The Perfect One: A Second Chance Romance

by Scarlet West

  I let out a groan, continuing to try and catch every drop, but Molly pulled me up to cover her. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pressed her lips to mine. I kissed her frantically, lost in my desire. Then I felt her hands at my belt buckle.

  With a curse, I pulled away and ripped my belt open, then tugged off my pants at lightning speed. Without hesitation, I ripped her panties off and positioned myself at her opening. I thought of only one thing: being inside her. Leaning over to claim her lips again, I pushed into her tight, wet heat.

  My groan was so loud, I figured half the town would have heard it. But it didn’t stop me from thrusting deeper. I straightened, grabbing her hips and increasing my pace.

  “You feel so fucking good,” I muttered, my voice guttural. Sex had never felt like this before, not even with my ex-fiancée. Molly was something special.

  She rose up, wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against my chest so I could feel the hard points of her nipples. Molly wrapped her legs around me and I put my hands under her bottom. The position allowed me to thrust deeply, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out for very long.

  Just long enough to make her come again.

  I kissed her, my tongue dueling with hers, and she bit my lip, sending my arousal spiraling out of control. I held on for dear life, thrusting fast, thrusting deep, listening to her cries as she got closer and closer to climax.

  “Come for me, beautiful,” I whispered to her, my eyes on her face.

  Molly bit her lip, her eyes slipping closed, as she slid into her orgasm. “Nolan!” she screamed, pushing me to my own peak.

  Afterwards we stayed locked together, panting, as we came down from the heavens. I pushed her auburn hair back from her pale forehead. “I was right. You are magical.”

  A weak smile lit up her face. “Same to you, bub.”

  I laughed, and it felt so damn good to laugh again. Molly was like an oasis after a trek through the desert. She soothed my soul.

  There was the chime of a bell, and I thought it must be in my head, but Molly’s eyes widened and she pushed against me, scrambling for her clothing.

  “I figured you guys were in here,” a familiar voice said from the front of the shop. It was Jackson. Shit.

  I grabbed my pants and pulled them on as quickly as I could, which wasn’t quick enough because Jackson was through the back door before I finished buckling my belt.

  He took one look at our disheveled state and let out a string of curses. “I fucking knew it.”

  Molly finished straightening her blouse, then stood definitely, hands on her hips. “What do you want, Jackson?”

  “I came to make sure you guys got home safely, and that you didn’t make any stupid mistakes, but it’s clear I’m too late for the second one, aren’t I?”

  “Only if you consider what just happened a mistake.” Molly’s tone was frigid.

  Jackson stared daggers at me, and I understood suddenly how all this must look from his perspective. “Let me see,” he said, turning his fury on his sister. “You just fucked my best friend, the guy you’ve known since you were a kid. He just got out of an engagement and you went ahead and played rebound for him. And to top it off, he’s supposed to be your new employee, remember? You’re lucky your bakery is too small to require an HR department, or I’m pretty sure you’d be in violation of something.”

  Molly’s eyes flitted to mine at the mention of a rebound. I looked away, not wanting to see hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, as much to her as her brother.

  Jackson let out a heavy sigh. “Come on, I’m going to take you both home.” He herded us out the door and into his old Firebird. He motioned his sister into the back, then shoved me into the front seat. We sped off in the direction of my house. No, my dad’s house. That place will never be mine again.

  The ride was silent. A wave of guilt washed over me. I’d just got back to town today and already I was leaving a path of destruction behind me. Maybe I was no better than my father. Maybe he had the right of it. Just sit quietly and drink yourself to oblivion so you can’t hurt anyone else.

  Jackson came to a stop in front of my dad’s house. “We’re here.” He leaned over me to open my car door.

  I looked over my shoulder at Molly. She was staring out the window, and I thought I saw a tear streak down her cheek.

  “I…I’m sorry.” It was all I could think of to say, but as Molly hugged herself tighter, I realized it was the wrong thing.

