“Make sure you drink enough water first.”
“Yes, Dad!”
“Hey, just looking out for you. I wouldn’t want to have to come down and pull your passed out, naked arse from the bath.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. If you need me, you know where I’ll be.” I grab a glass of wine—and water—and head downstairs.
Thirty minutes later, my glass is empty, and I’m overheating. I wrap myself up in my huge fluffy towel and head into my room.
“Shit!” My heart pounds as I find Ryan sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for me. “Fucking hell, Ry. You could have warned me you’d be there.” I place my hand over my racing heart and take a couple of deep breaths to try to calm it whilst pulling my towel tighter around my body.
I look from him to my bedside table that has my bottle of wine, a can of beer, and a bottle of something I don’t recognise on it. I place my glass next to the wine bottle and pick up the other bottle. Massage oil.
Oh, fuck no. No, no, no.
“Uh, Ry?” I turn back to him with the oil in my hand.
“Molly, don’t look so worried. I’m going to make it better for you. You’ll thank me in the morning,”
I really doubt that. Having Ryan’s hands all over me is going to be torture. I can feel myself getting worked up at the mere thought of it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ry.”
“Oh, shut up. Put a dry towel on the bed, then lie face down on it,” he says, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“I’m not lying naked on my bed for you.”
“Okay, put your pyjama shorts on, but you’ll need to be topless so I can do your back.”
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”
“I’m not making you do anything. If you really don’t want me to, I won’t.”
I stand and look at him as I weigh up my options: get seriously turned on by Ryan, or not be able to move in the morning.
“Right, turn around,” I demand. I grab a pair of knickers and shorts from my drawers and slide them on under my towel. I go into the bathroom to grab a dry towel and do as he says after pouring myself a large glass of wine and taking a massive gulp.
“Okay, ready,” I say, after I’ve made myself as comfortable as possible in this situation. I hear Ryan’s sharp intake of breath as he turns around. I crane my neck to see him but instantly regret it as I his eyes darken, running over my body.
“Ryan, get on with it before I change my mind,” I say, hoping to snap him out of his perusal.
I watch him grab the oil and pour some in his hands before rubbing them together to warm them up. He goes to the bottom of the bed and starts with my left leg.
“Holy fuck,” I moan. “That’s so good.”
“Told you. Now, just relax.”
I try to do just that as he works his way up both of my legs, digging his fingers into my sore muscles, but the higher he gets, the harder it is to relax…and the harder my clit is pounding. I’m trying my best not to make it obvious that I’m turned on, but I’m sure my heavy breathing is a major giveaway. I’m also trying desperately hard not to make any noises, because the couple of times I have, they sounded very suggestive even to my own ears.
“Molly?”
“Uh huh?”
“I just wanted to apologise for acting like a stroppy teenager since I’ve gone back to work. I’ve been stuck in my own head, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…ahh, Ry. I know you’ve been…ahh, busy.” I can’t help the appreciative noises that escape as I speak.
“That wasn’t really what I meant, but thanks.”
I’m just about to ask more, but he moves to my back and totally distracts me.
“Your tattoo is looking good. Does it still hurt?” Ryan asks, running his finger over it.
“No, it’s fine now.”
Jax went with me and held my hand because it hurt like a bitch, but now the scabs have cleared and the slight swelling and pinkness has gone, I’m really pleased with it. The artist Jax suggested was pure genius; it looks better than I ever could have imagined.
I hadn’t told Ryan I was getting it done, and we hadn’t spoken about it since the night he found Jax and I planning it and he flew off the handle. When he eventually appeared after work that evening, he found me sitting at the coffee table, leaning over my sketchpad, doing some work. I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t hear him come into the room until he cleared his throat. I looked up at him to see him staring back with desire in his eyes.
“Is everything okay, Ry?” I asked suspiciously.
“I…um…yeah. Molly?”
“Yeah?”
“You need to go and put some more clothes on.”
It was only then that I looked down at myself and realised the way I was leaning over the coffee table in my loose top meant that Ryan could practically see everything. Suddenly, the look in his eyes made more sense to me. I put my pencil down and pulled my top up as I stood.
“I had my tattoo done today,” I said, pulling up the bottom of my top to show him the giant plaster. “I can’t have anything rub against it for a few days.” He swallowed hard as he looked at my side.
“Right, but you can wear something bigger than that, right? You can have one of my t-shirts, if you want.”
“No, it’s okay.”
I went to leave the room to change, but not before I caught Ryan adjusting himself as he walked into the kitchen. Even after weeks of barely talking, the effect we have on each other is still the same.
I’m brought back from my daydream with a gasp as Ryan’s fingers gently brush the sides of my breasts.
“Sorry,” he mutters behind me.
He’s sitting across the backs of my thighs, and I can feel the unmistakable shape of his erection pressing into my arse. I really need to put a stop to this, but it feels so good.
“Ry?”
“Yeah?” God, his voice sounds so sexy when he’s turned on. It gets gravelly and even deeper than normal.
“I think I’m done,” I say regretfully.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay, I just think it’s time to stop.”
