The rest of the show passed in a blur for Molly. She was so nervous about the possibility of calling Nick that she couldn’t seem to think straight. She considered the outcome of taking him up on the offer to be with him, changing her mind fifty times about whether or not she should do it. She had three other seats to fill before the CMA's were said and done. Thankfully, she was able to push aside her distractions enough to do her job and finish the evening without incident.
Chapter 11
After the show was over, Molly walked out with the other seat-fillers. They had all parked in the same garage, and most of them were making plans to go out.
Taylor was in a great mood, and was spearheading that whole campaign. She knew Molly was staying at Hannah's and would be there by herself, so she basically told Molly she didn't have a choice but to go out with them. Molly really considered going along with it. She knew it would have been the smart thing to do and tried her hardest to make herself agree, but in the long run she told Taylor she was tired and wanted to go back to Hannah's.
Taylor couldn't understand why Molly wouldn't want to hang out, and asked a few times if she wasn't feeling well. Molly wasn't really feeling her best at that point, but it was more because of the emotional thunderstorm that was taking place inside her. She sat in the driver's seat of her car, attempting to hash out her feelings on the subject. In spite of knowing it was a bad choice, she didn't think she'd be able to resist the urge to call Nick. What it boiled down to was that she was so physically attracted to him, that it was worth it to her to end her relationship with Zeke for a one-night thing. And, yes, she was planning on ending her relationship with Zeke. She wasn't comfortable with cheating.
She wished Nick wasn't such a temptation. It would be much easier to resist if he wasn't so nice to look at. She felt a nervous shutter go through her body. The sheer thought of Nick gave her butterflies in a way that Zeke never had. Sure, she felt some chemistry with Zeke—he was the lead singer in a rock band after all—but Nick affected her differently.
Just thinking about him and the possibility of meeting up with him that night, made her body ache so badly, it was enough to make her end perfectly good relationships. The whole bit about making a million dollars in one day wasn't really a turn off either. His looks were striking on their own, but the fact that he had large sums of money was definitely a bonus.
She decided she had to break up with Zeke even if the night didn't go as she hoped. After all, if she was willing to trade the relationship for one night with Nick it would happen again eventually with someone else. She hated that because she knew what a great catch Zeke was.
She wondered what in the world was wrong with her as she dialed Zeke's number. He answered on the fourth ring. "Hey, how'd it go?"
"It was good," she said, trying not to sound too cheery.
"You all right?"
She sighed. This was not going to be easy. Geez. Did she really even want to do it still? She was quiet for a few seconds, contemplating backing out.
"Molly?"
"I'm here," she said. "Hey, I know I'm probably breaking some kind of etiquette by not doing this face to face, but I thought it'd be easier for everybody if we just—"
"Are you about to break up with me?" he asked.
"I mean, I didn't really want to make a place to meet up and everything just to—"
"Are you calling me to break up right now Molly?"
A few seconds of silence.
"Yes. I guess."
"Which is it?"
"Yes."
She heard a brief rustling and then the phone disconnected. Oh snap. That was not fun, not fun at all. Guilt, remorse and, strangely enough, embarrassment were now added to the perfect storm of emotions brewing inside Molly.
Was it really over with Zeke? Yes. Did she regret it? Oddly enough, she didn't—especially when she took a second to imagine the possibility of contacting Nick.
She wondered for about the twentieth time if he'd been serious about wanting to hook up that night. She was almost sure he was serious. His expression had been carnal, verging on predatory, and she was dying to know what he was capable of. She really did feel like one night with Nick was worth the trade.
She had no idea how it would all play out, and probably should have been scared, but instead she was excited. She wore a giddy smile as she typed out a text to Hannah.
Molly: "Hey, I know you're really busy, and I'm sorry, but find a place to call me for two minutes if you can. Everything's fine. I don't want you to worry. Just have a quick question."
Molly sat in the parking garage for three or four minutes before she wondered if she should just start driving. Hannah had given her a keychain with both sets of keys on it—the one to the apartment in Nashville, and also to Jason's house in Brentwood. Molly was planning on heading to the apartment. It was on the campus of Belmont University, which was much closer than Jason's place.
She waited for a few more minutes, and when Hannah still didn't call her back, she started the car. She typed Belmont University into the Google Maps app on her phone, and followed the directions. Once she got close to campus she knew how to make it to Hannah's apartment.
She was climbing the metal staircase to Hannah's garage apartment when her phone rang. She quickly scaled the stairs and unlocked the door as she juggled the phone and pressed the button to answer.
"Hoo?" She said, answering the phone.
"Yeah," Hannah said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I hope you didn't worry. I just needed to get Nick's number from you and tell you that I'll probably sleep with him in the near future. Oh, and also that I broke up with Zeke."
Hannah was silent for long enough that Molly thought she'd lost her.
"You there Hoo?"
"I'm here, I just uh, are you talking about Nick Logan?"
"Yeah."
