Worth The Wait (Small-Town Secrets-Fairview Series Book 1)

by Sophia Sinclair

  “I would like to hug you, but I’m not sure what you want from me,” he said cautiously. She kept dabbing at her eyes, finally looking up at him. She couldn’t find the words but her eyes pleaded with him to understand. He very lightly placed his arms around her and pulled her to him. She relaxed into his arms just as she had the night in the library. But this time, he didn’t kiss her, and he didn’t try to pull her close. He just held her, stroking her hair, and spoke soothingly to her as if she were a small child.

  “It’s OK. Just relax, OK?” She choked back the last sob and sniffed inelegantly. “I don’t want to blow my nose on your dish towel,” she said.

  “I’ll get you a tissue,” he said. He was gone for just a moment and Molly composed herself as best she could. She had already embarrassed herself enough that she figured she may as well not worry about how it looked to be blowing her nose in front of him. She did it, noisily, and tossed it into the nearby kitchen garbage can.

  “Let’s go sit for a bit,” he said, leading her to the living room. It contained the card table, now empty of kitchen things. “Oh, I didn’t even think about where we’re all going to sit tomorrow!” he said. “I guess we could drive the food back to your place, or maybe just have a picnic on the floor.”

  “Oh, God, anything is fine.” She was past caring about anything like that now. She sat on one of the folding chairs he had pulled out for her.

  “This is the night it happened, isn’t it?” she said suddenly.

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t even think of that. Now I feel doubly rude and embarrassed.”

  “No, please don’t be. To be honest, I’m really grateful to have some company right now. I told your daughter it doesn’t bother me to be living in a house where my family was murdered, and up to now it hasn’t. It’s not as if I had ever met them. But honestly, tonight it’s been on my mind. Just thinking of how the family went to bed having no idea it would be their last night. My grandmother no doubt waiting in the hired man’s room, waiting for my grandfather to be able to get away. For some reason, him not being able to get out of the house. And then somebody, probably old man Green, coming in and stabbing them all to death. Just thinking of that having happened either late tonight or maybe early tomorrow in the wee hours, well, it’s hard not to think about such a thing, isn’t it?”

  It was dark in the dining room and they couldn’t see each others’ faces.

  “Nobody ever knows what the future holds. But you don’t think you’re going to be murdered in your bed. It does kind of put into perspective having a broken oven and a few personal problems.”

  “Exactly. It does.”

  “It’s an awful thing. I’m very glad your grandmother lived. And I’m very glad you came back here.”

  “Well, yeah,” David said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “Otherwise you’d be eating raw turkey tomorrow.”

  “And raw pies. Yuck.” David’s hand reached out to take Molly’s. “I don’t want to seem to be taking advantage of an emotional moment, and I’m afraid of upsetting you again, but I do have one question for you.”

  “Ask.”

  “Could I possibly kiss you?” Molly didn’t answer but leaned toward him in the dark and their mouths found each others’. It wasn’t a passionate kiss like they’d shared before. It was a questioning kiss. It was tender and warm and slow and Molly tried to say everything with the kiss that she couldn’t say any other way.

  “Well, you finally agreed to have dinner with me, anyway. All I had to do was break into your house and sabotage your oven.” For a second Molly thought he was serious and then she laughed. “I’ve been waiting for you to invite me again for about three weeks. I even got a fancy manicure and … stuff. But then you quit asking.”

  “Well I’m not a stalker, you know. I thought maybe you regretted that night at the motel. You seemed to be making it clear you didn’t want a repeat.”

  “Oh my God, do I ever want a repeat.” He started kissing her again and this time the passion was there. But then he suddenly broke the kiss. “Your pies!”

  “Oh no!” They both ran in the kitchen and he flung open the oven. “I think we got lucky,” he said. “They look pretty much done, right?”

  Molly peered into the oven. “Perfect, actually.” David grabbed a potholder and moved each to the tile countertop to cool. But then he took Molly into his arms again. “My oven preheats so damned fast that your family is sure to think these pies will need a little more time. We can steal a few more minutes. Kiss me.” Molly did.

