Chapter 16

So very not the way he’d seen this morning going.

Sean ran his hands over the worn boards of the picnic table, focusing hard on keeping them from balling into fists and harder still on keeping his fucking mouth shut.

“But seriously, Sean, you have to know somebody. Just think about it,” Sarah charged, giving Sean the serious face she used with him across the conference table at work. The one that said she meant business.

The one he didn’t like very much right now, at least not in the context of her applying it to finding his girlfriend a date. Even if said girlfriend would probably flip out that he was trying to label her already, but whether she was ready to admit it or not, that’s what she was. And thinking of her wearing his label was about the only thing keeping a smile on his face as Sarah kicked off her latest crusade.

“Maybe you ought to slow down here, Sarah. I know you mean well, but have you even talked to Molly about this yet?”

Molly was still asleep, and after the way he’d kept her up, the poor girl needed her rest. Especially since he had every intention of doing the same tonight. Hell, every night for as long as she’d let him. But that said, it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to have her out there fending the girls off on her own.

Emily sat down on the opposite bench, swinging her long legs beneath the table and then scooting over to make room for Jase, who was carrying her coffee, since she had a spiral notebook and pen in hand.

“We talked to her last night,” Emily interjected, flipping the notebook open and scribbling across the top. “She was into it.”

She most definitely was not into it.

What she had been into? His mouth between her legs until she’d come not once but twice. That she’d been into.

This business with Sarah and Emily—Jesus, the two of them together?—working to find her a date? Not a fucking chance. She’d probably been trying to put them off, figuring they’d forget about it by the next day. But obviously, not so much.

The rapid-fire clacking of Emily’s pen against the top of the page labeled WHAT DOES MOLLY WANT set his stomach on edge. Emily looked intense, focused.

“Jase, you and Sean have known her the longest. You’ve seen what kind of guys she goes for. Tell me about the last three.”

Sarah shook her head. “Let’s make it five.”

The girls looked to Jase, and Jase looked to Sean, a sorry sort of helplessness in his eyes. “Five?”

Dollars to doughnuts, the guy had nothing. “Well, there was that guy…that time. You know, the hair guy,” Jase said, waving his hands around his head as if he was giving them anything to go on.

And sure, Sean knew exactly who he was talking about. Hair guy also went by Eric, a clerk at a local skate shop. She’d gone out with him a couple of times but hadn’t been that into him.

Emily was staring at Jase, an expectant look in her eyes. When he didn’t go on, she blew out a frustrated breath and waved her hand. “And? What did she like about him? Why did she go out with him? What set him apart from the guys she didn’t go out with?”

Jase blinked and again looked to Sean.

He felt bad enough that he was lying to his friends about what was going on with Molly, but he couldn’t just leave Jase hanging in the wind, especially when the man’s wife was looking at him like that.

After a sigh, Sean bit the bullet. “She went out with him because she said he was pretty mellow. She liked his smile and that he made her laugh. And she liked the hair. Something about wanting to put her fingers in it.”

Max walked over and sat, handing Sarah a mug of coffee.

“So this is Operation Land Molly a Man in action? Do I want to be here?” he asked, having the sense to look at Jase and Sean, rather than his wife and Emily.

Jase shook his head. “Definitely not, man. Run.”

Sarah took a sip of her coffee and smiled, snuggling in to her husband’s side. “We’re talking about Hair Guy, trying to identify what attracted Molly to him. And why it didn’t work out.”

“Fuck if I know what she saw in him,” Max grumbled, his brows pulling together. “But it didn’t work out because of his work ethic. Something about him calling in sick all the time and trying to get her to play hooky. She didn’t respect him.”

Emily’s pen was moving in a blur across her page. “Perfect. So strong work ethic, good sense of humor, mellow, and hair appeal. I may need to go directly to the source to understand that last one better.”

“And before Hair Guy?” Sarah asked. Knowing better than to bother with Jase again, she cocked her head and waited for Sean’s answer.