"I'm still at the arena. Jason had to stay and take some photos with Cam. Nick just came up to me and asked me for your phone number."
"He did? What'd you say?"
"I said I was about to call you and if you said it's okay, I'd give it to him."
"Is he there with Daisy?" Molly asked.
"Un huh, they're standing right over there," Hannah said. "Her people released an official statement saying they were just friends, but I don't know what to think. He acted like he really wanted to call you one minute, and then the next minute he's over there talking to Daisy. That's why I told him I wanted to call you first."
"I know he's dangerous," Molly said.
"But you still want to call him?"
"I think so."
"I'm not gonna try to stop you, but I just want you to know what you're getting into with Nick."
"I'm okay with just having a little fun."
"Just be careful."
"I will."
"Did you break up with Zeke for him?"
"Well, it really wasn't for him necessarily, I just figured it should be over the moment I decided to cheat on him."
Hannah sighed. "I know you're a big girl and everything, Molls, but please be careful."
"I promise I won't get hurt," Molly said. "Are you gonna give him my number?"
"I'll just give you his," Hannah said. "That way you can take a second to make sure you want to call him."
"Is he a bad guy or something?"
"No, of course he's not a bad guy," Hannah said. "I love him to death, but you know what I'm saying. He's with a ton of girls."
"I know."
"Okay, just making sure I came out and officially said it."
"I've been warned."
Hannah had been watching Nick talking to Daisy the entire time she'd been on the phone with Molly. She was laughing and looking at him like he was the bee's knees. Hannah thought about it, but didn't share what she was seeing with Molly. There was no way to tell what Nick was really thinking, and she'd already issued an official warning anyway.
She was slightly reluctant, but gave Molly the phone number befor
e disconnecting. She and Jason were planning on hitting at least two after-parties, and figured Daisy and Nick had similar plans. She wondered how he was going to pull off juggling Daisy when he was trying to get in touch with Molly. She told herself it was none of her business and chose not to even think about all the possible ramifications of a one-night stand with a guy like Nick.
Molly collapsed onto Hannah's couch deciding what she wanted to do. She knew hooking up with Nick was risky, but her body wanted to so badly, that she found it way too easy to abandon logic.
She Googled Nick's name and stared at a few photos of him on her phone as a way of encouraging herself that she was making the right decision. It worked. Whatever remorse she was feeling from breaking things off with Zeke faded as she studied the dark, beautiful face of Nick Logan on her phone.
Molly understood that Nick was a dangerous choice, but just couldn't make herself care. She regarded the phone number she'd written down on an old receipt, thinking about what she could say to him. After digging her earbuds from the bottom of her purse, she listened to her favorite Modest Mouse song one time before typing out a text.
Molly: "Is this Nick?"
Okay, so it wasn't Shakespeare, but she hated to type out a big long text in case, for some reason, she had the wrong number.
She waited nervously for him to respond, setting the phone down on the coffee table and picking it up again five times during the few minutes she waited for Nick to respond.
Then he finally did. The phone was sitting on the coffee table when she heard the signal, and she sprang up instantly to grab it. Her hand shook as she stared at the screen.
Random number: "Is this Molly?"
Molly smiled, thinking about what she should text back.
Molly: "Yes. Is this Nick?"
Random number: "Yes. Where are you?"
Molly: "Belmont."
Nick: "Doing what?"
Molly had no choice but to lie. It wasn't like she was going to tell the truth—that she'd cleared her schedule completely and was waiting around for him.
Molly: "I'm at Hannah's apartment right now, but will probably go out with Taylor and them."
Nick: "Where are y'all going?"
Molly panicked for a second wondering if Nick could somehow check her story. She decided to text Taylor just in case.
Molly (to Taylor): "Hey where are y'all going in case I change my mind."
It took Taylor a minute to text back.
Taylor: "We're still downtown. We're at The Brewhouse right now, but we may go somewhere else later."
Molly: "I might join you guys. If so, I'll text first and see where you are."
Taylor sent back a text with two emoji. One thumbs up and one heart. Molly sent a heart back before texting Nick.
Molly (to Nick): "Downtown, I think. I haven't really decided what I'm gonna do."
Nick: "I thought you were gonna do me. Wasn't that the whole point?"
Molly's eyes got wide and her heart started racing. She smiled uncontrollably, feeling slaphappy over his bluntness. She wanted to know where he was and specifically if he was still with Daisy Lee, but she didn't feel comfortable asking that. She didn't really know what to say, actually. She stared at the keypad for a good minute before making a move to respond.
Molly: "I guess that sort of is the whole point, but I didn't know we were speaking so plainly about it."
Nick looked down at his phone. He knew he should probably consider her feelings or try to be sensitive or whatever, but he felt like he might die if he didn't see her tonight. It wasn't just that he was desperate for sex in general, because if that were the case, there were plenty of girls who could help him out.
It was Molly specifically.
