Chapter 6
Molly
Walking over and giving him a kiss will either be the best or worst decision of the night.
It'll either end sweet, or dirty, and we've promised to try and keep the dirty to a minimum.
But that doesn't keep me from going over to where he sits.
When I get close enough, he stands up, and gets rid of the chair, then takes me into his arms.
God, they are becoming my favorite place to be.
They're warm, and safe, and everything I've longed for since I realized what adults can be to each other.
He stands to his full height, which is over a head taller than me.
My forehead comes up to his collar bone.
When he dips his chin into his chest my heart speeds up.
His eyes are hooded as he looks down at me.
Mine flutter closed as he moves one hand up to my waist, the other into my hair.
"Don't let it get outta hand, Molly. We promised." His voice is low and the tone is teasing, like he expects this to get steamy quick.
Licking my lips, I lift my eyes. "I won't, but you gotta promise too."
He chuckles deep in his throat. "We'll see."
Tilting my face up to him, I let his mouth take mine.
And take it he does. With authority, his lips cover mine, and our tongues tangle.
Reaching down, with his hand around my waist, he palms my ass and lifts me so that my legs go around his waist. Now he's just showing off, lifting me one handed, but damn if its not hot as fuck.
He tugs slightly with the fist in my hair, and then nips at my mouth as he breaks off the kiss.
"The cornbread should be done in a few minutes," I whisper.
"Yeah." He licks his lips. "We promised we wouldn't let it get out of hand."
That we did, and I know that if we keep going much longer, we'll do what we said we wouldn't. So I reluctantly unhook my legs from around his waist and put my feet on the floor. Turning toward the stove, the timer goes off, and I reach in to grab the chicken and the cornbread.
"Oh shit," Dakota says as he comes over, and looks at the top of the stove. "Did you make green beans?"
"Yeah, and I put a little bacon grease in them."
"Oh my God, I'm so excited for this meal."
"Me too," I admit, reaching over and grabbing two plates.
A few minutes later we're at the table, and digging in. Dakota groans as he eats a bite of the green beans, and I'm pleased with it. "Babe, this shit is so fuckin' good."
He doesn't call me babe very often, and it always makes my heart trip slightly. "Thanks. I love doing things for people. Acts of service is definitely my love language."
"That probably has to do with you being a labor and delivery nurse. I've always wondered why you didn't decide to be an ER nurse."
This is a question not many people have asked me.
So it takes me a moment to get my thoughts together.
"I did some work in the ER, I did a few rounds in the ICU, just to see what I wanted to do.
Once you get your RN, you decide your specialty.
I was happy doing all of them, to be honest. But once I got to Labor and Delivery, it was like everything clicked and I loved all of it.
Seeing the mothers have kids, and then seeing those babies spend their first few hours in the world?
In a world where things don't make a lot of sense, that does.
" I stop for a second and take a drink. "There are some moments that break my heart, but for the most part?
I get a smile put on my face every day, and I get to help people out in some of their most vulnerable moments. "
His eyes meet mine. "You can tell that you love it. The way you light up when you talk about it is something that everyone should have when they talk about their job."
"You love yours too?" I question. "Levi hardly ever talks about it."
"Yeah, I can't imagine doing anything else.
It was rough to get through the academy, and there had to be a few concessions for my dyslexia.
I hated that." He shakes his head as he takes a bite of his cornbread.
"Didn't want to be treated differently than anyone else.
I felt like I'd been doing that my entire life.
Here, in this job, for the most part, I can be exactly who I am, and it doesn't have to take into account my learning disability.
The only time I've had to deal with it was during the academy, and I love that I'm an equal when I'm out there on the street. "
Playing with my chicken, I ask him one of the questions I wish I could ask Levi, but he's never been open to me doing so. "Have you seen anything you haven't been able to forget yet? Have you two been in a dangerous situation that you weren't sure you could get out of yet?"
For a minute I'm not sure whether or not he'll answer me, and that's fair.
I don't like to tell people when I've had rough days at my job either.
"There haven't been a lot of times I've been scared.
Fish and Wildlife isn't as dangerous as other divisions, but I'll say I was scared when we went undercover.
I know Levi was too. Magnolia Grace's husband was dangerous and if he'd figured out who we were, we would've been in some real trouble.
" He takes a drink from his cup. "That's the most scared I've ever been. "
"Levi didn't say much about it, and I know mom and dad didn't ask him a whole lot.
Especially after he got shot. We were just so happy that he'd survived and pulled through so none of us had questioned it.
" I stop for a second, and gather my thoughts.
"It was easier, especially growing up, not to think about what my dad and grandfather were doing for a job.
" There's a comfortable silence that stretches between us, and I watch as he shovels food into his mouth like he's starving.
"You know, if you're ever hungry, you can come over and I'll feed you. "
A smile spreads across his face. "You don't know how often I might take you up on that."
Warmth spreads through my chest. "I'd love for you to."
Together we finish dinner, and then share a piece of the apple pie that Dakota brought. "Wanna watch some TV for a little while?" He asks. "That's something we've never done before."
Swallowing roughly, I give him a smile. "I'd love that."
And we head to the living room, taking a seat on my couch as he flips through the channels looking for something for us to watch.