Seeking Vengeance (15 page)

He groaned as she captured his mout
h, her tongue darting in his, flavored with the beer he’d just captured from her throat. The taste mingled with him, and she wanted more. When his hand found her breast, she couldn’t stop the mewl of pleasure. Molly found the edge of his t-shirt, sliding her hands beneath, loving the feel of his skin, so warm and soft but stretched over rock hard muscles. The contrast was intoxicating.

“Molly?” Sam pulled away, his eyes reflected the moonlight and shone with questions.

She licked her lips and tucked a few wayward strands of hair out of her face. Her emotions warred. On one hand, she knew she was opening herself up to heartache. As soon as Sam found out who Kelsie’s dad was, he’d want nothing to do with Molly. That knowledge, instead of discouraging her from wanting more, fueled her desires. This night would probably be the last chance she had to be with him. Her whole life, she had sacrificed for everyone else. She had been surrogate mother to Johnny, raised Kelsie alone, went to school, worked, and never once had she asked for anything in return. Howard had no role in their life, and maybe there was a slight chance that Sam would never find out that Howard had fathered Kelsie. But if he did find out, Molly wanted at least one more night to remember. Was that asking too much? One night of happiness?

“Let’s go to your room, Sam.” She thanked god she had put Kelsie to sleep in Sean’s room. She had intended on sleeping on the narrow bed with her, knowing she couldn’t
sleep in Sam’s bed and not want to be with him.

“I don’t want you to regret this in the morning. I know you don’t want Kelsie hurt, and I’ll promise right now—I swear
on all the stars in the heavens,” he swept a hand towards the sky, “that I will never hurt her. I’d rather die than hurt her.”

Searching his face, she saw only honesty and vulnerability. He was a man of his word. “I’m sure, Sam.”

He pulled her close, burying his face against her throat. “I promise no matter what, Molly. Even if you change your mind right now and don’t want to go to bed with me. Even if you end up hating me, I’ll never hate Kelsie, because I think your daughter has already wrapped my heart around her little finger.” He laughed against her skin, and Molly blinked back tears. Sam was making promises without knowing the full story. Would he be able to keep them?

“You’re a good man, Sam.”

He made a sound low in his throat. It could have been a groan or a growl, but when his whiskers scraped against her skin, she made her own indecipherable sound.

* * *

In a rush, they gathered their empty bottles and raced for the house, hastily brushing sand off their feet as they hit the porch.

The instant the door shut behind them, Sam drew Molly into his arms, wanting to slow down, but at the same
time, he needed her right now. He kissed her softly, smiling against her mouth when her hand wrapped around his neck and she rose up, thwarting his efforts to savor the moment by branding his mouth with a fiery kiss.

“You're not goin
g to let me take my time with this, are you?”

Molly gave a half moan, half chuckle. “Nope.”

Eager to accommodate her desires, he reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up, breaking the kiss only when the material passed between them. She returned the favor, her hands scorching down his shoulders to his chest as she slid his shirt off him.

Never losing contact, they found the bed and took a brief moment to remove the rest of their clothes before lying down.

Molly lay on her side and her curves called to him.

Sam skimmed his hand down her ribs, to the indent of her waist and up to her hip. So soft and tempting. He found her mouth again, but lingered only briefly, as he swept her hair out of t
he way so he could find the silky, sensitive spot behind her ear. She shivered. Her breasts brushed his chest and it was all he could do to hold back, but her moan of pleasure made it worth the wait.

He kissed, tasted and teased his way down her throat, chest, abdomen and finally her most intimate places. Molly whimpered and clutched the back of his head, holding him even closer as her thighs clamped against his head. Unable to hold off any longer, Sam rose to his knees, holding her legs over his arms as he entered her with a groan. Her heat surrounded him, and he felt her muscles clench, drawing him in even further. All control vanished and he found her eyes as he sought his own release. Her lips were puffy from kissing, her hair tousled, and she held her arms over her head, bracing against the headboard. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever experienced. The sight of her tongue darting out to lick her lips sent him over the edge, and he threw his head back, tensing as wave after wave of ecstasy swept him
.

* * *

Sam sat on the edge of the bed the next morning. He’d pulled a pair of khaki shorts on, but that was all. “We could be rushing into a relationship that neither of us is ready for—”

“But what if we end up throwing away something that could be good?”
Molly felt a lump come to her throat. This wasn't going the way she wanted. After making love, she had lain awake fantasizing about a life with Sam. Why couldn’t they could live right here? Her license was good in the whole state and she could transfer to a school in this part of the state.

There was still Sam’s job, but maybe he could do something else. He seemed to love it up here and mentioned how he had felt disenchanted with his job even bef
ore Sean’s death. The north woods would be good for him, and he said he had money put away so it wasn’t like he had to decide on a job right away. She’d fallen asleep dreaming of the three of them living as a family. In the dream, Sam had never found out the truth of who was really Kelsie’s father.

When she’d awakened and stretched, the glow from the dream still surrounded her, basking her
in a blanket of peace and contentment, so when Sam rose from the bed and pulled on his shorts, she’d smiled and teased him about how he was going commando.

He’d looked at her blankly, then launched into the ‘we’re rushing things’ speech.
Somewhere deep down, she'd thought he would jump at her unspoken invitation to renew the relationship. Before he could answer her question, she rushed on, sitting up with the covers gathered beneath her chin. “The thing that scared me the most, was that the first time, we might have made love for the wrong reasons. I was there taking care of you. You might have confused gratitude for attraction.” It embarrassed her to voice her fear, but she had to let him know. It wasn't like men typically drooled over her. Her hair was too curly and she was too short to be considered beautiful. “But last night—that felt real.”

