“What is it?” she asks.
“I feel guilty,” I reply. “Like I’m being selfish.”
“You don’t have the skills.” She shrugs again and offers me a small smile. “There’s nothing you can do about that. And even if you did, it wouldn’t be selfish to choose to not help. You have the right to do what you think is best for you.”
“I do,” I agree. “What Grandmamma did wasn’t safe.”
“I know.”
“I just want to enjoy this new relationship with Beau, and run my store, and love my friends. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I know that, too, and you deserve that. We all do. You’re not doing anything wrong. But what happened last week scared me. It was new.”
“Are we circling back around to this?”
“Yes, because I want your word that if anything like that happens again, you’ll call me and we will take it to my Nana.”
“Okay.” I nod reluctantly. “If it happens again, we will talk to her about it. But in the meantime, let it go. Please.”
“Fine.” She scowls at her bowl. “My ice cream is all gone.”
“Well, then let’s get some more.”
***
“This is pretty.” I hold up a scarf that I’ve found in one of the shops in the Quarter. Beau and I are wandering around on this sunny fall evening, ducking in and out of stores, galleries, and just spending time together.
“The blue would look pretty on you.” He takes it from me and wraps it around my wrists, shielding me with his body so no one can see what he’s doing. He leans in and whispers, “See? It’s lovely against your skin.”
He cocks a brow, and all I can do is lick my lips and think about all the ways he could use this scarf on me when we’re both naked. A slow smile spreads over his wicked mouth and he walks over to the cashier and buys the scarf, then takes my hand and leads me out onto the sidewalk.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, I think this is for both of us,” he says, New Orleans hanging heavily in his voice. I’m pretty much perma-turned on when I’m around him. The chemistry between us is simply off the charts.
Halle-freaking-luia!
As we walk, Beau is quick to shield me from anyone who might accidently brush against me, or guide me around areas that he thinks are dangerous. It’s sweet, but I also just want him to treat me the way he would any other woman.
Finally, when he pulls me out of the way of a family walking past us, I pull us around the corner, where there’s less traffic, and stop him.
“What are you doing?”
He frowns and looks around, as if he’s looking for the person I’m actually talking to.
“Yes, you. What’s going on in your head?”
“I’m walking through the Quarter with you.”
“Beau, I’m not fragile. You don’t have to constantly make sure that no one touches me. I understand why you feel this way, but it’s not necessary.”
“I want you to be comfortable. I want you to have a nice evening without all of the other stuff.”
“Thank you for that.” Not wanting to sound ungrateful, I reach up to brush my fingertips down his cheek. “Thank you so much. But I’m okay.” I smile widely. “I’m having a great time. You don’t have to protect me against any of those people. Just treat me the way you would any woman. I seem to be getting better at shielding myself lately.”
He frowns and cups my face in his hands, the carefree man gone, replaced by this serious one, and I’m sorry that I said anything at all.
“I can’t do that, Mallory. If I treat you the way I do other women, I wouldn’t be with you right now.” He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t take the time to get to know you. Not because you’re not beautiful and smart, but because my priority is my career and my family. So, we would enjoy a mutually satisfying evening in bed, and then I probably wouldn’t call you again.”
Whoa. Talk about swoon!
“Why am I different?”
“That’s the million dollar question,” he replies. “And the answer is way more complicated and personal than what can be discussed in this public place. But I will say this, you are different, and I’m different with you. I’m not going to stop seeing you.”
“Well, that’s good.” I smile, not regretting this conversation now in the least, and boost myself up on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me close while he extends the kiss, then lets me slowly slide down his body.
I wish we were somewhere private, and that we were both naked.
But that’s just going to have to wait.
He pulls away and takes my hand again, leading me back in the direction we were headed before: to Café du Monde.
I’ve been craving beignets all day.
We grab a seat under the green and white awning, and place our order of two plates of the delicious sugary doughnuts and frozen coffees, then I pull my new scarf out of the bag and wrap it around my neck with a sassy wink at Beau.
“I had no idea you were a scarf fan.”
He smirks, rubbing his fingers over his lips and watching me fuss with the blue fabric. It’s soft and feels good against my skin.
Finally, he leans over and presses his lips to my ear. “I’m going to take you back to your place this evening, strip you naked, and tie your hands with this scarf. Then I’m going to fuck you blind.”
He leans back in his chair, a proud smile on his handsome face, and I surprise us both by saying, “Promises, promises.”
He busts out laughing just as our drinks and beignets are delivered, and I take a bite of the piping hot pastry, then sigh in absolute delight.
“These are the most delicious things on the earth.”
“They’re close,” he says.
“What’s better than this?” I take a sip of my frozen coffee before taking another bite. He doesn’t reply, he just cocks a brow, and I know he’s talking about me. “You’re on a roll today.”
“I haven’t had you in three days,” he replies, deceptively calmly, and meets my gaze with his. “Which is exactly three days too long.”
“And what are you going to do about that?”
“I just told you.”
I cock my head to the side, surprised.
“Oh, I wasn’t kidding. That scarf has a very important job to do in roughly sixty minutes.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of pressure for a scarf.”
He chuckles and offers me a bite of his last beignet, and I open my mouth, then suck his fingers as he pulls them away.
“We’d better change the subject before I take you on this table, sweetheart.”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t think they wipe these tables down very well. That’s just not sanitary.”
He busts out laughing. “You’re probably right. Well, I have something else to talk about anyway.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“I have to go to Miami on Thursday.”
“Thursday as in two days from now Thursday?”
“That’s the one.”
“Wow, that’s short notice.”
“It happens a lot,” he replies and wipes his mouth with a napkin.
Easy Magic (Boudreaux #5)
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