I'd live on the knife-edge of this feeling for her because I knew she'd never make me. It was painful, how good it—she—felt.
I groaned her name when I couldn't move any farther. For one moment, we held like that, and then she arched her hips. Restlessly.
I sat up suddenly, on my knees, staying right with her, but lifting her hips with my hands as I did. I moved like that. Fully able to see her, fully able to touch her, and bring her over the crest again.
Again and again and again, I snapped my hips, gritting my teeth to hold out until she broke with a gasping shout.
Then I fell with her.
She caught me easily as I eased myself back over her. My breath sawed in and out of my lungs. Her back was damp with sweat, and so was mine.
I kissed her softly, swiping my thumb along her cheekbone.
"I'm so in love with you," I whispered.
Magnolia mirrored the way I was holding her face, staring deeply into my eyes. "And I'm so in love with you, Grady."
My eyes closed, and I wrapped her tightly in the circle of my arms.
"I think that's why your feelings scared me," she admitted quietly, lips brushing my collarbone.
"Yeah?" I kissed the top of her head. "Why's that?"
"Because I was headed there with you without even realizing it." She sighed. "You saying it out loud was like I opened my eyes, and I was standing on top of a mountain before I even knew I'd taken a single step."
I smiled. "A hike up a mountain. That's like your nightmare."
She pulled back so I could see her face. "Not anymore," she answered seriously. "Not if I'm with you."
I tugged the blanket up over us, and we stayed like that all day.
We napped. And we talked. And we made love two more times.
And as she fell asleep that night, wrapped in my arms after a quiet picnic on my family room floor, I realized that the weeks leading up to it, the day, was exactly what we needed.
Time to see, time to learn.
And what she'd said was exactly what I needed to hear. The words were the ones she needed to have the power to say. There was always a choice in doing something so big, so terrifying. But with the right person, it wasn't all that scary.
Chapter 28
Grady
Two weeks later
My sister peered over the edge of her coffee while she watched me struggle. "You're too tall for that car."
I wrenched Magnolia's driver’s-side seat back. "I'm too tall for a lot of cars, but she needed mine today for ... something."
Grace smiled. "And there you sit, cramming yourself into that too small car with a giant-ass grin on your face."
"Right you are, sister." I unfolded from the car and stretched. "You don't even want me to explain all the reasons for this giant-ass grin."
She wrinkled up her nose but didn't say anything. Turnabout was fair play because I'd watched her and Tucker moon for months, knowing they couldn't keep their hands off each other.
In the past two weeks, I'd spent every possible minute with Magnolia, learning every single damn thing about that woman that I could.
Some of those things were fully clothed activities, like cooking dinner with her in her immaculate kitchen, overlooking the small patio and bones of the garden she had in her backyard, which she promised was beautiful in the summer. She favored savory foods but had a deft hand with desserts, which she'd shown off to perfection with the chocolate cake she baked for dessert one night.
Then she smeared the frosting on my stomach and licked it off, and I'd never, ever look at chocolate cake the same way again.
She loved a wide range of movies, as long as they came with a happy ending, and we'd watched a few of those cuddled up on her couch.
We played games (she ruthlessly kicked my ass in Monopoly) and somehow ended up almost breaking her dining room table in the process.
Basically, every day, outside of work, we were at her house.
Magnolia's house equaled privacy.
Mine did not.
Privacy led to the non-clothed activities, which were just as fun.
In her, I found my perfect match. In bed, we were insatiable, each night (or afternoon, or morning) showing me a different way that you could find pleasure in the person you loved.
Sometimes, she woke me with sweet kisses, which led to slow, dreamy sex while we were both only half awake.
Sometimes, I accidentally ripped her shirt off and took her against the wall as soon as we cleared the door after an entire day of dancing around each other at the office, where we desperately tried to maintain professional boundaries.
But today, we were attempting something else new.
Trading vehicles when she refused to tell me why she needed mine and where she'd knowingly show up somewhere that Tucker and Grace would be.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous for this particular first.
Grace smiled when Tucker came out of the garage apartment. "What took you so long?"
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Just talking to my dad. I think he may have found someone to take on some of my caseload at the office."
"That's great," I told him. "We'll certainly need you next month more. I can't believe how booked up we are."
He grinned. "You gonna get sick of hiking all day?"
"Hell, no." I winced when an ache in my back flared up. "But I do need to start working out again. I about broke my back this week moving wrong."
We all held our breath as soon as I said it because we all knew I'd hardly done anything except spend time with Magnolia the past two weeks. Tucker flushed a little pink, but he shook his head. He glanced down at my sister. "Were we that bad at first?"
She grinned. "Yes."
The sound of a car horn sounded, and I turned, shading my eyes against the sun.
"What the ...?" I breathed.
Grace let out a delighted laugh as Magnolia pulled my SUV into the driveway.
Tucker burst out laughing.
Behind my car was the shining silver Airstream from the conference. And behind the wheel of my car, Magnolia was grinning like a fool.
She slid the car in park and rolled down the window. Her eyes were shining. "Well, didn’t I say I was going to win?"
