Page 30 of Moonlit Kisses

I smile inside. “Okay. Sure. Let’s go.” I pat the roof. “Your car’s not that bad.” I walk back around to her and guide her across to my car with my hand settled at the small of her back. “Be careful what you say. You don’t want to hurt her feelings.” I whisper low into her ear as we walk away, making Molly chuckle. I think her laugh is one of my new favorite sounds.

Before I climb into my car; I grasp the back of my t-shirt and pull it off. Searching through my bag, I pull out a clean t-shirt. When I tilt my head up, I catch Molly staring at my chest, and before I can help myself, I flex my pecs. “Did you enjoy the game?”

Her eyes snap up to my face, and I press my lips together to hold back my smile.Yeah, I caught you checking me out!

“Huh?”

I change out of my cleats into my running shoes. “Did you enjoy the game tonight?”

She grins at me. “You couldn’t tell with all of my cheering and dance moves along the sideline?”

I chuckle. “You’re pretty entertaining with your cheer moves.”

She curtsies before climbing into the passenger side. “Why, thank you. I’ll take that compliment.”

We drive out of the parking lot and turn right toward Brady’s. “It would have been easier if you’d come with me, instead of bringing two cars.” I say as nonchalantly as possible. It’s niggling at me that she agreed to come to the pub when Aaron asked, but not when I did.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to bring that up. Maybe, next week, I’ll drive with you. Would that make you happy?”

Glancing across, I grin. “Ecstatic.”

Brady’s is packed as usual. I pull Molly against me to protect her as we work our way through the crowd, toward the guys.

Cheers go up around the tables when they spot us. Aaron, Brent, Gary, and Finn step out to hug Molly in greeting, pulling her away from me. She giggles but accepts each hug. The pit of my stomach sinks as I watch other men embrace her. I know she’s not mine, but I don’t fucking like the thought of some other asshole having their hands on her, even if I know they’re good guys with the best of intentions.

We settle into the booth, and I work to school my features, but Aaron’s already smirking at me. He knows me too well, and no matter how hard I try to hide the way I’m feeling, he always seems to read me.

“Pizzas are on their way. You two want a beer?” Finn asks as he glances around the tables.

“Nah, man. You sit. It’s my buy.” I turn toward Molly. “What can I get for you, Dimples?”

I catch Aaron’s smirk out of the corner of my eye but make the conscious choice to ignore him.

“I can get my drink. You don’t have to keep paying for me.”

“You won’t be paying while you’re with me. I invited you, which makes you my guest. I’ll grab you a beer.” Scanning the table, I check the guys’ drinks, but they’re still looking healthy.

Aaron slides out of the booth. “I’ll come with you. I need to speak with a friend of mine.”

We make our way to the bar. The usual group of young women check us out as we approach. They’re probably about the same age as Molly, I guess, but the idea of going there with one of them has never appealed to me. Molly, on the other hand …

“What’s going on with you and Molly? And don’t give me any bullshit. I can read you, man.” Aaron slaps me on the back and squeezes my shoulder as he interrupts my musing.

“Nothing. She’s my office manager.”

He looks back at the table and I follow his line of sight. Molly’s looking straight at us as she laughs at something Finn’s saying. “You wouldn’t mind if I asked her out then?”

“Yeah, I would fucking mind. There’re plenty of other options available to you.” I tilt my head toward the regular group of younger women close by. “No need to go after my employee.”

“Is that the only reason I can’t ask her out? Because she’s your employee? ’Cause as her boss, you have no say in who she dates, right?” he hedges.

I order our drinks, buying myself some time before I answer my long-time friend, who I’m sure is fishing for information rather than being interested in dating my new employee. “I thought you had a friend you needed to chat with?”

“Iamchatting with that friend.” He chuckles.Asshole.

I pay for our drinks, then grab them, ready to head back to our booth, but Aaron stops me. “I can see the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. Are you going to do anything about it?”

My shoulders slump. “I can’t. I’ll admit, I find her attractive and as I’m getting to know her, I like her. I like her a lot. But I’m her boss, plus she’s a decade younger than me.”

---