds great,” he said, nodding. He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.
If she didn’t get out of the truck, she was going to invite him in. Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed open the door.
“I’ll be here at about four,” he said. “Hopefully we can get a good hike in before the sun sets.”
She smiled and closed the truck door before leaning in the open window. “Then I’ll see you at six.”
He waited in the truck while she let herself into the cabin. Using the small glow from the woodstove, she lit the kerosene lamp before plopping down on the couch. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she stared up at the ceiling, a broad smile on her face.
After he got off work, Jonah high tailed it back to his parents’ house. Thankfully they were still at work because he didn’t want another line of questions from his father about what his intentions were with “that Alfieri girl.” He hadn’t answered his father the night before and he had no intentions of doing it now. His intentions with Maggie were his business and no one else’s.
He couldn’t wait to see her again. He’d spent the day drifting away in thought, remembering the night before and the way she had tasted. So sweet, so perfect, against his mouth. His cock hardened painfully as he showered, scrubbing a day’s worth of sweat and grime from his skin.
Anxious to get to Maggie’s on time, he threw on a pair of clean jeans and a t-shirt. He probably should’ve told her four-thirty, so he didn’t have to rush, but he wanted more time with her and was impatient to get to the cabin.
He didn’t know what it was about Maggie that attracted him to her. He’d been curious about her since they were children, but now it was different. It went beyond a pure childhood curiosity and the fact that she was the first human he’d ever met. She was kind, gentle, and yet there was something fierce about her. The pull was there, had always been there since the first day he’d met her so many years before.
Lord, just the thought of her made him groan with need. He’d never felt such an attraction to any woman before. Maybe it was her delicious scent that triggered his deeper instincts, but whatever it was, there was no denying the need to claim her. A pair-bonding with Maggie…
Jonah shook his head. He couldn’t think of such things. She was different, she wasn’t a shifter.
While his parents wanted to know more about his relationship with Maggie, they didn’t flat out refute it like Jonah thought they might. Even though he didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion, not having an entire town stand in his way gave him a spark of hope. It was as if everyone was just waiting to see what happened rather than attempting to stop the natural progression of their relationship. Perhaps the fact that her father was once one of the small shifter community had something to do with it, but Jonah didn’t ask.
Duncan Alfieri had left New Freedom for the larger town of Cantor years ago. Jonah’s father had always said the man could not shift that drove him out. He had kept the cabin, maintaining the ties to the small community and would visit a few times a year, but never stayed for a prolonged period.
Maggie’s grandparents had been full blooded shifters, but so far Maggie had shown no indications of having picked up that genetic trait. She was human, as far as Jonah’s nose could tell. But she wasn’t quite one hundred percent human. That was the only reason why the town tolerated her and her father. They were still part of the community to a certain extent.
He made it to the cabin a few minutes before six and parked his truck next to her small car. The door to the cabin opened just as he closed the truck door. Maggie stood on the porch, her slim body clad in a long sleeve shirt and a pair of worn jeans. She had boots on her feet and a small bag on her back.
She tucked a strand of long black hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear and smiled at him. Her face lit, and he swore her eye sparkled.
He couldn’t help but smile back. She was as breathtaking as ever.
He adjusted the waistband of his pants and ensured the safety of his handgun was on as she hopped off the porch.
“You’re packing?” she asked him, nodding to the handgun on his hip.
He inwardly groaned. Going out into the woods unarmed these days with the rising tensions with their fae neighbors wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t really tell Maggie that. He doubted they’d have any issues with the fae today, but he wasn’t going to take chances, especially when he wasn’t allowed to shift in front of her.
Grabbling for an answer, he spouted off the first thing that came to his head. “The bears have been really bad this year.”
He thought for a second she may say something about the fact that the gun on his hip wouldn’t stop a bear, even if they did come upon an aggressive one, but she just shrugged and didn’t press further.
Not being able to open up to her about the fae annoyed him. She’d probably been out hiking during the day by herself, completely unprotected. He shook himself. The probability of something happening to her was slim. He tried to push his over-protective thoughts to the back of his mind.
“Did you want to go anywhere in particular?” she asked him when she stopped in front of him.
“There’s a waterfall not far from here. Have you ever been there?” It was also smack dab in the middle of shifter territory, which made it safe to venture to.
“I remember Dad saying something about a waterfall, but I’ve never been out there.”