“Let me just finish your shoulders.”
“Okay.”
I lay my head back down and let him continue. After a couple of minutes, I feel his hands come to a stop, but they rest on my lower back as he sits back on his heels and lets out a huge sigh.
Lifting myself up slightly, I turn my head to look at him. His eyes are shut and his head’s tipped back towards the ceiling.
“Ry,” I whisper. This brings his head down and his eyes open, making me gasp. They’re so dark, they’re almost black.
After staring at me for a couple of seconds, he moves to get off me. I shift slightly to my other side, and the first thing I see is the huge bulge in his jeans. My mouth waters instantly. How easy would it be to reach out to him? He’s only a foot away from me. I raise my eyes until I meet his, and I watch as he runs them over my half-naked body once more before he announces he’s going for a shower.
“I’ve probably used all the hot water.”
“I won’t need any,” he says over his shoulder.
Ryan
I let the cold water run over me, but it does very little to calm me down. The last hour has been both heaven and hell mixed into one. Having my hands all over Molly is something I’ve dreamt about for so long now, but the reality of it was so much better than I could have ever imagined. Her skin is silky soft and perfect. I love every mole and freckle that I committed to memory during her massage, but having her laid half-naked under me, so close yet so far away at the same time, was pure torture. All I wanted to do was flip her over and kiss her as if my life depended on it.
I’ve missed her so much over the last few weeks, and I know it’s my own fault. I distanced myself from her after the night she stayed at Adam’s. I just couldn’t take it, watching her get close to him and the
ir relationship develop. She’s still seeing him, but she hasn’t stayed out all night since.
I’ve been seeing Holly regularly, but only as friends. Neither of us is interested in anything happening. I’m sure Molly thinks we’re dating, and I know I should have said something to correct her, but I just can’t bring myself to do it when I know she’s seeing Adam.
I take my painfully hard dick in my hand and start stroking it up and down. With thoughts of a half-naked Molly under me and the noises she was making ringing in my ears, it’s not long before I feel the familiar warming sensation in my lower back before my balls draw up to my body and my dick twitches in my hand as I come. The relief is welcome, but it only takes the edge off. What I really need is Molly.
“I was just going to come and wake you. I’ve made breakfast,” Molly says as I enter the living area the next morning.
I take in what she’s wearing. My life is a little easier now that it’s colder. Gone are the little shorts and vest tops in favour of jeans, long sleeved t-shirts, and jumpers. She still looks hot as fuck, though. This morning, she’s wearing baggy jeans and a white, long sleeved t-shirt. It’s simple but sexy. Her curves are more toned since she’s been going to the dance classes, making my hands itch to touch her again. I shove them in my pockets to stop them moving of their own accord.
“How are you feeling?”
“Great—only a little sore. You’ve got magic fingers.”
“You have no idea what I can do with these,” I say suggestively, pulling my hands back out and wiggling my fingers at her. I watch her cheeks redden before she turns her attention back to the breakfast.
We spend the day together like we used to. Last night might have been all kinds of painful, but it seems we’ve had a breakthrough in our relationship, and we’re almost back to normal. When I say normal, I don’t mean pre-Molly-moving-in platonic friends. I mean post-Molly-moving-in, awkward and full of sexual tension and chemistry. Every time we touch, tingles shoot through my body. Every time she’s close and I smell her, my dick twitches. Every time I look at her, I have an internal fight not to reach out and touch her.
Next Saturday is Shane and Chris’ stag do, so we spend the day out shopping, trying to decide what the hell we wear to a ‘pimps and hos’ party. Normally, I hate shopping with women, but today is a different story. Molly’s been trying on teeny tiny, slutty outfits. I tried to convince her she needed photographic evidence of each so she could make an informed decision but, for some reason, she didn’t want me taking photos. Every time she came out of the dressing room, my dick got a little harder. She went through the entire range of outfits: schoolgirl, French maid, nurse, police officer, soldier. You name it, she tried it on. I was in my fucking element.
I knew my favourite as soon as she came out in it, but I refused to tell her which one it was. She reckons she could tell by my reaction, but is refusing to tell me which one she chose. She made me leave the shop before she bought it. I’m not sure if it will be a good thing or not if she gets the right one. Yes, she will look sexy as hell, and I’ll enjoy it immensely, but she’s going to the damn party with Adam, so it won’t be me who gets to have my hands all over her. It’s going to be a torturous night no matter what she’s picked.
After getting a lot of stick from Molly for copping out, I decide to just wear my suit with a tank top under it. She did convince me to buy some ghastly chain to wear around my neck, and some god-awful, shiny shoes. God, this party’s going to suck. I’ve got to dress like a dick while she walks around like sex on legs.
Once we have everything we need, we head to the supermarket. Molly insisted on cooking a meal for us, so I’m just letting her get on with it while I push the trolley around behind her, trying not to just stare at her arse.
