Claiming His Page 11

  “Oh, yeah? Wanna show me?”

  “Fuck yes. Remind me, where is your bedroom?”

  Chapter 13

  Lance

  Being inside Maggie is just as incredible as I remember, except this time, she’s riding me and it’s all I can do to keep my breath.

  Her curves and tits sway and rock above me as she rides me, her face flushed, and her hair a mess. I can’t take my eyes off of her, especially when she forgets herself and bites her lip, her eyes closed.

  Reaching up, I cup one of her tits, lightly pinching her nipple. She gasps and grinds her hips forward harder, bending forward to rest her hands on my chest. I drop my hand and grip the sheets instead, twisting them in my hands.

  When she reaches back and grabs my balls, giving them a hard tug, that’s when I come.

  “Fuck, Mags!” I scream, unable to stop myself. “Don’t you dare fucking stop. Ride me, hard.”

  She does and cries out, her body convulsing around mine. Her muscles are tight and throbbing on my dick and I can feel her milking me as she rocks back and forth.

  “Don’t stop,” I warn her, reaching out and stroking her clit. She sits back up and grinds into my hand.

  “I’m going to come,” she warns, and suddenly, she does, her juice gushing over my cock and onto her bed. “Holy shit, Lance,” she says, before collapsing next to me on the bed.

  Holy shit is right. I roll over to kiss her and cup her cheek in my hand so that she’ll look at me.

  “I love you, Maggie,” I tell her, looking her straight in her eyes. She doesn’t blink, but she also doesn’t say anything. “That’s why I want to tell you something.”

  I sit up and reach for her. She pulls a blanket to her chest and sits next to me, her eyes locked on my face.

  “Is something wrong?” I can hear the tremble and fear in her voice, and I hate myself for making her worry.

  “God, no. But there are two things I want to do, Maggie, and I need your okay first.” Actually, there are three things that I want to do, but I’m not ready to propose just yet. Not right now, perched naked on her bed.

  She doesn’t say anything, but she also doesn’t stop me, so I continue. “I want you to let me pay the court costs for you to get sole custody of Liv and I want to pay for a new bakery space for you.”

  “No.”

  “What? Seriously? No, Maggie, this isn’t negotiable. These are two things that I want to do for you, and you’re going to let me. Shit, I have more money than I know what to do with and all it’s doing is sitting in the bank. Let me use it to make sure that you are set for life. Let me take care of you.”

  She doesn’t respond, but I think that she’s softening a little. I know just what to say to make her agree.

  “And Liv. I want to take care of Liv.”

  When her face crumples, I’m sure I’ve done something wrong. “Maggie,” I whisper, reaching out to pull her to me to lean on my chest, but she resists. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just…it’s just that it’s always been me. I’ve always been the only one who can take care of me and Liv and then suddenly you show up and you want to help.”

  She takes a deep breath and I have to bite my tongue to keep from interrupting. It’s important to her to be able to say her piece, and I have to remember how hard it is for her to accept help of any kind. Especially since the help that I’m offering her comes with a huge price tag.

  It’s enough to make anyone balk.

  Maggie may not be used to letting people help her with her problems, but I’m not used to people telling me no. I’m going to win this.

  “I just don’t know how I can ever repay you. I can’t repay you yet, but I may be able to in the future. Can we call it a loan?” She looks up at me, her eyes bright and hopeful. This is not how I wanted this conversation to go.

  “A loan?” I raise an eyebrow, but have to admire the set of her chin, the spark in her eyes. If she needs to call this a loan so that she’ll be willing to take money from me then maybe I need to agree to it. I try not to be frustrated that she won’t just let me help her.

  “Yep. A loan. We can even sign documents, if you want, and then I’ll pay you back. It’s perfect.”

  “Perfect? I’m trying to give you – the woman I love – money to make your life easier and you’re worried about whether or not you’ll be able to pay me back?”

  It’s ridiculous. She’s ridiculous. She pulls the blanket up to her chin and waits for me.

