“Cody,” I warn.
“Cole, you know damn well I’m not scared of you. So, don’t think your Marine voice is going to stop me from saying what I have to say.”
“Fine,” I relent and sit back in my chair. “Let me know when you’re finished then.” Lord knows I probably deserve the verbal lashing he’s planning to continue to give.
“I got a few questions first.”
I roll my eyes; this fucking kid is more and more like me every day. “Well, go on.”
“Have you been with Jade for the last two days?”
“Fuck no. Is that what she thinks?” I jump up, ready to stomp out there and defend myself.
“No, and sit back down dickhead.” Cody crosses his arms over his chest. Any other time, the gesture would be hysterical because it’s like looking in the mirror, but right now I know he’s pissed. “I wanted to know because if there is any chance at all that you want to make a go of things with Molly, you’ve got to cut Jade loose.”
“I already did. Before all this shit went down and apparently Jade’s with Dallas now. Not that it seems to matter.”
“What the hell does that mean? Of course, it matters. No woman wants to feel like she’s second string to your fuck buddy.”
“Jesus Christ, I do not want to discuss my sex life with you, Cody. I broke things off with Jade, with the intention of setting things right with Molly. Except, I don’t think walking away from Jade was enough. Not when you fuck things up the way I do.”
“I should have got coffee before this.” Cody finally sits down in one of the chairs in front of my desk and rubs his temples. “What did you do?”
As much as I don’t want to confide in my baby brother, deep down I think the kid might be able to help. “The night I came home, and we had an old-school wrestling match because you thought letting Molly work at a strip club was brilliant?”
“Oh, yeah. You slept with Jade that night, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Okay. So. When’s the last time you...was it at the club that night?”
“Damn you, Cody, I told you we didn’t have sex that night. The woman deserves a damn Oscar for that performance. But no, we didn’t. The night you and I fought was the very last time we had sex. I’ve talked to her a few times since then on the phone, but that’s it.” Although, Jade’s weird behavior that entire night makes complete sense now. I wonder just how much she really knows about Dallas. Even if we’re through, there is no denying, the woman was a good friend and I look out for those I care about. Fuck, like I really need to be worried about Jade in the middle of trying to make a go of things with Molly.
“Okay. So, what’s the issue? Having second thoughts? Because if that’s the case, I’ll pack Molly’s bags for her and ship her right back to Kansas to get away from you.”
The thought of Molly leaving is enough to rip me in two. “Fuck you.”
“Times a wasting bro. What does that night have to do with right now?”
I scrub my hands over my face, noting that I should probably shave sometime soon too. “That night, before Jade and before I came home to deal with you...Molly kissed me. I let her. And then, I pushed her away. I told her it was a mistake.”
Cody shakes his head. “You’re an absolute moron.”
“Well, this sure has been a productive conversation, Doctor Phil,” I say dryly.
“Molly knows you slept with Jade that night?”
“Yes, Cody. She’s hurt by it. I don’t blame her, but Goddamnit, I don’t know how to fix it. So, unless you have some damn advice, get the fuck out of my office now so I can try to figure this shit out.”
Part of me hopes that he’ll have something to say. Instead, he stands and shakes his head again. “Good luck.”
I watch as he walks out of my office and immediately goes to Molly’s desk. I’m on the edge of my seat, listening, and ready to run after her if he’s about to send her away.
“Hey, Molly.” Cody taps on her desk.
She looks up at him with a sad smile.
“Can I get you to go get a cup of coffee for me and you? You fly, I’ll buy.”
Coffee. She is just going to get coffee. I tell myself as I watch Molly shake her head yes and take the cash and keys from Cody before disappearing out the door. I wait for him, thinking he’ll come back to my office, hopefully, will some wisdom to impart but he heads down the hall to his office instead.
The entire twenty minutes she’s gone, I do nothing but watch the door, waiting for her return. When she steps back inside, I feel like my heart has started to beat once again.
Knowing she’s safely tucked back into our building, I will myself to focus on work. Five minutes later, I’m distracted by her proximity. I felt her step into my space before she even cleared her throat to let me know she was here. Turning to face her, I get my first real good look at her since I left her condo a little less than forty-eight hours ago. I can clearly see the circles under her eyes and take a little bit of comfort in knowing that I’m not the only one who can’t sleep.
“I brought you coffee, and a breakfast sandwich,” she says shyly as she sets them both on the edge of my desk.
“Thanks.” I hesitate to say anything more. Too scared that she’ll back away if I do.
“Sure,” Molly whispers in reply.
“Hey, Mol,” I try to catch her before she walks out.
She freezes in the doorway and I wait for her to turn back around.
“Did you need something?” she asks. Her voice is all business now.
“I’m still sorry.”
“I know.” She nods. “And I believe you. I have a lot to think about. This isn’t the time or place to talk about it.”
“Fair enough.” Smart enough to know to quit while I’m ahead, I let her slip away from me once more.
Chapter Sixteen
Molly
“Almost ready, Molly?” Cody asks as he comes around the corner from his office.