  Chapter 12

  Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t as traditional as usual. They did eat it picnic-style, poor Lori at a disadvantage because she was trying to sit in a short skirt that made keeping decent just about impossible; David had finally loaned her a pair of sweats and she’d worn them along with her silk blouse, being a good sport about it. They had skipped a few of the side dishes but the turkey and pies were all perfect. Lori had, of course, contributed wine, which they drank from David’s plastic cups.

  Suzie was impressed to learn that David had edited at least one of her accounting textbooks.

  David and Molly kept finding excuses to go to the kitchen together, fooling no one. Lori kept giving her little looks, causing Molly to smile and look away.

  “So, Tommy, you’ve been helping with the remodeling here?” Lori asked.

  “Yep,” Tommy said, sounding proud. “I helped put in the windows and a lot of the tile in the bathroom. Some other stuff.”

  “He had to,” Beth said. “He’s a little delinquent, ya know,” she teased.

  “I was once a teenager,” David said. He was working on a piece of pumpkin pie that was more whipped cream than pie. A little bit of it was on his cheek and Molly longed to reach out and remove it with her finger. Everybody seemed to see it and was waiting to see when David would realize it.

  “When I was around Tommy’s age, a friend of mine thought it would be a really good idea to steal this old lady’s outhouse. So we did. A group of us went there one night in his pick-up truck and wrestled the thing into the back of the truck. Moved it to the front lawn of the high school.” Everybody laughed.

  “Oh my God!” Lori said. “How old are you, exactly? They still used outhouses wherever you’re from?”

  “Well, this one old lady did. She definitely was still using it, too. The smell was out of this world! The next day, everybody gets to school and here’s this outhouse sitting there. All the kids thought it was hilarious. Unfortunately, we couldn’t resist bragging about our prank and we got into a world of trouble. My dad was not amused. The old lady was left high and dry. So he made me help him move the outhouse back into place and then we installed a bathroom in her house. Took weeks. I learned a lot about carpentry and plumbing, though. And it would be nice to say she turned out to be a pretty nice old lady, but in fact she was horrible.” Everybody laughed.

  “That must have been pretty funny, though,” Beth said.

  “It was, actually, pretty damned funny,” David said, smiling.

  “We forgot something,” Tommy said suddenly.

  “You’re right!” Beth said.

  “We’ll do it right now,” Molly said.

  “What’s all this?” David was the only one who didn’t already realize that the weird circumstances had caused them to forget their ritual of going around the table and saying what they were thankful for this year. Probably because there wasn’t a table.

  “I will start,” said Lori. “I am thankful that I have a new boyfriend, and that I’m going to see him later tonight.”

  Next to her was Suzie. “I am thankful that this semester is almost over, all my classes are going well, and that I’m with my family.”

  Tommy spoke up next. “I’m thankful that Mom didn’t burn the turkey.” Suzie poked him. “Be serious for once,” she said.

  “I am serious. She burnt it last year.”

  “It wasn’t burned,” Molly said. “It was maybe a little
dry.”

  “The edges actually were kind of burned,” Beth said. “But it was good this year. I’m thankful for … well, Clarence.”

  “I meant to say Clarence, too,” Tommy said.

  Now it was Molly’s turn. She looked at David.

  “I am thankful that David is a good friend.”

  “You have to play, too, David,” said Tommy.

  David paused and took another sip of his wine. “I am thankful that my first Thanksgiving here in my new home is filled with good food and good friends.”

  “Did your family have any Thanksgiving traditions like this?” Suzie asked.

  “Well, yes. We did,” David answered. “We would always split the Thanksgiving wishbone. Whoever got the biggest piece would have their wish come true.”

  “We should do it,” Lori said. “This is your first Thanksgiving in your new home. You should keep that tradition.”

  Molly volunteered to locate the wishbone. It was greasy and not very appealing-looking. “How does this work?” she asked. “Who competes?”

  “It’s David’s tradition. He should be one,” Lori said. “You do the other side, Molly. You’re already touching it.”

  “You just don’t want to get any turkey grease on your fingers,” Molly said. “But OK.”

  David explained the general process. “You have to make a wish, but don’t tell us what it is.”

