by Gray Gardner
“I need something for the itching,” she quietly said, biting her lip in a cute way. “Could we use this as an… opportunity to get back in touch with—”
“No,” Mait finished, giving her a look that told her not to push the issue. “We’re done.”
“But, baby—”
“No, Mary Madeline,” he asserted, sitting up as she stood and ran her fingers through her hair.
“You’re miserable without them and it’s my fault,” she cried, holding her arms out. “We need a way to reach out to Carlson… to the rest of your family.”
“They made their choice!” he shouted, standing, too. He’d been so hurt by their reaction to Carlson’s betrayal and he didn’t want to get back into it. “And I’m not miserable without them.”
“Please,” she huffed, hands on her hips as she turned to face the window. She’d seen him looking at his phone, a sadness in his eyes at the lack of messages and missed calls… the lack of communication, frivolous or critical.
“Mary Madeline,” he warned, not wanting to get into another argument about his family.
“My lip is itching like crazy. He can give us some advice on soothing creams and maybe the two of you can catch up a little. I think it’s worth it, Maitland,” she snapped, giving him a determined look.
He stared down at her tiny frame, so cute and thoughtful, and resolute. His shoulders sagged and he sighed as a sign of giving in. She’d be winning a lot of disagreements in the future, he was certain. And he couldn’t wait.
* * *
Carlson stood at the large front door of the precocious Mary Madeline Tucker’s house, nervous and excited with only a dribble of doubt lingering. They’d called him. Was it a chance to air out differences? A peace offering? Was she going to answer the door with her pistol and shoot him? He wasn’t about to rule that last option out…
“Dr. Frasier,” she softly said, blushing a little as she answered the door and gave a small smile. For an indomitable woman she sure came in a small, cute package.
“Ms. Tucker.” He smiled warmly, knowing that this wasn’t going to be another stonewalling or shouting match. She was extending an olive branch. He immediately admired her a little more. “Um, I hope you don’t mind if my driver comes inside, as well.”
Mary opened the door further and found Nicole standing there, shoulders trembling as she tried to fight back tears that were already falling down her cheeks.
“Oh, God,” Mary mumbled, flinging the door open all of the way and diving forward. She hadn’t meant to hurt his family this much. She hadn’t meant to hurt anyone at all. Things were just so… complicated.
Nicole fell into her arms and held her tightly as she let the tears fall. She’d missed her brother so much that she couldn’t eat or sleep. She never wanted anything like that to happen again. “I am so, so sorry, Mary,” she mumbled down into the strawberry blonde’s shoulder.
Mary pulled back and swiped a knuckle under her eye as she shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize. The past is the past, so now we can all just move forward,” she suggested, sweeping her arm in a gesture to invite them both inside.
Carlson stopped and held her shoulder, waiting for those big blue eyes to look up at him. “I’m sorry, too. You’re a very smart, brave girl and I wouldn’t want anyone else to be with my brother. I hope you can see that.”
Nodding, Mary led them into the living room where Mait was standing, listening to soft classic rock on the television, hands in his pockets.
“Mary needs you to look at her scar, maybe give her something for the discomfort and itching,” he simply stated, not moving. They’d hurt him. Simply showing up when he sent a distress call wouldn’t be enough for him.
“I’ll get my bag,” Carlson said as he nodded, a professional look coming across his face as he turned for the door to retrieve his bag from the car.
Mary shifted from foot to foot as Nicole and Mait stood silently, not making eye contact with one another. Could she really have done this much damage to this family? Was the seed already planted with Carlson’s domineering personality and the family’s propensity for arguing?
“The light will be best in the kitchen,” Carlson offered when he returned.
“She stays where I can see her,” Mait loudly growled, making everyone in the room tense.
“It’s okay.” Mary smiled, forcing a little extra brightness to it as she looked at Mait. “I trust him.”
The room collectively relaxed and exhaled when Mait finally nodded at this statement. A profound statement. Mary bit her lip and took a deep breath as she bravely marched into the kitchen. When she turned, Carlson seemed to fill the entire room, but he busied himself with his bag and didn’t make eye contact to help put her at ease.
“It looks remarkably healed,” Carlson commented, setting the last of his tools down and leaning in as he gently rubbed a thick cream on her lip with a Q-tip. “Apply this in the morning and evening and you shouldn’t feel so itchy anymore.”
Mary took the tube and looked up at him from her position sitting on the cold counter top while he put his things back into his black bag.
“Th-thank you,” she quietly said. Then she cleared her throat and straightened her back. “It means a lot to both of us that we can all… bury the hatchet.”
She wasn’t sure that was the right metaphor, but he’d get the gist. To her surprise, he obviously took it as an invitation. He leaned forward, and though she was atop the counter and he was standing, he still had to lean down as he engulfed her in a giant Dr. Frasier hug.
“Cutie, you have no idea how important you are,” he sighed, finally pulling back but keeping his giant hands on her slender shoulders. “I never… never meant to make you feel weak. In hindsight, I most certainly did that to you, and I’m sorry. I really am.”
Wow. An apology from the big, bad Carlson Frasier. It wouldn’t get any better than that.
