Page 43 of Moonlit Kisses

“I guess that means you were used to living out of a car, then.” I raise my eyebrow. “You never stayed in that motel, did you?”

“No. I’m sorry I lied to you. I didn’t want you to know I was homeless and think less of me. All of my money went toward paying for the burial and funeral for my family. Then I lost my job and my apart–”

I cut her off. “What do you mean, you lost your apartment and your job?”

She tells me everything that happened, which led to her deciding to start over here. I’m fucking furious that her boss and landlord didn’t cut her any slack knowing what she’d endured. They’d better hope we never fucking cross paths. I take long, deep breaths to get my temper under control. She doesn’t need me going off on a rant about the assholes. She carries on speaking about her family like everything that’s happened to her isn’t a big fucking deal.

“Jack was the best. He was the one who taught me how to draw and trained me to run. He treated me like I was his own daughter. Mom and I were incredibly lucky to have him come into our lives and open his heart and home to both of us.” I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with her or her mother if she was anything like Molly. “Then Ethan came along.” She chuckles. “He was the chubbiest baby I’ve ever seen. I fell in love with him the second I laid eyes on him.” She pulls her hand from mine with a smile on her face. “Hang on, I’ve got a photo I can show you.”

She fiddles with her phone and then passes it across the table to me. My eyes land on Molly first, then scan the rest of her family. I use my fingers to enlarge the photo, studying Molly next to her mom. “Geez, you and your mom could almost be sisters. It’s uncanny how similar you two are.”

Molly’s smile widens. “Yeah, it’s crazy, right? Her eyes are blue, though, where mine are gray and she didn’t have dimples. She says I got both of those features from my dad.”

I move the photo around, allowing me to study Jack and Ethan. “Ethan’s like a mini version of his dad.”

“Yeah. He would always try to copy Jack in everything he did, too. Jack was such a great dad.” Her smile drops and her eyes become glassy. “He would do anything to keep us happy and safe. He would have been beyond devastated that he was the cause of everything.” She wipes away the tears tracking down her cheeks and offers me a shaky smile. “Sorry.”

I climb out from my side of the booth and move in next to her and tug her body into mine. “Please don’t ever apologize to me, Molly. You’re allowed to be fucking sad.”

“It’s just been a lot. Ya know?” I nod. “And I’m trying my best to stay positive and be happy in the moment, but sometimes I slip.” She shrugs, tilting her head down toward the table.

“You’re allowed to grieve. I get the impression that you haven’t had time to do that.” I use my finger to tip her face back up. Our lips are so close I can feel her breath on mine, and I’m tempted to close the distance. Her eyes drop to my lips and I lick them instinctively. Just one taste. But that would be an asshole move when she’s this vulnerable. I’d be worse than Glen. I pull back and she follows, moving forward, maintaining the hair’s breadth distance between us. My eyes dart down to her lips, then back to her liquid silver eyes. “Molly,” I whisper roughly.

Her eyes dart up to mine. “Yeah?”

“I don’t want to be the asshole here.”

“Then don’t be.”

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.”

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