sounding
uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t need to be,” she assured
him.
“Trust me. It’s nowhere near as comfortable
as the big house. I really don’t mind coming to you.” He didn’t
seem to want her to come to his home which bothered her. She didn’t
like that there were parts of himself that he was still keeping
from her, and she really didn’t like how distant he seemed all of a
sudden.
“Aaron, just because I’m staying in the ‘big
house’ for the summer does not mean that it defines my standard of
living by any means,” she said, in her mind seeing the stark
contrast from the grand home to the sparse dorm room she’d left
behind.
“Maggie, you grew up in the Hamptons,” Aaron
reminded her dryly. It was her turn to shift uncomfortably. It was
the first time that she’d ever felt any real division between them,
and she didn’t like it.
“I left that life behind years ago,” Maggie
commented quietly. She didn’t like that he saw her as someone who
needed to be kept comfortable. One of the first things that had
attracted her to him was the fact that she felt like she could be
real with him, no pretenses. She’d spent her childhood being
treated like a porcelain doll, and she’d sacrificed a lot to prove
that that’s not who she was. Now it suddenly felt like Aaron was
treating her that way too.
Aaron looked toward her, hearing the
difference in her tone. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know
how to explain to her that his place wasn’t good enough for her,
that it didn’t reflect what he could offer her. An awkward silence
dragged out between them as they arrived at the grocery store.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” Maggie said.
She didn’t really want to leave with this strange tension between
them. She still wasn’t sure where it had come from. She leaned over
and kissed him, and she didn’t pull away until she felt his body
respond, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss.
Satisfied that she was leaving him wanting more, she finally broke
the kiss.
“I’ll call you,” she promised before
slipping out of the truck. She was sure to put a little extra sway
in her hips as she walked up to the store knowing he’d be watching.
Just before entering the store she turned back and looked over her
shoulder. She was rewarded with Aaron’s smoldering stare that told
her she’d succeeded in reminding him of exactly why he should want
her to come over tonight.
~∞~
Andi was so excited to see Maggie walk into
the store she was practically bouncing. She pulled off her apron
and walked straight to the manager’s office.
“I’m taking lunch,” she called into the door
as she tossed her apron on a table. She turned to Maggie with a big
smile on her face. “You better be ready to spill, cuz I’m about to
bust!” she exclaimed. “If you hadn’t come out of hiding I was about
to go in there after you,” she joked.
“You can call off the search party,” Maggie
assured her. “Do you want to get some lunch? I’m starving!”
“I bet you are,” Andi teased as she hooked
her arm through Maggie’s and led her down the sidewalk toward a
corner deli. Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend, but didn’t deny
the insinuation.
The women ordered lunch as Maggie began to
fill Andi in on the events of the last few days. She didn’t reveal
the secrets Aaron had shared with her, they weren’t her secrets to
tell, but she did assure her friend that he’d been honest with her
about his past. She also left out some of the more intimate details
of the last few days, but the way she blushed when she spoke of
Aaron told Andi all she needed to know.
“You’re in love!” Andi declared.
“What? No. That’s ridiculous. I’m just… I’m…
in love,” Maggie realized aloud as a smile spread across her face.
There was no denying it. She’d never felt this way about a man
before. The rational side of her mind tried to argue that it was
just infatuation, just
uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t need to be,” she assured
him.
“Trust me. It’s nowhere near as comfortable
as the big house. I really don’t mind coming to you.” He didn’t
seem to want her to come to his home which bothered her. She didn’t
like that there were parts of himself that he was still keeping
from her, and she really didn’t like how distant he seemed all of a
sudden.
“Aaron, just because I’m staying in the ‘big
house’ for the summer does not mean that it defines my standard of
living by any means,” she said, in her mind seeing the stark
contrast from the grand home to the sparse dorm room she’d left
behind.
“Maggie, you grew up in the Hamptons,” Aaron
reminded her dryly. It was her turn to shift uncomfortably. It was
the first time that she’d ever felt any real division between them,
and she didn’t like it.
“I left that life behind years ago,” Maggie
commented quietly. She didn’t like that he saw her as someone who
needed to be kept comfortable. One of the first things that had
attracted her to him was the fact that she felt like she could be
real with him, no pretenses. She’d spent her childhood being
treated like a porcelain doll, and she’d sacrificed a lot to prove
that that’s not who she was. Now it suddenly felt like Aaron was
treating her that way too.
Aaron looked toward her, hearing the
difference in her tone. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know
how to explain to her that his place wasn’t good enough for her,
that it didn’t reflect what he could offer her. An awkward silence
dragged out between them as they arrived at the grocery store.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” Maggie said.
She didn’t really want to leave with this strange tension between
them. She still wasn’t sure where it had come from. She leaned over
and kissed him, and she didn’t pull away until she felt his body
respond, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss.
Satisfied that she was leaving him wanting more, she finally broke
the kiss.
“I’ll call you,” she promised before
slipping out of the truck. She was sure to put a little extra sway
in her hips as she walked up to the store knowing he’d be watching.
Just before entering the store she turned back and looked over her
shoulder. She was rewarded with Aaron’s smoldering stare that told
her she’d succeeded in reminding him of exactly why he should want
her to come over tonight.
~∞~
Andi was so excited to see Maggie walk into
the store she was practically bouncing. She pulled off her apron
and walked straight to the manager’s office.
“I’m taking lunch,” she called into the door
as she tossed her apron on a table. She turned to Maggie with a big
smile on her face. “You better be ready to spill, cuz I’m about to
bust!” she exclaimed. “If you hadn’t come out of hiding I was about
to go in there after you,” she joked.
“You can call off the search party,” Maggie
assured her. “Do you want to get some lunch? I’m starving!”
“I bet you are,” Andi teased as she hooked
her arm through Maggie’s and led her down the sidewalk toward a
corner deli. Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend, but didn’t deny
the insinuation.
The women ordered lunch as Maggie began to
fill Andi in on the events of the last few days. She didn’t reveal
the secrets Aaron had shared with her, they weren’t her secrets to
tell, but she did assure her friend that he’d been honest with her
about his past. She also left out some of the more intimate details
of the last few days, but the way she blushed when she spoke of
Aaron told Andi all she needed to know.
“You’re in love!” Andi declared.
“What? No. That’s ridiculous. I’m just… I’m…
in love,” Maggie realized aloud as a smile spread across her face.
There was no denying it. She’d never felt this way about a man
before. The rational side of her mind tried to argue that it was
just infatuation, just
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