Running the towel over my hair one more time, I toss it into the hamper and walk into my bedroom to throw on a pair of shorts. I guess at this point, I’ll order a pizza and down a few beers. Maybe then I’ll at least be able to fucking relax a little.
Forty minutes later, I’m two beers in, when I hear the garage door open and close again a few minutes later. Molly walks into the kitchen entrance with two pizzas in her hand.
“Hi.” She gives me a timid smile. “I sort of, uhm, caught the delivery guy at the pass and paid him off. So, technically, I bought you dinner.”
“You’re a mess, Molly,” I tell her with a smile, relieved that she’s back here with me.
Taking the pizza from her, I head to the kitchen with her trailing behind. Setting the boxes down on the counter, I pull out the paper plates and grab two more beers from the fridge.
I’m anxious to hear what she has to say, as she takes a seat at the counter and I slide over a bottle to her.
“So, uhm. Dinner was interesting.”
“I sure hope you didn’t take the first offer he put on the table.” I give her a wink, recalling how she didn’t even look at the compensation package when I hired her.
“Well, that’s the thing.” She pauses to take a bite of the pepperoni pizza that she’s already pulled from the box. “I didn’t accept anything.”
“Molly,” I groan in frustration.
“Hang on now. I didn’t say I wouldn’t accept anything. Hunter told me I had fourteen days to think about it before he needed a response.”
“You’re going to take it.” It’s not a question. She will be taking this job. “As long as they’re not trying to screw you over. If you want someone to look over their offer, I’ll go through it with you. Molly, this is what I was trying to tell you earlier. I’ll fire you before I let you waste another year stuck with us.”
Tears fill her eyes, and my heart cracks a little more.
“Would being stuck here, really be that bad?” her voice shakes.
Setting down my beer, I circle the counter and pull her to me. “Baby, the last damn thing I want you to do is to take a job that’s going to pull you away from me. But as selfish as I am, there is still no way in hell I’m letting you pass this opportunity up.”
Looking up at me with sad eyes, Molly sighs, “If I take this job, where does that leave us? Are we through?”
“No. Crazy girl. Absolutely not. We’re far from over. I’m not letting you go. Why would you even think that?”
“I’ll have to travel. Not always, and not right away. Hunter warned that there may be times when I may be gone long periods of time. He was undercover for two and a half years this time. That could happen to me, to us.” She chokes back a sob.
“We’ll deal. I’m not going anywhere. Mol, twenty years in the Marines, I never had anyone that wanted to wait for me. Never had anyone I wanted to wait for me either. You’re the game changer, babe.”
“I’m scared. Of all of this. What if I’m not good enough for what they expect of me?” she confesses.
“I know you’re good enough. Shit, you’re more than enough for them.” I tilt her head up again.
A small smile breaks on her face. “Hunter said you gave a glowing recommendation.”
“I did. I told him he’d been damn lucky to have you on his team. And that I’d have his ass if he let anything happen to you or didn’t take care of you,” I tell her as I place a kiss on her forehead.
She playfully smacks my chest and shakes her head.
“You know, I didn’t even make it to the main course? I heard everything I needed to hear over a glass of wine,” she says as I let her go.
“Eat up then, you’ll need it,” I smirk, and she rolls her eyes.
Later that night, I’m holding Molly in my arms after another round of lovemaking when she looks up at me and sighs. “I think, I’m going to take the job offer.”
“You should. It’s a good move for you.” I’m still not thrilled with the idea of not having her around at work anymore, but this is a great opportunity. One that she shouldn’t turn down.
“If I take it, I’m going to sell my condo. There’s no point in paying someone to maintain it when I travel, and I don’t want to be bothered with renting it out.”
“So, basically you’re saying that you’re moving the rest of your crap over to my place?”
Molly pokes my side. “If the offer still stands.”
Hearing her say she’s selling her place feels like an answered prayer. I’d practically been begging for her to move in with me since we made thing’s official. I can’t resist the urge to tease her though, “Nah. I think I like being a bachelor. Having the place to myself when you’re not around, now that Cody’s moving out.”
“You’re a dick.”
“Molly, I think the only thing you have left at your condo is furniture, baby. Everything else has slowly migrated here.” I tell her while running my fingers up and down her arm.
“I could sell everything, or sell the condo fully furnished. There are only a few pieces I really want to keep.”
“Whatever you want to do.”
“You’re not being very helpful, Cole.”
“Molly,” I yawn.
“Yeah?”
“It’s after midnight. I’m helpful between the hours of six am and ten pm. Go to sleep.”
Molly huffs. “That wasn’t the case last night.”
“No, you’re right. It wasn’t.” Last night, neither of us slept. I had my girl every way I could take her. “I’m happy to help you in that way, anytime. Decision making should be reserved between the previously noted hours.”
“Fine. I’m going to sleep.”
“Night.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head. “Love you, Molly.”
“Yeah, love you too.”
As her eyes drift closed, I watch her sleep – listening to her breath even out as she relaxes against me. This job offer puts a lot of things in perspective now. I was an idiot for putting her in the friend zone for so long. Hell, I’m an idiot for half of the stupid things I did in my past for that matter. If I’ve ever had one regret, right now, it would be the fact that I didn’t take a chance on us sooner. Now, I’ll be loving her from a distance while she chases her dreams.
