Chapter Four
Rhett
Molly is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I’m not saying that like some bullshit throwaway because half a bottle of vodka is clouding my vision.
I mean it. I’ve always meant it. I’ve always thought it.
She’s tall and curvy with wide hips, thick thighs, and these pink pouty lips that’ve been screaming for attention since long before I should’ve noticed. Usually, her blonde hair lays carefully on the tops of her shoulders, though right now it’s a wild mess with strands flying in every direction as she leans back on the sofa and tips the bottle of vodka up for the millionth time.
“Ya know, what does anyone want with a relationship anyway?” She sits up and dries vodka off her face with the back of her sleeve. Why is this sloppy untamed version of her somehow more attractive? “I mean, even if a relationship is good, no one really wants what another person wants for eternity. That, and people change.” Her words are slurred but her smile is beaming. “What the world needs is harems. Harems of like-minded people who want to fuck all day and cuddle all night.”
“A harem? Like a vampire harem?” I laugh. “Yeah, that would be a fucking mess. One man should never have that many women. It’s asking for trouble.”
“No.” She laughs and spills to the side, letting the strap of her bra fall with her. “No. One woman with a load of dudes.”
I can’t help but smile. “That’s not a harem.”
“It’s a reverse harem. Look it up.”
“Is this a book concept?” Maverick chimes in before pulling back a drag of beer. “My baby sister loves reading that shit.”
“Oh, it’s not shit,” Molly announces as she sits up straight and runs her fingers back through her hair. “It’s this perfect place where no one man is responsible for every need a woman has. Instead, they all have their strengths, and she’s always satisfied.”
I wrinkle my brows and lean back in the recliner by the fireplace. “Sounds great for her.”
“Them too,” she calls back, her voice perking. “They get to do all their man stuff together and she takes care of all of them. They’re like one big happy family.”
“Until jealousy sets in.” Maverick laughs and heads to the kitchen for another beer. “I’m sure the sex is fun, but the logistics probably aren’t that smooth.”
Molly shakes her head back and forth quickly, then takes another sip of her vodka. “I mean sure, the books have a lot of sex, and the sex does seem good, but what the concept is really about… is family. You get these guys who have a brotherhood and this woman who binds them all together. They have kids and it’s a whole thing.”
“Where does she sleep?” I love seeing Molly so free with herself. It’s been a long while since she’s been able to let loose. “I can’t imagine all these people sleep in the same dog pile.”
“No, they don’t. Well… sometimes they do. Like if they’ve had a particularly rowdy night they might, but typically everyone has their own room, and the guys take turns sleeping with her.”
“I’d miss that,” Maverick groans and pushes the sleeves up on his shirt. The man looks great in that worn Carhartt shirt. “That’s the best part of a relationship, crawling into bed at the end of the night together.”
“There was this one book I read where the guys staggered their bedtimes so she could lay with each of them before she went to bed.”
“Not the same,” Maverick groans. “I want to fall asleep with my girl’s cold ass feet on the back of my legs, then fight her for the covers all night long.”
I laugh. “Well, you’re the only one. I love a good cuddle from time to time but I’ve never been big on bed sharing. I don’t get it. Everyone needs a good night’s sleep, and most people sleep better alone.”
Molly rolls her eyes. “How very… practical . You’d definitely be the brooding type in a harem.”
“Is that bad?”
Her head shakes back and forth. “He’s the doer. The responsible one who gets shit done when you need it done, but he’s not all that emotional about it.”
My chest fills with pride at the title. “He sounds smart and useful.”
She grins. “He is. He makes all her dreams come true.”
“And in return, she gives him endless blowjobs?” I laugh. I’ve never said anything so risqué around Molly before, and I feel a little guilty about it. She’s my buddy’s little sister and I’m supposed to be looking out for her, not talking about blowjobs and harems.
It might be time I put this bottle down.
Molly laughs. “Yeah, something like that. The rest of the guys too.”
“So, hypothetically, who’s in your dream harem?” My heart thumps hard. I don’t know why I asked. I don’t want to know the answer. The last thing I need to hear about is all the men she’s into.
“You mean real people?”
“As opposed to fake ones?” Why do you keep saying dumb shit, man? I take another swig of liquor then glance at her sweet brown eyes, wondering if we should all lay off on the alcohol.
“No. I was thinking you wanted celebrity names, but I don’t really watch much TV, so I wouldn’t be able to give you much to go off of.”
“So, real people then.” My stomach tightens as I tip back more medicine. I have a feeling I’m going to need it. I know Molly is off limits, but in my head, she’s always been the one. The one that made sense over everyone else. The one that life just clicked with. The one that I fantasize about. The one I compare every single fucking woman I meet to.
Shit! Why the fuck do I do this to myself? I’ve decided dozens of times I would stop. It does no fucking good to obsess over something I can never have. Still though, every night I go to bed, and though we’ve never laid next to each other, never spent the night together, I feel her.
She sucks in a deep breath and tilts her head to the side. “Okay… well… there’s Holden. He’s the big, tall, nerdy type, but he’s got this gentle daddy vibe thing goin’ on. It’s like when we’re together, I know his purpose is to care for me.”
I refrain from gasping in horror and making vomiting noises like an eight-year-old. It’s a real effort considering how drunk I am. “He’s your therapist,” I snap. “Of course he cares for you. You’re paying him.”
“No, it’s more than that. He’s soft and kind, and I don’t know… it’s a fantasy.” She laughs and swigs down another sip of the clear liquid. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. You’re on the list. I was saving you for last.”
