The paramedics on the scene had patched up the cut on Molly’s arm and assured Anders he shouldn’t have any residual effects from being zapped with the stun gun twice. They both declined the offer to be taken to the hospital for observation.
While the three-ring circus was still going on, they called their children, wanting to assure them everything was all right in case they heard something on the news. Cheyenne had already planned to spend the night at April’s house, and Sue and Oscar offered to take Obie for the night.
Anders also called Guy Dougherty, the Las Vegas detective who was working the murder case. Dougherty had already been informed of Selena’s arrest and had just finished speaking with Albert Everett Mooney, the guy who’d been arrested for stalking and poisoning Casey. When he spotted Selena’s picture in the new photographic lineup, he cracked and confessed all. How she tricked him into putting the poison in Casey’s food by telling him it was a tranquilizer. The creep thought it would knock Casey unconscious long enough for him to take a few pictures of her naked. He apparently had no idea it was strychnine and insisted he never intended to kill her. As dumb as he was depraved, Mooney would likely get manslaughter and a reduced sentence for cooperating with the police.
A part of Anders had wanted to blame himself for misleading Selena in some way, but Dougherty insisted none of this was Anders’ fault. Selena was cracked because of mental illness or a personality disorder or possibly both, not because of anything Anders had done wrong. He’d just been the unfortunate target of her obsession.
Well into the evening, after the last police cruiser had pulled away from the house, he and Molly had made their way upstairs to the master bedroom. Without putting much thought into it, they’d crawled into bed and collapsed from exhaustion. Anders had slept for a couple of hours, but he was way too wired to stay asleep.
Molly shifted, and he sensed she was waking up. Cupping her hip, he turned to face her as she opened her eyes.
“Hey.” She smiled at him sleepily. “How do you feel?”
“Content.” He smiled. “How’s your cut?”
She looked at her arm as if she’d forgotten about it. “Fine. I didn’t get to tell you before, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
He rested his forehead and against hers, and they laid there for a few minutes just holding each other. At length, he said, “Aren’t you curious about the house? I reckon you know by now I bought it.”
“I was wondering, but I figured it could wait until tomorrow. Mind if I get more comfortable?” Without waiting for his reply, she sat up and slid out of bed.
He knew he was supposed to look away, but he didn’t. When she stepped out of her jean shorts and unhooked her bra, his mouth went dry.
“Do you, uh, mind if I get comfortable too?”
She slid the bra through the sleeve of her T-shirt before she climbed back into bed. “Go for it.”
There was nothing sexual in that statement or her tone, but blood rushed to his groin.
He got up and shucked off his jeans. He was slightly aroused when he turned back to face the bed. When her gaze drifted over the crotch of his underwear, she didn’t comment, but his erection lurched in response, and his gut tightened with anticipation.
He climbed into bed and opened his arms, inviting her back for more cuddling. Despite what his body was so obviously craving, he just wanted to hold her. He’d liked waking up with Molly in his arms.
A wary expression came over her face, and she didn’t move toward him. “What are we doing here, Anders?”
He didn’t want to examine it too closely because if he was forced to put his feelings into words, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his shit together. He swallowed hard and gave her a teasing smile. “What comes naturally, I reckon.”
“We agreed to go our separate ways—”
“No.” The word leapt out of his mouth with the force of a cannonball.
She stared at him, mildly stunned.
He couldn’t meet her eyes as he sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “I know what I said, but there was a lot I didn’t say.”
Molly waited patiently for him to continue.
He wet his lips. “Molly. You were amazing the way you went after Cheyenne in the Caribbean, intent on rescuing her and bringing her home. And earlier tonight, you proved again how brave and fearless you are. You make me laugh. You challenge me. You sing like an angel and you’re sexy as hell. And you’re beautiful, inside and out. I think I’ve just been scared of opening my heart to someone and then losing them like I lost my mama, but you’re nothing like her and, turns out, walking away from you felt so much worse. I reckon what I’m trying to say is, I love you, Molly. I love you and I wanna marry you.”
“Marry me?” Molly’s auburn brows lifted in surprise, and then she frowned. “We hardly know each other.”
“I don’t have to hear a whole song before I know I’m gonna love it until the day I die.”
“It’s hardly the same.”
His heart was on the table for her to do with as she pleased. If she rejected him, he didn’t know how he was going to pick it up and move on. He straightened away from the headboard and slid closer to her. “We can have a long engagement if you need time to adjust to the idea of being husband and wife, but I want to move in together. Live in this house with Obie and Cheyenne. I bought it for us. I didn’t want to admit that even to myself, but I bought it for the four of us.”
For a moment, Molly just sat there looking uncertain and a bit bewildered. Then, she came up on her knees, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him. It was just a sweet and tender token of affection, but he was trembling when she pulled back slightly to cup his face. “Anders, I’ve loved you in some capacity for fifteen years—right now, part of me is jumping up and down and crying hysterically like a fangirl at her first Beatles concert—but this feels so fast. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.”
