Magni

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Oh hell.

  She was going to die of spontaneous combustion and burn down his lovely cabin in the process. Kill the bird he saved. Incinerate every damn piece of furniture in the workshop. All because no matter how hard Christine tried it was suddenly impossible to stay away from this man.

  She was so successful for so many years, managing to steer clear of Magni and all he was. All she wanted him to be. Turning the other way when she saw him coming. Running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Usually metaphorically speaking. Sometimes literally.

  Now it was the opposite. He was like a black hole sucking her into an unknown.

  It could be beautiful. Perfect. Everything she dreamed it would be.

  Or she would end up crushed.

  As Magni’s hands left the table and found their way to her body, covering the small of her back, gripping her hip as he continued to taste his way along the tender skin of her throat, Christine weighed her options. Perfection or potential ruin.

  There was only one good choice, really. And honestly it didn’t matter.

  When his lips brushed over hers Christine couldn’t stop the sigh as it rushed from her lungs. It was of resignation. Defeat. And relief.

  Magni’s mouth was gentle but firm, laced with restraint. Each move was careful and controlled as his tongue slid across her lips, easing between them to stroke against hers. It was sweet. It was soft.

  It was nowhere near as earth shattering as when he kissed her before.

  Magni was doing it for her. Thinking this was what she needed from him. What she wanted.

  It wasn’t. Not even close.

  Christine broke off the kiss, dropping her eyes. It didn’t feel like before. It was like she was kissing someone else. “I need a minute.” She scooted away, rushing toward the door.

  Magni snagged her hand, stopping her retreat, and spun her to face him. He advanced on her quickly and she nearly tripped over her feet trying to back out the door into the cabin. She wouldn’t have made it anyway. The damn door was shut.

  “I thought we had an understanding?”

  What in the hell was he talking about? Christine’s mind was racing, trying to remember what in the world she agreed to but everything was so jumbled there was no making sense of any of it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “No more pretending.” Magni kept a fair bit of distance between them. He was doing a good job of hiding it, but she could see the traces of hurt in his eyes. He thought she was rejecting him and that wasn’t the case at all. In fact quite the opposite.

  Christine straightened. “What do you call what you just did then?”

  That was what was wrong. That was why she stopped it. “That wasn’t how you kissed me before.”

  “Before I was being an ass. Taking something that wasn’t offered to me without asking.” Magni straightened. “I was trying to be what you want.” His voice dropped. “What you deserve.”

  Christine shook her head. “You obviously don’t know what I want and you certainly don’t know what I deserve.”

  Then before she could change her mind, Christine spun on her heel and yanked open the door, rushing through the cabin and into her car, kicking up gravel as she drove away.

  Let him mull that one over.

  She sure as hell would.

  9

  “Why are you here?” Gail glared at Magni over the counter as he came in the back door of the B&B. She held up a knife she’d been using to chop vegetables. “I should have your hide.”

  Magni walked past her, ignoring his sister-in-law.

  Gail didn’t take the hint and chased him through the swinging door leading to the main hall. “You should be ashamed of yourself for what you did to her.”

  “She liked it.” He skipped up the steps, taking them two at a time, leaving Gail at the bottom, her mouth hanging open.

  Magni smirked as soon as he was out of her line of sight. No better way to start the day then by pissing Gail off. He stopped in front of room three and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

  It was the nicest room in the B&B. No doubt Gail had either Craig or Joel booked in it. If not, he’d keep knocking on doors until he found what he wanted.

  The door swung open. Craig stared out at him, a toothbrush stuck in one corner of his mouth, wearing only a pair of athletic pants.

  “We need to talk.” Magni shoved his way into the room.

  Craig slammed the door shut behind him. “You can’t just barge into people’s rooms.”

  Magni turned to face Craig. “I just did.”

  The younger man yanked the toothbrush from his mouth leaving a puff of foam on his bottom lip. “Do you just go around doing whatever you want?”

  “Mostly.” It worked out pretty well for him nine times out of ten and today would be no exception. Magni had a list of shit to handle this morning and figuring out the specifics about Craig and Joel was at the top. Mostly because he wanted to get it out of the way first. “What exactly are you?”

  Craig lifted one dark brow. “I’m not whatever you are if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Are you a cop?” Magni was fairly certain that wasn’t the case but better to be safe than sorry. No sense doing something that would end up bringing him more problems than he already had.

  “No.” Craig shoved the toothbrush back in his mouth and walked to the bathroom.

  Magni waited for him to elaborate.

  Instead Craig finished brushing his teeth then grabbed a can of shaving cream, pressing the button on the top to dispense a pile into his hand.

  “Dick.”

  Craig didn’t give him so much as a glance as he carefully spread the creamy lather across his cheeks. “You show up and barge into my room and I’m the dick?”

  Magni gritted his teeth. This guy rubbed him the wrong fucking way but he had information Magni wanted and after seeing how difficult it was on Christine he’d do anything to keep from having to ask her for more. So he was here, doing his damnedest not to strangle the words out of Craig’s mouth. “You show up in town and tell me I have a son and then expect me to be a pile of sunshine?”

