Page 39 of Moonlit Kisses

She moves forward and the instant her soft lips meet mine, everything else ceases. My breath freezes in my lungs and in a split second, I make a decision. I press forward and she sighs, melting against me. My tongue licks out across her lips, and I can taste the barbecue sauce from her burrito.

I should fucking stop.

She parts her lips, and my tongue dips inside to slide against hers.

“Are you guys finished with the table? We’re all waiting and you two are over here making out like teenagers,” a disembodied voice douses us with its icy tone.

Reluctantly, I pull away and turn toward the stranger who interrupted our moment. I don’t like confrontation for the sake of it, so I won’t say what’s actually on my mind in this situation because, in reality, Molly and I are in the wrong. This is not a fancy restaurant where you linger. It’s a hole in the wall where you grab your food, you eat, and then you move on. Molly ducks her head in embarrassment and I decide the best approach is to apologize and move along. Our moment’s broken now, anyway.

“Sorry about that. We got carried away.”

I wrap Molly’s left-over burrito and grab my trash and I slide out of the booth. Holding my hand out for Molly, I tug her to her feet and nod our apology to the guy. On the way out, I throw my trash in the can and tuck Molly into my side. I guess we lost track of time because we step out into darkness. I’m not ready to take Molly home when she’s finally opened up to me about her family and the reasons that brought her to me. I want to keep her with me as long as possible tonight.

“Brady’s often has a band playing on a Saturday night. You up for checking them out?”

She looks up at me; the stars reflecting in her eyes. “I think I’d like that.”

With her tucked into my side and her arm wrapped around my waist, we make our way back to my Dodge. Unlocking the car, I step around to open her door for her, but instead find myself pressed against her, trapping her between my body and the car. My mind flashes back to earlier in the day when Glen did the exact same thing. The only difference is that Molly’s eyes heat in response and she doesn’t appear to be scared out of her wits. I collect a silky lock of her pale hair between my rough fingers and feel the soft strands, my eyes watching the motion. “You’ve got the most gorgeous hair. I wondered if it would be as silky as it looks.” I draw in a deep breath, inhaling the rose scent. “It’s better than I could have imagined.”

She smiles and reaches up to run her fingers through my short strands, tickling the sides where a few grays have snuck in, reminding me of my age. “I like these.” She runs her hands down along my jaw, scratching her short nails through my five o’clock shadow. “I really like this.” She presses up slightly and plants a gentle kiss on my cheek, then glides her lips toward my ear. “I’d really like to feel this in other places.”

Fuck me.

I think my eyes must be as big as saucers with surprise at her sexy words. My dick wakes up and makes an attempt to break through my zipper. He doesn’t need to think twice about her offer, but my brain hasn’t stopped functioning just yet.

She’s young. Like, really young. And sure, she’s been through a ton and she’s incredibly mature for her age, but I can’t forget that I have a decade on her. Does she realize what she’s offering?

I lower my forehead to hers, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry. I got carried away inside and I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m your boss. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Her body stiffens as she brings her hands up to my chest and pushes. I step back, giving her the space she’s silently requesting. Her gorgeous smile is nowhere to be seen and her eyes no longer meet mine. “Don’t do that, Dimples. Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to do the right thing here.”

“The right thing by who? Because I was giving all the signals that I’m okay with taking things further.” She wraps her arms around her body, drawing my eyes to her peaked nipples.

It’s fucking easy to get caught up in the moment … in my attraction to her, but what sort of guy would I be to pursue something with her when I know it’s wrong?

I run through scenarios in my head, trying to find one that makes it okay for a boss to hook up with his employee, and I can’t find a single one. Not that I’m looking for a hookup, because obviously Molly is worth more than that. She’s the type of woman you plan forever with, but what if it doesn’t work out? I don’t want her to be uncomfortable at work and she needs this job and the apartment upstairs. She has too much to lose.

She huffs out a sigh when I take too long to answer. “Look, forget it. Can you please take me home? I don’t feel like going out now.” Carefully, she maneuvers her body to open the door without touching me. Closing the door, I watch her secure her seatbelt, then face forward to stare out of the windscreen.

I huff out a sigh and link my hands behind my head. I fucked up tonight. I don’t know how I’m going to make things right between us, but I’ll need to do something.

Pulling my door closed, I turn in my seat to face the woman who’s got me so damn confused. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have crossed the line. Please forgive me. I want us to be friends.” I sigh when she doesn’t respond. “At least don’t hate me.” Starting the car, I check the road and pull out safely.

“I could never hate you, Max,” she whispers into the silence.

I release a heavy breath, my shoulders dropping in relief. Glancing across, she gifts me with a timid smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, but it’ll do for now. I want to reach across and take her hand, to offer her reassurance that things between us will be okay, but I don’t know for sure, and I refuse to make a promise I can’t keep.

We pull up to the rear of the workshop and Molly climbs out of the car silently. Perhaps some time apart will be a good thing for both of us.

CHAPTER19

–molly–

I’mas sweaty as anything as I reach in to turn on the shower. I’ve got my fingers crossed that today’s the day I can make it through my shower without the water turning freezing. Standing underneath the warm spray, my muscles relax after my run. I tried to outrun my constant thoughts about Max, but it didn’t work. He’s still in my head and I have to work out a way past them so I’m not awkward when I see him in the next half an hour. I can’t believe I came onto my boss like that, but I’m reasonably certain I didn’t misread his signals.How could I get it so wrong?

Ah shit!

Goosebumps dot along my skin as the water turns to ice. Again. I’m going to have to ask Max to call in an electrician. Which means I’m going to have to pull up my big girl panties and have a conversation with him. I was hoping to keep things strictly professional between us from now on to avoid crossing any more lines. My plan was to go for a walk at lunchtime instead of eating with Max. It feels too friendly for a boss and employee to share lunch every day. I’m also planning to make up some excuse to avoid going to his soccer match tonight, which hurts my heart because it’s something I love to do. Being at the game reminds me of some of the good times with my family and I’m reluctant to give that up, but what else can I do?

The more time I spend with my hot boss, the harder it is to remember he’s my boss, and he’s made it crystal clear that he doesn’t want to cross that line with his employee. If I were thinking straight, I wouldn’t want to cross that line either. I need this job and the apartment that comes with it. It would be crazy to attempt a relationship with Max for it to not work out.

---