Chapter 22
22
A dinner at Little Brown Barn had been Jake’s mother’s idea. Her sister, Elaine, was in town for a few days with her husband, Bruce, and Jake’s younger cousins, Chloe and Rachel, so a family meal seemed the best way for everyone to catch up.
Soft piano music played in the background as the server escorted them to their table. Illuminated by a low-hanging pendant, dimmed for both aesthetics and functionality, the setting rivaled any Jake had seen in Europe.
After chatting with the girls for several minutes, Jake looked over to a long table of around twenty people that flanked the deck and the river beyond. He recognized Mitch Harrington from Lime Tree Hill first, then Luka O’Leary, a local search and rescue pilot who was married to Molly’s cousin CeCe. And as he ran his gaze along the table, there, at the head, sat Molly.
With her hair swept up off her nape and that raspberry-red lipstick on those kissable lips, this Molly was an intensified version of stunning. Jake recalled the after-party at Petrie Park, when his fascination with her first escalated. Lying in bed that night after she dropped him off, he knew that one day soon, they’d cross the line he’d initially determined not to cross.
Now, he could think of little else.
Molly offered the suggestion of a smile, as if they’d shared a playful private joke, then turned her attention to an older woman seated on her right.
Throughout the meal, Jake—thankful his mother sat with her back to Molly’s table—struggled to hold his attention where it should be. He loved Elaine and her family, but with his parents now divorced and Jesse gone, some days, he just didn’t have the mental capacity for family gatherings.
After the mains, Jake shifted his attention to Molly’s table again, and for a moment, he longed to join them. To be a part of the world she’d created for herself here, where life was still a daring adventure to enjoy. It reminded him of his weekends in Paris, when he and his friends would party until sunrise, then stagger home for a couple of hours’ sleep before work on Monday morning.
And as he reminisced about it now, he realized how much he missed that part of his old life.
Jake excused himself for the restroom and pulled his phone from his pocket while waiting for a vacant stall. But as his fingers hovered over the screen, words failed him. How could he tell Molly he’d been thinking about her—wanting her—for weeks? That the very sight of her stirred a longing so deep it overwhelmed him?
He inhaled sharply, knowing that if she agreed to his request, there’d be no going back.
Jake: I’d like to see you later. I’ll leave a light on.
He pressed send before he had the chance to change his mind. Later, as he washed his hands, a rowdy rendition of “Happy Birthday” echoed along the short corridor.
“…dear Molly .”
It was her birthday, and he’d had no idea.
As the clock struck midnight, Jake drew back his bedroom curtains a fraction, then slipped into bed. He’d received no reply to his suggestive text, but it was her birthday—she’d probably still be out, dancing at some club with her friends, giving no thought to him and the kiss they’d shared. The kiss that had hovered in his head ever since.
Restless, Jake lay on his back in the darkness, watching a Starlink satellite move across the bay as he rehashed his brief conversation with his mother after Molly left the patisserie. It wasn’t in her nature to be confrontational, especially not aggressively so, but despite his efforts to convince her otherwise, she’d failed to see things from his perspective. In the end, she’d left in a huff, and apart from participating in the family conversation at the restaurant that evening, Jake had barely spoken to her since.
He was about to head downstairs for a glass of water when a car pulled up in his driveway below. Jake jumped out of bed and tugged on his boxers, and as he hurried toward the front door, his doorbell sounded over a strong gust of wind rustling through the silk trees on the neighboring property.
Neither of them said a word as he stepped back and motioned for Molly to enter. They both knew why she’d come, not only because he’d extended an invitation but also because, despite any loyalty to Jesse, the pull of their mutual attraction carried her to this very spot. She slipped off her coat and handed it to him, the sight and scent of her heightening his senses to the point where he couldn’t wait to hold her… to lose himself in her grace.
And as she followed him deeper into the house, the terms were clear. She’d come at his request, perhaps with some hesitation, but she’d still made that choice, and Jake was so pleased that she had.
Molly stood at the end of the kitchen island, the tightness of her ribbed sweater unforgiving. She wasn’t wearing a bra, something he’d failed to notice at the restaurant, and as he asked her if she’d like a drink, Jake couldn’t help but wonder if she wore any panties underneath that gold pleated skirt.
“Just water, thanks.”
“Water?”
She smiled at him, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Yes. A large glass… for beside the bed.”
There was something about the way she let her desire for him shine. It started with the kiss they’d shared at her door—that unbearably tender pairing where, for a moment, the world around them ceased to exist. And now here she was, with what seemed to be no regrets or embarrassment, and he couldn’t recall the last time a woman had stirred such a heady sense of excitement deep within him.
Jake filled a glass from the fridge filter and handed it to her before pouring one for himself. “Happy Birthday, by the way. I wish I’d known sooner. I would have got you something.”
“Thank you.” She bit her lower lip, her expression playful. “But isn’t that why I’m here? To unwrap my present?”
What? Jake set his glass of water on the counter. He’d never seen this reckless side of Molly, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her—so damn sexy in the muted light of the room that he could hardly think straight.
She stared back before shifting her gaze to the sliding doors leading onto the deck. “It’s raining.”
He hadn’t noticed. In fact, since Molly walked through the door, he hadn’t noticed anything but her.
She dropped her bag on the floor. “Before we go any further, I have rules.”
“Do you, now?” Jake smiled at this different side of her personality that, if he hadn’t plucked up the courage to invite her over, he might never have had the opportunity to witness. And his invitation had required courage. He’d always been reserved around women he was attracted to, although thankfully, that reservation had lessened over the years.
“You sound surprised.”
“Not at all. It’s the way it should be.”
She hesitated. “What’s about to happen has to be safe, respectful, and tender.”
Jake wondered if she’d had a negative sexual experience in the past, but he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, they were both mature adults, and he respected her for setting boundaries. “Absolutely.”
“And private.”
He stepped forward, cupped her face in one hand, and brushed his lips across hers. “I’m good with private.”
Molly lifted her glass between them and took a sip. “I get thirsty when I’m nervous.”
“You never have to be nervous with me.”