We have a really good night together, chatting and laughing like we used to. It was almost like the last few weeks of awkwardness never happened. Molly talks about work and how busy they are. She tries to tell me about Jax and Abbi, but I put my fingers in my ears and make her stop. I’m still not totally sure about Jax, but I’ve come to realise over the past few weeks that he’s a really good guy, and I think my problem with him is that I’m jealous of how much time he spends with Molly and how well they get on. If anything good can come out of him and my sister, it’s that I know he isn’t after Molly, which was my initial concern about him. She only ever has good stuff to say about him, so I think I just need to get over myself and be nice.
Once we’ve eaten, we sit and watch a couple of films together. It doesn’t escape my notice that the whole evening, Molly has tried to keep a bit of distance between us. She doesn’t come and sit next to me like she used to. Whenever she needs something in the kitchen, she won’t lean around me and just grab it; she asks me to move or get it for her. I’m undecided whether her keeping space between us is a good thing or not, but I guess she doesn’t want a repeat of last night. As the credits roll up on the second film, Molly announces she’s off to bed.
“I’ve got loads of marking to do tomorrow, so you probably won’t see much of me,” I say.
“Okay, I’ve got Jax coming over to work on something, anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night.” She leans over and kisses my cheek.
“Goodnight, gorgeous.” I don’t know where it comes from, but I feel as shocked as Molly looks.
I wait for her to leave before tidying up and heading up to bed myself. I can’t help but look to the other half of my bed and wish that she were there, not downstairs in her own.
Chapter Twenty
Molly
I quickly check my phone as I sit on the edge of the bed and notice a message from Emma. I still haven’t heard from her since my birthday. I’ve been to two more Morrison Sunday dinners, but she didn’t come to either. Ryan keeps asking if I’ve heard from her like he knows something I don’t, but every time I question him, he just shrugs and passes it off.
Emma: I’m sorry I haven’t been around, but I’m ready to talk if you are.
I just stare at my phone in shock.
Molly: I can only do Thursday night, unless you just want to pop into the office when you’re free?
Emma: I’ll meet you in our usual seat at 5. See you there.
What’s she going to say? Come to think of it, what I am going to say to her? I’d be lying if I told her nothing has happened, or that I hadn’t thought about something happening with Ryan. I have loved every minute of today with him, spending time together like we used to. I’m starting to wonder if maybe us giving something a go wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I mean, I pushed so hard for us to just be friends that I basically lost him for the last few weeks. What if we were always meant to be together? Everything happens for a reason, right?
I wake up the next morning to my phone ringing. Picking it up, I see Jax’s face smiling back at me.
“Morning,” I croak out.
“Okay, that answers my question. I was going to see if you were up and wanted me already?”
I quickly glance at the time. “Jax, it’s seven-thirty on a Sunday morning. Why on earth would you think I’d be up? And why are you up, for that matter?”
“Uh…I’m…sortofabitnervous,” he says, so fast I almost miss it.
“Hang on—confident and cocky Jackson Parker is so nervous about posing for me that he couldn’t sleep?”
“Don’t rub it in or I’ll cancel and you’ll have to find some other mug to get naked.”
“Fine, yeah, sorry. Well, I’m awake now if you want to head over. I’ll get the garden set up.”
“The garden?” he asks nervously. “It’s freezing outside. You cannot be serious?” I can’t help but laugh.
“You’ll be on my bed, don’t worry. Hey, I’ll even put the heating up for you. Don’t want you getting cold while you’re naked!”
“Molly, I’m warning you.”
“Sorry, you’re just making it too easy. Get your arse over here now. I’ll be ready.”
I can’t help but smile to mysel
f as I hang up the phone.
Dragging my sleepy body from bed, I get myself dressed and ready for the day. I go for comfortable and grab a pair of lounge trousers and a tank top. I’ve just told Jax I’ll put the heating up, and I don’t want to melt. I pull my hair on top of my head in a messy bun and leave my face clear of make-up. I make my bed and grab the silk fabric I bought for this. I wanted something soft and feminine to contradict Jax’s bad boy looks. I’ve cut a bit off the end so I can drape it over him to cover him up. Then, I shove some cushions under the fabric to give it some definition. I can scrunch it up where it’s needed once he arrives and gets in place.
I’m just coming back down the stairs with a tray filled with tea, coffee, and pastries when I hear a quiet knock on the door.
When I open it, I’m shocked by what I see. Jax is standing there, looking back at me, but his face is a little green. He has his hands twisting around each other in front of him, and his foot is bouncing on the ground.
I open the door wider for him to enter before closing it behind him. He turns to look at me with the same scared, deer-in-headlights look. I move over to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“Jax, don’t look so scared. It’s only me.” I rub my hands up and down his back in comfort.
“I know, I just can’t stop the nerves. I feel like I’m going to be sick.”
“Yeah, you kind of look it. Come on, I’ve made coffee and breakfast. We don’t have to get started straight away. Let’s chill for a bit first.”
“Yeah, sure…okay.”
I grab his hand and pull him into my room. He sits on the side of the bed and sips his coffee. I can see how tense he is, but I don’t really know what to do to help him other than get started so he can see it’s really not that scary.
Falling For Ryan: Part One Page 18