8. Colton
Chapter 8
Colton
I made my way across the field that led from the barn where the horses were kept to the house, body sore and covered in sweat. Today was hot, and I was in a bad mood. Again. Things hadn’t gone well with Molly yesterday morning. I reacted badly, but the last thing I expected to see before I had my first cup of coffee was Molly and those spectacular curves encased in the tiniest scraps of fabric possible while still being decent. She was bent in one ungodly position after another.
Ass in the air.
Thighs spread.
Bent like a pretzel.
Tits facing the sky.
My cock stood up and responded instantly, which pissed me off, and instead of taking the matter in hand—literally—I’d gone out there and taken it out on her. Worse than being a lech of a boss who got hard looking at his twenty-year-old nanny do yoga, I made her feel bad, like I thought there was something wrong with the way she looked. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
I bit back a groan as the house came into view. A lone figure knelt in the grass, and I knew I was in for another round of torture. The closer I got, the clearer the view became of Molly on her knees, bent over so her heart-shaped ass wiggled as she yanked weeds free of the long metal flower beds that had been neglected since long before Sara’s death. The more her pregnancy with Hunter had progressed, the more insistent I became that she give up strenuous tasks like gardening.
Seeing Molly there now created a swirl of emotions within me. Seeing someone else tending to the garden was hard, but it felt right. More than anything, it was those pale pink leggings she wore—as if in defiance of me—that clung to her ass in a way that revealed she was wearing no panties.
No. Panties.
“Come on, you little fucker, get out of there,” she growled and pulled, the move making her ass sway and jiggle temptingly. “Gotcha!” She held the weed up like it was a spoil of war, her smile wide as she slammed it into the bucket beside her.
“Poor weeds.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Son of a ding-a-ling,” she sputtered. “You scared me.”
I quirked a brow at her strange curse and smiled. “Son of a ding-a-ling?”
She shrugged, her green gaze blazing with defiance. “Never know when little ears are listening.”
“Come on, little fucker?”
Her cheeks flamed bright pink at the reminder. “That weed was being particularly fucker-like.”
I laughed again and shook my head. Molly was a spitfire. She was fiery and sassy, and I couldn’t get enough of it, especially when combined with her sweet side. “Where’s Hunter?”
That sassy smile turned sweet at the mention of my son. “Poor fella was tuckered out. We spent most of the morning with Peanut Butter, and he made it about five minutes into gardening before he started dozing off. Long story short, he’s napping.”
“Are you sure it’s nothing more?”
She nodded. “I’m certain. I checked for a fever just to be sure, but if you’d seen him today, you would understand. Billy gave him a riding lesson that lasted more than an hour.” She beamed a wide smile at the memory. “And he insisted on teaching me what to do before and after you ride a horse. But he did it all himself.”
“Yeah?” I hated that I was missing so many of the little things, and I wanted to be there with Hunter for them all.
“Yep. He’s strong and capable. He showed me every single step, and I’m sure I could do it on my own if I have to.” Her words were proud, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“I might have to test that out one of these days. You ever ridden a horse before?”
“Nope.” Her stomach growled, and her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “I better finish this up before my stomach stages a mutiny.” Her smile was wide and slightly embarrassed as she turned back to gardening.
I climbed the porch and went into the mudroom, where I toed off my boots and stepped into the kitchen, still thinking about Molly. What in the hell was it about that woman that made her so unforgettable? What pulled me towards her?
Part of it was her forgiving nature. She could’ve given me ten miles of shit for the way I spoke to her yesterday morning, but she hadn’t. Sure, she’d been aloof most of yesterday, but she didn’t appear to hold it against me, and I’ve never met a woman who couldn’t hold a grudge for all of eternity. The other part was her sincerity. Molly’s expressive face gave away every thought and emotion, and as far as I could tell, she didn’t say anything she didn’t mean.
I looked at the spread of sandwiches on the table, and I knew exactly what I could do to apologize because it was the least I could do. I rushed upstairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes because I smelled like all the animals on the ranch, which is to say I stank like hell. Ignoring the visions of Molly in pink leggings and yoga shorts, I rushed through my shower and set up something I knew—I hoped—would impress Molly.
I peeked out at the garden, and my shoulders sank when I realized she wasn’t there. Maybe she didn’t plan to have lunch since Hunter was asleep? I shrugged it off and prepared everything, feeling hopeful that she would make an appearance.
“What’s all this?”
I whirled around with a narrowed gaze. “You move like a ninja.”
She smiled and wiggled her brows. “Surprised a girl my size can move so stealthily?”
I frowned. “Your size?”
She nodded, a glint of a challenge in her gaze.
“Molly, there’s nothing at all wrong with your size, and I’m sorry if I made you think there was. This,” I motioned to the table, “is my attempt at an apology.”
She stepped closer to the table; her fresh-from-the-shower scent invaded my senses. “Are these your cheeses?”
I nodded. “Cinnamon and sandalwood,” came out instead of an answer.
“What?”
“You smell like cinnamon and sandalwood.” The words sounded like an accusation, but in true Molly fashion, she grinned.
“Good nose. It’s a set that my mom bought me when I received my first placement after college.”
It was fucking irresistible, and it made me want to lean forward and take a deep whiff, which would be weird. Possibly creepy. Maybe even illegal. “It’s nice.” Nice and distracting.
“Oh, um, thank you.”
“Have a seat.”