  “Fine. We can call it a loan, but we’re not signing any paperwork, you understand? I don’t care if I don’t see one cent of this back, although I’m sure that you’ll be able to make more than I give you thanks to your bakery.”

  “Okay, Mr. Parker.” She slides a hand out from behind her blanket and reaches for me. “Let’s shake.”

  I can’t handle it any longer and start laughing. “Here I am, in bed after mind-blowing sex with the sexiest woman in the world, and you want me to shake on some money I want to give you like we’re in the boardroom?”

  Her hand doesn’t move, but I do see the corners of her mouth turn up a little, so I lean over and kiss her. “How about this? Maggie, we’re not going to shake today. I do enough of that at work. But you’re going to lay back down and I’m going to make you come three more times. That’s our agreement.”

  “Three?” She squeaks, looking surprised.

  “You better believe it, missy. Get ready and lay back, because I’m going to show you exactly how serious I am.”

  I yank the blanket away from her and toss it onto the floor, my cock growing hard at the sight of her naked curves. This is not for me. Right now is all about her.

  I try to ignore the throbbing in my cock as I spread her gorgeous legs. She opens easily under me, a small sign escaping her lips as I trail kisses down her stomach and then stop to admire her. She’s gorgeous, glistening and ready for me. As I slide between her legs, her thick thighs pressing around my head, there’s no place else I would rather be.

  Maggie

  That was mind-blowing. Thank goodness my mom had already told me that she would pick up Liv from school so I could spend some extra time working on coming up with new cookie recipes.

  That’s not exactly what I ended up doing, but I have no regrets. Lance is passed out in the bedroom, probably from working so hard. I shiver when I remember the way his head looked between my legs and how he glanced up at me from time to time.

  It was just as incredible to wrap my hands in his hair as I had hoped it would be.

  I love that he wants to pay for my court costs and to help me find a new bakery space, and while I had fought it at first, I can see that he’s right. I’m never going to be able to grow the way I want to if I’m stuck in the small space I’m in now.

  I’m deep in thought at the kitchen counter when he walks in behind me and lands a kiss on the top of my head. “Hey, lover, what are you doing?”

  I take a deep breath and look around our tiny kitchen. This is where I first fell in love with baking and where I learned how to roll out cookies and decorate cakes. It’s crazy to think that in a little while I could be working in a huge kitchen.

  It’s crazy to think that I will need to hire staff. I will be able to have a space inside the building for people to sit and eat. Everything is open to me, and it’s all thanks to Lance.

  But before I can get really excited about all of that, I need to make sure that Liv is safe. I was looking on my phone earlier for a budget lawyer, but now that Lance has offered to help, I’m sure he’ll want me to hire the best.

  “I was looking into lawyers, but I don’t know where to start. Do you know of any good ones who can help make sure that Damien won’t ever be able to touch Liv again? I don’t want him to ever come near her.”

  “Yeah, I know just the guy.” He sits down next to me and starts scrolling through his phone. “Here. Michael Tatum. He’s the best, hands down. I know that one of the girls at work used him in the past and got
an ironclad sole custody order. Her ex can’t come anywhere near her or the kid, so she feels totally safe. This is who you need.”

  “Okay.” I take the phone from him. “I’m going to call him now, is that okay?”

  “Do it. I’ll make us some coffee.”

  He gets up and starts digging through cupboards and, for just a moment, I sit and watch him. Although it’s still strange to see him in my space, I can see how easily I could get used to it. No, I will get used to it. I don’t want him going anywhere.

  The phone rings while I’m waiting and after a moment, Mr. Tatum’s secretary picks up. We talk for a few minutes while the coffee brews, then I hang up.

  “Okay. Tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. It’s perfect because Liv will still be in school and I’ll have closed Blue Sky for the afternoon. Thanks.” I gratefully take the cup of coffee he hands me and slide him his phone.

