Page 27

“ Y ou know, you don’t have to cook on the nights you tutor,” Maggie says when she steps out of her office and closes the door behind her.

Setting the tray of roasted veggies on the stove, I flip the dish towel over my shoulder and turn toward her.

Today, she’s wearing a long, flowy dress.

And it’s taking every bit of my restraint not to tear it off her.

Ever since I feasted on her pussy in the pantry the other night, I’ve become ravenous for another taste.

Alas, life has gotten in the way.

I started tutoring and volunteering at the community center in town now that Lily is in school. It’s taken up most of my free time, but… Idle minds and all that. I needed something to keep mine off the beautiful creature currently standing before me.

Above the neckline of her dress, her chest flushes pink. The light-blue floral material brings out the last hints of the summer tan on her skin, hugging her small tits to perfection. “I like cooking for you and Lily. Remember? Food is my love language.”

She rubs her stomach with a smile. “Mmm. You don’t have to remind me. I had the leftover lasagna for lunch today. You really outdid yourself with that one, city boy.”

She brushes behind me, and I jump at the sharp pain in my left butt cheek. Did she pinch me? Like nothing happened, Maggie continues on her way to the sink and washes her hands. But she flashes me a cheeky little wink over her shoulder.

I like this playful side of her.

“Brat,” I say, sliding up behind her and returning the favor. My fingers sink into the supple flesh of her perky ass, and she squeaks when I squeeze.

“Viktor! What if Lily sees?” Her head snaps to the kitchen table, where an explosion of craft supplies surrounds her daughter.

Plastering my body to hers, I rock my rapidly hardening cock into the valley of her ass. With my nose nestled against my favorite spot on her slender neck, I breathe in her sweet apple scent. “She won’t.” I grind my hips forward, and Maggie moans. “I just want a kiss goodbye, country girl.”

“You’re leaving? But it’s Friday.” There’s a hint of disappointment in her voice .

Turning off the water, I spin her to face me. I take the towel from my shoulder and dry her hands before tossing it into the sink behind her. “Yes. There’s a woman at the community center who needs help learning English, so I volunteered to assist her. Tonight is one of the few nights she has off.”

Maggie smiles up at me and smooths her hands over my vest before adjusting my tie. “You have such a big heart, Viktor.”

Her words have the organ in question speeding up and warmth spreading across my face. “I just like to help.”

“I know.” Pressing onto her tiptoes, she seals her lips against mine for a kiss that’s nearly as sweet as her. My tongue swipes at her lips, and she opens willingly for me.

The familiar ache in my fangs pounds to life, and I pull back before I accidentally bite down on her bottom lip. It’s for the better, I realize, when a commotion to my left has my head snapping up.

“Uh-oh.” Lily’s voice follows closely behind.

At the table, a large pile of purple glitter spills from its jar and onto the paper in front of Lily. Tiny shimmering bits are scattered across the table and on her fingertips. If I had to guess, it’s also in her lap and on the floor.

Eyes the size of dinner plates and mouth agape, she meets Maggie’s gaze, then mine. “It was an accident.”

When my eyes flit back to Maggie, her hand is clasped over her mouth. Cheeks reddening, moisture coats her lash line. Her shoulders shake with— Is she… laughing ?

“What’s so funny?” I ask, head swinging between the two of them .

Maggie presses a hand to my chest, and I step back. She’s still laughing as she grabs the trash can from the cabinet under the sink and heads to the table. “Didn’t you notice how there wasn’t any glitter in the house before you bought her some?”

I shrug, using some of the paper to scoop the glitter into the trash. “Glitter is fun. Kids love glitter.”

“Yes.” Maggie points a finger at me as she stifles another laugh. “But it gets everywhere, and it’s impossible to get rid of. I bet we’ll be finding purple glitter for the next decade.”

“I didn’t mean to. I promise.” Lily sticks out her bottom lip in a pout.

“We know, Lily bug. But how about we save the glitter for supervised art time.” Maggie’s gaze falls to her hand, and she winces. Purple sparkles coat her palm. “Why don’t you say goodbye to Viktor and go wash up in the bathroom?”

She hops down from her chair. “Okay. Bye, Viktor!”

Little arms wrap around my waist, and I pat the back of her head. “Bye, little one.”

Looking back at her mother, Lily whisper-shouts. “Tell him about our surprise for tomorrow.” Then she’s running down the hall to the bathroom.

Maggie laughs.

“Surprise?” My eyebrows rise.