  “So it’s like wishing on a star,” she said. “Or blowing out your birthday candles.”

  “Yep. Very scientific,” David said. Molly held out the wishbone and David grasped the other half. “Ready? One, two, three, pull!”

  It was over in a snap. Quite literally. David held up the long half in victory. “I win! You lose! My wish is going to come true!” he teased.

  “Darn. No million dollar lottery win for me this year, I guess. You can’t give us a hint about what you wished for?”

  “Nope, not if I want it to come true.”

  “I wish we had made more apple pie and less pumpkin,” Tommy said. Unbelievably, he was on his third piece. The kid could not be filled. Not even Thanksgiving dinner seemed to be enough for him.

  “I should start getting some of this stuff packed up,” Molly said. “I didn’t even think about bringing some containers for leftovers. I hope you have some.”

  “Very few,” David said. “But I’ve got some foil and plastic bags. We can make do.”

  “The kids and I will do it. You guys just relax,” Lori said.

  “Why do I have to — ” Tommy started, but Lori and his sisters all shushed him. They all picked up the dishes from the floor and carried them to the kitchen, where they could be heard bustling around and rearranging things in the refrigerator.

  “I wonder if we made the same wish,” David said. His hand moved toward Molly’s and she took it.

  “If we did, I hope my losing doesn’t negate your winning,” she said.

  “I’m really glad your oven broke when it did,” he said. “If it hadn’t, would you have ever come around, or would that have been it?”

  “I don’t know. I kept trying to say something, but you know how librarians are. We tend to be kind of introverted.”

  “Well, the cat is out of the bag now. Will you have dinner with me in Springfield this weekend? I know you’ve got a lot of leftovers, but I’m pretty sure Tommy will make short work of them.”

  “Yes. I thought you’d never ask again.”

  “Great. Italian? Steak? Thai? What’s your pleasure?”

  “My pleasure is not having to cook. So wherever you like.”

  “Cool. I’ve got a date!” he joked. He leaned over and kissed her, but just a quick peck. He seemed to know she didn’t care to be seen kissing by her children. It was just as well. Tommy was back.

  “Hey, don’t you watch football on Thanksgiving? I usually watch it with my dad, but he’s doing Thanksgiving elsewhere this year.”

  “I don’t actually have a TV,” David admitted.

  “No TV at all?”

  “No, I had one at my old place, but it was old and I didn’t consider it worth moving. I guess I might get a new one. Hadn’t really thought about it. I really don’t watch it much.”

  “We gotta watch football. It’s another tradition,” Tommy said. Lori stepped up. “I know what we’ll do. I’ll take the kids back to your house and we’ll start the game. You guys can finish all the Thanksgiving clean-up. That always takes for-ev-er,” she said, ignoring the obvious fact that they’d already done most of the clearing up.

  “Great idea,” David said. “Yeah, there’s a lot we gotta do. We’ll divide the turkey leftovers up so there’s some for everyone, and when we’re done I’ll send Molly home.”

  Lori smirked. Molly didn’t think they were fooling anyone, but she liked it that she had an excuse to spend a little bit of time with David. Not five minutes later, Lori and the kids were in Lori’s car, hurrying because Tommy didn’t want to miss any more of the game.

  Molly surveyed the kitchen, where everything was already nearly ship-shape. “So. I guess we need what, five minutes to divide the turkey leftovers into little separate bags? My, good thing we have all afternoon to do it!”

  “The turkey can wait,” David said. “I’m not sure I can.” He put his arms around her and gave her another slow, gentle, sweet kiss. Then he picked her up, causing her to shriek, and headed for the stairs.

  “What are you doing! You’ll throw out your back! I just ate about 50 pounds of turkey and potatoes!”

  “Nonsense, Miss Molly. This is how we pirates always take our women to bed.” He reached the stairs and said, “Though usually, we don’t have to carry them up a big staircase. Usually we just take them right there by the damned ship’s wheel.” He put her down to walk. “Maybe I should save some strength for when I get you into my bedroom, though. I mean, you did have seconds on the potatoes.”

  Molly playfully smacked him on the cheek. “Oh, Mr. Pirate, please be gentle with me. I’m just an innocent librarian, you know.”