She didn’t fight him when he guided her back on the bed and came down on top of her. As he settled between her thighs, he dug his fingers into her hair and kissed her the way he’d been longing to since the moment he’d woken from unconsciousness and found her hovering over him with tears in her eyes. Breathless and burning for her, he placed butterfly kisses along her jawline until he reached her ear. “Marry me. I’m gonna keep asking until you say yes.”
He needed a shave and his dark blond hair was mussed way beyond its typical mild disarray, but he took Molly’s breath away. Anders was hers for the taking if she was brave enough to reach for him. Only a thin bedsheet and a couple of scraps of clothing separated their bodies. He was hard and pulsing against her inner thigh. She nipped at his chin. “Roll over.”
A sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You can’t distract me that easily,” he said but rolled over anyway.
Molly’s head spun with nervous excitement. Was this really happening? A few hours ago, she thought she’d never see him again. Now he was touching her and kissing her. And, oh my Lord, begging to marry her.
Sitting up, she peeled her panties off, while under the sheet, he kicked off his briefs and tossed them aside. She was already wet and throbbing for him when she tugged down the sheet and straddled his hips. When she sank down on his erection, they both gasped and froze. Molly was immobilized as pure, unadulterated pleasure soared through her body. Zapped of her strength, she caught herself on his bare chest.
“Molly, please,” he panted, sounding delirious and desperate.
Could it be that he actually felt this exquisite connection between them too? Their bodies seemed to know they were made for each other even if their hearts were slow to get with the program.
Perched on top of him, with his body pulsing deep inside of hers, she reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up over her head. The air-conditioned room brought goose bumps to her overheated flesh and made her nipples pebble. Her head fell back as she began to move on him, riding him at a smooth easy canter. Hi
s hands slid up her torso, over her ribcage, and covered her breasts, squeezing them with appreciation before slipping around to her backside. As she bent to kiss his mouth, her hard nipples skimmed the rough hairs on his chest, creating a whole different kind of friction.
Plunging his fingers into her hair, he broke the kiss but held her face inches from his own. “I love you so much, Molly MacBain. Say yes.”
She stared into his slanted blue eyes and her heart constricted. The life and love she’d always wanted were hers if she was brave enough to accept his offer. Closing her eyes, she started moving on him again, riding him harder, demanding he follow.
“Say yes,” he begged as he cupped her ass and he drove into her, giving her what she needed.
When his urgent thrusts hit a sweet spot, she saw stars and lost her rhythm. “Oh, God…”
“Say yes, Molly. Say yes…” He was relentless.
Her lower belly fluttered and contracted, and her climax bloomed languidly before it spiraled out of control.
“Molly…”
“Yes. I’ll marry you…” she gasped and dissolved into a silent white void.
Sometime later, Molly woke to the sound of an acoustic guitar strumming softly. Anders sat in the window seat, picking a tune. He wore his boxers but nothing else. The whole scenario looked like something her vivid imagination might have dreamed up, but it was real. He was real. And he loved her just as much as she loved him. The notion made her heart swell with happiness.
He must have felt her watching because he stopped playing and looked over at the bed. “Did I wake you?”
She shook her head at first because she was too choked up to speak. Blinking the tears from her eyes, she leaned up on her elbows. “It’s okay. What were you playing?”
He got up and carried his guitar to the bed. “I’ve had this tune floating around in my head for the past few days. I was just putting some words to it.”
She held the sheet up as he slid into bed beside her. When he started to put the guitar on the floor, she stopped him. “No, wait. I want to hear it.”
“It’s a little rough.”
“I don’t mind. I’d love to hear one of your songs in the early stages. Where did you get the guitar anyhow?”
“It was hanging on the wall in the office. Intended as a decoration, I reckon. It’s nothing fancy, but it sounds good. You sure you want to hear the song?”
“Yes.”
“All right then. It’s called ‘Your Smile’.” His gaze dropped to her mouth and he bent to kiss her lips.
With tendrils of excitement curling in her tummy, she propped herself up against a couple of pillows and settled in to listen.
The pretty melody was soft and easy. The tempo slow. Anders started in a key that favored his lower register. His voice was deep and pure, with just that hint of heartache that always got her right between the ribs.
* * *
I was living life, livin’ large
touring with my band
Another Sunday, another sad song
I was a phony, lonely man
* * *
I had it all but one fall
threw me around the bend
I was just looking for a good time
but what I found was a friend
* * *
And all the while your smile
was right here in front of me
I’d drive for miles, sail the Nile
Fly across the sea…
For your smile
* * *
Anders glanced over at her with an intense, almost insecure gaze. Molly ached to launch herself at him and kiss him senseless, but she didn’t want him to stop singing. Anders Ostergaard had written a song for her. Dagnabit, there was no backing out of the marriage proposal now, even if she’d wanted to. She was a goner. Head over Louboutins in love with this man.