“I’m on the list?” My brows raise and my cock thumps at my zipper. “I didn’t think that was an option.”
“Are you kidding? You’ve known me my entire life, and like I said earlier… you get shit done. I like that no nonsense kind of living. I’ve never questioned things with you.” She leans back on the couch and lets out the softest whine. “I’ve had too much to drink.”
“Who’s the third?” I don’t know why I need to know. The therapist thing already pissed me off. I’m not sure how the hell I’ll look at Holden now knowing she wants him.
“I don’t know,” she grins, “but your friend Maverick here is pretty hot. I bet we could make pretty babies.” She stands and flips her hair back, then walks toward Maverick who’s just minding his business flipping through an old junk trader magazine on the opposite side of the small living room. “Would you like to join my harem, Maverick?”
He glances toward me with wide eyes as she straddles his lap and hooks her hands around the back of his neck. If she knew Maverick’s story, I’m not sure she’d be so free right now. Then again, maybe she would be. The second bottle of vodka was probably a bad idea.
Also, why is seeing her on his lap turning me on? Maybe it’s the voyeuristic aspect. I’d probably be turned on watching her climb just about anything.
Maverick glances toward Molly. “You are just as beautiful in person.”
She smiles and leans into his neck, saying playfully, “In person?”
Something that feels like rage boils up inside of me as I stand from the recliner and pull Molly up off Maverick’s lap. It’s a quick motion, and before I fully comprehend what I’m doing, I have her round ass hauled up over my shoulder.
He glares up at me and shrugs, but I see the hard cock pressing into his jeans.
Jesus!
“Come on, trouble. You’ve had enough for the night.” I carry her down the hall toward the spare bedroom in the back end of the cabin. It’s a room I added on when I first got out here. For me, it’s fine, but with Molly here, I see every detail of imperfection that needs to be fixed. The molding is slightly off the floor on one edge, there’s a spot of paint missing on the wall above the headboard, and I could’ve been more generous with the light fixture update. I grabbed this one for free from a buddy who was tearing his old cabin apart for a remodel. At the time, the yellowing globe fixture seemed like a good deal. Now, it’s embarrassing.
Molly wiggles against my frame and I smell her arousal. Fuck! That was Maverick getting her all turned up. What the hell?
I kick open the bedroom door and put her on the bed, watching a cheshire grin lift up onto her drunk face. “Quit smiling.”
Her smile grows wider, and I realize with the amount she’s had to drink, she probably won’t notice the light fixtures or the paint on the wall. Not tonight, anyway. “You’re jealous.”
“No,” I scoff. “I’m worried about you. You just left your boyfriend of forever, and you’re drunk. I didn’t want you to do something you’d regret.”
She rolls her eyes and stands from the bed, landing her soft little hand on my chest. “Oh, come on. You know I’d checked out of that relationship with Tyler years ago. I’m not drunk because I’m sad about him.”
“Really? Then why are you drunk?” I push her hair back away from her shoulders, smoothing down the strands as she talks. This is the closest we’ve ever been, well… aside from me hauling her up over my shoulder a second ago.
“I think it’s a mourning of the life I wanted versus the life I was living, ya know? But something shifted immediately when I left.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
She smiles wide. “I started believing in fairytales again.”
“You stopped?”
She nods and leans back, brushing her hand back through her messy hair. “Yeah. I started to think that love was a lie.”
I hate what that bastard did to her. He took her light, then hurt her for not shining. “Love exists, trouble. Trust me.”
She bites back a grin. “How do you know? Are you in love?”
“No,” I say quickly… like it’s the truth.
“Well,” her head tilts to the side, “whoever falls in love with you is lucky.” She runs a single finger up the inside of my thigh. “You’re everything.”
“Everything?” Jesus, we’re both fucking drunk. Nothing good can come of an intimate conversation and her hand on my thigh. I need to stop this, but she’s already noticed how hard I am.
“Yeah,” she draws circles on my cock through my jeans, “you’re protective, and smart, and you don’t think ‘ being a man’ means you’re aggressive for aggression’s sake. You think it means leadership and guidance.” Her gaze never leaves mine. “I like that.”
“Your bar is too low. That shit doesn’t make me everything . It makes me human.”
“See,” she brushes her hand against my thigh, “you’re even humble. You’re the kind of guy that only looks down on someone if he’s helping them up. I bet you’d love the hell out of a woman.”
Fuck… I really shouldn’t have carried her back here. I’m not nearly sober enough for this. “You’re pretty great yourself.”
“Yeah?” She grins playfully. “I’m not so sure of that.”
“Well, that’s because the asshole was only passionate with you when he was telling you how you were fucking up his life.” I brush my hand down her face gently. “With a man who genuinely loves you, you’d know how beautiful and cherished you truly are.”
This is so fucking wrong. My heart aches, my cock is hard, and all I want to do is reach out and pull her close, slide inside of her, and forget there are any obstacles in our way.
Her big, doe eyes meet mine, and with a single, soft breathed whisper she says, “Touch me.”
My cock twitches at my zipper again, and she notices right away. Her hand rubs over the hard bulge in my jeans, and though I know I should stop her, I don’t. I let her touch me. I let her run her hands all over me. I let her drag the zipper down and unbuckle my belt. I let my jeans fall to the floor, and I let her soft lips kiss the tip of my cock like the repercussions of these actions are void.
Truthfully, I’m not sure if I’m drunk enough to blame this on the alcohol, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.