  “This is good, Mags. He glances at the time on his phone. “You do know that Liv will get here any moment, right?”

  As if on cue, the front door swings open and I hear my daughter come in singing. She rushes into the kitchen for a hug and then turns to stare at Lance.

  “Do you live here now or something?”

  He scoffs and chokes on his coffee and I crack up.

  “No, honey, he doesn’t,” I tell her, pulling her close for another hug. My mom comes into the kitchen and pours some coffee before Liv runs upstairs to play.

  “Meeting of the minds in here?” She asks, when Liv is gone.

  I nod. “Lance is going to pay for a lawyer so that I can apply for sole custody of Liv. And he wants to help me get a bigger space for the bakery.”

  My mom gasps. We’ve never even dreamed of having the kind of money that Lance does, and the fact that he would spend it on me is shocking. Even to me. Even after what he did in bed.

  Thank God my mom doesn’t know about that.

  “Are you sure?” She sets her coffee mug down on the counter and looks at him.

  “Mrs. Ward, I am madly in love with your daughter. I’ll do anything I can do to make her life better, and to protect Liv. Money’s nothing.”

  He shrugs, and my heart swells, even though I want to smack him a little. Money is something, at least to us.

  “Oh. My. Well,” my mom says, clearly unsure of what to say.

  Join the club, Mom.

  “Have you found a lawyer?”

  “I just talked to him. Mr. Michael Tatum.”

  She nods, even though I’m sure she has no idea who he is.

  “And a spot for the bakery?”

  “I haven’t started,” I start, but Lance interrupts me.

  “I have. In fact, I think I found the perfect one. How about tomorrow after your meeting I take you to go see it? We can bring Liv, too, if you want her opinion.”

  My jaw drops and I can see the glint in Lance’s eye when he looks at my mouth. I shut it just as quickly, keeping an eye on my mom.

  “I’d love that.”

  But what I’m really thinking is I love you.

  Chapter 14

  Lance

  I didn’t think that Maggie would want me to sit in on her meeting when she talked to Mr. Tatum about Liv, so I’m standing outside on the sidewalk waiting for her, and damn, it’s cold. For what feels like the fifth time, I check my watch and stamp my feet, trying to warm up. I’ll stay as long as possible, but it really would be nice if it were a bit warmer.

  Just as I’m considering a brisk walk around the block, Maggie pushes open the door. She doesn’t see me standing off to the side, which means that I have the perfect view of her while she exits the building.

  I haven’t seen her since I left her house yesterday, and it’s like I continually forget how beautiful she is. Her long hair is pulled back from her face and even though she has on a heavy coat against the cold, I can still see all of her curves. Tight jeans are snug on her thighs and she has on knee-high brown boots.

  I want to slowly unzip them and them shimmy her jeans off of her curves. The very thought of having her spread out in front of me again makes me hard.

  She turns and sees me and her face lights up, making my cock throb harder. I can only imagine her gorgeous mouth wrapped tight around my dick, the way her face would look if she was looking up at me.

  I shiver, but not because of the cold.

  “How’d it go?” She walks next to me and I slide my arm around her waist, pulling her in closer to keep her warm. Before she speaks, she leans her head on my shoulder for a moment.

  “It was good. You were right – Mr. Tatum is amazing. I don’t think that Damien is going to have any idea what hit him.” When she pauses, I want to speak, but can tell that she has something else to say. “But, Lance, he’s really expensive. Like…really expensive. Are you sure that he’s the best choice?”

  “You just said yourself how great he is, Maggie. I am not willing to risk Liv having to have any contact with Damien. Hiring him is the best way to get Damien out of your lives for good, and that means he’s worth every penny.”

  She still has no idea how much she means to me.

  “You’re right. Thanks.”

  I squeeze her waist and tug her in closer. “You ready to see your new bakery?”

  “Yeah, I am, it’s just all so overwhelming.” She pauses in the sidewalk for a minute and I wait for her, even though I want to drag her down the sidewalk to show her the new space. Or maybe I could throw her over my shoulder like a caveman.