  I shut the door behind me and watched the Firebird as it sped out of the driveway and back down the street. I stood there until I could no longer see the taillights. Well, that happened.

  I trudged up the walk towards the front door. It was unlocked, so I let myself in to find my dad passed out on the couch in his dirty robe, the television blaring in front of him. I flicked off the TV but he didn’t move.

  For once, I couldn’t blame him for being a drunken asshole, since I was just as big of one. I’d been all over Molly like sugar on top of a cookie. My best friend’s sister, for Christ sakes. And my new boss. What had I been thinking?

  I’d been thinking she’s hot as fuck, I told myself as I climbed the stairs. And I’ve never experienced so much pleasure in my life.

  And now I’m pretty sure I destroyed my friendship with Jackson. Which was my only friendship, since I’d left my fellow soldiers in the service and broken things off with Jessica. I told myself that it didn’t matter, but I knew I was lying.

  Throwing myself onto my childhood bed, I laid there, staring at the ceiling and wondering how things got so fucked up. I’d started the evening low, then climbed to the highest heights, only to be stricken down. And it was only my first night back in Hatfield.

  It took a while, but I finally fell asleep. I woke suddenly, hard as stone, a hint of Molly’s essence still on my lips. Without thinking, I rose, making my way to the stack of boxes in the corner. It took about twenty minutes of digging, but I found what I was looking for.

  It was a red heart, cut out of thick paper and decorated with lace and flower petals. A curly-cue script asked, “Will you be my Valentine?” Beneath it was the line: “To the most perfect boy in existence,” followed by Molly’s juvenile signature.

  I’d saved it for all these years, and I didn’t even know why. At the time I thought it was cute, an ego stroke. But now, I could feel something loosen in my chest as I held it in my hands.

  I’m holding Molly’s heart.

  For some reason I didn’t fully understand, I wanted that to be true.

  8

  Molly

  Six A.M. seemed to come earlier than usual that morning. I pulled myself out of bed and headed straight for the coffee pot. I knew I was running late, but there was nothing for it. I felt like I was frozen in ice, like I was slogging through six feet of snow with every moment I made.

  Last night, Nolan Hendricks made intense, transcendent love to me. And afterwards, he’d apologized to me.

  I don’t think I could have felt lower. My dream guy said he was sorry for having sex with me. No wonder I didn’t bother to date. If the world’s most perfect guy regretted banging me, was there any hope for me with someone else?

  “Maybe I should give Hector a shot,” I mumbled, then slunk into the shower to let the hot water revivify me. Today it couldn’t quite do the trick.

  Carmen looked up at me from behind the register as I entered the bakery. “There you are. I was getting worried.”

  “I’m here,” I said. “Just overslept.” Pushing past her, I entered the back where Esmerelda was putting bread dough away to proof. The older woman greeted me, then saw my expression and came closer.

  “You sick?” she asked, grabbing me by my shoulders and pulling me close to stare into my eyes. Esmeralda was Carmen’s aunt and a master at baking the perfect loaf of bread. English was her second language, and she fancied herself as something between a doctor and midwife.

  “No, not sick,” she said, then lea
ned back, a wide smile on her face. “Embarazada.”

  “Yeah, I’m embarrassed alright,” I said, heading towards my office to check my messages.

  Esmeralda followed, putting her hands on her stomach. “No, embarazada.”

  “I get it,” I said, ignoring her. “And you can give me your home remedy later. Right now I need some quiet time.” Although I rarely shut my office door, I did today, falling into my chair and leaning back, defeat weighing heavily on my chest.

  I had a couple voicemails, one from the Chamber of Commerce, thanking me for the cookies and placing an order for an assortment of pastries for their monthly morning meeting. The other was from Jackson, who asked me how my hangover was going. I deleted the message before he could say anything else to annoy me.

  I spent a few minutes looking over the books, then turned off my computer in disgust. More than a few businesses were severely late, and although sales were good, I couldn’t maintain these outlays of credit. I’d have to do something soon.

