Chapter 25 Sentimental Softie

Wren

My bare feet thudded on the pavement as I took off running. The heavy coat slowed me down, so I shed that and dropped it. He'd have to stop and pick it up, so I bought myself a few seconds. Mag's counting tapered off, and the last I heard from him was his chuckle.

In the center of the plaza, I hid behind a statue of famous astronomers and tried to make a plan. The planetarium offered the two closest hiding spots. Left stairs or right stairs. Fifty-fifty chance and time was ticking.

I chose the left set of stairs and raced up to the middle level. I crouched in a mostly dark corner and tried to make myself as small as possible.

"Ready or not, here I come," he said in a mocking, serial-killer voice.

Oh Lord. Oh God. Oh shit.

How would I ever evade someone like Magnum? I couldn't outrun him. I had to outsmart him for nine more minutes.

Silently, an ominous shadow appeared at the top of the stairs, and I fought a squeak as he surveyed the place like he could see in the dark. When I saw the back of his head, I took off running as fast as I could the other way.

He laughed as he chased after me with slow, methodic steps. He knew he could catch me easily, and my hiding spots were limited .

At most, two minutes had passed, but the grounds were too open and well lit for me to run anywhere without him seeing. I made a hard right at the bottom of the stairs and came to the top of a hiking trail that led down the steep slope into the chaparral below.

He'd said to stay on concrete, but this path was compacted dirt. It was clearly off limits, and yet my racing heart and the fear gripping my chest didn't care about following the rules. I needed to survive, and this way offered more cover and better places to hide from Mag's keen eyes. I only needed to ditch him for a few minutes, then I'd climb back up to announce myself the winner.

I darted out onto the dirt path and stumbled as my bare feet hit a sharp rock. "Ow, ouch, oh shoot, ow." I hobbled further down until the trail switched back on itself in a hairpin turn. As my eyes adjusted, I spotted a smaller footpath off the corner that made it easy to climb behind a dense bush. I didn't dare explore deeper because I didn't know what kind of creatures roamed the Hollywood Hills at night. Probably nothing worse than a coyote, but I'd heard of bobcats and mountain lions too. Plus without shoes, I couldn't go much farther.

So I crouched down again and kept my gaze on the top of the path.

Several minutes went by with no sounds from Magnum at all, just the chirping of crickets, the constant rushing of the freeway, and a few terrifying little swishes next to me in the dark .

Maybe I had done it. He'd assumed I wouldn't break the rules, and he was still looking for me up on the main grounds. Huh. I'd outsmarted him.

But how would I know when I'd won? Would he say ollie ollie oxen free?

I squinted to see up the path, but I was sure he hadn't come down it.

My heart flitted with the prospect of winning when the brush crunched directly behind me.

Uh oh.

"Time's up," Mag's deep voice bellowed and a thick arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me off the ground.

"No." I kicked and squirmed. "I won. Put me down."

He effortlessly carried me across the path over to the base of the observatory where a curved concrete wall was anchored in the dirt of a steep slope. He placed me on my feet and smashed my back into the wall as he pinned me with his body. His warm hand wrapped around my neck. "You broke the rules," he said with crazy eyes which were lined up with mine because he was lower down the slope.

"So did you," I countered as I struggled to catch my breath.

His eyes flashed, and he grinned. "Good girl."

God, he was gorgeous. "I won," I said.

The grip on my neck tightened. Not enough to stop the airflow but enough to let me know that he was in charge and he could press tighter if he wanted to. "No. You didn't. I caught you."

"So now what? Are you gonna torture me because—"

His lips slammed down on mine, and I arched up to meet him.

He angled his big body to shelter me from the view of the path. Then the onslaught began. Hips ground into my belly, a hand traveled up my side and cupped my breast. "You're supposed to resist," he murmured.

"Okay." My hands were all over him, tugging his shirt out of his pants, exploring the bumpy muscles underneath. I felt up his massive shoulders and down to his rock hard ass. My thumb brushed over the hard metal of his gun, and, lightning fast, his hand snaked out to remove it from his waistband. He put it inside his jacket pocket, which I hadn't even realized was on his arm, and then carefully placed the jacket on the ground next to us. He straightened and then groaned as he thrust his hips into my belly.

My whole body spasmed and throbbed. How could he be so sexy? I couldn't imagine ever wanting anyone more than I wanted him right now.

I worked my hand around the front of his pants, and I was shocked when he didn't stop me. He ended the kiss, released my neck, and looked down to watch. I fumbled with the button of his pants but got them open. I yanked the zipper down, and his cock was right there. Dark fabric covered it, and in the seclusion of our little hiding spot, I couldn't see it very well.

I wrapped my hand around the length of it and felt his girth. It barely fit in my hand, but I rubbed my palm against it, and a rusty moan erupted from his throat .

A slice of panic cut through me. I didn't know what to do. Gavin and I hadn't gone this far before, and Mag was much more experienced.

He gripped my hand and stroked it up and down on his cock. His head flew back, eyes closed, mouth open. Wow. I didn't expect such a reaction from him, but I guessed I was doing it right because he seemed to like it.

My body ignited into an inferno, starving to make him react even more. I rubbed it as hard as I could, my fingers squeezing at the tip.

"Yes," he murmured. "Just like that."

I worked my hands inside and felt his skin there for the first time. The head was smooth and pulled taut. The rest of it was less smooth and shockingly hard. I gripped it with both hands and did my best to rub them up and down in the confined space.

"I'm about to be real embarrassed." His deep voice scratched out in the dark.

"Why?" I could barely breathe. My body was tingling everywhere, my stomach flipping, wetness collecting between my legs.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to my neck and mumbled against my skin. "I'm so fucking hot for you, I'm gonna come from your sweet little hands on me."

