by Lynn LaFleur
She turned and looped her arms around his neck. “Why should I settle for a quickie when I can have hours with you at my house?”
“Because quickies are fun. And ye know I’ll make it good fer ye.”
“I do know that. You always make lovemaking good for me. But Shawna will be back soon from her break. I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to catch us in the storeroom. Plus other customers could walk in at any time.”
“Yer determined to spoil me fun.”
“I’ll make it up to you later.”
Her kiss promised many delights once they were alone again. Llyr slid his hands down to her bottom and held it while he brushed his hardening cock across her stomach. With a simple snap of his fingers, he could have both of them nude and be buried inside her.
There were many advantages to being a god of the sea.
The soft tinkle of the bell over the door announced more customers. Reluctantly, he released Ashlyn and took a step back. It pleased him to see the desire in her eyes. She always wanted him as much as he wanted her. Even after five centuries, their desire hadn’t cooled one degree.
Unable to resist teasing her, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “I can see yer nipples.”
“Stop it.” A becoming blush filled her cheeks as she adjusted her sweater. “I’d better see to my customers.”
“Aye.” He looked past Ashlyn to gaze at the three women who had entered the store. “I recognize the blonde and the black-haired woman.”
“That’s Marci and Twyla. They’ve become two of my best customers.”
“I donna recognize the redhead.”
“Neither do I.” Ashlyn tilted her head and studied the young woman. “She’s been hurt recently. She needs something new to cheer her up.”
“Work yer magic, darlin’. I know ye can help her.”
She touched his cheek and gave him a tender smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Ashlyn approached the three women in the Green section. The closer she got to the redhead, the more she could feel her pain. A man had hurt her, yet she also sensed a touch of excitement beneath the pain. Perhaps she’d met someone new, but wasn’t sure how the relationship would progress.
She needed something to make her feel desirable and feminine. Ashlyn knew exactly what to recommend.
She stepped up behind the women in time to hear Marci say, “You should’ve seen him, Twyla. Very hot.”
The redhead’s cheeks turned pink. “Hey, knock off the teasing.”
“No way,” Marci said, grinning. “It’s payback for when you teased me about Keefe.”
“Do you think he’ll be back tomorrow morning?” Twyla asked.
“I bet he will. He looked at Molly as if he wanted to start nibbling on her toes and work his way up her body.”
“Hello, ladies,” Ashlyn said.
Marci turned toward Ashlyn, a pale sage thong in her hand. “Hi, Ashlyn. Twyla and I brought you a new customer. This is Molly.”
Ashlyn faced the redhead. Here, close to her, the excitement was stronger than the pain. “Hi, Molly. Is there something in particular you want?”
She shrugged. “Not really. I’ve heard wonderful things about your store. Ashlyn and Twyla decided it was time for me to see it.”
“And her sister works here,” Twyla said.
“Shawna is your sister?” Ashlyn asked.
Molly nodded.
“She’s a great worker. I’m very lucky to have her. She’s on a break now, but should be back soon.”
“Molly needs something hot and sexy.” Marci grinned. “There is a major stud lusting after her.”
Molly’s blush deepened. “Will you knock it off?”
Marci winked at Ashlyn. “Twyla and I have tried to tell Molly how attractive she is, but she won’t believe us.”
“Hey, I have perfect vision. I know I’m not beautiful like you and Twyla.”
Ashlyn didn’t want to ever hear a woman put down her looks. “A woman doesn’t have to be beautiful to be attractive, Molly. The most attractive feature a woman can have is confidence in herself. I’ll bet you have a lot of that.”
“Not so much lately,” she muttered.
Molly’s answer came out soft and low, but Ashlyn heard her perfectly. “There’s a new man in your life interested in you, right?”
“Well, kind of. I mean, I met him this morning and he seemed…interested.”
Marci released a sound that was part laugh, part snort. “He was drooling.”
“Man, I wish I hadn’t been late,” Twyla said. “I would’ve loved to see that.”