  When I figured I couldn’t hide out any longer, I left my office to help Esmeralda with the ovens. The morning bread baking was running late, mostly because I should have been here before dawn to help. I paused to call the delivery driver and ask him to come in a couple hours late today. Then I put my head down and concentrated on work.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Carmen popped her head into the back. “Someone wants to see you, boss lady.”

  I sighed, then washed my hands. Pushing my way through the door that separated the front of house from the back, I froze in place when I saw Nolan waiting for me. Carmen was eyeing me, curiosity written large on her face.

  Whatever conversation Nolan wanted to have, I didn’t want to have it in front of an audience. “You’re here,” I said, and he nodded. Remembering that he was now my employee, I had no choice but to behave professionally. “Follow me.”

  I led him through the back, where Esmeralda started chattering. I stopped to introduce her to Nolan, then cut her off before she could start asking questions. “We’ve got to do some paperwork.”

  Leading him into my office, I shut the door behind us. The hiring paperwork was in my desk, and I pulled it out and held it to him. “I’ll need a copy of your I.D. at some point.”

  Instead of taking the papers, Nolan grabbed my wrist. “Molly, we need to talk.”

  “We are talking,” I said, not wanting to touch what happened last night. “And if you still want to work here, you should fill these out.”

  Nolan took the papers with his other hand, but he didn’t let go of his grip. “Molly, I want to apologize.”

  “Don’t,” I said, holding up my hand. “You already did that last night. I get it. You regret hooking up with me.”

  “That’s not it at all,” he said, pulling me close to him. As his arms came around me, I started to struggle, but he whispered against my ear, “Please, let me speak.”

  I looked up at him, unable to hold back. “You don’t have to explain anything. I’m just a rebound. I get it. But if there’s any hope of us working together, we’ve got to put this behind us. We’ve got to—”

  “I don’t want to put last night behind us,” he said, his voice like steel. “And you weren’t a rebound.”

  He pushed me into the desk chair, then knelt in front of me. “Yes, I was engaged, but that’s over. She cheated on me, came to me crying, saying it was my fault, I was gone too long and didn’t want to be alone. So she fucked one of her male friends and told me it meant nothing.”

  There was hurt on Nolan’s face, and I wanted to hold him, to comfort him, but I held still as he spoke. “It’s true that I haven’t been with anyone since, but that doesn’t make you a rebound. When you walked into that bar, you hit me like a ton of bricks. We might have moved too quickly, but that doesn’t mean I regret what happened.”

  I stared at him, my hands shaking. “Where do we go from here? You hate Hatfield and plan to leave as soon as possible.”

  “I know that’s what I said yesterday, but that was before…” he looked at me, moving his hand back and forth between us. “Before this. I don’t know exactly what will happen,” he said, moving closer. “But I want to see where this goes. I know Jackson will be pissed, but I won’t let that stop me.” Cupping my face, his expression was tender. “Please, Molly. Give me another chance.”

  My brain couldn’t process what was happening. All I knew was that the world’s perfect man was kneeling in front of me, his lips mere inches from mine. I leaned forward, closing the gap and pressing my mouth against his.

  Nolan groaned, dragging me closer. He kissed me like his life depended on it, and I kissed him back because I knew my life depended on it.

  Burying his hands in my hair, Nolan whispered against my lips. “You’re everything I ever wanted in a woman. I just didn’t realize it ten years ago. If I had, I would have never left Hatfield.”

  His words set off fireworks inside me. “I tried to tell you,” I said, and Nolan laughed.

  “You always were smarter than me.” He kissed me again, and all thoughts flew out of my head. All I could see, hear, and feel was Nolan.

  9

  Nolan

  I stood, pulling Molly up with me. I regretted our lips being parted, even for a few seconds, but I knew things were quickly spiraling out of control again. Taking a few steps back, I struggled to catch my breath.

