Page 46 of Divine Sense

You’re breaking the rule of making things for my men harder than they need to be.

I hope you punish me for it.

Gladly.

What are you doing Sunday morning?

While I wanted nothing more than to tell her just how much I would be punishing her for misbehaving, I still had several hours in the office today before I could clock out and enjoy the weekend. Plus, I was meeting my friends at the bar Malcolmworks at after work and showing up with a raging hard-on would be a great way to get the third-degree from my friends about something I’ve been keeping from them for the last three months.

I was planning on meeting Margaret for brunch.

Cancel.

Excuse me?

I could see her looking at her phone with her face pinched up in disbelief at me demanding she cancel her plans. My girl didn’t like being told what to do by anyone.

I said cancel. You and I are going for a drive.

And where might we be driving to?

No questions. I’ll pick you up at eight.

What did I say about rules?

And what did I say about not following them?

Sunday morningI woke up early to shower and get ready. Knowing where I was heading for the day, I kept my outfit casual and comfortable. No need to willingly open myself up to playful mocking and jokes. I slipped on a pair of dark, loose fitting jeans, a long-sleeve henley to keep me warm in the early Marchair, and some dark brown leather loafers that were perfectly broken in. Before leaving my closet, I spritzed myself with some cologne and slipped on the gold watch that had been handed down to me by my grandfather that had been given to him by his grandfather. Looking at the old, scratched face, I was reminded of the generations before me. Family was important to me and this watch was a symbol of all the men who came before me. The dream of passing down the watch to my own son was one I had often.

Before heading to pick her up, I stopped into the coffee shop she and I had gone to back in November after I plucked her drunk ass off the side of the road. Who knew that when I sat across from her then that we would be together like we are just a few months later. I smiled and nodded at the barista who looked hungover and less than thrilled to be working the opening shift on a Sunday. Taking the coffees from him, I walked back to my car and started towards her condo. Once there, I grabbed her coffee and walked up the front steps before knocking twice. When she opened the door, the vision of her staring back at me was just as good as it was the last time I saw her.

She had her dark curls pulled back behind her head and was wearing a large bow in it. Instead of the lavender workout set she was wearing the last time I’d seen her, she was in a gray sweater thrown over a skirt that grazed the tops of her feet and decorated with flowers that were stitched on. I let out a low laugh when I noticed she was also wearing brown loafers that were almost identical to mine. I handed her the coffee cup and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her cheek.

“I like your shoes,” I commented before pulling away. She looked down at her feet before looking at mine and laughing.

“Great minds.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me and gave me a side smirk.

“What’d you get me?” she asked, raising the coffee cup at me as she stepped out onto the front porch.

“Your drink. A lavender latte with almond milk.”

“How’d you know that’s my drink? Is that also in that stalker file you have on me?” As we walked towards my car, her arm brushed against mine and I could feel the static jumping between our skin. I glanced up and down the sidewalk before taking her small hand in mine once I saw that we were alone. She leaned into me and smiled at the move.

Leaning down to bring my face closer to hers, I answered her question. “No, angel, I just remember from when you tried to buy me coffee before.” Then I planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“You remember that?” She looked at me with astonishment, as if she couldn’t believe that everything she did was permanently burned into my temporal lobe.

“Of course I do. Now get in.” I opened her door for her and waved for her to take her spot in the passenger seat. I offered her my hand which she took, carefully stepping into the car. Before closing the door, I leaned in and buckled the seatbelt across her lap, causing her to laugh.

“I can buckle myself in, you know?”

“Flowers are very delicate things and I want to make sure I keep mine safe.” She held my gaze for a second, her mouth falling into a small O before pulling back into a shy smile. Her cheeks were flushed and warm from my words. Before I could pull away, she put her hand on my outside cheek and pulled me in to kiss my neck.

“I’m a lot tougher than I look but thank you for caring for me like this.” Unable to hold myself back any longer, I pressed my lips to hers and she pulled me in closer as I did. I wanted to stay like this forever, but we had places to be, so I pulled away witha satisfied smirk and closed the door. Once in my own seat and buckled, she turned to face me.

“So, where are we going?”

I reached across the dash and rested my hand on her thigh. “You’ll see. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

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