"You have got to be kidding me." I leaned in a gave her a hard-smacking kiss on the lips. "You actually won it?"
"I did." She cupped the side of my face, giving one nerve-tinged look behind me at the two people trying not to stare. Then she pecked my lips. "Maybe I'll let you camp with me." She spoke against my mouth.
I growled, which made her laugh.
"Oh my gosh," Grace squealed, running her hand along the sleek side of the Airstream. "It's adorable."
Magnolia raised an eyebrow as she climbed out of the car. "That's what I said."
I rolled my eyes, and Tucker laughed.
"It's functional," I said.
"Something can be functional and still be cute," my sister pointed out.
Magnolia nudged her with her elbow. "Exactly."
"They don't even deserve to sleep in this beauty," Grace said. She leaned in toward Magnolia. "I vote girls’ camping trip for the first outing."
"Whoa, hold on," I interjected. My hands slid around Magnolia's hips, and she leaned back against me while she laughed. "It is thanks to me that she was even there to enter for it."
My girl tipped her beautiful face up to smile at me, all the nerves gone now. "But it's mine. I might gut the whole thing and decorate it pink."
Grace laughed as she and Tucker wandered around the camper to inspect it.
I leaned down and whispered into her ear. "You can decorate whatever you want, I'll still want to christen every single surface with you." Gently, I nipped at her silky soft earlobe. She shivered. "And christen them we shall."
Magnolia hummed. "You are a terrible influence, Grady Buchanan. You've turned me into something wholly unladylike."
I swatted her butt as I pulled awa
y from her, which earned me a mock glare. "You couldn't be unladylike if you tried." I pecked her lips again. "And I love you for that."
Tucker appeared around the back again. "Does this have A/C?"
She nodded.
He whistled appreciatively.
"Keeping this a secret was harder than I thought."
I snorted. "I'll bet."
Magnolia unlocked the door and laughed when Grace rushed inside, gushing over every part of the camper.
"Look at the little toilet and the little kitchen cabinets!" She poked her head out, pointing a finger at Magnolia. "We're doing a photoshoot with this thing, and oh, can you wear that yellow dress?" Her head disappeared again. "I'm having so many ideas!"
I laughed at my sister's enthusiasm.
"She's sweet," Magnolia murmured quietly.
Curling an arm around her, I kissed the top of her head. "She's been dying to spend some time with you."
"Someone was being a little possessive of my time."
I raised an eyebrow. "You want me to give you some space?"
Magnolia's smile was slight, and her eyes so full of heat, I almost dragged her into the garage apartment. "What do you think?"
"I think I know what kind of unladylike thoughts are running through your wonderful brain, Magnolia MacIntyre."
She fitted her arm around my waist, laughing softly. "I'm glad to get to know her better. Even if we do make Green Valley's strangest double-date partners."
"Amen to that," Tucker said, watching us with a smile. He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Anytime you want me to pry her outta there, just let me know. She's probably planning ten photoshoots for you."
"Eleven!" Grace shouted. "It's perfect."
"She's just fine," Magnolia answered with a smile.
"Want to bring that out tonight?" I asked her. "We could stop and fill the propane tank and grab some food for a campfire on our way out of town."
She watched the camper, watched Grace leap out of it and talk excitedly to Tucker. "Maybe next week."
Something was brewing behind her eyes, and I wasn't exactly sure what it was.
I smoothed a hand down her back and felt her ribs expand on a deep breath.
"Y'all want to come over to my place for dinner tonight?" she asked. "Grady was going to grill some hamburgers, and I made my aunt’s famous coleslaw."
Grace's smile spread wide and happy over her face, but she still glanced quickly at Tucker, who nodded.
"We'd love that," she answered fervently. "You're sure?"
Magnolia nodded, turning her face up to mine briefly. I couldn't not kiss her.
I loved so much about her. Everything, really. But sometimes, one thing you loved about a person stood out just a bit more than the hundreds of other things on your list.
Her courage in facing the things that might have scared anyone else away right then was what I loved most.
"I'm sure," she said. "Come on. We need to get those patties made." She smiled at my sister. "Does six sound okay?"
Grace nodded. "Perfect."
We drove away a few minutes later with our fingers intertwined, and absently, I brought our hands up my mouth so I could kiss her knuckles.
I never could have known what I really would've faced by moving to this strange little town, what was waiting for me on the other end of her phone call, that interview. I thought it was unending excitement and thrills to keep me busy.
Instead, I found the love of my life in the unlikeliest of places.
And with the mountains unfolding in a mighty path along the skyline as we drove back to her place, I knew those adventures—the very best ones—were far from over.
Epilogue
Magnolia
“Don’t be nervous.”
I allowed myself one tiny eye roll.
“I’m serious, it’ll be fine.”
Grady squeezed my leg and let his big hand stay right there, that spot on my thigh that he loved to touch whenever he was driving. I loved the way his fingers, long and tan and a little nicked up from a run-in with some hedges he helped me clear out of my backyard, curled around my leg.