  Craig turned to look at him. “I’ve been friends with Joel for a long time.” He turned back to the mirror and picked up a razor. “I wasn’t expecting you to be charming.”

  It was something he’d been stewing on for the past two days. He had a son he didn’t know. Never had the chance to. It was an opportunity Lori stole from him.

  “You said you didn’t know whether Lori was alive or not.” It wasn’t a question because Magni wasn’t sure he wanted to know any answers Craig might have. After years of assuming she was gone the possibility that Lori was walking around breathing air the whole time he searched for her was more than a little hard to swallow.

  Craig tipped his head back and skimmed the razor up his neck. “I haven’t had any luck finding her. Sent out a bunch of letters to women I thought might be her but didn’t get anything back.” His eyes moved across the mirror to Magni’s reflection. “Why didn’t you have her declared dead?”

  He’d thought about it many times over the years. Put it to bed and move on. But it was so final. An admission of failure on his part. As a husband. As a man. As a protector.

  If Lori was dead, then it was his fault. It was the worst case scenario.

  Until two days ago.

  Magni shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it.”

  Neither did her parents apparently. They never pushed him to make it official, maybe because they didn’t want to believe she was dead either. Then again, maybe they knew the truth all along, going to their deathbeds hiding their daughter’s secret. It didn’t matter either way.

  Not anymore.

  Craig tapped his razor under the running water of the faucet. “With good reason obviously.” He wiped his face on a towel, clearing off the remaining spots of shaving cream. “For what it’s worth I’m sorry.”

  Magni shrugged. �
�I’m a grown man. Shit happens.” What bothered him was imagining Joel, his son, growing up with the secret he carried in his DNA. One that could be catastrophic if it got out. “What about Joel? I mean, how was his life?”

  “I’m pretty sure you can imagine.” Craig grabbed a shirt off the bed and yanked it over his head. “I should let him tell you.”

  “He wants to talk to me?” After the way he walked out of the bar, Magni figured Joel would be less than excited to get to know him.

  “That’s why we’re here.” Craig pulled on his shoes. “You weren’t so easy to find yourself. We spent a lot of time tracking you down and Joel’s not leaving until he has what he came for.”

  Magni’s eyes narrowed. “And what did he come for?”

  Craig stood up. “To find out what he is.”

  ****

  Christine’s house was quiet as Magni crossed the yard. If her car wasn’t there he would have guessed no one was home by the calm peaceful feel surrounding the small cottage.

  But then that was her. Calm. Quiet.

  Most of the time anyway.

  Sometimes she was more than he could handle. In a good way.

  A very good way.

  Today was going to be one of those times. He could feel it.

  Magni knocked on her door and waited, letting his senses ease forward. Partly because he missed the way she felt and partly because his beast was full of piss and vinegar since she walked out on him. Them. Maybe giving him a little bit of a rope would keep him in check.

  Her scent floated through the air as she moved inside. He could feel her as she came closer.

  Something was wrong.

  The door opened. Christine didn’t smile. She looked tired. No. She looked exhausted. Her dark hair was swept back from her face, pulled up high on her head with tiny pieces spilling out around the edges. It might be the first time he’d seen it like that and Magni didn’t want it to be the last. It displayed the perfect column of her neck, exposing the graceful curve of her jaw, giving a man the perfect opportunity to cover it with his mouth. Like he wanted to do know.

  She wore pants that clung to every lush curve of her hips and thighs, leaving nothing to his imagination as far as her bottom half was concerned.

  Jesus he hoped she didn’t wear those out in public. He’d have to walk around with a stick gouging out eyeballs. Not that he could blame a man for looking at her. Christine was all woman. Full hips. Soft curves. No doubt she’d brought men to their knees.

  His beast reared up at the thought. She wasn’t meant for other men. Only him. Except he wasn’t the kind of man she deserved, not that it was going to stop him from trying.

  “What’s wrong?” He wanted to protect her. Fix whatever had her upset. Hold her.

  Christine pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head. Her chin quivered the tiniest bit as she blinked her eyes.

  All his plans to talk to her. Figure out why in the hell she ran away from him, they all flew out the window when he saw the look in her eyes.

  Christine was scared and it cut him in a way no crazy city boy with a knife ever could.

  Magni knocked the door with one arm, making it slam against the wall as he stepped in and pulled her against him. “Jesus. What in the hell happened?”

  His blood turned to fire as possibilities raced through his mind. If someone hurt her—

  They would suffer more than she would that was for certain.

  Christine felt so small in his arms. Fragile. Vulnerable. A marked difference from the woman who claimed he didn’t know what she wanted and then stormed from his house leaving him alone and agitated.

  Magni stepped forward, easing her further into the house and kicked the door closed behind them. He scooped her up, expecting an argument. Instead her head dropped to his shoulder as he crossed the room to the large sofa that served as a break between the living room and the dining room. He should set her down. Sit beside her. Give her at least a little space. Especially after she made it clear he was not heading in the right direction as far as she was concerned.