  “Miss Molly, I mean to make you bust clean out of your bodice. Whatever that means. Anyway, you’re about to experience my manhood making its way to the very center of your womanhood. Isn’t that the way the romance novels put it?”

  “Oh, uh, no, you brute. You mustn’t! I’ve been promised to the governor’s son! If you take my maidenhead, I shall be ruined!”

  “Miss Molly, you and I both know you can’t resist the Pirate Man. Your maidenhead shall be mine. Now come on, you wench! Into my bed forthwith!” They were both laughing as he playfully picked her up, whipped back the sheets and pretended to throw her onto the bed. Then he was kissing her in that slow, passionate way and she returned his kiss with all the passion of every innocent young lass who has ever been overtaken by a pirate.

  “Oh, and I’m a prepared pirate this time,” he said. “No need to worry about that.”

  “Good,” she said. “Sorry, I’m not quite sure what the wenchly way to say that is.”

  “Never mind that. Unless you’re majorly into role-playing, I think we can dispense with that now.”

  She laughed and raised her arms so he could pull off her long black dress.

  “My. So that’s what’s been hiding under your pilgrim’s dress. Those panties are enough to make a pirate blush,” he said. “Let’s just take these off. And the bra, too.” Suddenly, Molly was naked in David’s bed. He quickly shucked off his clothes and bent his mouth to her breast. All joking was over. Molly felt her desire rise to heights she hadn’t felt since the night in his motel room. The knowledge that this time they wouldn’t have to stop allowed her the freedom to let herself go in a way she hadn’t known for many years. Her hands eagerly sought David’s body, running over his muscled back and then grasping his hair as he kissed her more deeply. Her hand curled around what she couldn’t help but think of now as his manhood, and he groaned into her open mouth.

  Her nipples were already hard before he even began sucking them.
Now they were like little pink pebbles. His mouth moved from one to the other, as if unable to decide which one was his favorite. His tongue rasped against them, making her moan and gasp and wish for the same treatment elsewhere. As if he could read her mind, he shifted his body and found another little pink pebble between her legs. He gave it the same treatment he’d given her nipples, and Molly began to feel she was going to lose her mind. When one of his fingers slipped into her slick wet folds, she did lose her mind, calling out to him.

  “Oh, David, David, David. Oh my God, David.” The urge to say she loved him was so strong it was all she could do to avoid calling it out, and instead she just let herself go into a long, guttural scream, her legs shaking and shuddering. David kept torturing all her most sensitive parts until he sensed she could take no more, or perhaps he couldn’t. He turned away from her for just a second to open the top drawer of his nightstand, impatiently tearing open a new box of condoms, causing the row of foil packets to fly out like a long segmented snake that he had to reach out and grab before they slid off the edge of the bed. They both laughed a little. While he fumbled with the packaging, she couldn’t stop touching his body; she was desperate to feel every part of him. Finally, he had everything safely in place and he moved above her. “Do you want this as much as I do?” he asked, pausing right at her entrance.

  “Please, please,” was all she could say. He began very gently, very slowly entering her, and she recalled her dream. She felt an agony of desire, yet he continued his slow progress, going a bit deeper and then pulling out a bit, teasing both of them, making this first joining go on and on, until, as in her dream, she dug her heels against the mattress and pushed her hips up against him hard. With great satisfaction she felt him filling her with his entire length. They both moaned again, and his mouth was on hers, his tongue slipping more deeply into her mouth and mimicking the movements of the rest of their bodies. She returned every movement, both with her tongue and her body. She had forgotten how sweet it felt to give herself fully to a man, to be fully possessed and to feel her need for more satisfaction to begin building and building until she was balanced on the edge. She bit his lip, wrapped her legs around his hips to keep him from teasing her and placed both her hands on his muscular butt, pushing him against her as she moved her hips in her own secret rhythm and heard herself make sounds that she’d never made before. She tried to capture his tongue with hers but he had withdrawn from the kiss a bit as he made his own wild noises, and some part of her registered that her pleasure had set off his own. They called out to each other in a frenzy of fulfillment, their most sensitive parts throbbing against each other.