She pulled away from him, horrified and unable to respond. For a long moment, she simply stared at him. Finally, she was able to respond with a resounding, “No!”
But James wasn’t deterred and his hands were faster. Reaching out, his hands grabbed her hips and pulled Molly right where he wanted her. “Tell me yes, and I’ll give you everything.” He moved lower, kissing his way down over her stomach.
“No! James, I’m not…” She gasped when his mouth latched onto that overly sensitive nub, sucking hard. For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe, desperate for that release. But he stopped again, lifting his head with a smirk and she almost kicked him.
“That’s not fair!” she protested, trying to crawl away from him.
His laugh was deep and sexy and merciless. “You’re right. So give me what I want and I’ll give you what you want.”
“No! I can’t…!”
He didn’t wait this time. His mouth latched on, but he added his fingers to the mix, teasing her from the inside and outside. Molly screamed, her body writhing with desperate need. But he pulled away just before she could crash over, his hand smoothing over her stomach gently, soothing her.
“Tell me what I want to hear, Molly,” he whispered, moving his mouth back, flicking his tongue over that nub. Molly could barely whimper now, so enthralled and out of control, she could only nod helplessly.
“Is that a yes?”
She sobbed again, her hands sliding down her body to give herself some relief. But he grabbed her wrists. “Yes!” she cried out. “Yes, fine! Just…finish this!”
He laughed, but this time his mouth moved over her nub and his fingers slid inside. And he didn’t stop. This time, James used his magic tongue and fingers until she screamed her release, her nails clawing at him as he held her still against his tongue until the shivers died away. Only then did he don a condom and slide into her heat, bringing her to another climax as he thrust into her slowly, powerfully.
After he found his own release, he pulled her into his arms and laughed with relief. “You’re going to marry me soon, right?” he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Molly might have nodded. He walked to the bathroom and she heard the water running, but Molly didn’t move. She stayed on the bed exactly as he’d left her until he came back, and draped her over his chest. And that’s where she slept until, a few hours later, he kissed her awake and started the whole thing over again.
Chapter 10
The following morning, the harsh ring of her cell phone interrupted a very nice dream in which James was touching her in the naughtiest places.
As she pushed her hair out of her eyes, Molly looked around, trying to orient herself. Finally, she found her phone on the floor next to her purse. Apparently, she’d dumped the entire contents of her purse onto the floor when James had pulled her into his arms.
“Hello?’ she whispered, glancing behind her to find James still asleep. He looked almost innocent, she thought. His long, dark lashes laid against his tanned skin, his handsome features relaxed in sleep. Goodness, he was a fine-looking man, she thought, not for the first time.
“Molly!” the caller on the other end snapped at her.
Molly turned her attention back to the phone. “Yes?” she rasped, then cleared her throat.
“It’s Louise. You need to get down here. There are reporters all over the place!”
Molly sat up, forgetting for the moment about James sleeping behind her…and taking up most of the bed!
“Reporters?” she parroted. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” Louise whispered back. “Maybe because you’ve been photographed repeatedly on the arm of that handsome man that toured the facilities a while ago?” she offered. “Your picture is all over the news again this morning!”
Molly pushed at her hair again, trying to make sense of her friend’s words. “But…how could they have known about James visiting the Center?”
Louise chuckled. “Apparently, his first visit was to ask for your endorsement. At least, that’s what the reporters are saying. They want to know if it’s true, that you’re going to endorse James.”
Molly heard Louise, but her words still didn’t make sense. Her endorsement? She glanced behind her once again, noting that James was still so asleep that he hadn’t even moved. An endorsement…she wasn’t someone voters would care about. So…why? Turning away from him, she sighed heavily. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she told Louise.
Molly rushed into the shower, her mind racing. James wanted her endorsement? Why would he need her endorsement? For his campaign? No, that didn’t make any sense. Surely Louise had misunderstood the reporters’ comments.
When she stepped out of the shower, Molly breathed a sigh of relief to find that James was still fast asleep, although he’d rolled over slightly. His hand stretched out across the sheets, as if he were looking for her. That mollified her slightly, but…was she misinterpreting the situation?
She grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a tee shirt out of her drawer and some underwear, socks and her shoes, then tiptoed out of the bedroom. Why was it so important to not wake him up? Why didn’t she simply ask him to explain?
As she finished dressing and pulled her damp hair up into a band, keeping all of it off of her face, Molly worried about what was happening at the center. Louise’s words kept flipping through her mind. Endorsement. Reporters. Marriage. No, she had to stop thinking about that last one! She might have said yes last night, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t marry James! The thought terrified her on so many levels!
Grabbing her keys, she walked out, closing the door quietly behind her so that James could continue sleeping. Or was her stealthy departure a way to avoid the dangerous morning-after conversations? Her embarrassment over how uninhibited she’d become last night?
She came out of the apartment complex and hurried down the street. Her feet slowed when she spotted the crowd of news vans parked around the community center. Some of them were blocking traffic and…even as the thought crossed her mind, a police car pulled up, parking at an angle with his lights on. She watched as Joe, the officer that worked this neighborhood in the mornings, called out to several of the news vans, ordering them to park in the parking lot, which…wow! The parking lot was filled to capacity!
