Page 25 of Rufus

He’d orgasmed the life out of her—she’d eventually lost count—as he’d said he would. On the last occasion, he had tightly gripped his own cock and stroked himself to climax at the same time as Molly reached hers.

After which, Molly had fallen into an exhausted sleep and Rufus must have decided it was time to leave.

That’s how purely sexual relationships worked, she believed. A brief hookup, and then the one whose bed it wasn’t simply left and went back to their own home.

The fact that Molly had now realized she was in love with Rufus had absolutely no bearing on his behavior. In fact, if Rufus had realized how deep her feelings for him went, he probably wouldn’t have agreed to them having even that one night together.

Well…part of a night together, because he had still been here when Molly fell asleep, but had left sometime afterward.

One more day, she reminded herself. That was all the time she had left here, and she was only staying that long because she knew Mia was depending on her to manage the second open day at the shelter.

Would she even see Rufus again before she left, or was last night all she would ever have with him?

The fact he had gone down and got Angus before leaving, bringing the dog up here to keep her company this morning, seemed to indicate the latter.

She intended to see Mia and the baby one more time before she left, and there was a possibility Rufus might be there at the same time she was, but otherwise, Molly knew there was no reason for them to ever meet up again.

“No point lying here feeling sorry for myself,” she told a now-awake Angus as she threw back the bedcovers. “We have lots of work to do today, young man.”

Angus accompanied her as she went through to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, leaving it to percolate as she took the dog downstairs before letting him out into one of the runs. She stayed long enough to put out a bowl of food and some water for the little dog before going back to her apartment to enjoy a mug of freshly brewed coffee and then taking a shower.

All the time she was doing those things, she refused to allow thoughts of Rufus to intrude to disturb or upset her.

They had spent an evening and part of the night together. The most memorable time of her life, admittedly, but now it was over.

She had never allowed herself the time for regrets in the past, and she wouldn’t do so now either over Rufus.

She didn’t see the note he’d left on the pillow beside hers until after she’d showered and dressed and began to straighten the bedclothes.

Molly,

Sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but there’s a work emergency I need to deal with.

Rufus.

Call me on this number when you wake up.

He’d written his cell phone number next to that request.

Molly’s hand instinctively clenched into a fist after reading the note, crushing the scrap of paper in her hand. Longing and practicality warred inside her for several long minutes before she took aim and threw the brief letter, and Rufus’s cell phone number, into the bin in the corner of the kitchen.

Only to immediately cross the room and take it out again before placing it on the breakfast bar to straighten out the creases so she could read it again.

There was no endearment in front of her name. Or before or after the signing of Rufus’s. Also, the cell phone number and request for her to call him on it seemed to have been an afterthought.

Or a guilty conscience.

Either way, Molly had no intention of calling him.

Now.

Or later.

Ever, in fact.

But she couldn’t resist the impulse to neatly fold the brief note and place it in the back pocket of her jeans to carry about with her all day.

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