“I’m not nervous,” I told him. And I was lying through every single one of my teeth. I’d put this off for three weeks until I trusted my daddy could behave. Every single day of those three weeks, I learned a little something about myself and this man who was in love with me.
We were so different, but goodness, we fit together in such a perfect way I could hardly believe it.
“Why does it scare you to introduce me to your parents?” He turned the wheel onto their road and whistled at some of the houses we passed. “I’ve already met your mom, and unless I read her steely-eyed composure wrong, she loved me.”
I smiled. “So humble.”
With ease, he smiled back, those fingers pressing against my leg. Just a hint that he could have me dissolving into laughter if he gripped me in the right way.
“She did,” I admitted on a sigh. “But my daddy …” I gave him a helpless look.
“Is crazy overprotective of you,” he filled in.
“Yes.”
Grady glanced in his rearview mirror and then pulled the car over to the side of the road, just before the entrance to their driveway. He tugged down his sunglasses so I could see his eyes and shifted so he was facing me. The hand on my leg came up to cup my face.
“We’ll get along just fine.” His thumb swept gently along the bottom curve of my lip. I kissed the pad of his finger, watching the ways his eyes heated at the small gesture. “Because I’m crazy in love with his daughter. And if there’s one person he can trust with your heart, it’s me.”
A sigh escaped my lips, and he leaned forward to capture it with his mouth. His lips moved over mine in soft, sucking kisses, and my hand curled around the back of his head, my fingers threading through his hair so I could deepen it.
I dragged my teeth over his bottom lip, and he hummed low in his chest. Oh, I loved that hum. I loved the noises he made, especially the helpless ones when I moved in a certain way and touched him just so. I’d never felt sexier in my entire life than when I discovered all the sound effects that came along with having Grady Buchanan in my bed. And kitchen. And living room. And the office (just once, with the door double-locked and the shades in the front windows drawn).
But falling in love with him was so much more than that. It was the give and take that we found in uncovering what day-to-day life would look like with each other. He respected me. Challenged me. Pushed me in the very best ways. But also backed down when he could tell I needed him to.
And most of all, he just loved me … for exactly the woman I was.
Just as Grady shifted, his hands cupping my face, his tongue brushing mine, I pulled back and smiled into his handsome face. That was precisely the problem in all of this. That was the crux of my mood all morning, as we prepared to go to my parents’ house so he could sit and dine with the people who brought me into the world.
Everything was so good, and I was terrified my daddy would run his mouth, ruin the goodness, and send Grady straight for the hills.
Of course, he saw all that play out on my face.
“He can’t scare me away, Magnolia,” he said gently.
“You say that now.”
His smile was a small one, only a slight bend in those lips, and I allowed my fingers to brush against the stubble on his jaw.
“What’s this about?” His voice was a whisper. “My girl knows that I’m not going anywhere, even if your dad does his worst.”
“I do know that,” I admitted. My fingers trailed down his throat, and briefly, I toyed with the edge of his bright blue dress shirt. I’d never seen Grady so cleaned up, and he’d done it to impress my parents. He could’ve worn a simple T-shirt for all they cared. As long as they saw how much he loved me, I knew in every corner of my heart that they’d accept him fully.
It was all they ever wanted for me.
He was patient as I worke
d out how to put my feelings into words. Another thing I loved about him.
“I’ve never … I’ve never brought someone into that house like I’m about to with you.”
His brows turned in. “What do you mean?”
My face went all warm when I met his eyes. “You’re it for me, Grady Buchanan. You’re the rest of my life.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he murmured, gaze tracking over every inch of my face.
“And when I walk through that front door, the one I’ve walked through a million times, I’ll be doing it while I hold your hand. I want you to love it … to love them. And I want them to love you,” I admitted.
“Come here,” he said gruffly. He gathered me in his arms, and the sigh that exited my lips was heavy with relief. Grady pressed a kiss to the side of my head.
That was when the harsh knock on my window came. We pulled apart when my dad’s face lowered, his eyes taking in our tight embrace.
Smothering a smile, Grady lowered the window. I glared up at my father. “Daddy.”
“Magnolia.” He ducked down farther and gave Grady an assessing look. “You must be … Grady.”
Grady lifted his hand in greeting. “Sir.”
I gave him as much of a smile as I could manage. “We’ll be right there, Daddy.”
“Why you parking on the street?” he asked.
“We weren’t parking here,” I said. “We were talking for a minute is all.”
My dad’s gaze flicked back to Grady, then to his hand, which had found that same resting spot on my leg. His jaw twitched.
Grady pulled his hand away, and I felt a momentary pang of disappointment until I realized he was getting out of the car. My dad’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he straightened, setting his hands on his hips while Grady took long, easy strides around the front of his car.
He held out his hand to my father.
My breath got caught somewhere in the middle of my throat when Daddy didn’t immediately take the offering. But after a beat, his hand gripped Grady’s.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Grady said. His stance was relaxed, his eyes clear, and his smile warm.
Steal My Magnolia (Love at First Sight Book 3) Page 23