Maggie let out a grunt as she stretched out her arms.
Nuzzling back under the covers, she twisted over to find James still sleeping. It was an incredibly rare occurrence for them, since he was practically immortal with how little he slept.
He was on his stomach, one arm tucked under his pillow, the other lying limp over Maggie's side. His messy dark hair was strewn over his face, only revealing his slack jaw. He looked so raw like this. The only time he was vulnerable in his life. Resting.
She smiled down at him. Happy to see it. Leaning over, she gave the ornate snake that was curled up on his shoulder a kiss, lips pressing to his scorching hot skin. He smelt like faded notes of cologne and his bedsheets. Like cotton and oud.
She stroked over his back, admiring the intricate designs that covered his skin. Her delicate fingers tracing softly over the lines. Noticing a small circular scar she had never seen before. She realized there were a lot of them. Light enough to not be visible under the dark ink, unless you looked close enough. The bright morning light illuminated them, catching on the slightly raised skin, making them clear what they were. Cigarette burns.
A knot formed in her throat as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The scary were silver, making it clear they were old. He had mentioned his parents were hard on him, but not to this extent. Her heart ached thinking over the violence he must've endured.
Blinking away the tears that had crept up on her, she slipped out of the covers. Macabre thoughts haunting her as she crawled off the bed.
She walked into the closet and pulled on one of James' t-shirts.
Making her way down to the kitchen, she started in on some breakfast for them. As she mixed the pancake batter, she let herself space out. Still caught up on the burns that covered his skin. She wondered why she'd never noticed them before, then realizing that whenever he was shirtless, he was usually facing her.
Footsteps coming from the stairwell pulled her from her fretting. James walked in wearing a black t-shirt and pajama pants. Looking cozy as ever. Although, no matter what he wore, she always wanted to climb into his arms. "Good morning." His voice was an octave deeper, raspy with sleep.
"Morning." Maggie chirped over, keeping her front positive. She spun around to the stove to pour the batter into the skillet.
Two oversized hands cupped her waist, as he landed a kiss to the top of her head, before he padded over to pour himself a cup of inky black coffee. Filling the light mug with pure obsidian. He took a long sip, letting the steamy caffeine bring him to life. "Sorry I slept in."
"Don't be sorry. I'm happy you did." She smiled over at him.
"Yeah, well I haven't been sleeping much lately, so I guess it all caught up to me."
She nodded, flipping a pancake over in the pan.
He moved back to her, fingers playing with a ringlet of her tangled hair. He bent down, leaving kisses over her shoulders, up to her neck. Her eyes rolled back, lips tilting into a blessed out smile. "I can't cook with you doing that. I'll burn the pancakes."
"Well, I could just eat you for breakfast instead." He teased, deep voice laced with desire.
His hand slipped under the oversized t-shirt she wore, grabbing a handful of her ass, giving it a squeeze.
She jerked away, yelping. "James, stop." She laughed. "I'm starving and I know you must be too."
He sighed, narrowing his eyes at her. "Fine. But I'm fucking the shit out of you as soon as were finished."
The two of them tackled the rest of the cooking together. Plating up a stack of pancakes, along with bacon, and eggs. They laid out a blanket in his living room, setting down the plates in the center, as they found their spots on each side of the spread.
Maggie stayed quiet as they ate, trying to not make eye contact with James. She wanted to ask him about his scars, but didn't want to push him to open up to her before he was ready.
"What do you want to do today, doll? My schedule is wide open."
She chewed out a hum. "I don't know."
"We could go for a drive somewhere or go shopping orrr... we could just go back to bed and stay there all day." He smirked at the end of his statement.
She shrugged, playing with her food.
His brows twitched. Taking a sip of his scalding coffee, keeping his eyes locked on her. "What is it?" His voice was frigid.
"It's nothing." She shifted, crossing her legs over.
"No. Tell me."
She looked up at him. "James, please. I really don't want to get into it right now."
He sighed, closing his eyes. Trying to calm himself. "Margaret. I don't like it when you shut me out. I'm not going to stop asking, so save us both some time and spit it out."
Gnawing on her lip, she staring down to her plate. "W— why do you—" She cringed, trying to figure out how to say it. "I saw the scars on your back."
Her eyes flicked up to him. He wore an unreadable expression. Stoic. He blinked at her, stare unwavering.
"I didn't want to bring it up. I know there must be a sad story behind it—"
"There's lots of stories." He cut her off.
She nodded, looking back down, pouting.
He wasn't mad. He was just surprised about his past being brought up. He'd thought over the memories countless times, having divulged them in graphic detail to his many therapists over the years. "My dad." He clarified.
