Maggie

I made spaghetti with sausage and peppers and some homemade garlic bread. The group of rowdy hands cheered and sang my praises. There was a new guest sitting at the table as well. She seemed to have Alex’s complete attention, and I couldn’t take my eyes away from the way he made her blush. When any of the men even looked at her, a low rumble followed by a threat to keep their eyes in their head past his lips.

Thoughts of Maxwell started again. If things weren’t strained and damaging between him and my father, maybe he could act on the wicked thoughts I saw playing in his eyes. It was probably my imagination anyway. The man was suffering from heat stroke or something close to it. More than likely, he was just confused. Well, it didn’t matter since nothing, not even another glance, would change our situation. I would just have to live my life knowing that I wasn’t completely dead inside when it came to men. I was still very young, but those teenage hormones hadn’t kicked in until Maxwell’s eyes met mine.

Santos, one of the ten hands at dinner, nudged me out of my Maxwell world. “Hey, Maggie. You’ll find a man like that one day. Sorry she came in and snatched him up.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. I just work here, but thanks for looking out for me. Please excuse me, I have to get this all cleaned up so I can go home.”

“Do you want some help?” Santos asked as the rest of the table looked at me.

“We got the dishes, Ms. Maggie. This meal was insanely delicious,” Jack added, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach.

“Thank you,” I replied, blushing brightly. It was nice to be really good at something. I needed to get more cookbooks when I had some extra money. After directing them on the clean-up job, I said my goodbyes and went to the living room to call my brother.

“Hey, Billy, I’m ready.”

“Okay, give me five,” he said, hanging up quickly. I decided to wait outside for him because the guys would stop me to bullshit. In truth, I was hoping Maxwell was still at the ranch and it was all a huge misunderstanding, and he’d take me over and over again as we grew old together. Damn, I needed to get off the ridiculous fantasies. They weren’t going to do me any good when I was all alone. I stepped out on the porch, taking in the cooler night air. I hopped down the stairs, eager to get close to the entrance so Billy wouldn’t have to pull in, but I wasn’t that fortunate.

“Hey, where you going?” Rico asked, sitting next to his brand-new, top of the line truck. I didn’t know what he even did, but that truck cost at least fifty thousand. The man thought it would please me to see it.

He stepped in my way, so I pushed around him. “Home, excuse me.”

“I’ll take you,” he said with a forceful tone, stepping in front of me again. I was starting to feel trapped, but he didn’t know my brother would be here any second and he was due for a set down.

“I’d rather walk,” I muttered with a hint of disgust in my voice. This man made me nauseous and he didn’t know when to quit. I wondered if he would ever push the limits and take what he wanted violently.

“There’s dangerous animals out there.” The lecherous look in his eyes told me the danger was much closer. I wouldn’t be intimidated by him because he would win.

“No more dangerous than the one in front of me. Rico, leave me alone and go stalk someone else.” I gave him another shoulder bump as I passed him by.

He grabbed my arm forcefully, spinning me back to him. Adrenaline hit me then. Where the fuck was my brother? “I don’t want no one else. Come here, chica. You’re going to be mine.”

I heard the roar of an engine, and a large F-250 pulled into the drive. The truck was barely in park when Maxwell jumped out of the huge vehicle with a sinister look on his face. It wasn’t directed at me, though, but at Rico.

Rico let me go immediately and Maxwell took my hand in his. “Come on, Maggie. It’s time to take you home.” The feeling of pure lust shot straight up my arm and down over my breast and to my core, hitting me hard. He kissed my hand as he took me away from Rico.

“Thanks,” I said, secretly thanking the stars I was safe, but I was in another terrible position. My body would revolt against my brain if Maxwell gave me the slightest inkling he wanted me. He walked me around to the passenger side, opened the large doors, and boosted me up into the seat, his hands on my hips.

“Buckle up, babe.” He closed the door, and instead of walking around to his side, he stormed up to Rico. I couldn’t see what he said, but it was enough to scare Rico away. He hurried into his truck with his tail between his legs.

Maxwell smiled at me, then winked before hopping into the truck. “Thank you,” I said. “You’ve seemed to have done a 180.”

“No, but fuck if I was going to let one of these fucks drive you home,” he bit out, his eyes trained to Rico. The warning in his expression was deadly.

“How did you know when I would be out?”

“I’ve been sitting in the truck waiting for your brother to call me when you got out.”

“I think you’ve had too much sun. That was a silly thing to do.”

“That I have definitely had, but it’s dark out, Maggie. And your lemonade did the trick.” The edges of his mouth tilted up into a salacious smile. Damn, my panties were soaked. This man had charm down to a tee.

“Why are you smooth talking me?” My brows arched, wondering how he would respond.

“I’m not smooth talking you. When I do, you’ll know. It’ll be when I’m stripping you naked and kissing all over those sexy curves.” He was lethal to my will.

“Excuse me, but you’re about to take my family ranch. Nothing you can say will get me naked.”

“How about I let your family keep the ranch?” Suddenly, my moral compass didn’t point north anymore and did a straight about-face down south.