  “We should… we should slow down,” I said. But as I backed away, Molly came closer, her hair resembling the embers of a smoldering fire, her eyes like a cat’s, and I was frozen in my tracks, hit by a bullet of desire that almost knocked me off my feet.

  Reaching past me, Molly locked the office door. Then she pressed me up against it. Running her hands up my chest, she pulled my head down to press her lips against mine. And I was lost.

  I groaned and gave myself over to the kiss. If she doesn’t want to do slow, then fuck it, we’ll do things her way. She ground against me, her softness rubbing my hardness in all the right ways.

  When I couldn’t stand the pleasure anymore, I pulled my head away. I spun her around, pressing her against the door and reaching underneath the knee-length skirt she was wearing. I hooked my fingers through her panties and pulled them down her legs.

  Raising them to my face, I inhaled deeply while looking into her eyes. They were filled with a heat I know was mirrored in my own eyes. Tossing her panties to the side, I claimed her mouth again.

  Molly pulled away, gasping for breath, then pushed me backwards and into her desk chair. She straddled me, her legs on either side of my hips. As she rubbed herself against my erection through my pants, I had to grit my teeth to not let out a yell of ecstasy.

  I unzipped my pants and pulled out my hardness, then pulled her back down to slide her naked sex over me. It was perfect agony, and I held out until I felt myself coated in her wetness. Angling my cock to tease against her sensitive nub, I pulled her back and forth across me.

  Molly started to moan so I put a finger to her lips to remind her that her employees were on the other side of her office door. She leaned her head down, fastening her mouth to mine, as she rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her hand around my cock. Guiding it home, she slid down my hard length until we both were panting in gratification.

  I knew we couldn’t last long. The attraction between us was too powerful. Gripping her hips, I held her as she rode me. There has never been a more beautiful sight than Molly straddling me, her plump bottom lip caught between her teeth, her eyes half closed in pleasure.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” I growled against her neck as I pulled her in tight. “I wish I could spend the rest of my life buried in your heat.”

  “Nolan,” she whimpered. “I’m going to come, and it’s going to be a big one.”

  I pulled her head down to mine, moving my hands to cup her face. “Look into my eyes. I want to watch you.”

  I thrust upward, hard, and she barely held in her cry. “Please, Nolan!”
>
  “Anything you want,” I said, then seized her lips, swallowing her cry as she reached her climax. Her tight walls squeezed around me, milking me, pulling me into an orgasm that almost knocked me out.

  Afterwards, as we came down to Earth entangled in each other’s limbs, I started to laugh.

  Molly lifted her head, fixing me with a confused look.

  “I just keep thinking how perfect you are for me,” I said. “You got it all wrong.”

  “What?” she said, pulling back, but I refused to release her. Circling her waist with one hand, I reached into my back pocket with the other. Pulling out the old Valentine I brought from home, I held it out to her.

  “You called me the most perfect boy in existence, but that’s where you got it wrong. You’re the perfect one.”

  “You… you kept it?” Her tone was awed, and it made my heart ache inside my chest.

  I nodded. “I did, but at first I didn’t know why.”

  “Why?” she asked, her eyes wide, seeking understanding.

  “I kept it because I was supposed to give it back to you and ask you to be mine.”

  Molly smiled, her face lighting up with an inner glow. “So you’re saying that you’ll be my Valentine? Finally?

  I laughed. “Better late than never.”

  Epilogue

  Molly - Six Months Later

  I pulled into the driveway of Nolan’s father house and put the car in park. Climbing out, I picked up the pink box and carried it up the walk with me. Crossing the porch, I realized that the old creak was gone.

  I raised my hand to knock, but before I could, Nolan’s dad was pulling the door open. “I thought that was you. Come on in!”

  I entered the house, carefully carrying the pink box. “I brought it,” I said, indicating the box. “Made it myself this morning.”

  “Thank you, Molly,” he said, leaning in to kiss me on my cheek.