Page 29 of 5 Golden Flings

She did, pausing only long enough to remove the condoms from her pocket and drop them on the bedside table. He stripped down to nothing more quickly than it took her to do the same. Damn, the man was nothing but muscle! Well, muscle and an impressive erection she tried really hard not to stare at.

Molly was usually shy at this point of a newish relationship, but tonight she wasn’t shy at all. She turned off the bedside light but didn’t rush to hide under the covers. The bathroom light was on, and it cast just enough light for her to see Ben, for him to see her.

She wanted him, and for tonight that was enough. So what if she was a romantic and he thought romance was for suckers. So what if…

Stop overthinking.

He threw back the covers and laid her on the bed, then covered her with his long, hard body, skin to skin. They kissed; her hands explored his skin as if this was the first time she’d ever connected with another human this way.

The kiss ended and his mouth was on her nipples, then on her neck, then on her nipples again. All thought faded to nothing butthis, to what they had and what was to come. His fingers delved between her thighs and worked magic. She’d never been so ready, so hungry, so sure of what she wanted.

She told him plainly what she wanted, and he moaned in response.

He reached for one of her bachelorette condoms and opened it. They realized as he put it on that this particular condom was of the glow in the dark variety. Green. About the color of her bridesmaid dress.

They both laughed, but not for long.

Ben eased inside her, and she forgot everything else but this. The feeling, the sensations, the need for more. She wanted all of him and she was ready to give him all she had. He moved, and nothing existed beyond this bed. Nothing mattered but where they were and where they were going.

Herewas so fine.

The orgasm came hard and fast. He’d think she was easy, but she didn’t care. Apparently he was pretty easy himself, since he was right behind her. The intensity of their coming together was replaced by satisfaction and a certainty that all was right with the world. At least for now. He kissed her again, gently this time. She kissed him back, ran her hand down his arm, wallowed in the feel of his skin against hers.

What do you say in a moment like this one? Were words necessary? She couldn’t tell Ben she loved him. That’s not what he was looking for. It wasn’t what she was looking for, either. Hedidn’t say anything, and while she didn’t mind silence it seemed as if one of them should saysomething.

So she did.

“Green is my new favorite color.”

Sex was easy, but actually sleeping beside another human being was another matter entirely. It had been years since he’d slept with a woman, which required a level of trust he didn’t have with many people, not anymore.

He liked sleeping with Molly, liked having her right there, within reach. Being with her was easy, in a gut deep way.

Until a couple of days ago he hadn’t seen her in eighteen years. He played ball with a couple of young guys who would’ve been toddlers the last time he saw her, when he’d proposed, when they’d been children.

So why did he think about her now and then? Not all the time, he wasn’t obsessed or anything, but on occasion he heard a song or saw a playground or passed a couple of kids on bikes and he remembered a moment from that charmed time in his life.

If his dad hadn’t gotten transferred, would they have been high school sweethearts? Would he have proposed to her again? She might’ve said yes that time, instead of “I’ll think about it.” His entire life would’ve been different.

But it wasn’t. That was a dream; this was reality. They were where they were and who they were. There was no going back, but could they move forward from here? Had their one chance come and gone?

Oddly enough he’d thought of Molly when that weird woman in the Airstream had sold him a half-heart Christmas ornament. In a flash of memory it had reminded him of the necklacehe’d given to Molly when he’d proposed. She probably didn’t remember that cheap, silly thing, but he did. Or at least, he had on that day.

Molly came awake with the sun. She rolled into him, draped her arm around his waist, lifted her leg over his, and moved against him in a gentle way that drove him crazy. She kissed his neck; she breathed against his skin and that was all it took.

They had one more condom. He reached past her to grab it from the nightstand, and this time he checked the package. This morning’s condom didn’t glow in the dark, but itwasbanana flavor. He decided not to mention that fact.

Before the ceremony he’d find a nearby drugstore and stock up on non-novelty condoms. Everyone was scheduled to check out tomorrow, but maybe he could convince Molly to stay for a few more days. He wanted her all to himself to see if what he felt was real, to discover if this was going anywhere or if it was nothing more than wedding frenzy combined with nostalgia.

No matter what it was, he intended to take his time this morning. Molly was a woman to be savored, to be adored, and he was going to do just that. He rolled her onto her back and kissed her neck, her breasts, and down. His hands explored, and so did hers. As he moved between her thighs she sighed and whispered, “Well, Merry Christmas to me.”

CHAPTER 8

Molly stoodnear the table where a massive wedding cake was displayed. Let people think the smile that wouldn’t go away was brought on by this beautiful wedding. In a way it was. The weather was perfect, the beach ceremony had gone off without a hitch, and Natalie was so happy she glowed. Tristan obviously adored his bride. They were perfect together. There weren’t many truly perfect moments in life.

She’d had one last night. And again this morning. If she got a chance to dance with Ben at the reception, that would make three.

She didn’t even care much that her bridesmaid dress was hideous green. Sure, she wanted to be as beautiful as possible for Ben, but he seemed to like her just fine, even in chartreuse.

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