“Bar Guy.” Also known as Richy Oldsmith. “He was actually an inventor, pouring drinks to earn enough bank to launch his product.” He could remember being a little jealous over the way Molly kept talking about him, telling Sean how she thought they’d get along because they were so much alike.

“His kick to the curb was courtesy of being impractical,” Max added, with a grin.

* * *

“What’s up?” Molly asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she half stumbled over to the picnic table where most of the group was congregating. Brody was probably chatting up the group of girls camped down by the bathrooms. Everybody was laughing, smiling—everyone except for Sean, that was. He had a pee-in-his-cornflakes kind of dour going on, and after the night they’d had, whatever was bothering him had to be pretty big to wipe the smile from his face.

Sean sat back, shifting over on the bench to make room for her. “The girls decided to get a jump on finding a new guy for you. So we’ve been going over your previous boyfriends, making lists of what you liked and didn’t like. They want to make sure this next one’s a winner.”

And like that, she was awake. No wonder Sean looked miserable.

“Um… You guys don’t have to do this. It’s nice that you want to, but I think it’s better if I find my own dates.”

“We tried that,” Sarah said with a laugh. “So now you get to just kick back and let Emily and me do our work.”

Sean was still watching her, his eyes dark, frustrated.

There was no question what he wanted. Her to come forward with the truth, but she just wasn’t ready.

And he must’ve seen it in her eyes, because his cut away, and the muscle in his jaw started to tick.

She didn’t want him to be mad at her. She didn’t want to hurt him or cause him any suffering. But they hadn’t even had a full day alone to see how they actually felt about trying out this couple thing. It was too soon, and he had to understand that.

Maybe he did. Because after a long breath, he smoothed his hand back through his hair, returning the rumpled mess she’d spent hours perfecting the night before into a semi-neat state. And then he was looking back at her, the smile she hated from all those society shots front and center on his face. It wasn’t real, but he was willing to play along.

She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“Okay, this will be way better now that you’re here,” Emily said, her eyes glittering with excitement. “We’ve already been through Hair Guy, Bar Guy, Inventor Guy, and Sean was just about to tell us about Homeless Guy.”

Molly let out a snort, turning to Sean, who didn’t seem the slightest bit apologetic. “Homeless Guy? This again?”

Sean sat back, cocking that strong jaw to the side. “Did he or did he not try to take you to his friend’s couch on not one, not two, but three separate occasions?”

“And in case there was any question, that right there is why she dumped him,” Max said with a shrug.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks for the hot tip, Max.” Emily looked to Molly. “But let’s get back to the original attraction. What made you say yes?”

Welcome to the hot seat. Molly could feel the heat creeping up her chest and neck. She knew the answer, and prior to this weekend, nothing on earth would have made her own up to it. She would have been too worried about someone connecting the right dots.

But now…

“His eyes,” she admitted, remembering the way they’d held hers that first time, the familiarity of them. “He had these gorgeous brown eyes that reminded me of a crush I never quite got over.”

She couldn’t meet Sean’s eyes now. Not with that smug smile planted on his lips. The one that more than anything, she wanted to kiss right off.

Finally, Sean turned back to the girls. “All right, enough about Molly. How about me? You want to hear about my ideal woman?”

Molly coughed on her sip of coffee, choking for a second before she regained her composure.

Laughing, Sarah started gathering the empty mugs from around the table while Emily shook her head and closed her notebook. “Pretty sure we’re all familiar with that, mister.”

Oh no.

“If we’re talking marriage material,” Sarah chimed in, walking over to the wash bin to start the mugs. “I’ve got this in three… Ivy League, last name found on the Fortune 500 list, summa cum laude graduate from the Stepford School of Social Graces.”

Jase grinned, climbing out from his side of the picnic table. “She’s got your number, Wyse.”

Max stood as well, leaning over to clap him on one shoulder. “And if we’re not talking marriage, then the exact opposite of that.”

Molly tried to push the air through her throat, but it was too tight. They’d said exactly what she would have just two days ago. And even if she wanted to believe that somehow things had changed that much, she didn’t know if she could.