He wasn't sure if it was the scar, or the teeth, or something else completely, but something about her awakened an almost primal urge inside him. He felt like anything that happened between now and sex with Molly was just a complete waste of time.
Nick: "I'm sorry if speaking plainly about it offends you. You'll just have to get over that because speaking about it is just the start of what I'm going to do to you."
Molly squealed and laughed out loud with nervous excitement when she read the words. She could barely think of what to do next.
Molly: "How long will you be tied up at the after-parties?"
She knew Hannah and Jason were going to them, and figured Nick would be attending them as well.
Nick: "Give me thirty minutes to make excuses."
Molly: "Then what? Want to meet out?"
Nick: "How about my apartment?"
Molly: "Just text me the address and a time and I'll see you there."
Nick text the address to his downtown apartment, and told her to be there in an hour.
Chapter 12
Nick's apartment was in the same exclusive downtown building as Cam's. Molly had no way of knowing that since she'd never been to Cam's, but she could tell it was fancy when she had to check in with a receptionist in the front. The people working were friendly enough, but there was no way she would have been let on the elevator until they knew she belonged there.
Nick had left her name downstairs, and when she arrived, all she had to do was tell them who she was and who she was there to see. It probably helped that she was still wearing the dress she had on for the awards show and looked like she belonged in a building like that.
Molly was the only one in the elevator, and she used the time and space to pace a little bit. She had no idea what to expect. She would knock on his door—that's the only thing she knew for sure. She took a deep calming breath as she walked down the hallway slowly, searching for his apartment. There were only a few doors to choose from, so it was easy to find. She stared at his door for a moment before reaching out to knock on it.
A few seconds later, it opened silently and Nick stood in the doorway, propping his arm up on the top of the frame. He had taken off his jacket, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. He looked like he could be on a cologne commercial or something.
"You called for a date," Molly said without thinking. She tucked her chin and gave him a long, seductive blink, almost posing for him to inspect. Nick played along without skipping a beat. He said the first thing that came to his mind.
"They didn't tell me you'd be scarred."
He knew it was something that would likely offend her the second it came out of his mouth, but she'd have to get over it—that's just how Nick was. He said what was on his mind. Her scar was hot, and besides, she was asking for it when she acted like she was there on a call.
Molly hesitated, and for the briefest of seconds, he thought she was offended. He almost broke character and apologized. She leaned in and put the back of her hand to her mouth as if she had a secret.
"That's not the only scar I have," she whispered.
Nick struggled to control his breathing. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and cart her off to bed. He stared into her eyes. They looked whiskey colored against her dark hair and dress, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever in his life wanted to stare at someone's face the way he wanted to stare at hers.
They stayed there in the doorway for a few long seconds, communicating without words just how attracted they were. After that, there was no doubt left in Molly's mind that he was about to eat her alive. She wanted nothing more.
He didn't say another word. He took her into his arms and put his lips on hers in a kiss that was relentless from the very start. Passion flowed between them as if someone had just run some high voltage electricity through their veins.
Electricity was exactly the sensation. Molly was a fan of romance novels, and had read plenty of passages where a character felt electricity, but she didn't realize it could come true. Her skin literally felt like it was taking an electrical charge in the spots where he touched her—which was freaking everywhere. His hands roamed over her back sending wave after wave of electrical currents through her.
"Where's
the other scar?" he asked on a breath between kisses.
"My chest."
Without asking permission, he reached out and gently pushed down the straps of her dress. He slid them down far enough to cause her chest to be exposed. She put an arm up to shield herself. He looked around for the scar, and Molly turned to the side, so she could point them them out. The longest one ran from her ribs onto the curve of her breast, and she had a second, shorter one on her chest above her breast.
He looked them over carefully before meeting her eye. He used a finger and gently traced the scar on her face, followed by the one on her chest, and then finally the long one. He traced from her ribs onto the slope of her breast, causing her to shiver.
"This is beautiful, Molly. Do you see it that way? Do you like them?"
Molly cracked up laughing. "Do I like them?"
Nick just stared at her as if he hadn't been joking.
"Of course I don't like them. They're scars."
"They're fuckin' hot."
She laughed again.
"Come on, don't tell me you don't know that. You can look in the mirror and see what they look like."
She didn't laugh any more even though she felt like she wanted to. Nick looked serious, and she didn't want to make a big deal about it or anything, but nobody had ever said anything to make her feel like they were attractive. She just smiled like she thought he was trying to flatter her.
Nick bent and placed a kiss on the little scar on her chest. His heart ached and he felt a surge of annoyance that he hadn't been there to protect her when it happened. "I hope they killed that dog for hurting you," he said.
They did kill the dog, but she didn't say that to Nick. He wasn't waiting around for an answer. He ran his tongue over the scar and down onto her nipple. She breathed in causing her chest to extend up toward him. He took that as encouragement (which it totally was) and continued to show gentle attention to her hardened nipple.
A Few Little Scars Page 8