Molly pulled her cell phone out, glancing at the time. It was only seven in the morning! What in the world was going on?
Pushing herself to walk faster, she arrived at the Center and looked around for Louise, spotting her just inside the door. The elderly woman was waving, indicating that Molly should hurry inside. Molly ducked her head and jogged to the side door, needing information before the mobs descended upon her.
Louise had the door open so that Molly could quickly slip inside, and locked it behind them. They rushed deeper into the building before the reporters spotted her.
“What’s going on?” Molly asked, ignoring the dizzying scents of baking bread. Louise and Nora had been hard at work, apparently.
“I’m not completely sure,” Louise replied, as she led Molly over to the computer room. She pressed several buttons, and a picture popped up onto the screen. “But I suspect it has something to do with this picture.”
Molly slowly sank into the chair in front of the computer monitor, staring at a picture of herself and James from a gala a few nights ago. It was on the front page of the society pages with the title, “Is our Next Senator Smitten?”. James had his arm wrapped around her and Molly was laughing at whatever James had said to her. His head was lowered at an intimate angle and he was looking down at her with obvious desire in his eyes. The way his shoulders were angled slightly, plus her hand centered on his chest, indicated that they were having a very private conversation. Molly gulped, remembering his comments as they’d left the gala.
Goodness, was that what she’d looked like? No wonder they’d fallen into bed that night! She’d seen pictures of couples, celebrities or political figures, in the pa
st. And they’d all had the same look.
“I didn’t know reporters were at that event,” she whispered through numb lips, feeling as if a very private moment had been invaded. It left her feeling violated and…angry! Almost betrayed in an odd sort of way. And yet, did she have a right to those feelings? She was dating…maybe engaged…to a public figure.
Suddenly, her anger dissipated as the reality of the situation hit her. Why wouldn’t there be reporters at an event like this one? Several very important guests and leaders of industry had been in attendance. “I guess it was pretty stupid of me to think that we were alone, wasn’t it?” she sighed, glancing up at Louise.
The kind, elderly woman shook her head as she sat down in the chair next to Molly. “No, dear. It wasn’t stupid. This picture doesn’t capture the essence of who you are. It wasn’t an invasion of you,” she asserted firmly. “That picture simply captured a moment in time. No one heard the conversation. They don’t know what happened before that picture was taken or what came after. They see that moment and that’s it. The rest of that evening is private, between only the two of you.”
Molly looked back at the pictures. Louise was right. That person, the woman in that picture, wasn’t the person she normally was. She was a jeans wearing, tee shirt loving, fun woman who loved to play with the kids. She organized activities and ensured that the residents of this neighborhood were happy and healthy.
The woman in that picture…she was stunning and sophisticated. She was a seductress who tempted a man who seemed larger than life.
That woman was a stranger, she thought.
Feeling better now, she inhaled deeply and flipped the screen so that the image was no longer staring at her. “Okay, you’re right. So, why are all of these reporters hanging around here?”
Louise laughed, shaking her head slightly. “As I mentioned earlier, some of them have asked if you were going to endorse James Morgan. They are wondering if you’re endorsing his campaign.”
Molly blinked, shaking her head in confusion. Endorsement seemed like such a strange word. “Why would James need my endorsement?”
Louise straightened in her chair, smiling gently at Molly. “You’re a big deal in this neighborhood, Molly,” she explained with pride. “You’ve changed things. The people around here respect you. They look to you for guidance on a lot of issues, including school and summer activities.” Her shoulder lifted slightly. “Apparently, you carry a great deal of influence on how people vote.”
She blinked at Louise, stunned. “They…care about how I vote?” she clarified hesitantly.
“Absolutely,” Louise confirmed. “You have a huge amount of influence in this area. You’re a local celebrity to everyone in this neighborhood.”
“Huh!” Molly replied, still shaking her head. “I didn’t realize that.”
James rolled over, reaching for Molly. But the sheets were cold. Opening his eyes, James looked around, wanting to drag Molly back to bed. His body remembered the way she’d writhed under him last night and he wanted another taste of her delectable body. Or maybe they could rush out and get a ring, he thought, remembering her agreement to marry him last night. Yeah, that sounded like a better plan.
But… where was Molly? Obviously, not in bed. She wasn’t in the shower either. Judging by the silence in the apartment, Molly wasn’t there at all.
“What the hell?!” he growled, pushing the sheets back. He walked through the apartment, completely unconcerned with his naked state in his determination to find Molly. Surely she hadn’t left already.
His cell phone rang and he turned, glaring at it. Instinctively, he knew that it wasn’t Molly. Glancing at the caller identification, he realized that it was Bryan, who probably wanted to talk about a campaign issue. James didn’t want to deal with campaign problems right now. He wanted to find Molly and figure out why she’d left without even waking him!
Just like last night, he sensed that there was a problem. Was Molly hurt? But why? Had he said or done something last night that upset her?
