Page 201 of Fighting the Forbidden

Not wanting to be away from her for more than a few seconds, I end up wearing my towel to breakfast. Molly’s in one of my shirts that reaches her knees. While the waffles cook, she twists her hair into two long braids.

“I have sausage in here.” I stand and yank the freezer door open.

“Oh, yum.” She takes the package out of my hands and tears into it.

“Hungry?” Damn, I never fed her dinner last night, did I?

“Staaarving.” She peers at me over her shoulder. “I had an intense workout session. Several of them.”

“Want me to make you a protein shake?”

She wrinkles her nose. “No. But I sprinkled some of your protein powder in the waffle mix.”

Could she be more perfect? “You’re the best.”

The waffle maker’s slow. We have the eggs and sausage ready before half the batter’s been used.

“We’ll start with these.” I hold up the plate of two waffles. “And let those keep cooking.”

“Maybe I’ll make chicken and waffles for dinner.”

“You think those will last until dinner?” I wait until Molly’s seated, then set a plate of sausage and eggs in front of her and the waffles in the center of the table.

“This is nice.” She reaches across the table and rests her hand over mine.

“I like having you here.” I dig into my waffle. “So good,” I mumble around a mouthful of crisp, fluffy sweetness.

“It’s cold and overcooked.” She pokes her fork in the corner of my waffle. “Here, take mine.”

“No.” I brush her fork away. “Careful. It’s dangerous trying to touch food on my plate, girl.”

She laughs and pulls her fork back to her side. “I’m trying to put food on your plate, you ravenous beast.”

I growl at her, and she laughs hard, shaking her head.

“You’ve really never had anyone over here?” she asks causally. Almost too casual, like she’s holding her breath while she waits for the answer.

I sit back. “You. The guys.” I snap my fingers. “I lied. I have had girls here.”

Her eyes widen.

“Juliet and Ella,” I say, cutting off the images she’s probably conjuring in her mind. “They’ve been here too.”

“Oh. Yeah. I knew that.”

“It’s just a place to sleep. I’m usually out, busy doing other stuff. Over at your place.” I chew on a piece of sausage, swallow, and take a swig of orange juice. “But I’m hoping when I get back, we can look for a house.”

She stares at me with concern wrinkling her forehead. “What if I go to school a couple of hours away?”

The question hits me in the gut. I knew it was a possibility. I was just hoping she wouldn’t go that far.

“Then you’ll have somewhere to come home to on weekends and breaks.” I take another sip of orange juice. “Or I’ll bank the money and when you’re done with school, we’ll figure out where we want to live.”

She blows a relieved breath and pokes her fork into her eggs.

“Molly, I want you to go to school wherever you want. I’m not gonna be the guy holding you back. I want to help you soar, not keep you chained down.”

Her bottom lip trembles. “I…I want to do the same for you. You want to buy the garage?—”

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