He nodded. “Well, let’s head that way. It’s not too far. Do you have a flashlight packed in that bag of yours?” he asked her. He could see just fine in the dark, but he figured she would probably have trouble if the sunset while they were out.
“I do. I also have a few sandwiches and two bottles of water.”
“Great.”
He stepped away from the cabin first and she stepped up next to him, her hands holding onto the straps of her bag as she walked.
“How was your day?” he asked her, stepping over a log.
“It was pretty good. I didn’t do much. Slept, read, and made sandwiches. Nothing special. How was yours?”
He shrugged. “It was alright. Same old.”
“You don’t really like the logging, do you?” she asked him, glancing up at him.
Shaking his head, he said, �
��No, not really. I mean, I like being outdoors, but that’s about it.”
“Do you like the people you work with?” she asked him.
“Of course. I’m related to most of them.”
She chuckled. “I guess that comes with living in a small town.”
“What is Cantor like?” He asked her, curious. He’d never been to the town himself.
“Bigger than New Freedom, that’s for sure. We have a population of about five thousand.”
From her numbers, Cantor had ten times the populous of New Freedom. He really felt like a backwoods boy after learning that.
“It’s quaint, though,” she said. “We have some small stores, a bar, and actually have a little hospital, believe it or not.”
“Do you have a lot of friends there?”
“A few.”
“A boyfriend?”
She laughed. “You’d think you would’ve asked whether or not I had a boyfriend before kissing me.”
He smiled. “I probably should’ve, but I just assumed you didn’t since you kissed me first and you certainly don’t seem to be the type to have a boyfriend and kiss other guys.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugged. “Just the impression I get. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong. I’m single.”
“Single?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Am I not?”
He hadn’t intended to have the conversation about the status of their relationship, but here it was. “I hope you consider our relationship to be a bit more than friendship at this point.”
She nodded. “Yes…”
Maggie was chewing on her lip, her gaze drifting off. He wondered what she was thinking. Did he overstep his bounds? Was he pushing her away? Maybe she wasn’t feeling the same things he was?
His thoughts ran rampant in his head. There was silence between them while he was mentally kicking himself. It wasn’t until they reached the waterfall did Maggie say anything else.
“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, bringing Jonah out of his thoughts.
He smiled. The falls weren’t big, just a small stream that had veered off from the much larger river and dropping from one narrow rocky cliff down about ten feet. He’d never considered the spot to be beautiful. They were peaceful and serene, but beautiful? Perhaps they were.
He tried to see what Maggie saw when she looked at the area. The sun filtered in through the leaves of the trees, shining down on the sparkling water. It twinkled like jewels on the surface.
“I’m surprised you’ve never been out this way before,” he said. Her eyes were large as she took in her surroundings.
“I am too,” she replied after a minute. “I’ve wandered around these woods quite a bit when I was younger. You would’ve thought I’d have crossed this before.”
He couldn’t help himself when he reached out and touched her hair. Maggie glanced up at him, placing him at ease when she smiled. Her hand crept up and she put it on his chest.
The air seemed heavy suddenly. She was so perfect; the sound of the falls was loud behind her and drowned his own thoughts. There was just Maggie in front of him, her lips pink and so inviting.
He couldn’t help himself when he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Heat radiated off her body and she soon sunk against him until he was all but supporting her weight.
So warm, so soft. He longed to drag her to the forest floor. A groan spilled from the back of his throat when he realized he’d have to stop kissing her. For now.
Jonah pulled back and steadied Maggie when she wobbled on her feet, her lips dark and swollen.
Lord, he was in trouble.
Maggie forgot to breathe. Jonah had kissed her, and she’d forgotten everything but him. She blinked, trying to put his face back in perspective.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
What? For a second she didn’t know what he said and then it sunk in.
“Oh. Sure. I could eat.”
Looking around, Maggie spotted a large, flat rock. That would suit their picnicking purposes, she thought before stepping from one wet stone to another. Crossing the stream quickly, she got down on her hands and knees on the warm rock before scooting over to make enough room for Jonah to join her.
He followed her and was sitting down on the rock as she pulled the backpack off her back and opened it up.
“I hope you like peanut butter and jelly,” she said with a smile. “We don’t keep anything in the cabin that needs to be refrigerated.”
“You don’t have electric?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. Dad never put it in. Although I suppose I could get it run to the cabin if he’s okay with me staying in New Freedom.”
Maggie was watching Jonah out of the corner of her eye when she told him about the possibility of her staying. At first, he appeared confused, but then the corner of his mouth lifted.
