Page 78 of On Cloud Nine

Another ache surges into my cock. I’ve been at half-mast since we arrived.

“Matthew?”

I pull my eyes to her watchful gaze. “Hmm?”

“Remember Halloween, two years ago, when everyone went to the bar Lily was working at?” She smiles, reminiscing. “You, Ollie, and Robert went as the Ninja Turtles.”

“And you went as that sexy pirate.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh? Asexypirate?”

“You heard me.” There’s no use in trying to hide what I said. Molly’s leather corset and flowy dress are not something a living, breathing man can forget.

“Are women in costumes the equivalent of men in uniform?” She curves a brow at me.

“A thousand percent,” I laugh. “What service attire gets you all worked up?”

Molly glances up at the sky, pretending to ponder the question. “I’ve always had a thing for park rangers.”

“I’ll have to see if the parks department will give me an honorary uniform when I launch EcoDrones.”

She stretches her legs across the picnic blanket. The hem of her dress hangs mid-thigh. My gaze meanders over the pale skin of her leg.

“And, if your offer still stands, maybe the Damien costume…” She trails off, looking shy.

“As long as I can source a pair of riding leathers.” I wink at her.

Her breath hitches, and her eyes dance back and forth along my face.“I’m sad Lily’s bar closed last year. We had a lot of fun there, lots of trivia nights,” she says.

There used to be some bonding activities at ORO, but once Molly got engaged she stopped showing up to all of them, and so did I. But I’ve missed those extra moments after work, where we always used to find a way to sit next to each other and laugh.

“There was one trivia night where we danced. It’s still one of my favorite memories. Do you remember? When I first started?”

“Yeah…of course I remember.” Molly looks at me for a long moment. Her gears are spinning, and I ache to know what she’s thinking. “I always wondered what would have happened if we’d kept dancing.”

“I’m happy it led us to where we are now.”

Her eyes shy away briefly, then return to me. “I actually wanted to kiss you that night.”

“Just that night? ” I tease, trying to deflect from the tightening in my chest.

“Well…” She bites her bottom lip.

“Because if I wasn’t lying to myself, I would tell you that I’ve thought about kissing you almost every single day since I started at ORO.” I denied my crush on her for so long, and there’s no use in holding back the truth any longer.

“Oh.” The smile on her face widens. Her fingers walk to mine across the checkered fabric. I mirror the motion until our knuckles brush. “Actually, I want to reconsider my earlier decision,”she whispers.

My pulse quickens. “About what?”

She bites her lower lip. “Kissing.”

“Oh yeah?” My restraint collapses.

“I think so.”

Desire returns to my veins. I pull myself closer and settle above her. I place my right hand on her hip and guide her down onto the blanket.

Molly blinks up at me. Her amber gaze is syrupy, the lush curves of her body only inches from my skin. I swallow, trying to calm myself, but it’s no use. Gently, I shuffle a hand beneath her head.

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