"He was a decent business man. Successful and well liked. Making about a few million a year, but he drank. A lot. When he was drunk, his temper was amplified and cigarettes were his weapon of choice." Keeping his response short, sparing her the graphic details.
Maggie looked at him with tears in her eyes. She couldn't even fathom that kind of pain. Being abused by a parent. By hands that were supposed to be supporting you. Loving you. The thought of a scared, young James made her sob out for him.
She realized it must've been the years of abuse that hardened him into what he is today. Pushing aside sentiment to keep himself from the heartache he had to endure. From the abuse he had to endure.
"I'm so sorry, James." She whispered.
He reached over, petting her head. "It's okay, doll. I've come to terms with it. He just wanted me to be something I wasn't. I wanted to focus on art, but he wanted me to be a businessman. So, we butted heads quite a bit."
He sighed. "I guess he won that battle."
She giggled through her tears, giving him a sympathetic smile.
"Part of me wishes I had gone a different path, just to spite him. The only thing that makes me feel better about it is that my annual salary equates his entire life savings."
She nodded, frown finding its place back on her features. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm not upset. Not at all. I apologize if this subject has been hard for you to hear of."
"It's nothing I haven't endured myself." She admitted. "Maybe not as extreme, but I understand the concept."
James shifted in his spot to face her. "Excuse me?"
Her lips parted with a pout. "Um, my ex boyfriend, Elliot. He was also an alcoholic with a temper."
"What did he do?" His tone was curious, but had an underlying edge.
"It was mostly emotional abuse at first, but by our sophomore year, he was barely functioning with how much he drank. So, it became physical at times." She sniffled as a tear fell from her eye.
The muscle in James' jaw jumped. Clenching his fist by his side, flaring his nostrils, trying to keep his shit together. He desperately wanted to track the guy down. Rip his intestines out of him with his bare hands and then strangle him with them.
Maggie heard his breathing pick up. She placed her hand over his, running her thumb over his tattooed knuckles. "Just like you, I've come to terms with it." Her voice cracked, making it perfectly clear she hadn't.
He eyed her for a moment, before leaning back and wiggling two fingers at her. Making her crawl over from her spot on the blanket. He gripped her waist, lifting her onto his lap, so she was straddling him. He pulled her tight to his chest.
They stayed just like that for a long time. Rubbing his hands over her back, as she sobbed onto his shoulder. Letting tears soak into his shirt. Breath hiccuping.
He stroked his hand into her hair, shushing her. "You're okay now, little one. I've got you. No one can hurt you anymore. I won't let them."
She pulled back from him, looking at him through the tears in her eyes. "I know, James. I know."
Leaning forward, closing the space between their lips. He kissed her gently, raking into her hair to pull her deep into him. He smattered slow pecks over her face.
Forehead, cheeks, and nose.
He gave her a knowing look, eyes tracing over her reddened features. "Let's just stay home today, okay? I don't want you going out when you're upset."
She pouted. "I think I'll be okay."
He sighed, mulling it over. "Well, let's do something easy then. How about we go relax at the park?"
She replied with a wide smile and a zealous nod, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Alright, sweetheart. You go get ready and I'll tackle the dishes."
With that, she rushed back upstairs to get dressed. Excited to spend the day enjoying the change of season outside. She brushed through her matted hair from their long night of sex and did her makeup. Once her face looked a little less puffy and red, she hiked up a pair of sheer black tights. Pulling on a chunky taupe sweater and a black corduroy overall dress with a pair of boots.
When she walked downstairs, James was wearing a coat over his shirt and trousers. A hulking black vision. His hair was tucked neatly behind his ears. He was standing at his kitchen island, packing up a basket of snacks for them.
"Didn't think you were the kind of guy that had a picnic basket." She laughed.
"I'm not." He smirked. "It was originally a gift basket from a shareholder. I'm just reusing it."
He hooked his arm through it and picked up a few of the blankets he had grabbed. Ready to go.
Their shoes crunched over the leaves that had fallen from the trees over head. Lining the road, creating a canopy of red and orange. The air was crisp today, but the sun was out, making it bearable.
While they walked through Central Park, James kept Maggie tight to his side by his free arm. Leading her to an open patch of grass. Once they found a suitable spot, he spread out one of the blankets, dropping the wad of extras on top of it. Setting down the basket of goodies, he settled down to the ground, pulling her down with him.
He took out the containers of cheeses and fruit he had prepared, setting them down onto the blanket, then opening the bottle of 2016 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. He poured the two of them a glass. Maggie took a long sip, closing her eyes to enjoy the decadent notes of blackberry.