With the glitter crisis mostly cleaned up, Maggie stacks the crayons and markers in their container and closes the lid. “Are you going to the city this weekend?”

“No,” I answer, closing the coloring book and setting it in the bin of craft supplies. With each passing day, the city feels less and less like home. Even the prospect of one of Phil’s famous cinnamon rolls at brunch with Ness isn’t enough to entice me anymore.

“Good. Meet us here at ten tomorrow morning.” She gathers the bin in her arms and steps into my space.

Her eyes turn heated, lids dropping to rake over my chest and down to my crotch.

My cock twitches under her blatant eye-fucking.

Yeah, I definitely like this side of Maggie.

“And as much as this vest and pocket watch combo makes my panties wet, you’re gonna want to wear some jeans, city boy.

” She winks before smacking a kiss on my cheek. “Have a good tutoring session.”

Maggie giggles, and when I try to hook an arm around her waist, she sidesteps me on her way into the family room. “Tease.”

“Night, Viktor.”

Slipping my watch from my pocket—the very one that makes my country girl wet —I find it’s time for me to leave for the short drive to Maple Ridge Hollow. Me and my big heart. Fuck . No more stolen kisses, heated glances, or chaste touches… until tomorrow.

“ A nyone home?” I call out when I slip through the sliding glass door into Maggie’s house. I woke up early today, body riddled with excitement.

I spent the morning working on my plan to help Maggie with her debt. As much as I want to tell her about it, it’s too soon. Everything has to be perfect first .

Unfortunately, I was interrupted by a call from my father. His reminder about the upcoming gala looms over my head. “Bring a date… an appropriate date,” he commanded in that authoritative tone he’s used all my life. An appropriate date, AKA a vampire female fit to his impossible standards.

I doubt one exists unless she’s of his choosing. Rolling my eyes, I banish all thoughts of my father from my mind and focus on what’s in store for today.

Breakfast plates, coloring books, and an array of crayons are scattered across the kitchen table. The sight has my lips curling into a dopey smile.

My instincts kick in, and I reach for the plastic plate in Lily’s usual spot, a half-eaten pancake coated in an obscene amount of syrup sticking to the pink surface. Out of nowhere, Maggie slips between me and the table.

Not sure how she got the drop on me. My vampire abilities must be clouded by my daydreams of spending every morning at this table with my girls.

My girls.

“Nope.” She smacks my hand away. “No cleaning this morning. It’s my turn.”

Lily is nowhere to be found, so I take the opportunity to quench my thirst for this radiant woman. Leaning into her space, she gasps when her ass collides with the table.

My hands skim up the rough denim of her jeans.

Like always, they’re so tight they must be painted on, showing off her amazing ass and thick thighs.

Maggie’s paired the dark denim with a sleeveless red flannel that’s tied at the small of her waist. “Morning, country girl,” I purr, lips hovering over hers .

Her pupils dilate, and her gaze stays locked on my mouth when she mumbles, “Morning, city boy.”

“I’m gonna kiss you now.”

She nods, but I need those gorgeous green eyes on me when I take her sweet lips. Sliding my hand up the side of her neck, I use my thumb to tip her chin up until our gazes collide. Her breaths come faster, puffing little bursts of hot air against my lips when I close the distance between us.

At the first taste, I groan, and my fingers tighten around her throat. Her pulse thunders under the skin, urging me on. My free hand finds its home on the small of her back, pressing her closer to me as I ravage her mouth.

“I’ve missed your lips, Maggie. I need a whole lot more of this.” We said no feelings, but the lines are becoming increasingly blurred with each and every day. And I’m past the point of caring.

She’s awoken a hunger within me that I’ve never experienced before. My fangs ache when I’m around her. All my life, Father always made his opinion clear; Ness and I would settle down with vampire mates when the time came, but that’s not how I see the trajectory of my life.

I just want to love someone who will love me back. Wholly. Unconditionally. Someone I can be myself around and not feel judged. Someone who laughs at my stupid jokes. Someone who makes my heart flutter. And it’s become painfully obvious that someone is Maggie Wilcox.

“Momma! ”

Lily’s voice is like a bucket of ice water, and I rip my lips away from Maggie’s in a blur. My ears perk up to the pitter-patter of little feet above us.

“Momma! Where’s my butterfly net?!”

Maggie sighs, wiping the corner of my mouth with her thumb.

I take a step back and give her some space. In my pants, my erection presses painfully against the front of my jeans. Yes , I wore jeans like Maggie instructed.

Her eyes drift down to my crotch as I adjust myself.