“Whoa, Em. Hold up, will you?” Sean called after her, jogging a few steps to catch up. “Just remembered something important I don’t want to forget. Mind if I bum a sheet of that paper and your pen a minute?”

Needing a moment to get her emotions back in check, Molly went up to the bathrooms to brush her hair and teeth. When she came back to get changed and start packing up, that’s when she saw it. The neatly folded sheet of ripped-out spiral paper on her pillow.

What Sean wants in a woman…

She unfolded the page and let out a soft laugh, chased by too much emotion. There were two words on the page, surrounded by a heart.

Molly Brandt.

* * *

The morning went by too fast. They hiked the four-mile trail, stopping along the way to picnic with the sandwiches she and Max had made that morning. Jase and Emily had been the trailblazers, while she and Sarah compared notes on Max’s quirks, with the rest of the guys bringing up the rear.

Every now and then, she and Sean found a moment to hang back, slipping off for a second alone, during which Sean would do his damnedest to convince her to tell their friends what was going on.

Molly’s back pressed into the bark of the tree as her fingers slid through the silk of Sean’s sun-kissed hair. His mouth moved over her neck as he pulled her in to him.

“Sean, we’re going to get caught,” she chided when he pulled her knee up his side and then splayed his hand wide over the back of her thigh, squeezing the muscle as he groaned into her neck.

“Ooh, naughty stuff, Moll. Thrill of discovery.”

“No!” she gasped, refusing to acknowledge said thrill snaking through her at the idea that they might have minutes or maybe only seconds.

What they were doing was asking for trouble, but she couldn’t resist the stolen moment.

His laugh rumbled against her sensitive skin, and her arms tightened around his neck.

“Sean, they’re going to notice we’re gone. Again.”

Sliding his hands up and down her hips, he stepped back and grinned at her. “Probably.”

“What?” she squeaked, batting his hand away when he hooked his finger in the hem of her tank and started pulling it up.

He gave her a stern look and caught her by the wrists, holding them in one hand above her head. Again, he reached for the hem of her shirt. “Struggle all you like, Moll, but I want my mouth on these perfect tits. Just for a second. Then I promise to be good.”

She stilled, gaping at him. Because no way had he just—

Her tank was up, and with a flick of his finger, the right cup of her bra was down, the tight peak of her breast exposed to the afternoon air. Molly’s eyes darted around, making sure they were alone as that unwelcome spear of exhilaration shot through her center.

“Sean.” She sighed again as he just stood there, his eyes hungry and fixed on her exposed breast. Her ears straining for any sound to warn her of her friends’ approach, she urged him on. “Please.”

He wet his lips and leaned down close enough to her breast that she could feel his breath, then looking back up into her eyes, he said, “Did you want something, Molly?”

Oh God, he was playing with her. Teasing her when he knew they might be caught at any second. She should be pissed. Railing at him.

Instead, she gave another half-hearted tug at her wrist, bit her lip, and nearly moaned when all it earned her was Sean’s raised brow and tightening hold.

Her hips moved forward in a restless shift, a fact that did not escape Sean. His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared. “Eh, eh, Molly. We can play more of this game later, baby, but for now…just say it.”

She shuddered at the sound of his voice and the pushy directive that shouldn’t be making her ache the way it was. “In your mouth, Sean. Please.”

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he growled a second before covering her breast and swirling the warm, wet tip of his tongue over her nipple. After a deep suck that had her breath fracturing above his head, he switched to her other breast and did the same.

So good. And over way too soon. Because then Sean was releasing her wrists with a gentle kiss on each one before carefully straightening her bra and fixing her shirt for her.

Ever the gentleman…just when he’d shown her how much she liked his darker side.

Sean stepped back, and she caught him by the belt.

“Not so fast, Wyse.”

Again with that arched golden brow, only this time, the look on his face was surprised rather than smug. She liked it almost as much.