Ashlyn chuckled. The three women were obviously good friends to tease so much. “Do you have a date with him, Molly?”
“No. Not yet. He gave me his phone number and asked me to call him.”
“Then you need to be ready.” She openly studied Molly’s body. “No thongs for you. You prefer hipsters or boyshorts.”
“How do you know that?” Molly asked, her eyes wide.
“Maybe a bra with a bit of padding,” Ashlyn continued, ignoring Molly’s question. “Not too much. I have some similar to the one you’re wearing now.”
Molly’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that too?”
Ashlyn caught Marci and Twyla smiling at each other before Marci looked back at Molly. “Don’t ask Ashlyn how she knows. She just does.”
“Now for color.” Ashlyn gazed at Molly’s face and hair. “You have incredible red hair. Poppy would look wonderful on you. Or rust. Or olive, to match your eyes.”
“Olive?” Molly asked, her nose scrunched in distaste.
Ashlyn laughed. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“You actually have lingerie in all those colors?”
“Of course. Shall I pick out some pieces and take them to a dressing room for you?”
“Go ahead, Molly,” Twyla said. “Marci and I are going to look around a while.”
Ashlyn watched Molly bite her lower lip. She could tell the young redhead wasn’t sure about buying something so out of character for her. “Let me bring you a few pieces. You’re under no obligation to buy anything. But trying on sexy lingerie always makes a woman feel good.”
“Amen to that,” Marci said.
Molly hesitated for several moments before she said a soft, “Okay.”
Molly stripped down to her bra, panties and socks in the dressing room. She didn’t know why she was doing this. She wasn’t going to buy anything today. She had no reason to buy anything. She doubted if she’d ever see Julian again.
She stood before the three-paned mirror. The socks looked ridiculous, but her feet were always cold. She let her gaze slowly travel up her body. She’d always been slim, no matter what she ate. Shawna hated that. She dieted and exercised all the time to keep the shape she wanted. At least Shawna had boobs. Her sister felt no embarrassment at all to walk around the apartment naked. Molly had seen Shawna’s body many times and longed for the full, round breasts and curvy hips her sister possessed.
Longing wouldn’t accomplish anything. Molly had to make the most of what Mother Nature had given her, or hadn’t given her. The lightly padded bra helped. She didn’t know what to do for her nonexistent hips and butt.
“Molly?” Ashlyn said through the louvered door. “May I come in?”
“Sure.”
Ashlyn entered the dressing room with lingerie overflowing her arms. Molly saw hues from pale to dark. “Wow. You do have every color.”
“Almost.” She laid her load on the built-in bench and began sorting it into piles. “I brought bras, hipsters, boyshorts and camisoles in earth tone colors. Those will go best with your complexion and hair.” Ashlyn straightened and smiled. “If you think of anything else you’d like to try on or need any help, press that purple button by the mirror and I’ll come back.”
“Thanks.”
Once Ashlyn left, Molly looked through the four piles of lingerie. She hadn’t told Ashlyn any of her sizes, yet eve
rything was exactly the right size. The woman was either psychic or very good at her job.
Molly had never worn a camisole, or at least didn’t remember wearing one. She lifted an olive green one, almost the exact color of her eyes. It had small spaghetti straps and ivory lace along the bodice and hem. She held it up to her chest and looked in the mirror. Her eyes seemed to pick up the color, turning deeper and more vibrant. Molly had always shied away from olive, thinking it a dull color. There was nothing dull about the way it made her eyes shine.
She hadn’t expected to buy anything. It would be silly to spend money at Lavender Lace when she had an employee’s discount at Nordstrom.
Nordstrom didn’t carry an olive camisole that made the color of her eyes pop.
“Okay, this one goes in the I’ll-think-about-buying stack.”
The door opened and Shawna breezed in, a huge smile on her face. “Hey, sis! About time you showed up here.”
Shawna never knocked at home, so Molly wasn’t surprised at her unannounced entrance into the dressing room. “Marci and Twyla dragged me here.”