“Yeah, I think so. Let me send this last email.”
I’ve struggled all day at work. Being in such close proximity to Cole and not being able to tell him what’s on my mind or feel his touch has been pure torture. I thought that after two days off, I would be ready to face him and deal with everything head on. But I’m not. I’ve spent most of today busying myself and doing all that I can to avoid him as much as possible. Something that is not a small feat when you feel like the walls of the office space are closing in on you.
“Okay. I’ll be ready when you are,” Cody says, then disappears into Cole’s office and shuts the door while I finish up.
He reemerges a few minutes later, just as I’m shutting down my computer and turning the phone lines over to our answering service.
“Hey. He wants to see you for a minute before we leave.” Cody nods toward Cole’s door and gives a slight laugh when I sigh and roll my eyes.
“I’ll make it quick,” I tell Cody.
“Shut the door, Mol. This might take a few minutes,” Cole says as soon as I step in his office.
“What is it?”
“A couple things. Business first.” He leans back in his office chair and laces his fingers behind his head. “Your car will be ready for pick up tomorrow morning.”
“Great.” I’m relieved that I won’t have to rely on Cody, or Cole, to get me back and forth to work. And that I won’t have to call for an Uber on the rare chance that I need to go somewhere else. “How much do I owe them when I pick it up?”
“It’s been taken care of.”
“Cole, that’s not what I asked. I don’t need you or anyone else to pay for my expenses.”
“Molly, I’m not paying for your expenses. It came out of company money because it happened during work hours, on work property. I’d do the same for any of my employees.”
“Fine. Whatever. Let the record show that I’m not happy about it either way.” I relent.
“Noted,” Cole smirks. “You’ll be happy to know that Ca
ndy confessed to having something to do with your car being tampered with. Now that they are all out of the picture, I don’t anticipate any further issues there.”
“Even better. Is that all?”
“Molly,” he warns.
“Cole.” My hands are on my hips now, and the annoyance is clear in my voice. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not in the Goddamn mood. Today has been brutal, and I want to go home.”
Cole immediately leans forward and gets to his feet. “Go home with me.” He grabs his keys from his desk and flips off his computer monitor.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
Cole rounds his desk, and I take two steps back causing him to pause. “Problem, Molly?”
“I said I needed time. I’m not there yet.”
“Yeah, I heard you. I’ve watched you avoid me all day. Hell, you’ve avoided me for the last forty-eight hours or more. There’s taking time, and then there is shutting me out. What you’re doing is the latter,” he says, completely calling me on my bullshit. “Here’s the thing though Molly, you can’t hold my past against me if you want us to have a future. Yes, what I did was shitty, and Goddamnit, I’m sorry. It should have never happened. I can’t change it. I can tell you it won’t happen again.”
Cole moves closer to me. With each step he takes, I step back, until my back is against the wall, literally. His right arm goes above me, his left hand is on my hip as he leans closer. “Molly, at work, you trust me with your life, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“Now I’m asking you to trust me with your heart.” His eyes search mine in silence. “Trust me. Completely.” Leaning in a little further, he rests his forehead on mine. “Give your heart to me and let me spend the rest of my life proving to you that I’m worth it.”
“I’ve wanted this, wanted you for so long. And now that we’re here...Cole, you terrify me,” I confess. He already has my heart, which means he has the power to destroy it.
His hand moves and his knuckles trace gently over my jawline. “Funny thing, Molly,” he rubs his nose against mine and sighs, “you terrify me too, baby.”
“What you did, hurt. A lot. You’re not responsible for my past either, but years of hurt and rejection because I wasn’t good enough, because I wouldn’t put out on the first date, all of that came flooding back and reminded me just how wrong we are for each other.”
“Molly, something that’s so wrong – has never felt so fucking right,” Cole whispers against my lips.
“What happens when you decide I can’t give you what you need?” The words rolling off my tongue have so much more meaning than just being able to meet Cole’s sexual appetite. “Losing you would destroy me.”
“That’s not going to happen. You’ve already exceeded any expectation I ever had about you, about us.”
I roll my eyes and push against his chest, forcing him to take a step back so that I can free myself. “It hasn’t been that long. You don’t know that. I lack experience. Cole, I’m not going to be willing to do things that other women you’ve been with have.”
Moving over to his office window, I stare out and take a few deep breaths.
“Molly, that night, when I was buried inside of you, there was no other woman on my mind.”
Turning back around, I take another look at Cole. “You say that now. But what about when you get bored?” I know some of what he’s done before. People talk or whisper. Cole has varied tastes.
“Then we try something new? Whatever you’re comfortable with.” He runs his hands up and down my arms. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself, Molly. We’ve had sex one time.” His hands leave my arms and trace up my sides, dancing across my chest. “I won’t lie, there will be times where I’m going to push you out of your comfort zone. But, Molly, I’m never going to force you into something you don’t want. What’s in my past, is nothing more than a man sowing his oats and trying to figure out what more he wants from life. I’ve finally found that with you.”
