Little White Lies (5 page)

Saying the first thing that came to mind, she looked him right in the eye.

“There better not be pizza on my couch.”

Nick almost laughed. He could sense how tense she was and controlled himself. Of all the things he’d expected her to complain about, that hadn’t been it. The fragile beauty in worn jeans and dusty boots never failed to surprise him, and he hid his grin.

Maggie proceeded to the sink and washed her hands, trying to gather her thoughts. On a good day, Nick rattled her, but coming home on a bad one and finding him firmly ensconced with her kids was something else. Even with the sauce on his shirt he was sexy as hell. For some odd reason, what she really wanted to do was throw herself into the protection of his arms and tell him all about her terrible week.

Jack’s face flashed into her mind. She shivered as Nick came up behind her.

“Does my being here bother you that much?” he asked softly, his eyes dark with anguish. He’d tried to stay away until tomorrow, but the night had stretched long and bleak before him.

Her whispered, “It’s not you,” had him instantly alert, and without thinking he spun her around so he could see her eyes. It was a mistake.

“What’s wrong, Magpie?”

The old endearment brought a grin to Maggie’s face; no one had called her that in years.

“God, we’re old,” she told him, sliding out of his grasp and scrubbing at the tears.

“Don’t change the subject,” he told her firmly, following her to the breakfast bar where she was helping herself to a slice of pizza. “This is more than your usual, ‘you’re a pain in the neck, Nick’ face. What’s going on?”

Maggie chewed thoughtfully, almost tempted to tell him, but instead swung her feet up on the other stool and motioned to him with pleading eyes.

Nick unlaced her boots, dropped them to the floor, and began to massage her feet as she sighed in ecstasy.

“That feels heavenly,” she told him sighing between bites, deliberately timing them so she didn’t have to give any long explanations.

“And?”

Swallowing, Maggie grinned, “Is that your van out there?”

“All right, all right, I get it,” he told her swearing softly. “The indomitable Maggie doesn’t need to confide in a mere man. You don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re so astute, Nick, sometimes it amazes me,” she grinned around a bite of pizza, beginning to feel better.

Nick shoved her feet off the stool and sat down.

“Why can’t I ever get a straight answer out of you?” he sighed. “Yes, I’m thinking about buying it. I thought we could take it for a ride and try it out. Go out for ice cream or something with the kids?”

“Kind of large for a single guy, wouldn’t you say?” she asked him curiously, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Not that it’s any concern of yours, but no, I wouldn’t say,” he told her a little sharply, watching her shapely backside as she carried her plate to the sink. Why do I torture myself, he almost said aloud.

When she returned with a damp cloth and began scrubbing at the spots on his shirt, Nick had to stand up. His jeans were becoming uncomfortably tight. Maggie stood just below his chin, and how he managed to keep from pulling her against him he didn’t know. His whole body cried out for contact, and his fists clenched with the effort to deny it.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she informed him, dropping the cloth on the counter. “And when I come back we’re going to talk about junk food, violent movies, and—”

His arms shot out before she could escape and hauled her up on her toes. The lips that claimed hers were firm and demanding. They were also incredibly exciting, and it never crossed her mind to struggle. When his hands slipped down to her bottom and pulled her even closer she moaned into his mouth, her hands sliding into his hair. The embrace ended much too soon for Maggie, who had completely forgotten everything except the heat searing through her, and Nick had to steady her when he released her.

“We’ll also talk about why you were crying and how you got this bruise on your ribs,” he told her gruffly, dropping her shirt back into place after inspecting the mark on her side.

Maggie hadn’t even been aware his hand had slid up under her shirt, hadn’t consciously noticed the pain, although she apparently had indicated in some way she was hurting. The passion, which had flowed so swiftly through her, faded as she felt the bruise with her own hand and quickly dropped her shirt, her eyes darting away from Nick’s questioning gaze. On shaky legs she left the kitchen, upset by the visible proof of Jack’s violence and angry she had responded so totally to Nick. Men!