“So, you’re considering staying?” he asked after swallowing a bite of the sandwich.
“I’m debating it.”
“What are you debating about it?”
She shrugged. A lot of things, she said to herself. But to him, she said, “I’d need to find a job and honestly, it’s my Dad’s cabin. I’d need to get his permission to stay long term. Or to make any changes to it for that matter.”
Jonah nodded. “Why do you want to stay?”
It was a loaded question. Maggie knew what she wanted to say, yet she wasn’t entirely comfortable with blurting out that the reason why she wanted to stay was to see how things went with the two of them. Instead, she chose to be honest, just not completely honest.
“I’ve always loved New Freedom. There’s something about this town…it feels like home to me already. I mean, why not stay? This is where I’m the happiest.” It was the truth, anyway.
She’d spent the day considering her options. Sure, she’d wanted to go away to school, but to what end? She’d end up with a job and a place to live, two things that she could hopefully find in New Freedom without the added burden of paying back school loans. And worst-case scenario, things with Jonah didn’t work out and she went back to Cantor. At that point she could re-evaluate going to school. She had already decided that she’d speak with her father with the hopes of staying at the cabin.
“That’s the only reason?” he asked her, one dark brow raised.
She couldn’t help grinning at him. He had to know that wasn’t the only reason, but she wasn’t going to serve herself up on a platter to him. Even though the thought was very tempting.
She changed the subject. “I bet you bring all your girlfriends up here.”
He laughed. “No, just you.”
It was Maggie’s turn to raise her brow. “So, I’m your girlfriend then?”
Maggie held her breath as she waited for him to say something. The sound of the falls and the birds around them filled her ears.
“I suppose you are,” Jonah said after the longest moment. “Is that okay?”
She could barely contain her giddiness. There was something about being referred to as his girlfriend that made her heart soar. He was the only man who’d ever given her butterflies. There was always some exhilarating combination of nausea and breathlessness she felt when he came around.
“Very okay.”
4
Maggie sighed as the sun started to sink behind the horizon. She held onto Jonah’s hand as she gazed at the falls, watching as a small fish leaped from the water before splashing back beneath the surface.
“Did you see that?” she asked him with a smile.
He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. “We should start heading back before we’re stuck out here in the rain.”
“Rain?” she asked. She shivered as the wind picked up speed.
Jonah nodded. “I don’t think it’ll be too bad, but I doubt you want to walk back in it.”
“No, sure don’t,” she said before climbing to her feet. As much as she didn’t want to leave, she knew he wa
s right. The last thing she wanted to do was to trip and falter her way back to the cabin in the dark and wet if it was avoidable.
They gathered up the remnants from their small dinner and set out toward the cabin. The sky darkened and the musk from the incoming rain tickled her nose.
“Smell that?” she asked him, stepping over a log. She glanced back at him and his nose was in the air.
“What?” His brows drew together, questioning.
“The rain. I didn’t realize we were going to be in for a downpour.”
“You think it’ll be a downpour?”
“Oh yeah.” Without a doubt in her mind. Maybe it was her sixth sense, but she went from not expecting any incoming rain to mentally prepping herself for a nasty little storm.
Jonah’s gaze was fixed on her and Maggie couldn’t help but shrug. He seemed to be evaluating her in a way that made her uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and quickened her pace.
When her foot slid over the thick brush, his arm caught her around the waist. Maggie was hauled against his chest and she grasped his shoulders to steady herself.
“Easy,” he breathed his face inches from hers.
He was so warm, she could just curl against him. Heat seemed to radiate off his skin, luring her closer to him. Her limbs seemed heavy suddenly. She clung to him, breathing in his spicy scent.
She heard his sharp intake of breath and felt the muscles of his shoulders tense underneath her fingers. In a flash, he let her go and stepped back.
“Let’s hurry,” he said. “It’s definitely about to open up on us.”
He grabbed her hand and led the way back to the cabin just as the first raindrops landed on the tip of her nose.
The temperature was dropping as they hustled through the trees. A few drops turned into a few more and before long it was pouring down. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a reminder that this was just the beginning of the storm.
She stumbled a few times, but Jonah was always right there to help steady her. Her wet shirt stuck to her skin and she shivered. It didn’t take them long to reach the cabin. However, by that time she was soaked through.
Maggie shut the door behind them and dropped her bag.
When Sparks Fly (Netherworld Series Book 3) Page 5