“My turn.” Rather than even try to hold his wrists, she pointed to his chest and leveled him with a look. “Stay.”

The corner of Sean’s mouth twitched, his eyes burning hot as she let her fingers drift down the center of his chest to his fly.

She tugged at his belt, earning her a look of pure alarm.

The brat in her couldn’t resist. “Just for a second,” she promised, easing his zipper down as she dropped into a low crouch.

“Molly,” he warned, his voice gone satisfyingly hoarse.

But she already had her hands on him, pulling his rapidly growing shaft from the confines of his boxer briefs.

A shudder ran through him as she waited, his cock a bare inch from her lips. Looking up from beneath her lashes, she definitely understood the appeal of this game.

“Say it.”

He groaned, sliding his fingers into her hair, sifting through and then gently gripping again. “Your mouth. Please.”

Heat surged though her center. Parting her lips, she took him in, sliding down his shaft as far as she could go. A string of hoarse expletives sounded over her head, and she smiled, easing back until she left him with one final lick of the tip.

Standing up, she dusted her hands on her thighs and grinned as though she weren’t every bit as affected as he was. More so.

“You ready to get back?” she asked cheekily.

Before she could react, Sean reached out and, catching her by the back of the neck, dragged her into a kiss that turned her knees to jelly and her brain to mush. When he let her go, he shook his head.

“Not really, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to exact the kind of revenge that deserves here in the state park.”

* * *

They’d taken the tents down and packed up most of their supplies before the hike, so things moved quickly once they got back to the campground. The cars were loaded, Brody’s grill and umpteen coolers secured in the truck. Molly started walking over to Emily and Sarah’s car for the ride home.

“We’re stopping at the outlets on the way back. You game?” Sarah asked.

Molly stopped where she was, dread cementing her feet in place. “The outlets.” She hated shopping, but Emily and Sarah loved it almost as much as they loved their husbands. “For how long?”

Then Sean was there, one hand on her shoulder as he pulled her back into his side. “Molly can ride with us. You girls have fun.”

She turned in to him, finding it harder and harder not to just lean in to his chest and rest her head there. “My hero.”

“You know it, baby.”

* * *

The ride home after camping was always quieter than the ride up. Jase and Sean sat up front, listening to a game on the satellite radio, while Molly sat in the back, surrounded by the coolers and extra camping gear cleared out of the girls’ car to leave trunk space for shopping.

Jase dropped Molly first. The gear was mostly Sean’s, so she didn’t need anyone to help her get up to her place, which meant she wouldn’t get a chance to see Sean alone. No kiss goodbye. No plans. Just an all-too-convincing wave from the far side of the passenger seat. Nothing to tip Jase off. Nothing to reassure her about what came next.

Upstairs, she dumped her dirty clothes into her laundry bag and checked her phone. Nothing, but why would there be? They’d said goodbye less than ten minutes before. He and Max probably hadn’t even gotten to the storage place.

This was ridiculous. She’d see Sean at work tomorrow night or the next day. He’d call or text like he always did. Because them being together together didn’t change anything except that in addition to hanging out in their spare time the way they already did, they’d be having sex on the regular too.

Only somehow, she didn’t believe that.

From where she was sitting, everything felt different.

Maybe she should just text him. Or call. See if hearing his voice would reassure her some.

This was pathetic. She plugged in her phone to charge beside the bed and left it there while she went to shower. When the last of the dirt and sand had been scrubbed clean, she pulled on a pair of clean, soft sweats, rolled at the cuffs, and a Wyse Hotels T-shirt.

One glance at her phone was all she gave herself. No missed calls or texts. She rubbed a hand over her anxious belly, feeling stupid for not just calling. For being this undone over a guy.

Except this wasn’t just any guy. This was Sean. The guy she’d loved for more years than she wanted to admit. The guy she’d finally gotten over. The guy who in one weekend had managed to undo all her hard work and break down the walls around her heart, turning her into a giant, steaming pile of squish.

