Two in the Afternoon (2 page)

Chapter Three

Molly's feet had barely hit the front porch before her cell was ringing. Strangely enough, it was Chris, inviting her to dinner with him and Callum. Even though the invite had taken her by surprise, she'd agreed. What kind of fool passed up a chance for dinner out with two sexy men?

Besides, it would offer her the chance to get to know Callum without being obvious. Or at least not
very
obvious. The man was a walking wet dream, and she could use dinner tonight as an excuse to stock up on some fantasy material.

There wasn't much open around town on a Sunday evening, so Chris had suggested a drive to Mumford, the next town over, for some sushi in a few hours. That gave her enough time to load Bo into her convertible after his bathroom break and hustle to her apartment to pack a few things for her two weeks at the farm. Bo gave a brief bark of delight as they pulled away, leaving the gravel lane behind them.

It was a short drive back into town. She was packed and heading back to the farm when she spotted a black SUV with heavily tinted windows. It was idling on a side street around the corner from her apartment. As she passed the intersection, it pulled out to follow her.

Even though she knew better, she felt the urge to speed up, putting distance between her and the tail. Her brother's words of advice kept her steady, though. Gabe would want her to keep her cool. She could handle this, make him proud. If only she could reach him. He'd been gone for over seven months, out of contact. She'd left several messages with his command since moving to North Carolina, but as of yet he hadn't been able to return them.

Keeping her pace slow, she circled around to head to the pub. If she drove by and Callum's black truck wasn't there, then she'd make her way to Chris's apartment. If that failed, she'd visit the damn grocery store. She would not be leading anyone back to the isolated farm.

The SUV stayed a few car lengths behind her, but with so little traffic there was no place for them to hide. Once she came close enough to the pub to see Callum's gleaming truck in the lot, she braced Bo in his seat and whipped the car to the right at the last second. The tires gave a quick squeal of disapproval, and Bo fell against the door before he could right himself. Giving another sharp jerk of the wheel, she pulled into the space closest to the service entrance. In seconds she bolted from her still-running car, too panicked to care, grabbing Bo's leash as she went.

The tail had followed her into the lot, but at a much slower pace. She was sprinting to the service door when she realized she'd left her keys in the car. Praying the service door was still open, she gave a brief look over her shoulder. The windows were too darkly tinted to see anyone in the vehicle. It was circling, about to make another pass in her direction.

So much for keeping her cool. If that damn door was locked, she was trapped, with no one to blame but herself.

She was only a few feet from the service door when it was flung open, causing her and Bo to skid to a halt. Callum Eversman exploded from the door with a 9mm Glock at the ready, clad in only his boxers. “Get inside. Go. Go.”

The intensity of the moment washed over her once she reached the confines of the service hallway, and she started to shake. She could not fall apart now. Whoever was out there meant business, or they wouldn't have followed her into the parking lot, hoping to find her alone. And now Callum was out there, alone. Tucking Bo into the office, she shut the door behind her after reaching into the right-hand desk drawer.

Turning for the exit with Noah's semiautomatic in her hand brought a calm she hadn't expected. It had been a long time since Gabe had taught her to shoot, but every bit of training he'd given now anchored her. The rising panic was gone. In its place was a cool, steely determination. Noah's Ruger was a bit larger than her own gun, but she adjusted her grip to accommodate it then exited through the service door in a low crouch.

Callum stood at the edge of the walk with his gun at the ready, tracking the retreat of the black SUV as it sped away from the Drunken Duck. Without turning, he spoke. “How did I know you wouldn't stay out of the way?”

She wanted to offer him a scathing response, but instead she almost swallowed her tongue as she took him in. He was practically naked, gloriously exposed down to his bare feet, and his muscles flexed as he relaxed his stance. He was probably six feet tall, but with the aura of menace radiating from him, he appeared larger than life.

She followed his movement as he made his way to her car and turned the engine off. Her two-seater didn't have much space, so she'd stowed her overnight bag on the passenger side floor. Callum tugged it free and made his way back up the walk.