She rested down on her side, pulling one of the blankets over herself.
They sat in silence for a long time, simply enjoying the atmosphere. The colors of the trees were striking. A vast array of hues spread out before them, like a sea of warmth. Maggie instantly got inspiration for a new piece, of course. Her artist's mind never shutting off. Always pulling influence from everything around her.
The park was fairly quiet. There were a few stragglers walking their dogs and a couple of people lounging on the grass, but besides that it was peaceful. Perfect.
James stared at her the whole time, since she was the most captivating thing in his sight. The thoughts of her last relationship still simmered in his chest. Knowing she had gone through all of that and still found a way to be open to love, made him respect her to no end.
He knew he would love this girl forever. He would always choose her. A hundred lifetimes, a hundred worlds, a hundred different versions of reality, and he would always find his way back to her.
He pulled Maggie to his chest, nestling her between his legs with his arms wrapped around her. Layers of blanket, cozy clothing, and his arms keeping her safe from the chilly breeze.
"How has business been?"
"It's been great. We're running an increase on the month."
He kissed the top of her head with a hum. "Excellent. That's what I like to hear."
She wiggled happily, taking a long sip of her wine. She already felt all fuzzy from her two glasses, but she was embracing it. It warmed her belly, making her giddy to be pressed up against him.
"You look beautiful today, sweetheart."
She leaned over to peek up at him, scrunching her nose with a giggle. "Thanks."
"You always look beautiful, but something about seeing you in your autumn clothes makes you that much more adorable."
"You look adorable too, James." She teased, popping a grape into her mouth.
He raised a brow, bending down to whisper in her ear, hand sliding over to her inner thigh from under the blanket. "I think we both know I'm nothing near adorable." His words had an edge that made her go weak.
Hot words on her neck, making her breath stutter and her eyes flutter shut.
The sound of that hitch coming from between her lips was caught by his trained ears, making him harden slightly. He licked his lips with the start of a smirk. Slipping his hand lower between her legs, giving a soft swipe over her pussy. Even through her panties and tights, he could feel the heat radiating from her core.
Using his middle finger, he stroked over her slowly. She bit her lip at the feeling, letting her head tilt back on his shoulder. Her hand slid over his muscular leg, gripping it tightly.
Snapping out of it, remembering where they were she sat up. Looking over her shoulder at him with a half angry smile. "Don't do that. There's people around."
He grabbed her arm from behind, yanking her back down to his chest. "Then you better keep quiet, little one."
His hands found their place back between her legs, under the blanket. He gathered a pinch of her nylon tights in his hands, ripping them right between her legs. She gasped at the feeling.
"Shhh." He wiggled into her panties, dipping into her moisture. "Fuck. You're dripping." He whispered, voice husky. He rubbed over her in a circular motion, applying pressure to her clit.
She let out a low whine at the feeling. Gripping his tree trunk of a leg, to ground herself. She looked around the grass in front of them. Everyone was just out of earshot, focused on their reading or talking amongst themselves, so she felt a bit better.
James shoved two fingers inside of her, making her bite down on her lip to stifle a moan. "You're doing so good, doll. Let's see if you can keep quiet when I make you cum."
He dug his fingers deep into her, fucking her with them. Jabbing at her most sensitive spot while his palm pressed hard to her clit. His brows pinched in focus, eyeing her chest falling and rising from above.
"J—James..." Maggie whispered trough her panting.
"You're close huh? I can feel you squeezing my fingers."
She nodded earnestly. Spreading her legs just a smidge wider for him.
He leered down at her. "Do it. Now." His thick digits jammed deeper into her, drawing out more and more moisture. He could slightly pick up on the squishy wet sound from between her legs, making his cock fully hard in an instant.
Her face pinched tight into a strained glare, trying to stifle her need to cry out. Her teeth clamped her lips shut. Only allowing her hips to buck slightly under the blanket at the intense pleasure coursing through her. Squeezing his thigh, clawing into the rough fabric of his trousers. She gushed, dripping down over his fingers. His movements picked up, drawing out her orgasm.
"Thats it. Good girl." He cooed into her ear.
A small sob slipped through her lips. His eyes flicked up, making sure no one heard. Not that he would've given a fuck about judgement, but her cries of ecstasy were for his ears— and his ears only.
He slowed down, as did her breathing. He pulled his hand out of her panties, pulling them back into place. "Well done."
She sighed, letting her eyes close. "Th— thank you." Stuttering, post-climax twitches jolting through her.
He licked his fingers clean, tasting the most delicious treat out of any of the others he packed.