“I spoke to them in the store. They’re such nice ladies.”
“You know them?”
“Sure. I’ve waited on them a few times.” She glanced at the camisole Molly still held in front of her. “Oooh, I like that! Great color for you. Did Ashlyn pick it out?”
Molly nodded and gestured toward the four piles of lingerie. “She brought all that in for me to try on.”
Shawna rifled through the piles. “All colors that will be wonderful on you. Doesn’t she carry the most gorgeous stuff? I love working here.” She bobbled her eyebrows. “And it’s really nice to look at Llyr all day.”
“Who—or what—is a Llyr?”
“Ashlyn’s lover. Didn’t you see him in the store?”
Molly shook her head.
“You’ll see him when you check out. He usually runs the register.” Shawna fanned her face with both hands. “H-O-T. Long black hair, blue eyes, incredible body. Ashlyn is one lucky lady to have him in her bed.” Shawna pushed the piles closer together and sat at the end of the bench. “Speaking of beds, any word from Brandon?”
“No, and I don’t expect to hear from him. He’s history.”
Sympathy filled her sister’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Molly. I know you really liked him.”
Molly selected a lacy bra the color of oatmeal from the pile and a matching pair of hipsters. “I only knew him a couple of weeks. It’s no big deal.”
“It is a big deal. He shouldn’t have treated you that way.”
“It’s done. Let’s not talk about him any more.” After slipping on the hipsters, Molly fastened the bra and adjusted it until it was comfortable, then faced Shawna. “What do you think?”
Shawn grinned. “I think you look hot.”
“You’re my sister. You’re supposed to give me compliments.”
“I’m serious. You always wear boring white underwear. That color looks great on you.” She dug through the pile until she located a bra and boyshorts in a deep rust. “Try these on.”
“You realize it’s crazy for me to try on all this stuff. I can’t afford to buy everything I like.”
Shawna tapped one finger against her lips. “I get a thirty percent discount. I’ll buy whatever you want and you can pay me back.”
“That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Ashlyn will still make a profit.”
“No, Shawna. I won’t do that. If I want something, I’ll buy it myself.” She looked in the mirror after donning the new lingerie set. Her skin almost glowed next to the rust color. “Wow. This set is gorgeous.”
“You should wear that beneath a red sweater and dark brown pants. You’d be striking. But take off the white socks first,” Shawna said with amusement in her voice.
“Ha ha.”
“Molly?” Marci called out.
Molly cracked the dressing room door enough to stick her head out. “Here.”
Smiling, Marci walked toward her. “How are you doing?”
Shawna had raved about the bra and boyshorts set, but she was always complimentary to Molly. A second opinion would be helpful for Molly to decide whether spending money on fancy lingerie would be worth it. She opened the door wider. “What do you think?”
Marci stepped into the dressing room doorway while Molly turned in a slow circle. “I think…” Marci’s smile widened. “You look amazing.”
“Really?”
“That is a great color for you. If I tried to wear rust, I’d look dead.”
“Me too,” Twyla said. She rested her head on Marci’s shoulder and peeked inside the room. “Look at you! The major stud doesn’t stand a chance.”
Molly would swear she blushed from her head to her toes. She wasn’t used to so much flattery at one time.
“I’d better get back to work,” Shawna said as she stood. “Go crazy and get lots of pretty stuff, sis. That’s what credit cards are for.”
Marci stepped aside so Shawna could exit. “Take your time, Molly. Twyla and I are still trying to decide if we should buy everything we want now, or drop serious hints to our guys for Christmas presents.”
Alone again, Molly slipped out of the rust set and tried on a lacy bra and hipsters in teal green. The bra barely covered her nipples, yet pushed her breasts in and up to make them appear fuller. She loved the color against her skin as much as she had the other sets she’d tried on.
The longer she looked at herself in the striking color, the more she liked it. She always dressed nicely for her job at Nordstrom, but usually stuck to less vivid colors in hopes of disguising her red hair. Maybe it was time to be more daring.