  But there was no way it would happen. Not today.

  Magni eased down, holding her carefully against him as he sat, cradling her body in his arms. She didn’t cry, not even a sniff, which was almost worse.

  He waited. It felt wrong to push her even though it was killing him not knowing what broke her like this.

  After a few minutes Christine sat up, sniffed and started to get up. “I’m sorry. I was just—”

  He held her tighter. It looked like pretending nothing happened wasn’t reserved for things that related to him. “Don’t be sorry.” He pushed a wayward strand of dark hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear, letting his finger trace down her neck pretending he didn’t know how it tasted. How smooth her skin felt under his tongue. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

  Christine stared at him for a second. He could see the hesitation in her eyes.

  “I could say it was okay if you didn’t want to tell me but it would be a lie.” He skimmed his finger back up the soft curve of her neck and around her hairline to gently spin a bit of hair at her nape around his finger. “I want you to want to tell me why you’re upset.”

  Her eyes barely squinted in confusion. “Why?” The question was soft and sincere. As if she honestly didn’t know why he would want to know.

  It was his fault she didn’t and that was part of the reason Magni came here today but most of that conversation would have to wait. Instead he would keep it simple. Answer her question without muddying the waters with why he wanted what he did. “I want to be the one you lean on Christine.”

  Maybe they could never get where he wanted to be but they sure as hell weren’t going back where they were. He couldn’t stand to watch Christine hide from him again. To not be able to see her. Talk to her.

  And maybe more than that, but today that was his problem, not hers.

  She stayed silent for a very long time.

  Patient was not a word that had ever been uttered in the same sentence as his name. It was something he didn’t have a lot of. But he would use every bit of what he had on her. So he waited, letting his hand rest under the line of her jaw, tucked against the side of her neck, a careful move of possession Magni couldn’t stop himself from making.

  Christine took a quick breath. “I have to go have a test done tomorrow.”

  He fought the urge to react. Forced his expression to stay calm even as a million questions screamed in his ears, demanding answers. “What test?”

  The muscles of her neck tightened under his hand. “A mammogram.”

  “Do you think something’s wrong?” It was the only question that mattered in that moment. The only thing he couldn’t leave here without knowing.

  Her eyes dropped. “I have them every six months.”

  “Is that normal?” His knowledge of women’s health screenings was limited but twice a year seemed like overkill. Unless.

  “It is when you’ve already had cancer once.” Her pulse was racing under his palm as she stared at him. Christine was waiting for his reaction.

  And it was hard as hell not to give her one. “When?”

  “Five years ago.” She took a shaky breath. “It was small. They removed it.”

  “Then why do you keep having to go back?” Magni knew the answer even as he asked the question and it dug a pit in his stomach.

  “They watch closer because I have a higher risk then someone who hasn’t had problems.” Her voice didn’t match the words that came out of her mouth. If she was trying to reassure him it wasn’t working. This was more than a simple check-up. More than a routine exam to be sure she was in the clear.

  There was more to this story and if he was better with situations like this or at least more experienced maybe he could eventually coax the whole story out of her. But he didn’t have the time or the wherewithal for that at this moment. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He felt the muscles of her neck work
as she swallowed. “They found something last time.”

  “What?” If she hadn’t been on his lap Magni would have been on his feet. “Why didn’t they do something about it?”

  How could they just leave her like this? With a weight she had to carry around every damn day. Alone.

  It was like a punch in his gut, imagining Christine living with this.

  “Does Gail know what’s going on?” Magni wanted her to say yes. He needed to know she had someone. That she wasn’t going through this alone all this time. Scared. With no one to talk to. To tell her it would be okay.

  “She has so much on her plate as it is. I can’t add to her list of things to worry about.” The way she said it was so strong. So certain. But he could see in her eyes it was a lie. There was more to why she didn’t tell Gail and he was going to find out the reason. Just not today.

  “Rhea?” At least Rhea. He held his breath already knowing the answer but praying he was wrong.

  Christine took a deep breath. She shook her head.

  Magni tensed.

  Christine gave him a forced smile. “It’s okay. Really. I’ll be fine once it’s over.”

  For some reason Christine didn’t think she could tell the people who cared about her the most. Whether Christine believed no one should worry about her or it was some other reason compelling her to keep this to herself he wasn’t sure. All Magni knew was no one should shoulder this uncertainty and fear alone.

  And she did it. And would have kept doing it if he hadn’t come over today.

  “You need to tell them.”

  “They’ll just worry.” She shrugged. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

  “Of course they’ll worry.” It was difficult to keep his voice even and calm but that was what she needed right now. Later he could be upset. But not now. Now Christine needed him to be strong. Tell her everything would be okay no matter how he felt. What he believed. “They love you. Let them worry about you.”

  He wanted to be the one to worry about her. To take her but Magni was smart enough to know he wasn’t what was best for her. Not yet.

  So come hell or high water one of them was going with her tomorrow. It was up to her how it happened.