“As much as all of that scares me, I want that with you. I want you to push me, to show me what I’ve been missing.”
Cole takes my hands in his and pulls me closer. “Oh, the things I can teach you.” He pushes his erection against me and my thighs instinctively clench together as his lips land on mine.
Placing my hands on his chest, I push him back once more. “There’s one more thing we need to talk about.”
He leans his forehead against mine and lets out a frustrated sigh. “Go on.”
“Jade. Your reaction to her and Dallas. That didn’t exactly scream ‘I’m over her.’”
“Mol, I need you to understand something. Please. Jade and I, we were good friends, outside of all the physical stuff. I care about her. Anytime she’s dated someone else? I’ve looked out of her. That’s not something that is going to just go away. Dallas isn’t the type of guy I’d like to see her with, and not knowing how much she knew about any of this, makes me question her judgment. Christ, we thought the guy was a drug dealer and that’s who she chose to shack up with.”
It takes me a few seconds to process what he’s saying. As much as I don’t like it, I do understand where he’s coming from though. It’s in Cole’s nature to protect. Hell, it’s why Cole Security worked so hard on this case, because of his loyalty and fierce need to protect his closes friends.
“I get it. You’ve got to learn you can’t save the world though, Cole. You’ve got to let all of us make mistakes and learn from them. My God, how many men did you scare off over the last four years because you thought you needed to protect me?”
He grins and shakes his head. “I did need to protect you. And, I selfishly wanted you all to myself.”
“Even though you kept pushing me away?” I raise my brow and question him.
“Maybe.” He shrugs without the smallest amount of regret.
I’m holding on to him for dear life when he leans in and kisses me again. The passion between us ignites into a full-blown wildfire, and I’m caught up in flames. My body begs for him to take me right here, and for a moment, I’m convinced he might. Especially when he pulls back and I catch a glimpse of the wild look in his eyes.
“Come home with me?” he asks.
“I thought you’d never ask.” I flash him a saucy smile.
Chapter Seventeen
Cole
“I should let Cody know, I’m going with you,” Molly says as we walk out of my office hand and hand.
“He already went home,” I smirk. The past few days have been hell, but now, I feel so much lighter and like we’re back on the right track. Having her so close to me now is a breath of fresh air I’ve been waiting for.
“That dickhead. He left me here with you?”
“Watch yourself, smartass,” I tease, locking up the building and setting the alarm behind us as we leave.
“Uh, Cole?” Molly hesitates as we head towards my Harley.
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“You didn’t bring the truck.”
“I didn’t, but...” I open the saddle bag and pull out a helmet for her. “I always have a spare helmet.”
Molly eyes me suspiciously as I put the helmet on her head and help her fasten it. I won’t tell her, yet, that I bought it just for her, hoping that we’d be doing this together soon. I take her purse and tuck in inside the open saddlebag and close it up before climbing on.
“Your turn. Hold on to me. Lean when I lean, don’t try to drive from behind.” I wink over my shoulder.
I expect her to hesitate, but she surprises me. Once she’s tucked against my back, I turn the key and give her a second to get used to the rumble as her fingers dig into my stomach and then relax again.
“Trust me, Molly.”
She nods, and we’re off, adding yet another first to the list of things Molly’s made happen. No one has ever ridden on the back of my bike before. Ever.
On days where I ride the Harley to work, I usually take a long drive before heading home. That won’t be h
appening today. I’ll save a leisurely ride with Molly for another time. A time when I’m not eager to be balls deep in her pussy.
My cock aches, knowing that in fifteen minutes he’ll be free and right where he wants to be. I curse the traffic at every stop light as Molly’s legs clench around me.
Finally, when we turn onto my street, I let out a sigh of relief.
I pull the bike into my garage and shut it off before putting the garage door back down.
“You off first,” my voice comes out rougher than I intended, but I’m a man on the edge. “Careful where you’re putting your legs,” I warn, but I don’t have to, Molly’s a natural it seems.
Once she’s off, I drop the kickstand, swing my leg over, then take off my helmet. Molly hands me hers, and I tuck them both back into the saddlebag and hand her purse back to her. The look of awe on her face has me smiling to myself as I pull her in for a kiss.
“You liked it, didn’t you?”
Molly’s face flushes. “Maybe. A little. Too much.” She bites her lip and looks up at me.
It’s not possible. She can’t mean. “Molly.” Her face turns an even darker pink as I wrap my arms around her waist and grind against her. “How much did you like it, Molly?”
“A-a lot.”
“Riding turned you on?” I ask.
“More than that,” she whispers.
I hiss, “Are you wet Molly?”
“Very.”
“Jesus Christ.” All the blood in my body drains to my dick, and I’m close to losing every rational thought. I planned to do things right by her tonight. That does not mean bending her sweet ass over my bike and fucking her in reckless abandon. Before I can give in to the devil, I throw her over my shoulder and carry her inside the house, slamming the door shut behind us.
Strip Search (Too Hot Too Handle, #3) Page 9