“He’s lost without you, you know.” She half-smiled, looking down at her swinging feet.
“And your only play was to fake sick and get me over here?” Carlson asked, raising his brow as she blushed and looked up at him. “Smart girl.”
She cleared her throat and tried to look away again, but he took her chin and forced her to look at him.
“I am so thankful that you’re Mait’s. And I promise to stay out of your business. Really. He is one of the most important things in my life,” Carlson stated, taking a step back. “And besides, my little sister has made it pointedly clear that I should only butt into my family’s life. And I agree. It’s very time-consuming, anyway.”
Mary huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “Thanks. Should, um, we go check on the twinsies?”
She frowned as he held up a finger and looked down at the floor. What was he doing? He looked back up and nodded when they heard a crash. “When she starts throwing things they’ve apologized and started making up. Come on,” Carlson invited, jerking his head to the living room in the front of the house.
Mary led the way and indeed did find Nicole throwing her Limoges boxes at Mait, missing mostly and hitting the wall. Wow. Mary’d actually bought those in a French antique store but… it was worth it if they were making up.
“Don’t ever fucking do that again!” Nicole yelled, chucking a porcelain cherry at Mait. He ducked and turned as the red ball shattered on the pale yellow wall and crumbled to the floor.
“I won’t, I promise, Nic! Never again!”
Then they hugged. Then they wrestled. Mary knew that twins had their own way of doing things, so she just waited in the wings with Carlson.
“Oh,” Carlson added, as Mait tried to pin his sister who was pulling his ear. “I hear you two are getting married soon?”
“Yes.” Mary smiled, unable to stop herself as her cheeks flushed a little. It was exciting to talk about it with other people. “Um, after finals, we hope. Of course, you have to be there, Carlson.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. And best wishes to th
e bride,” he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead.
“Thanks.” She grinned, pausing as his hand slid up her arm and grabbed her shoulder a little too tightly.
He leaned over to her ear as Nicole cried out for a half-time and Mait smacked her in the face with a throw pillow. “And by the way, cutie-pie, you’ll be family after that.”
“Yes… yes I will,” she mumbled, frowning at his hand and then up at him. “One big, happy family.”
“And I will lord over you more than anyone else because you need it more than anyone else, cuteness.”
“What?” she squealed, looking up at him. That was his angle? Getting back at her for her disobedience once she was technically part of the family? She narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. “Okay. Whatever. In fact, I dare you. I dare you to try and lay a hand on me again.”
Carlson chuckled and stood up straight, patting her shoulder and folding his large arms across his chest. If she wasn’t mistaken, he even flexed. Asshole.
“Why don’t you stop them, oh lord and master?” Mary grumbled, stepping further away from him.
“This is their way. Best to just let them wear themselves out,” he explained, glancing down at her, as she played with the hem of her shirt in her sweaty fingers. She was nervous, but she didn’t run from him. He admired her; that was for sure.
Now to just keep her out of trouble and alive so his brother would be happy.
* * *
Mait rotated his shoulder one more time as he lectured. His sister had given him a few hard knocks, but that wasn’t what was irritating his neck. He’d been jerking it to the top row in the back of the room every time he heard that sweet little giggle. And it wasn’t directed at him. His jealously seeped through his pores as he sped through the lecture and Q and A. He only wanted that laugh directed at him. Only him.
“So, we have a study group tonight. Eight pm in the Eagles Café. You… Would you come?”
Mary turned and smiled at Will as everyone gathered their bags after the lecture and began moving around the room. “I actually have a paper I’m going to be working on tonight. Caribbean: The American Lake, Rough Riders and all that. Dr. Britta’s class. Maybe some other time?” she asked, turning and stuffing her laptop into her satchel.
“I know you didn’t get that busted lip from a fall.”
Swallowing as she paused, Mary turned and forced herself to smile again. “Silly, of course I did! Have you even seen me after a couple of drinks? My feet get comfortably numb and in these heels? It gets nasty.”
“Cut the shit, Mary Madeline,” he said, holding her shoulder. He looked genuinely concerned. “Look, it’s none of my business but… but I… care about you. We’re friends, right?”
“Of course.” Mary frowned, putting her hand over his as it held her shoulder. “And thank you for your concern. But really… all it comes down to is me being a doof.”
Nodding, Will took his hand back, turned, then turned back to her and squeezed her tightly. Mary smiled and hugged him back. Somehow it was nice to know that there were genuinely nice guys out there in the world.
“Thanks, Will.” She pulled her bag over her shoulder and felt it vibrating, so she pulled out her phone and nodded at Will. “See you soon?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking out of the room.
Mary followed slowly as she opened her texts.
My office. Now.
Pausing as she walked out into the fresh, dusk air, she quickly typed back.
My house. Later.
She took one step before her phone vibrated again. Sighing, she wondered why Mait didn’t remember that she had a paper due.
Don’t be cute with me. You need to be in my office in 5 minutes.
Her mouth fell open as she walked towards the library.
Fine. But I’m coming when I’m damned good and ready.
Her phone went off again as she climbed the slate steps to the library. One quick glance had her frowning and squeezing her phone tightly.