  “Today is overwhelming. But I promise you that Mr. Tatum will take care of you and Liv and I’ll take care of your bakery. After you get everything in motion, all you’ll have to do is sit back and enjoy it. This is all good stuff, Maggie. Do you trust me?”

  “I do.” She turns to me and smiles, and, for a moment, I want to pull the ring from my pocket and drop to my knee in front of her right here on the sidewalk. It wouldn’t be fair to her. She’s already dealing with enough.

  “Good. Because we’re here.”

  “Wait, what? You have got to be kidding. The old Mill Inn building?”

  The building we’re standing in front of takes up almost half of a block, which makes it almost four times bigger than Maggie’s current bakery. Huge glass windows run along the front and side of the building, which means that not only will people be able to see into the dining space, but also to her kitchen.

  It’ll be a great way for her to drive new business, especially when people are able to see the delicious treats she’s making.

  The building is older than some of the others in town, but was recently renovated, which means that it kept the same great details as older buildings but without any of the pesky wiring or plumbing problems.

  “Yep. The new home of Blue Sky Bakery. Want to go in?”

  “It’s just so big.” She looks at it and then back at me, still in shock. “Are you sure that I need something this big?”

  “You probably need something bigger, but this is what we have to work with. Come on.” I pull the key from my pocket and unlock the door, removing the rent signing hanging on the window and tossing it on the floor. “Don’t need that anymore.”

  “Did you already rent it?” Maggie’s voice carries since the space is empty.

  “Not exactly.”

  She ignores me or doesn’t hear me, I can’t tell which one, and slowly walks around the space. I’m trying to see it through her eyes as she points out where she’ll put tables and chairs, how her display cases will run, and what kind of lighting she wants.

  When we walk back to the kitchen, she gasps. There’s enough space back here for her to hire as many bakers as she needs, which means that she can still be as involved as she wants, but will be able to give Liv as much attention as necessary.

  “You deserve it,” I tell her, after she hasn’t said anything for a minute.

  “I never dreamed of having a place this big, Lance.”

  The line out the front of her bakery each morning is a clear indication
that she needs more space, and the great thing is that this location is more central. She won’t have to worry about her customers being willing to go out of the way to find her.

  “So, when do we sign the paperwork? Can I really work here?”

  “You’re going to as soon as we get it cleaned up for you. And the paperwork is already signed, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “When did you rent it? Yesterday?”

  “Well,” I shift my feet, wanting to tell her the truth but knowing that she may get a little upset. Screw it. She’s mine and if she gets upset with me then I’ll deal with it the best way I know how – in bed. “We don’t have to sign paperwork. And it’s not rented because I bought it. This building is yours, it’s in your name, and you don’t owe a dime on it, Maggie.”

  As long as I have known Maggie Ward, I have never seen her go speechless, but there’s a first time for everything, and it finally happened. Her mouth falls open and tears form in the corners of her eyes.

  I’m not sure how she’ll take the news, so I wait for her to speak before pulling her into my arms. I want to celebrate with her, I want to be deep in her right now, but I know that she is so independent that accepting this may be difficult for her.

  “You…bought it? For me?”

  “I’ll do anything for you, Maggie.”

  “It’s mine?” She slowly turns in a circle, taking in the entire space.

  “You deserve more than this.”

  “I can’t imagine asking for anything more than this. I can’t believe you did this, Lance. This is…wow. I’ve never had anyone take care of me like this before. I just can’t believe it.”

  Now I walk to her and pull her into my arms, wrapping her soft curves as close to me as possible. “Believe it, Mags. I’ll do anything I can to take care of you. And Liv. You’re mine, now.”

  “Yours.” The words are soft when they leave her lips and I feel my cock growing hard, but I shift position so she can’t feel it.

  “Maggie,” I say, stepping back and reaching into my pocket. “There’s one other thing that I need to give you.”