“Bossy,” she grumbled under her breath, but she dropped down in a chair and looked at the platter with wide eyes. “Who knew cowboys could put together a cheese board?”
I shrugged. “Wyatt taught me. Said if I wanted to be in the gourmet business, then I needed to know fancy pants shit.”
She barked out a laugh at that and picked up a cracker. “Okay, tell me what to put on here to maximize the flavors. That’s how this works, right?”
I took the seat beside her and stared at the board, knowing exactly what I wanted her to try first. I plucked the cracker from her hand and set it back on the board before I built a different one and held it up to her lips. “Taste it.”
Heat blazed in her eyes, and she reached for the cracker, groaning when I pulled back and pushed it forward again.
“Taste.”
Molly rolled her eyes as a smile played on her full lips. She leaned forward and grabbed my wrist to stabilize it while she took a bite. “Mmm,” she moaned almost instantly.
The sound went straight to my cock. Or maybe it was the combination of the sound and her scent that had me fighting for control. “Good?”
Green eyes popped open, and she stopped my heart with the smile she laid on me. “Fantastic,” she moaned again and gripped my wrist to take the other half of the cracker stacked with cheese and preserves. “Is that a hint of lavender I taste?”
“Good taste buds,” I answered with a smile, using a variation of her earlier words. “The lemon preserves have a hint of lavender in them to bring out the flowery undertones of the cheese.”
Molly sagged against her chair with a sigh. “That was the best bite of cheese I’ve ever tasted. Not that I’m a cheese aficionado or anything, but that was delicious. Another. Please.”
Next, I gave her a creamy goat cheese with blackberry jam.
“Oh my God, that is heavenly!” Her head fell back, and another moan escaped. “Sweet Lord above, that is incredible.” She took another bite and requested another and then another with a giddy smile, excited to test out any combination I put together for her. “Wow, Colton, you’ve got something really special here,” she said as she put a few sandwiches on a plate and slid it in front of me.
“You think?”
She nodded, her smile still as wide as ever. “I really do. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with cheese, right? But good cheese is a different thing altogether. Rich and creamy, but those subtle flavors make them unforgettable, like something that becomes your favorite and you always have a wheel or a wedge in the fridge. Does that make sense?”
It made perfect sense, and I just stared at her because she got it. Somehow this woman I barely knew understood what I’d been going for with this venture.
“What? Is that ridiculous?” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I just mean that?—”
“No, Molly, it’s not ridiculous. You explained it just right. Better than I could have.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded and smiled. “Hell yeah.”
“Thank you for sharing these with me. That was really sweet and thoughtful.” That soft smile was like a karate kick straight to the chest. How could one woman be so sweet and so forgiving to an asshole like me?
“It was my pleasure.”
With a soft smile, she reached for another slice of cheese; this time, she added it to one of the sandwiches and let out another round of erotic groans with each bite. She enjoyed the process of eating more than anyone I’d ever met, and I, in turn, loved watching her enjoy it.
“I don’t have a problem with your body.” The words tumbled from my mouth before I could think better of revealing the truth to Molly, but she deserved it.
She shook her head. “It’s all right, Colton. I know who I am and what I look like, and I’m okay with it.”
“No, Molly, I’m serious. I, um,” I started and stopped, pinching the bridge of my nose because I wasn’t the man who opened up and talked about his feelings. Why did I need to talk about it when there was nothing that could be done about them? “I think you have a beautiful body.”
She snorted. “Yeah, sure you do.”
“I’m serious. You have the kind of curves that belong in an old Hollywood movie, and the truth is, I think you’re a knockout.”
“Colton,” she growled. “I don’t need you to go this far. I accept your apology, but only if you were apologizing for how you spoke to me. I don’t need you to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, dammit!” I shook my head, inhaling deeply because she wouldn’t believe me if I didn’t lay it all out. “I looked out the window and saw you with your round ass in the air, and my cock hardened. Instantly. Every move made me harder and harder, and all I wanted was to come over there, grip your hips as I slid into your wet pussy, and fuck you until you screamed my name.” I risked a look at Molly, who had wide, disbelieving eyes and a mouth opened in a shocked ‘o.’ “So you see why I reacted the way I did.”
She blinked and then shook her head. “Because you don’t want to want to do those things to me?”
“Hell no, I want it more than I want my next fucking breath. I was pissed because I’m twice your age and I’m your boss.”
“But if you weren’t my boss, you would… you would want me that way?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “You’re killin’ me, Molly.” My cock strained against my zipper, and we were just talking about it. “I want you that way, period. I shouldn’t, but I do.”
Molly stared at me, and then she stood abruptly, putting away the leftover sandwiches and clearing the table in total silence. She was pissed off; I felt it vibrating off her body. I saw it in the way she snatched the plates from the table and shoved them into the dishwasher, the tense set of her jaw.
I’d fucked up, and all I could hope for, because having her was clearly off the table, was that she wouldn’t quit on me and Hunter. My gaze followed her around the kitchen and out, but then she stopped and turned to look at me over her shoulder. “I shouldn’t want you either, Colton. But I do.”
And then she was gone to check on Hunter, and I glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing I needed to get back out to meet Wyatt, which meant I didn’t have time to make her repeat her words. Didn’t have time to sample her sweet and sassy mouth.
I just plain didn’t have time to act on it, but my cock didn’t care. He was hard and aching and thinking about Molly for the rest of the day.