Sam's arm went around her shoulders, and she snuggled closer to him. His chest rumbled when he chuckled.
“I can assure you, what I felt the first time was not gratitude. If that's all it was, I'd have sent you a basket of fruit or something. No, that night and last night was definitely pure attraction. What I was
going
to say before you cut me off was that I felt like I was dead for a year and suddenly, I'm alive again.”

Her breath caught when his hand moved lower and stroked her upper arm. He turned her towards him and his eyes met hers.
“Am I crazy?”

“If you are, then I am, too.”
Molly smiled and shook her head. “I’m scared to death though because Kelsie is getting attached to you. It's also something that never happened with the few men I've dated in the last couple of years.”

“
I'm getting pretty attached to her too, but it's her mother who’s taking up residence in my heart.” There was a smile in his voice.

She put her arm across his chest and lifted her face to him. He buried his free hand in the hair at the nape of her neck, and with the slightest pressure, angled her head. The faint light reflected in his eyes as his gaze danced between her eyes and
her mouth. Anticipation built inside of her, becoming unbearable. His lips were only inches away.

He lowered his head, his mouth soft and warm ag
ainst hers. She deepened the kiss, leaning into him. Their tongues met with a flash of heat, sending a tendril of fire through her veins. She ran her fingers up into his hair, then down to cup his jaw.

“
Sam…”

Molly had no idea what she was pleading for, but it didn't matter because his mouth covered hers again as his hands
roamed her body, pushing the covers out of the way. He pulled her onto his lap, turning her so he had full access. Wrapping an arm around his head, she bent, placing kisses along his jaw up to his ear. Encouraged at the low moan her kiss elicited, she ran her tongue along his ear, breathing lightly into it. A shudder swept him and she felt his excitement push against her thigh.

His voice was ragged as he said,
“Molly?” He sought her gaze, but he still held her breast, his thumb brushing against her nipple distracting her from the question smoldering in his eyes. After a moment, he voiced it, “Do we have time before Kelsie’s awake?”

Molly glanced towards the door
. As if on cue, she heard a soft knock. “Mommy?”

“Apparently not
.” She sighed and stood, tugging the sheet with her, suddenly shy. “I’ll be out in a minute, Kelsie.”

Sam gently tugged the sheet from her hands.
“Don't. You look beautiful.” His arms circled her waist from behind, and a second later, his lips nuzzled the side of her neck. Her legs seemed to turn to liquid as she leaned back eyes closed, against the solid wall of his chest. “You’re making this difficult.”

He chuckled and nibbled her earlobe, whispering, “No, you’re making this hard.”

Her eyes flew open and she laughed, giving him a playful elbow in the ribs.

She caught his hand as he moved it up to her breast and laughed as she gave a gentle tug.
“Come on. Time to make breakfast.”

* * *

That night, Sam opened his arms in invitation as Molly returned from the bathroom and she was quick to snuggle into bed beside him. He loved the way she fit against him. Absently, he stroked her arm and she sighed, her breath fluttering over his chest.

He could get used to this. He'd never felt a connection to a woman like he did with Molly. They h
ad already been through so much that it was hard to believe they had only known each other for a short while.

Everything between them felt right except for the timing. He s
till had a mission to carry out and she was leaving today. He had to avenge the deaths of his son and mother. Not just to keep his vow to himself, but to prevent the same tragedy from happening to someone else.

Molly turned over, her eyes searching his. “Why are you doing this, Sam?
Why are you trying to protect my brother? You could walk away right now. I know you want to find the enforcer, but knowing what you want to do to him terrifies me.”

Sam loosened his embrace and leaned away. It had always been his intention to kill the man. Whatever came after that hadn't concerned him. There was nothing left for him to care about and if he went to prison for murder, then so be it. He wasn't ready to give up on his plan to end the enforcer's miserable existence, but now
as Molly watched him, her eyes wide with fear and Kelsie's tear-streaked face popped into his mind, he felt the first moment of doubt.

“I don't know. I have to think on it.” It was the best he could do right now. For a year he'd been picturing every possible way of killing the monster who'd so casually given the order to torch Sam's mother's home, not caring about the lives of the innocent people inside. His only goal had been to send the strongest warning possible to keep Sam away.

“What about me? What about us?” The moon brightened the room and her eyes shone as they searched his face.

He knew what she was asking, but he c
ouldn’t give her an answer. Not now. He didn’t even know where he was going to be tomorrow night, let alone next month or next year. “I don’t know. Once this other stuff is settled, we can focus on what comes next.”

Even in the dark, he saw the hurt in her eyes. He smoothed her hair back. “I can’t believe I’ve only known you for a little over a week, but the one thing I’m certain of is that I care about you more than I’ve cared about any woman. It’s all I can give you right now.”

She nodded and inched closer. “I feel the same.”

He tried to deny the joy that rose in him at her words, but his attempt was futile. The feeling stole into every nerve and muscle of his body, filling him with a warm glow.

A moment later, a cold wash of fear drenched him. Had he put Molly and Kelsie at risk by becoming involved with Molly? What if they were targeted like his mother and son had been? Before, he’d been worried because of her connection to Johnny, but what if they knew that she was here with him now? What if they found out about the relationship? He hadn’t known they had broken his cover before, and it had cost his mother and son their lives. He had ridden all over the state looking for Howard, and it was almost certain that word had reached Howard. In fact, Sam had counted on it. He had hoped to draw Howard out of whatever hole he lived in.