"Oh."

I tried to pull them away, but he held me there. "Don't you dare stop. Waited forever for this."

I doubled my efforts, jacking his dick up and down and watching his reaction. He growled and tore frantically at my dress, ripping my breast free, exposing it to the cool night air. His other hand hiked the skirt up over my hips. The fierce look of determination on his face was pure adrenaline fueled by animalistic hunger.

His fingers deftly rolled my nipple as he pushed my legs apart with his knee. I didn't even realize I'd been clenching my thighs so hard. His other hand cupped me between my legs, his fingertips pressing into my wet panties.

"Fuck." His hips began to move, jutting up into my hands in an erotic dance. Everything felt heightened and intense, and I gasped as he moved my panties aside.

The driving thrusts of his hips smashed my hands between us, and his cock rubbed between my legs. He grabbed hold of my hand and guided the tip just deep enough to coat it in my wetness. Then he pulled it back and rubbed it on my clit. I gasped when I realized what he was doing.

His cock rocked and rolled on my most sensitive spot, precise movements that sent huge lightning bolts racing through my body. His expert hands were working magic, and we were flying high above the clouds. It was purposeful and urgent and terrifying because I didn't know how long it would last, where we would land, and if anyone would catch us.

"Don't let go," he said, but I didn't have a choice. I was holding onto him like his dick was a pommel of a saddle and I was about to fall off a bucking bronco.

A tightening deep in my core rose up and rushed through me, pushing my breath out in short whimpers. I cried out his name as I exploded on his fingers.

"Yeah, baby." His words of encouragement rolled through me and he stopped moving everything and just held me in place, watching me, holding me suspended like I was floating in a dream.

He started to move again, more frantic, less focused. His hips stuttered, his breathing rough, and I raised my head in time to see his mouth open. He moaned a long, mournful sound as his neck bent, and I could see him going over the cliff as he exhaled. Something hot and wet spurted over my hands. He arched forward, still somehow supporting me against the wall even though he was clearly in the throes of an orgasm.

I waited to see what he would do. When he recovered, he bent down and started kissing me. Hungry, eager kisses that slowed to more languid. There were a lot of words in his kiss that he didn't say, but I felt like I heard him. He was saying thank you, he loved it, he appreciated me, he respected me. It wasn't just cheap kisses for a stranger, it was warm and affectionate and felt like it could even be laced with love.

Mag said he didn't feel emotion, but we connected deeply in that moment.

"That wasn't torture," I whispered.

"For you, maybe not. For me, torture not to fuck you." He released all the tension in our hands and bent down to remove the handkerchief from his coat pocket. He started wiping my hands and dress.

"You want to?" I asked him.

He looked into my eyes. "Obviously, but virgin, so no."

"What if I don't want to be one anymore?"

He paused. "You want to give that to me?"

I nodded. "I think it would be incredible with you. It doesn't have to mean anything. "

He stared at me a long time with half-lidded eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Rebel?" He grinned and shook his head slowly.

I laughed and straightened my dress. Luckily, he didn't tear it and I was able to cover everything up.

He finished buttoning his pants and said, "Let's go before we get arrested."

He kissed me again, and his hand supported my weight as I awkwardly stumbled down to the path. He was still chuckling as we hiked back up to the grounds of the observatory and picked up my shoes.

"Come to New Orleans with me," he said like he'd just thought of this idea.

"What do you mean?"

"Every year, my sister invites the Knight Security team home for Mardi Gras. I always refuse to commit to attending until the last minute. This Tuesday is Fat Tuesday." Our clasped hands swung between us. He held his jacket in his free hand and I held my shoes in mine.

"That's only three days from now." I thought I'd heard of Fat Tuesday, but I didn't know the significance of it off the top of my head. My mind was reeling at the sudden change in topic.

"She'll be impressed that I'm planning ahead." He laughed at himself. "It'll be the perfect scratch to your itch. I'll show you how we pass a good time in the Bayou. A lot more fun than Casino Menengo or Vegas." His voice changed, allowing a little bit of the Southern drawl to come out when he spoke .

"Are you being serious right now?" I wasn't even sure what he meant, but I was totally up for going anywhere with him.

"Dead serious. My sister really wants to meet you."

"Yes. I'd love that. I want to see where you grew up." It was hard not to get excited. Mag had promised me I was part of the family once, but now that Gavin and I wouldn't be legally married, there was no real need for me to meet his sister except that I'd liked her so much on the video call we'd shared. Mag was probably just being nice because I'd said I wanted to have fun and I'd hit it off with his sister, but I wasn't going to say no to an adventure like that.

"Oh, one more thing." He opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a huge bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. He held them out with an awkward smile that was very uncharacteristic of my confident commando. "For my wife."

He did not say... No way. How did he... They'd been in the car all this time, even before the magic show? He'd planned all this? For me?

"Take them."

I raised my arms robotically, and he set a bundle of at least two dozen deep red velvet roses in my embrace. They were wrapped in black tissue with a decadent burgundy bow.

"I don't know how to take care of them," I whispered as I stood woodenly in the parking lot, my eyes taking in each unopened bud like it was a newborn babe. What did they need? I wanted them to last forever. I wanted to encase these roses in resin and hang them on the wall above my bed so I could always remember the night I was Magnum's fake wife and he was a sentimental softie .

He chuckled. "Get in. We gotta meet the team."

I cradled the flowers on my lap as we drove back to the safe house. My whole body tingled and shivered as I recovered from all that we'd just done. What would I tell Stella and Brandy about tonight when they asked? A lot of it felt very private between Mag and me even though we had eyes and ears on us most of the evening. "No matter what happens, my life has been changed by you," I said quietly.

He grinned and took my hand in his. "Mine as well."