No, he didn’t think so. She’d curled up in his arms last night, sleeping soundly in his arms. He remembered waking up several times during the night to find her cheek resting on his shoulder or his chest, her legs tangled with his. Even now, thinking about how beautiful she’d looked, his arms ached to hold her again, to press her against him.
“Where the hell are you?” he muttered to the absent Molly as he reached for his cell phone. “What?” he snapped at Bryan.
“There’s a problem at the Community Center,” his campaign manager stated without any sort of greeting.
Instantly, James’ stomach tightened. “Is Molly okay? Is she hurt?” he demanded, searching for his clothes. He grabbed his pants, muttering a few expletives when he couldn’t pull them on with one hand.
“Molly is fine,” Bryan confirmed. “She’s inside, but there are about a dozen reporters surrounding the building. They smell fresh meat and are trying to get a story about the two of you.”
James froze, sifting through what his manager had just said. “How the hell do they know about…?” James stopped speaking as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “All of the pictures of the two of us,” he sighed. “Someone finally realized that I’m serious about her, didn’t they?”
Bryan laughed, but there wasn’t a great deal of humor in his words. “Nailed it. I just sent you a link to one of the articles. The picture is pretty good,” he continued. “But the expression between the two of you looks a bit…cozy, which is why the reporters are salivating, hoping for a juicy, secret romance. How soon can you get down here?”
“I’m actually two blocks from the center,” James admitted.
There was a long silence. Then Brian muttered a curse. “You spent the night with her?”
“None of your business,” James snapped furiously.
Brian laughed harshly. “Actually, it is my business, James, since I’m in charge of your campaign. Please tell me that you have something different to wear than what you had on last night!”
James glanced down at the jeans that he was just zipping up.
“No. I’m still…”
“Don’t leave!” Bryan interrupted. “I’m heading to your place. Call your housekeeper and tell her to bring you fresh clothes. I’ll be there in…hell, I don’t know!” he sighed. “Just don’t let the reporters see you in last night’s clothing. You will slaughter Molly’s reputation. You know how vicious the press can get.” He sighed and James could picture his friend and manager running a hand through his hair. “I’ll be there soon. I’ll also send someone to Molly to explain how to handle this so that the center is protected.”
“And Molly,” James asserted firmly. “Make sure that Molly is protected!”
“Will do. Molly doesn’t deserve this kind of hell.”
They ended the call and James paced the small confines of Molly’s apartment until he heard someone knock on the door.
Pulling it open, he found his assistant, Deni. She was in her forties, brilliant at organizing all of the details of the campaign and didn’t take crap from anyone.
“Need a change of clothes?” she asked with a smile, lifting the wardrobe bag slightly.
James grabbed the bag. “Thank you!” he called out as he hustled into the bedroom to change. He wanted to rush over and help Molly handle the reporters. He knew that she would be in hell if those reporters started asking invasive questions about their relationship. She wouldn’t know how to handle it. She’d probably look startled at their invasive questions, and her open, honest expressions would give the whole game away.
“You know, you don’t need to rush, James,” Deni called out.
James ignored his assistant, who was flipping through his schedule on her ever-present tablet. The woman always lugged that damn thing around. He might have complained about the irritating device, but it had saved him too many times. The woman was a total control freak, but he adored her.
“You’re my
savior!” he muttered, pulling her into a hug, which he knew would irritate her. He laughed when she pretended to sputter in indignation. “Come on, Deni. We have a lady to protect!”
He knew that Deni was right behind him and he gritted his teeth as he slowed his pace to match her shorter stride. But when he saw his sleek sedan parked and waiting, he hurried over to the driver’s side. “Toss me the keys,” he said, turning to find that the keys were already flying towards him. He shot her a look, which Deni completely ignored, since she was flipping through pages on her tablet.
“You could have hit me,” he grumbled.
“Nah. You have good reflexes. Tightly honed from belligerent juries and all that football you used to play.”
James noted that she didn’t even look up as she said that. When he started the car, she began her summary of the various news articles speculating about his romantic interest in Molly.
“They should just keep their noses out of Molly’s business,” he grumbled, driving the two blocks to the community center. He pulled into the parking lot, which was packed, forcing him to park behind two of the news vans. “Why didn’t she just wait for me this morning?”
Deni stepped out of the sedan, typing away on her damn tablet. “Because she’s an intelligent, independent woman who doesn’t wait around for a man to take care of her?” she suggested sarcastically.
James didn’t reply, assuming that Deni was simply unaware of how vicious some reporters could be. “They must all be inside,” he assumed, looking around and noticing that there weren’t any reporters banging on the center doors, trying to get inside. The center didn’t normally open this early during the weekend summer months, although it would be open pretty early during the school year in order to take in the school kids. The center supervised the elementary school age kids before the school bus arrived during the weekday mornings, allowing the parents to drop off their kids and get into work early.
“They are,” Deni muttered, putting a hand on his arm, stopping his forward momentum. “Watch,” she ordered, shoving the damn tablet in front of his nose.
Breathless Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 3) Page 10