“Christ Almighty,” he mumbles, several minutes later. “You trying to kill me, Molly?”
I smile. “Hell no. If I killed you, who would satisfy me?”
“Fair point.” He stretches out and unties me gently, raining kisses over my slightly sore wrists. “Do you have any lotion handy?”
“Yea, in the basket by the sink.”
Gloriously naked, Ev disappears into the bathroom for a few minutes and emerges with a warm, damp cloth and my favorite citrus lotion. After tending to me with care, he looks at me with a serious face.
“I’m gonna ask you something, Molls. And I want you to say yes.”
Immediately, I’m on high alert. What the hell? This doesn’t sound good. There’s no way he’d be asking methatquestion, right? Not when he knows how I feel. Still, I play it off, play it cool. “You can ask, but it doesn’t mean I’ll say yes.”
“There’s my sassy girl. Alright, here goes: Come to Dallas with me.”
“What?”
“I need to go to Dallas in a couple weeks. I’ll be there for four days. The last trip was torture without you, though phone sex was a definite plus. Come on, say yes. We’ll have fun. I only have two meetings scheduled and one dinner. Be my plus one.”
Everything in me is screaming to put the brakes on this. For some reason, traveling together seems like crossing a line. But light BDSM isn’t? Jesus. My head’s a mess. He can see the indecision on my face and takes advantage of it.
“Nothing permanent about it, Molls. Just two adults indulging in hotel sex, hot tub sex, all-the-sex. But not airplane sex. I barely fit in those bathrooms by myself.”
I smile. “Dallas, huh? I’ve never been.”
“Yep. It’s a great city. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve only ever been there for business, so I can say with confidence that the hotel conference rooms are lovely.”
I don’t know if it’s sex overload or his charming smile, but for some reason, I say yes. I mean, it’s not a major commitment, right? It’s just a weekend away. It doesn’t mean anything. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
I’m not usually one for sleeping late, but I’m also not too proud to admit that Molly wore me out last night. A glance at my phone tells me it’s quarter to ten, so I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom, unsurprised that Molly is already awake, and probably curled up with a hot cup of tea.
A few minutes later, still clad only in my boxers and two days’ worth of scruff on my face, I wander into the kitchen, but only Clover, the odd-looking hairless cat is there. She stares at me in that creepy way that cats do, so, naturally, I glare back.
The teapot on the counter is mostly full and still pretty hot, so I pour myself half a cup. Coffee is my preference, but I need the caffeine, and I can’t be picky.
Stepping into the dining room, I see Molly seated at the head of the table, concentrating on her phone. And, yes, I take a moment just to stare. Half of her blond hair is piled up on top of her head in a bun-knot thing, the rest hangs neatly to her shoulders. Her glasses are perched on the end of her nose, and she’s got a pen sticking out of her mouth. The tank top she’s wearing is doing a blessedly terrible job of keeping the ladies locked and loaded, and her yoga pants cling to every curve.
Fuck.
I haven’t been awake five minutes, and I could take her right here in the dining room. Just as I’m debating that genius idea, my stomach makes an unholy growl, startling Molly into laughter.
“I guess I need to feed you, huh?”
“To be fair, you made sure I worked up quite an appetite last night.”
“True. I have granola bars, but I’m guessing that won’t cut it.”
“No, but it will tide me over while I throw on clothes and walk to the car. You up for brunch?
“I wish. I’ve got a million things to do today, so I don’t have time.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“Sadly, no. Unless you want to mow my Uncle Ed’s grass?”
“If that’s what you need, sure. And does Uncle Ed, by chance, have a riding mower?” I smile and sit down next to her.
“Nope. But I was just joking.”