That only means one thing, we move forward with no regrets. Take full advantage of every moment we have together. Starting with tomorrow.
Untangling myself from her sleeping form, I sneak downstairs to my home office and fire up the computer. That vacation, I’ve been thinking about since the takedown, is happening, now. She said she’s got two weeks to make up her mind about the DEA gig, and they may want her to start right away. I can’t think of a better way to spend that time, than with her – somewhere far away from here.
~*~
Molly
Waking up to a swat on the ass from Cole is not the most romantic way to be pulled from slumber. Lucky for him, he’s armed with a hot cup of coffee to offset my early morning attitude.
“Why are you so damn chipper? And why are there bags packed by the door? Planning on going somewhere?” I ask as I sip on my coffee and watch Cole pace around the room, grabbing random things and tossing them into another bag.
“You and I are going to get out of here for a little while. The first thing you’re going to do is call Hunter though and tell him you’re taking the job. Then, we’ve got a flight to catch,” Cole comes over and kisses my lips before stealing the cup from my hand and taking a drink.
“Give that back,” I pout. “What do you mean we’ve got a flight to catch? What about work?”
“Work can wait. Cody can handle everything while we’re gone. I am stealing you away for a long overdue vacation.”
Whoa. This is new. I don’t think Cole has ever taken a vacation in the four years I’ve worked for him. Usually, I would protest something so last minute, but Cole seems determined and besides that, what have I got to lose? Some time away may be good, for bot
h of us.
“Okay. I guess I need to pack a bag then,” I take the last drink of coffee and set the empty cup on the nightstand before crawling out of bed.
“Already packed,” Cole says as he hands me my cell phone. “Call Hunter, then shower. Tell him to email the paperwork, we can look over it while we’re gone or when we get back. And make sure he knows you’ll need those two weeks to tie up loose ends and give your current employer notice,” he winks before disappearing into his walk-in closet.
“How much coffee have you had this morning? Did you eat chocolate for breakfast?” I laugh at his retreating form while dialing Hunter’s number.
The phone call takes less than ten minutes, he says he’ll send everything over to me and we schedule a start date for orientation, two weeks from now. By the time I hang up, Cole is stripping out of his clothes and heading into the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and then he pokes his head out to check on me.
“All good?”
“Yep. All set. He’ll email everything by lunchtime and I’ll meet at their offices on November 26th.”
Cole holds out his hand, “Good. Now, get in here,” he says as I take his hand and he gently pulls me to him. He wastes no time pealing the t-shirt I slept in over my head before carrying me into the shower. “Our flight leaves in three hours, I think that’s just enough time to make you come at least once before we leave.”
“Hmm, I think I like Vacation Cole already,” I mumble against his lips as he wraps my legs around him and slides into my waiting heat.
Epilogue
Cole
Three Years Later
Me: Happy 4th!
I attach a picture of the town’s fireworks display and hit send, knowing it’s still daylight on the west coast. Which means that more than likely I won’t get a response from Molly until later. I’m getting used to it though. It’s not the first holiday we’ve celebrated on opposite coasts.
Things have changed a lot since she took the job with the DEA. For starters, I convinced her to marry me. Knowing all too well the occupation hazards of a job like that, I wanted to be damn sure that if anything ever happened, I would be able to do whatever I needed to do without anyone standing in my way. There was no big fancy wedding. At her request, we flew back to her hometown on the way back from the surprise vacation we took before she started her new job. With her parents, her brother and Cody (who surprised me by flying in, swearing there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d miss my wedding day) by our sides, we went down to the courthouse and tied the knot. Smitty and Cody hosted a surprise reception for us when we got back to town. It was simple and exactly what Molly asked for.
The first year was good. She worked a lot of long hours but was home at night and most weekends. Year two and three, meant more traveling. Lots of days where I buried myself in work to pass the time, and lonely nights where I found myself waiting by the phone like a lovesick puppy for her call. One thing is for certain though, it has made our time together much more valuable.
Her latest assignment took her away three weeks ago and it will be her longest one yet, depending on what happens – details she can’t discuss with me.
That’s how I ended up here, at Logan’s brother, Ryker’s lake house. With Rhys, Smitty and their families, not to mention my little brother and Logan’s family, too. I’ll admit, Logan’s grown on me since Rhys’ wedding three years ago. Hell, the guy even helps out part-time when I need another man at work. It was pretty cool of him to invite us all here. Being surrounded by our friends, and their kids are a welcome distraction from the loneliness that creeps.
“You heard from Molly yet?” Cody asks, chucking another piece of wood in the fire pit.
Smitty ran off before the real fireworks display, and Rhys disappeared with his wife and kids shortly after, leaving Ryker, Logan, Cody, and I out here. Logan’s girlfriend should be showing up any minute now, which means we’ll inevitably lose him too. Not that I blame the guy, I’d be sticking close to Molly too, if she was here. Especially since he’ll be deploying again soon.
“Not yet. I imagine she’s still on the clock for the day.”