Three days, and she was back where she’d been at sixteen, at twenty. She was in love with him, staring at the phone, willing it to ring. Praying he would feel the same way she did.

Only this time, it was worse. Because this time, Sean was telling her he wanted her too. This time, he was letting her believe there was a chance. This time, he’d given her just enough to tear down the walls around her heart and leave her vulnerable and exposed. Breakable.

The worst thing about it was that she knew better.

Sean wanted her, for now. There was no questioning that fact. Yet a part of her couldn’t help feeling as though, despite his assurances that it wasn’t the case, maybe what was happening between them had more to do with his family than it did with her.

What if he was reacting to his parents’ betrayal? What if it really was some not-quite-midlife rebellion…because, yeah, she could understand how learning that his perfect family had been a farce might make a guy feel like he wanted to run as far and fast from the footsteps he’d been following as he could get. But eventually, Sean was going to slow down and catch his breath. Eventually, he was going to stop running altogether and take a hard look at what he wanted his future to look like. And Molly just couldn’t believe it was her.

The front door to her apartment swung open, and she dropped her phone on the couch as she jerked to her feet. Sean stalked in, throwing the door closed behind him as he crossed to her and, in one swift motion, caught her in his arms to deliver a crushing kiss. Her arms flew around his neck, her fingers finding their way into his hair as she melted into him.

“Molly, this has to end,” he growled against her neck, tightening his hold and lifting so her feet dangled as he carried her back to the bedroom.

End? Her heart stopped. “What?”

“You’ve gotta let me tell them.” He tossed her back on the bed, following her down and covering her with his body. “Do you have any idea how fucking hard it was not to touch you? Not to just tell Jase to drop us together at my place?”

Her breath rushed out, and her heart started to beat again.

He caught her face in his hands, those gorgeous eyes of his searching hers. “Tell me you’re okay with them knowing. Tell me—”

“I missed you,” she gasped, arching up for his kiss, a desperation she’d never felt before rising within her, making her hands shake and her breath fracture. She pulled at his clothes, rolling over so she was on top, begging him to touch her, groaning when he did and his urgency surpassed even her own. And then he was inside her, filling her with one powerful thrust after another, telling her how beautiful she was, how much he wanted her, how fucking good she felt around him, and how he was never going to let her go.

It was too much. Everything she needed to hear. And for that moment, she even let herself believe.

After, when they were lying together, the sweat drying on their bodies, she lifted her head from Sean’s chest and met his eyes. “I really missed you,” she whispered, hating how true it was almost as much as she needed to say it. “I was standing in here, aching because I didn’t know when I’d get to see you again. Wishing I’d been able to kiss you goodbye.” She swallowed. “But I’m not ready to tell anyone about us.”

Sean nodded, the corner of his mouth that always seemed to be hauling the rest of his face around angled down. “I get it. You need time.”

“I need some time with you. Alone.”

Brushing a bit of her hair back from her face, he added, “So you have a chance to see how we are separate from everyone else.”

She nodded, praying he could understand.

Snaking his arms around her, he dragged her up and over him. “I’ve been waiting a long time to feel like this about a woman. And the fact that it’s you, Molly… I can’t even tell you how amazing that is. Sure, I want to be able to touch you or kiss you without having to check whether there’s anyone watching, but you better believe I want time for us alone too.” He rested his hands on her hips. “It’s not just about the sex though. Don’t get me wrong, being inside you is off the charts. But I want us to be alone, because I’ve always liked it being just the two of us maybe a little more than I should have. And most of all, I want you to feel as right about us as I do.”

“Does it feel different to you?” she asked, not sure what she wanted the answer to be. “I mean, hanging out now. Does it feel as comfortable…as natural, as it did before?”

His brows furrowed as he considered. But then he shrugged. “It’s different, I guess. But in a good way. Moll, I know you’re nervous, but we’re not losing us, okay?”

When they were together like this, she wanted so much to believe.

He brushed a thumb over her bottom lip. “Just give it a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”

She looked down at this man she loved and nodded. She’d give him anything he asked for.