* * *

Maggie came downstairs feeling much better after her shower. Dressed in a pair of cream colored cords and a black sweater, she looked like a different girl, no longer the dirty urchin she’d seen in the bathroom mirror. A light lipstick and a little mascara did wonders for a woman’s mood, she thought, heading into the kitchen after checking on the kids. They were so deeply engrossed in the movie they didn’t even notice her stuffing used napkins into the empty pizza box. The music score was so loud a bomb could have gone off and they wouldn’t have heard it.

Nick was waiting for her in the kitchen. Maggie noticed his rolled up sleeves and smiled.

“Getting ready to wash dishes?” she teased.

“Not exactly,” he answered softly, pinning her with his eyes. It was then that she noticed the wooden spoon in his hand.

“Are you cooking something?” she questioned, glancing at the stove and not seeing any pots.

Nick smiled at that. “I guess that depends on you, sweetie,” he told her.

Now Maggie was starting to become a little concerned. She didn’t like riddles, and she certainly didn’t like the look in those blue eyes. Taking a step back, she contemplated retreating to the other room with the kids.

“Don’t even think about it,” he told her, striding across the floor, removing the box from her hands and setting it on the counter. His hands firmly gripped her shoulders as he looked directly into her eyes.

“Where did you get that bruise, and why were you crying?” he demanded.

Maggie opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her mind raced frantically to come up with anything other than the truth that would placate him.

“And it better be the truth,” he growled, reading her face.

“I…I tripped and fell at work,” she stammered trying to keep her voice from squeaking. Maggie wasn’t sure what he had in mind for that spoon, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like it.

“Fell how?” he asked. Now he had that damn eyebrow raised like he didn’t believe her.

“What do you mean ‘fell how’?” she scoffed. “How does anyone fall down? I tripped and went splat, that’s how!”

“All the way, as in your whole body?” he continued questioning her.

“Yes, Nick, my whole damn body fell. Does that satisfy you?” she asked squirming out of his hands. “Geesh, it’s not a crime to have an accident.”

“No honey, it’s not. It
is
a crime, however, to lie right to my face.”

“I’m not lying,” she told him with her hands on her hips, as if a few seconds ago she hadn’t been feeling a little guilty for the same lie.

Nick took her arm and led her over to the area behind the breakfast bar. Maggie was short. The bar top came to a few inches below her breasts. The way the kitchen was laid out, anyone coming into the room from the main part of the house would not be able to see anything but the top half of the diminutive woman. And he had plans for the bottom half. Setting the spoon down within reach, he swiftly unsnapped her pants and pulled them down to her knees. Her panties followed immediately while Maggie struggled to get away.

“Just what in hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed at him, not wanting to do anything to attract the kids.

“Relax, darlin’, if you’re telling the truth, you have nothing to worry about,” he answered, squatting down on his haunches and inspecting her from the deep bruise on her side all the way down to her knee. There was not another mark on that flawless skin. Nick ran his hand down her back and over her lovely bottom just because he didn’t have the strength not to. His heart was pounding by the time he straightened up.

“Maggie, if you had fallen as you said you did, hard enough to leave that kind of bruise, there would be other areas, if not injured, at least marked in some way. Now, you have about five seconds to tell me the truth.”

Maggie bit her lip and glanced down trying to decide what to do. She didn’t need any more trouble at work, and she knew for a fact Nick would be on the phone with Mason so fast her head would spin, but apparently it didn’t matter anyway, her five seconds were up.

Nick picked up the spoon and began to spank Maggie with sharp little slaps that stung like the devil. The wooden spoon was a wonderful invention, he thought, as she tried to get away. He was very careful not to touch her side. With his arm across her shoulders she was bent slightly forward across the bar, and he had perfect control over where each smack landed. After about twenty, when Maggie was dancing up and down, he paused.

“There are two things you need to know, Maggie. The first is that if it wasn’t for your side you would be over my knee with your panties around your ankles, getting your bottom blistered with my hand, which I would much prefer. The second thing is that I’m not going to stop until you tell me the truth.” With that, Nick picked up where he left off, making sure he didn’t miss a spot.

Maggie was beside herself. How could she ever, ever have thought she was jealous of Rebecca? No woman in her right mind would want a man who spanked her, she decided. This was horrifying, and she had all she could do not to scream.