Sitting up, she pulled the sheet with her to cover her nakedness and curled her arms around her knees. Swiping a tear away from her cheek, she sniffled and grinned at him.
* * *
Looking for nothing, looking for something
Not looking in the right direction
But you were here standing there
Pretty damn close to perfection
* * *
Your red hair, the way you care
you sparked a fire in my heart
I couldn’t resist you, had to kiss you
I shoulda seen it from the start
* * *
And all the while your smile
was right here in front of me
Had to walk a mile in denial
And set myself free…
For your smile
* * *
He shifted to face her, and then he was singing the chorus. Growing more passionate in his playing as he dug into the song.
* * *
And all the while your smile
was right here in front of me
I’d drive for miles, sail the Nile
Fly across the sea…
For your smile
* * *
He paused, playing softer now. He finished quietly.
* * *
I’ll always come back…
For your smile
* * *
“Well? What do you think?” He set the guitar aside and then leaned back on the pillows.
Molly let out a laugh through her tears. “I think that was the most beautiful thing I ever heard in my life.”
“It’s not finished yet. It could use one more verse, and it’ll sound better with a full band behind it. Maybe some—”
“Old school steel guitar?”
“Yeah.” He grinned.
She couldn’t hold back any longer. She launched herself at him and kissed the sexy column of his throat before she settled on top of him and propped herself up on his chest. Gazing at his face, she toyed with his hair, curling one of the thick wavy locks around her finger. “What are you thinking?”
The deep rumble of his voice made her belly hum. “I was thinking maybe we could write that last verse together.”
Epilogue
Six weeks later…
The little bell above the shop door rang as a customer came inside, letting in a blast of sweltering August heat. Molly didn’t look up from her computer screen. She was just about to place a book order, and the internet was being wonky. “Good morning! Let me know if I can help y’all with anything.”
“Actually, I was hoping you could recommend a good book about golf.”
Molly was about to tell the guy she didn’t sell non-fiction when she dragged her gaze away from the screen to find Jeff, the IT specialist she’d dated back in June, grinning at her.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed with surprise and came around the counter to give him a hug.
“I was walking past the shop and thought I’d stop in to say hello.” He was wearing a golf shirt and slacks, looking like he’d just stepped off the course.
“Playing hooky on a school day?”
He smiled a bit shyly. “After our last date, I got to thinking. You followed your passion and found a way to play music even if it wasn’t the most sensible career choice.”
Molly frowned slightly, unsure of where he was going with this, but she was willing to hear him out.
“I figured if you could do it, why couldn’t I? So, I quit my IT job and started working at a country club full time. I’ve only been there a month, but I’ve already met someone. She’s another golf pro like me.”
Molly’s chest tightened with genuine happiness for the man. She squeezed his arm. “That’s great news, Jeff. Good for you.”
“Thanks. If you ever want a lesson, here’s my card.” He gave it to her and they walked to the front of the store together.
“I’m so glad you came by.” She stopped short when she spotted Anders and Obie sitting on the bench seat that Cheyenne usually occupied. Obie was reading a comic book and Anders was sitting beside him. His gaze
lifted to Molly’s as she came closer.
Jeff seemed oblivious to the fact a celebrity was sitting three feet away from him. Even people who didn’t listen to Anders’ music, still usually went a little gaga when they recognized him. The golf pro just glanced at Anders and kept going.
“When did you get here?” Molly stood in front of her fiancé when Jeff left the shop.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Should I be worried?”
Molly snorted. “Do you really have to ask? What have you got there, cowboy? A new comic book?” She kissed Obie on the top of his head and draped an arm across his father’s broad shoulders.
Anders’ big hand settled on her hip and they shared a secret smile.
Obie turned the book around to show Molly. “This one’s from Cheyenne’s personal collection. She said I could borrow it.”
“She must really love you, kid. She won’t even let me hold those books, let alone read them.”
Obie smiled. “I love her too.”
Their little family had been living together in their new home for two weeks now. Molly and Anders had decided to redecorate and remodel the house before they moved in. It barely looked like the same place Selena Fry had invaded, attempting to take them both hostage. Selena was like a bad dream now, fuzzy and less frightening with each passing day because she couldn’t hurt them anymore.
“So, what are you two doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be producing a record or something?” She rubbed Anders’ shoulder, glad to see him in the middle of a workday.
“The boys are banging out a new song right now. I thought I’d stop hovering and let them work it out on their own.”
Anders had renovated the soundproof room on the lower level of the pool house and turned it into a state-of-the-art recording studio. He’d already signed his first act. Four talented young men from northern Georgia called The Tallulah Falls Band. They were working on their first album for Anders’ new Indie label. In September, he was taking the boys out with him on a two-month tour and was hoping to have at least an EP completed by then.
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