Molly fingered a long curl that lay on her shoulder. Her hair was so curly and frizzy, she usually pulled it back with barrettes and let it do whatever it wanted to. Maybe it was time to change that too. Shawna usually trimmed the ends for her when Molly thought it was time. It’d been a long time since she’d had a professional haircut.
She wondered what Julian would think when he saw her with a different haircut and dressed in clothes of more striking colors.
Thinking of the handsome hunk slowly taking off her clothes to find her sexy underwear sent a sizzle down her spine and to her clit. The fiasco with Brandon had trampled on her self-confidence and left her wondering if another man would ever be attracted to her. She knew better, thanks to Julian.
She had tomorrow off. As soon as she left Jennie’s Java in the morning, she would hit the malls for a long overdue shopping trip.
“Molly, you still okay?” Ashlyn asked through the door.
Molly smiled at her reflection. “I’m great.”
Chapter Three
Julian glanced at his watch again. 7:25. Molly was late. She’d been late Tuesday morning, but only by a few minutes. He hadn’t been here at Jennie’s Java yesterday since he’d spent the night with his parents in Bremerton, but he’d arrived right when the doors opened at seven this morning, hoping to see her before her two friends arrived.
None of the three women was here. Julian sipped his coffee and stared at the table next to his where they should be sitting. Maybe with Thanksgiving only a week away, the ladies had taken some time off from work for early Christmas shopping.
Or maybe Molly had decided she didn’t want to see him again. She hadn’t called him. He kept checking his cell phone while he was visiting his parents to make sure it still worked. No calls, other than one from his sister reminding him to drop by her house before he left town.
He thought Molly would be here today. He would’ve sworn he saw the same awareness in her eyes that he felt the first time he saw her.
The door opened. Julian quickly glanced that direction to see an attractive redhead in a brown trench coat enter the coffee shop. A second, longer look and his stomach jumped. It was Molly, appearing a lot different than she had the other times he’d seen her.
She met his gaze and gave him a small smile. Julian stood as she walked
toward him. Her hair was still curly, but barely brushed her shoulders now instead of hanging halfway to her breasts. It looked soft and shiny. Julian imagined running his fingers into the mane while he kissed her again and again and again.
“Hi,” she said once she reached his table.
“Good morning.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. My sister and I stayed up watching a movie last night, so it was hard for me to get up this morning.”
“No problem.” Julian gestured to her usual table. “Would you rather sit there?”
Molly nodded. “I’m a creature of habit.”
So was he. Julian suspected he and Molly had a lot more in common than being creatures of habit. “Are your friends coming?”
“They’ll be here later. Marci usually gets here about seven forty-five and Twyla about eight.”
He smiled. That meant he’d have some time alone with her. “Tall latte and muffin of the day, right?”
“Right.” She reached into the tan and brown tote she carried and withdrew a large white mug. “I drink my coffee in this. It saves wasting a paper cup every day.”
“Very smart. Maybe I should buy one of these, if I keep coming in here every morning.”
“Do you plan to do that?”
“Yes, as long as you’re here.”
Her smile lit up her eyes. Julian pulled out the chair so she could sit. He couldn’t resist fingering a silky curl by her ear after he’d pushed her chair up to the table. “Be right back.”
“Wait. Let me give you some money—”
“I got it. You can buy next time.”
She smiled again. “Okay.”
Julian glanced at Molly over his shoulder once he’d placed their order. She removed her coat and let it fall to the chair behind her. She wore a red sweater almost the same color as her hair. He liked the way the sweater flowed over her small breasts. He’d been with large-breasted women, but would rather hold all of a woman’s breast at once while he sucked on her nipple.
The barista set Molly’s mug on the counter, drawing Julian from his fantasy. That was good, since he didn’t want a full-fledged hard-on in Jennie’s Java.
She smiled her thanks when he set her coffee on the table. He returned a moment later with their muffins. “Apple walnut today.”