That’s not a request. 4 minutes.
She stepped into the library and sent her last text before shutting off her phone so that she could spend the next three or four hours getting her sources and outlines ready. But not before one last text.
Here’s a demand. Wait.
* * *
Mait had never known jealously before that moment. Sure, he’d experienced it, but never to that measure. Will talking to her, inviting her somewhere, his hand on her, the concerned look, then… the hug. The kid had been all over her.
He wanted to yell and scream at Mary, but it wasn’t her fault. She was a pretty girl and seemingly unattached. Not her fault for attracting males of all shapes and sizes. But she was his and his alone. So the only thing that he could think to do was finish her little fantasy from earlier in the year and fuck her in his office. He had the seduction all planned out, too, until she refused to comply.
And he could hardly stand it when she said no to him. When she said it with attitude? Well, he just wanted to spank some sense back into her. And he aimed to do it, too.
Mary sat quietly in the stacks on the sixth floor of the library, a stack of reference books piled on the old wooden desk and an even older green Tiffany lamp lighting her work area. She scribbled furiously on yellow legal paper, her laptop open but pushed aside as she opted for tangible books for her research. He admired that about her. She always seemed to extract information out of her references from angles that he’d never even considered.
She was smart. But she was in trouble.
He flipped the bolt down on the doorjamb and casually strolled up to her study table.
Mary flipped her legal pad to the last page and copied her notes from an obscure Teddy Roosevelt biography. She’d managed to get more work done than she’d thought she would. Mait had only crossed her mind a couple of times. He would be so mad about her snippy texts. She could almost see him pacing his office, running his hand across his whiskers as he sipped that smoky scotch and pulled down his tie. She could almost smell that musky body wash and scotch combination that left her head spinning. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.
“Tired?”
The deep voice made her leap out of her chair as her eyes flew open. Papers swept across the desk and floated to the ground as the stack of heavy books crashed to the old hardwood floor.
“Fuck me,” she gasped, holding her chest because she was startled, but actually muttering those words because the man she loved and intended to marry was standing before her in that incredibly fuckable fedora.
Evidently he was just full of surprises.
“Not yet,” he replied, glaring down at her and removing his gray suit jacket. He loosened his navy tie, unbuttoned the top button of his starched blue pinstriped shirt and began slowly rolling up his sleeves.
Chapter 8
“M-Mait,” she stuttered, looking at his hands as they worked and then up into his dark eyes. He was angry. “You can’t really be mad about me coming to the library to do homework! I told you about this paper.”
“And William McAndrews seems to know all about it, too,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and, yes, unmistakably flexing. Christ, a Frasier family trait. Even the muscles in his forearms rippled the same way as Carlson’s.
“My friendship with Will is just that. Don’t take your alpha-male jealously out on me just because you can’t handle it!”
“He touched you.”
Mary’s mouth fell open, as she stood frozen for a few seconds. Was he for real? “Your brother touched me, too! You going to get bitchy about that?” she yelled, throwing her arms out. She didn’t have to worry about making a scene. No one went to the sixth floor stacks because of the lack of Wi-Fi and the smell. Mary knew it was just the combination of old moldy books and even older wooden furniture. She liked the solitude.
“Don’t call me a bitch.”
Mary dropped her hands to her sides and gave an ex
asperated and dramatic sigh. “What do you want, Frasier?” she asked in a high, annoyed voice.
She was nervous, he noticed. Good. Stepping closer so that he crowded her little figure against the worn, dark green wall, he waited patiently as she swallowed a few times and finally looked up at him with blue, curious eyes.
“I want you to remove your pants.”
Mary spat out the sound someone makes when completely shocked. Seriously? “In the library, Frasier? Really? This is—”
Her protest ceased when he took her shoulder, spun her around, pressed his hand into the middle of her back and smacked his other hand on the back of her black jeans. Hard. He couldn’t see her face but he heard her angry squeal and held her as she struggled. This would be his show. Not hers.
“Mait,” she muttered, pushing against the wall as he held her there, facing it like an impudent child. Would he really not let her go?
“I told you to take off your pants.”
“We are in the school library, damn it! What do you think you’re going to—”
He silenced her with another smack, her hips swinging forward into the wall.
“Pants. Now, Mary Madeline.”
She didn’t know what to do. In the back of her mind she knew no one really ventured to the sixth floor stacks. She knew someone like Dr. Maitland Frasier would have taken the necessary precautions before engaging in a sexual tryst at his own school. Something held her paralyzed, though. Was it the undivided attention? The promise of hot public sex? Fear of expulsion? And why did he say her name like that, leaving her underwear wet?
Mait grinned to himself as he watched her internal battle. When her shoulders went up into a final, deep breath, he watched as her hands slowly went to the front of her jeans. She wiggled her hips as she faced the wall, her back to him, and pulled the skinny jeans to the ground.
“Step out,” he gently said, kneeling down and removing those blood red heels, then pulling each leg through until she was standing in her black thong. He stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders, bringing his head down and gently kissing up her neck.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her breathing increasing as he ran his hands up her black and white heart embroidered sweater and cupped her breasts.