“Nick, please,” she hissed, tears falling from her eyes. “My kids are in the other room, please.”

“Then I guess you’d better be quiet,” he informed her, as spank after spank fell on her throbbing, scorched behind. “Or you could save yourself a little trouble and tell me the truth. As a matter of fact, it would be an excellent idea if you never lied to me again,” he insisted, landing several hard spanks on her already cherry red ass. God, this spoon is pretty good, he thought grinning. I’ll have to remember to thank Mason.

“All right,” Maggie sobbed laying her head down on the counter while tears poured from her eyes. “I’ll tell you.”

Nick stopped immediately and set the spoon down. He pulled Maggie up and turned her into his arms, cradling her against his chest while she sobbed and hiccupped. Nick rubbed her back gently while she continued to do her little dance, until she calmed down enough to tell him.

The entire story began to spill out right from the beginning. Nick continued to comfort Maggie, kissing the top of her head and gently questioning her as she sighed and sniffed.

“Why would you think this was something you had to handle on your own, honey?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Because it’s my job,” she sobbed, starting to cry all over again. “I’m supposed to be able to handle things…like…this…,” she whispered.

“All right, darlin’, it’s all right now,” he soothed. “Everything will be just fine, but don’t you ever lie to me again,” he told her firmly, pulling her back and looking directly into her water-filled eyes.

Maggie dropped her head and snuggled into his chest as close as she could get.

“I won’t Nick, I won’t,” she assured him, sighing.

Nick held her for a little while longer until he could hear the crescendo from the TV telling him the movie would soon be over. Very gently he helped Maggie pull up her panties and cords while she hissed and squirmed. He tilted her head back and brushed her hair softly off her face.

“I want you to go upstairs and get ready for bed, honey. The kids and I will clean up, and then I’ll take them to get an ice cream. I doubt you’ll want to ride along tonight,” he told her with a twinkle in his eye. “But I’d be glad to bring you back a hot fudge sundae.”

Maggie was surprised he remembered her favorite treat. There was no way she could sit right now, and she wasn’t sure about the immediate future either. As bad as the spanking was, the cuddling after was wonderful, and she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her.

“No thanks, Nick. I think I will get ready for bed and rest until the kids get back.”

“Okay you go, take it easy and rest. I’ll make sure to give you a little time to compose yourself. Go on now, honey, and do as I say,” he told her, giving her a warm kiss and a little push in the right direction.

Maggie went willingly. The last thing she needed was for the kids to ask why she’d been crying or, God forbid, to find out.

Nick was picking up the phone before she rounded the corner.

“Mason, we need to talk. I’ll be over in about an hour.”

Chapter Four

Nick didn’t come in the next morning. The kids started watching for him long before he was due to pick them up and were out the door before he could get fully in the yard. Maggie watched from the window as he got everyone situated and buckled in. For a minute she thought he would come in and ask her again to go along, but he didn’t. It was just as well. The more time she spent with him, watched him with the kids, the harder it became to remember she was doing the right thing. The rosy picture he painted of their becoming a family was tempting. Having someone to share things with again, help carry the financial burden that came with three growing children, and of course the physical pleasure…

What’s wrong with you
?
Things are working out just fine…

Who do you think you’re kidding,
a little voice whispered back, and with that Maggie threw herself into her Saturday chores with a vengeance.

By three o’clock the entire house was spotless. Maggie had turned up the stereo and tried not to think about Nick out having fun with
her
children. Popping open a diet soda, she slumped tiredly onto a bar stool, mopping her brow with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. It was only natural for them to form an attachment to a strong male figure after the emptiness of the past year, and it had been empty. The struggle to get up and face each day, working, keeping up the house, and making ends meet, had sapped Maggie’s natural vitality. It had only been since the holidays that life seemed to have come back into her, the holidays and Nick. It was astonishing to her that a man she hadn’t seen for years, truthfully hadn’t really thought about for years, could have such a devastating effect on her. Yes, he was Jason’s father and they did have a certain bond between them, but she had managed to make a fine life with Jim and hadn’t spent the last fifteen years pining for Nick. He had been relegated to the past, and he should have stayed there instead of turning her world upside down.