As if speaking her name has summoned her up, my cell phone rings in my pocket, Molly’s ringtone blaring.
“Hey, babe.” I smile and stand up from my seat to find some privacy for this call. “Spoke to soon,” I tell Cody over my shoulder.
“Hey, you. How was your day?” She sounds tired on the other end of the line.
“Wasn’t too bad. Set some stuff on fire, watched Logan and Ryker freak out about it. Fun times.” I laugh. “How’s it there?”
“Lonely. I miss you.”
“I miss you too baby. You’ll be home before you know it though,” I assure her though my heart aches.
She’s silent for a second and then I feel a tap on my shoulder. Spinning around, I’m greeted with her gorgeous face.
“Holy shit.” I drop my phone and wrap her in my arms. “What are you doing here? Not that I’m not damn happy to see you.”
She smiles. “I resigned.”
I blink. “You resigned?” I had no clue that she was even thinking about quitting. To my knowledge, she loved every minute of her job. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“It was time for me to come home,” Molly shrugs. “Figured it was time to settle down and raise a family.”
“Raise a...” I pause. Surely, I heard her wrong.
“Looks like we’re going to have a baby after all.” Her smile widens.
“You’re pregnant?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Holy fuck. Our Hail Mary worked. We decided, together, two years ago that we wanted to start a family. We met with specialists and weighed all our options, finally deciding that we’d take the doctor’s advice and try on our own for a little bit first. After all the tests, the doctor felt confident that with Molly being young and healthy not to mention the fact that her ‘bum’ ovary wasn’t as broken as she thought, we might have a chance. When that didn’t work, we opted to try two rounds of intrauterine insemination before moving on to IVF. The last IUI was a week before she left.
I put my hands on her cheeks and kiss her. Then it hits me. “Molllllly.” I eye her suspiciously as I pull back. “How long have you known this? Did you walk out in the middle of a case?”
She giggles and looks down at the ground. “Dr. Rodrik called two weeks after I got to LA. I turned in my resignation the next day.”
This woman.
“So, you’ve known for two weeks?”
“Two long weeks,” she confesses. “I wanted to tell you in person. We knew going into this it may not work, I wasn’t expecting it, but I knew I wanted to tell you face to face.” For a second she has the decency to look remorseful. “Are you mad?”
“Fuck no, I’m not mad.” I swoop her up in my arms and wrap her legs around my waist. “But I am going to give you a reminder of what happens when you decided to keep secrets,” I tease her playfully as I carry her inside Ryker’s house and directly to the bedroom I’m staying in.
God, what this woman does to me. I’m already rock hard behind my shorts, yearning to be buried inside of her. My palms itching to spank her. “I really wish I had something to tie you up with right now,” I moan against her lips.
She responds by wiggling her hips and letting out a hiss. “I wish we were at home right now,” she pants.
“Me too baby, me too.” At home, I’d have all the toys and trinkets she's come to enjoy with me. For now, pinning her to the door with her hands above her head will have to do.
I roll up the skirt she’s wearing and reach underneath with my free hand. “Molly.” I groan, coming in contact with her bare skin.
“I shimmied out of them in the rental car. I wanted to be ready for you.”
“Jesus Christ.” Forget teasing her, I need to be inside her, now. With as much coordination as I can muster, I work my pants down just enough to free my cock and run it between her slick folds as her
head rolls back in pleasure.
“Cole.”
“I’m here,” I tell her before slipping inside of her.
It’s hard and fast, and so much like our first time together, yet so much more.
“I love you,” the words tumble from my lips as I thrust inside of her. “I love you so fucking much, Mol.” A million thoughts rush through my mind as I make love to my wife, to the mother of our unborn child.
“Oh, God. I...I love you too,” she groans when I finally let her hands go and cup her tits in mine. She denotes around me, her head buried in my shoulder as her body trembles from her orgasm.
“Christ, Molly.” I roar, my own release taking hold as I spill inside of her.
When she looks up at me, her eyes glowing and that gorgeous sated smile on her face, my heart swells in my chest. My life has taken on a whole new meaning because of this woman. I never knew when she walked into my life more than seven years ago, that we’d end up here. That she would be the woman who would change me.
Keeping her in my arms, I carry her over to the bed and pull the covers back before laying us both down. Side by side, I look at her and see our future in her eyes. “Thank you. For giving me everything I never knew I wanted.” I tell her as I kiss her cheek. “You, this baby? Neither of you will ever be able to comprehend just how much I love you both.”
Other Books by Aubree Valentine
Too Hot To Handle Series
Hot Cop
Cop Tease
Strip Search
Cop Blocked - Coming October 25 2018!
Come Back to Me Series
Take Back My Heart
Ebook verision is FREE for a limited time!
Come Back to Me
Acknowledgments
I can hardly believe that this is my fifth book. When I started this journey, honestly had no idea where it would lead – or that the desire to write would only grow stronger. Getting to this place doesn’t happen without a whole lot of support.
My husband – I think you are the real Rockstar here. You’ve got the patience of a saint when it comes to handling me on a deadline. Your unwavering support is something I can never thank you enough for.
Strip Search (Too Hot Too Handle, #3) Page 11