9. Molly
Chapter 9
Molly
W as there anything better than getting lost in an exciting romance novel? To my mind, no. Curling up in the plush bed provided by Colton while I lost myself in the world of two lovers reunited after a decade apart was just the thing I needed after a long day exploring the world through the eyes of a precocious five-year-old boy, not to mention the weirdness that happened with his father during lunch.
Reading romance novels in my pajamas was the one constant that had remained, no matter where I was in the world. Whether a dorm room or a room designated for the help, this was something I always allowed myself. It was familiar, comfortable, and made each place I stayed feel like home.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I ignored it in favor of the unfolding love story. The phone buzzed again, and I picked it up without thinking; a small part of me hoped it was Colton looking to finish our earlier conversation. But my hopes were dashed soon enough because it wasn’t Colton but the one man I never wanted to see or hear from again.
Travis.
You are mine, Molly. No matter how far you run, I will find you and show you that we belong together. Forever.
I dropped the phone quickly, like it had shocked me. Travis was becoming more unhinged by the day, and there was nothing I could do to change that. His threats grew more intense with every message.
You can’t hide from me.
After reading those messages, there was no way I could focus on my book or sleep. Travis was threatening to come after me, and the fear I felt was real even though I knew there was no way he knew where I was. Still, his threats were terrifying, and my hands trembled so badly I could hardly hold my e-reader.
It was late, after midnight, and I knew that staying up any longer would impact me tomorrow. Hunter was an early riser, which meant I was too, but that didn’t stop me from leaving my bedroom in search of a late-night snack that would both calm my nerves and distract me. I was in desperate need of chocolate, and nothing else would make me feel better.
Okay, the truth was that there was something else—or rather someone else—who could make me feel better, but that wasn’t an option. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Colton since he admitted that he wanted me. Sure, he said it was a bad idea, but he also wanted me so badly that it made him act out. A week had passed since his admission as well as my own, and my heart raced; my body quivered as I thought about that day and the way he fed me and watched my mouth like he was thinking about me doing dirty things with that mouth. Things I didn’t know how to do but was desperate to learn. The heat in his gaze as he watched me. All of it was an endless fantasy that played on repeat in my mind.
I crept down the stairs on bare feet until I was inside the kitchen, searching for the chocolate Amelia had hidden behind the oatmeal because Hunter loathed the stuff and wouldn’t go anywhere near the individual packages. I just needed a quick chocolate fix, and then I would go to bed, all thoughts of Travis banished and all thoughts of Colton helping me fall asleep.
I stepped inside the pantry like a thief in the night, closing the door behind me as I went in search of the box of oatmeal packets that hid exactly what I was after. Behind the box with the smiling Quaker on it, I found a bag of chocolate-covered peanut butter cups and groaned. “My favorite.” I didn’t know how Amelia knew, but the woman was a saint, and I would fight anyone who said otherwise. “Oh. My. God.” The chocolate hit my tongue and melted slowly, pulling a low groan out of me. It was just what I needed to get my mind off, well, everything.
The chocolate hit the spot, but it also enhanced the fantasies I’d been having about Colton. There was something about the combination of peanut butter and chocolate that shook my body with pleasure, and my mind filled with images of Colton, his mouth on my breasts, his broad shoulders pushing my thighs apart as his warm breath made me pulse. “Fuck,” I groaned and stepped out of the closet with my chocolate haul.
A lone, giant figure hovered just in front of the doorway, and I screamed until a large hand covered my mouth. “It’s me, Colton, Molly. Calm down.”
I smacked his strong, broad chest and waited for my heart rate to settle. “Why are you skulking around the house in the middle of the night?”
His lips pulled into a playful smile. “It’s my house. And I wasn’t skulking; I was just trying to see what all the noise was coming from the pantry.”
I smiled and held up the bag of chocolate. “Chocolate. Want some?”
“I do,” he said, his voice dark and deep and so damn tempting I felt it zipping through my body like a pinball. Colton hooked his arms around my waist and pulled me up against his chest so that I felt the rapid beating of his heart, and then his mouth crashed down on mine. The kiss was hot and intense, going from zero to ten thousand in one swipe of his tongue across the seam of my mouth. Back and forth, his tongue teased me until I vibrated with need. It was electric. It was fiery. It was, simply put, the best damn kiss of my life, and I gripped his biceps, hanging on because I thought I might float away as he pleasured my mouth with his.
I shook with need as his hands molded my curves reverently, as if I were the most beautiful, most desirable woman he’d ever come across. We kissed for an eternity, and when the need for oxygen became too much, I pulled back, shocked that I was in his arms with my legs wrapped around his narrow waist. “How did this happen?” I was breathless, and the vision of Colton’s smile stole the rest of my breath.
“Magic,” he answered with a crooked smile and a shrug.
“No kidding,” I agreed and leaned forward to kiss him again, simply because I could. Because I had to. Colton kissed me back hard and fast, pulling me closer so that the only thing I could feel was the long, thick length of him pressed between my thighs. “Yes!” The kiss was too much, but it still wasn’t enough, and my body ached for him. “You are a really good kisser.”
His lips tugged into a smile at my words. “I can’t wait to kiss you everywhere. I’ve been thinking about tasting you all week.”
“Yes, please,” I moaned and tightened my legs at his side, effectively pulling him—and his erection—closer. I wasn’t even sure that I would like to be tasted everywhere , but I wanted it. No one had ever done it to me before, but I had a feeling I would love it if that person was Colton.
“Molly,” he moaned, his grip on my ass tightened.
“Colton,” I whispered, but the word was drowned out by the loud, furious knock on the back door. We both froze at first, and then reality settled in. It had to be important if someone was knocking this time of night. “You should probably get that.”
“Yeah,” he said absently, his gaze still hyper-fixed on my mouth. His jaw clenched when I slid down his body, not stopping until my feet hit the floor. “Right.” He blinked a few times and took a step back until the fog of lust cleared. “I’ll, uh, get that.”
I smiled, a swell of pride at knowing that I was the reason he was so out of sorts. My gaze stayed on his wide back and tight ass as he walked to the back door and yanked it open with enough force to pull it off the hinges. “Wyatt.”
“Sorry to bother you so late, but a couple of the goats got tangled up in the south fence, and it looks mighty fucking suspicious.”
Colton nodded and spared a quick glance for me before turning back to Wyatt. “Let’s go.” His gaze fell to me once again, and I made a shooing motion, because I knew just how important the animals were to him. They weren’t just business; they were his family business, his life, and his legacy for his son. “Later,” he mouthed and shut the door behind him.
My body shivered at that erotic promise, and I took my snack upstairs, where my fingers found their way between my wet folds and thoughts of a certain hazel-eyed rancher played in my mind until my orgasm hit.
And it was his taste, his touch on my mind as I drifted off to sleep.