“Did you get a look at them?” Now that the threat was gone, her shakes were coming back, and it showed in the way her voice quaked.

“No.” He took her gun then handed her the bag. “Is this the first time they've gotten this close?”

Cal watched the expressions cross Molly's face at his question. He saw her desire to lie, a brief panic that lying wouldn't work, then the acceptance of the truth. “Yes. This is the first time they've ever really scared me.”

He could hear the shock in her voice, which was weak and thready. She followed him into the pub and he locked the door behind them.

“How did you know I was in trouble?”

Before answering her question, he let the dog out of the office, and the three of them made their way through the pub. “I heard the squealing tires.”

She let out little huff of surprise. “What?”

“Come on, Molly. Upstairs. We can talk about this after we call Chris.”

That drew her up short. “Like hell. I'm not dragging him into this. Whatever the fuck
this
is.”

Well, he could deal with her anger, he was glad to see her panic give way to something less destructive. “He's already involved. Noah and Chris knew something was up a few weeks back.”

“Oh. My. God. That's why you're here.” The statement came out breathy and stunned, barely above a whisper. Panic was beginning to bleed back into her voice.

“Get your ass upstairs. Now.”

The dog gave a bark and bounded ahead of them.

She threw him a mutinous glare but followed his orders, and this time he watched
her
ass as she climbed the stairs. She was still in the pajamas from earlier, which weren't exactly the sexiest thing she could be wearing, but his dick still tented his boxers. Only this time he didn't have a bag to hide behind.

He couldn't understand how a woman he'd known for all of two hours had managed to get under his skin already. When he'd heard her car tear into the lot below the apartment, he'd felt the kind of all-consuming fear that tore at his control. Then, when she'd come out of the pub with a gun drawn like a pro, his control had slipped a bit more, just in a different way.

Now she stood in the apartment with hands on her hips, about to give him the what-for, and it made him smile. Stowing the guns in a drawer in the kitchen after thumbing the safety on the Ruger in place, he turned to face her. She had advanced on him and was about to stick a finger in his chest.

Snatching her hand, he pulled it away from his body and went nose to nose with her. “Don't bite my head off. Noah wanted backup, and you were too stubborn to go to anyone in the first place. So, you're stuck with me until this gets resolved.”

Her breath shuddered and she leaned into his larger frame. There was nothing he could do. Except kiss her.

Chapter Four

Callum Eversman kissed like a man on fire. His lips seared a path to every erogenous zone on her body, particularly straight to her panties. He cradled her face gently, reverently, as he nipped at her bottom lip, drawing her taste within his mouth.

She was gripping his forearms when he suddenly pulled away. Taking in her dazed expression, he let his gaze fall to her lips before dropping his hands from her face.

For a brief moment, Molly thought that was the end of their scorching interlude. It certainly wasn't enough to satisfy her needs, but she wasn't going to throw herself at Callum. No matter how ridiculously hot the man was.

Instead of backing away from her, as she expected, he dropped his massive hands to cradle her ass and lifted her from her feet. Pressed against his bare chest, with his hands cupping her, she felt the impressive ridge of his erection slide along her belly when he raised her up. The distance to the couch was only a few feet, and he made short work of it, perching her ass on the back of it and fiercely taking her mouth again.

This kiss was hot, an exploration into how wet and ready this man could get her in thirty seconds or less. This kiss was demanding, ordering Molly to surrender and cling to Callum.

A hand gently tugged her head back, bringing her into a position that deepened their kiss. Bringing her closer to complete and total submission.

Instead of allowing Callum to run the show, she took charge the only way she could. Curling a hand around his straining erection, she felt the tension in his body through the soft cotton of his boxers. As she gripped him, barely getting her fingers around his girth, he let a low growl escape from the back of his throat.

Controlling him with her touch was intoxicating. His movements had stilled and he stood before her, hot and heavy under her fingers, poised on the edge of release. Every muscle and tendon was pulled tight. His face was raised to the ceiling, eyes tightly closed as he absorbed her touch.

“Callum.” She said his name quietly, softly, as she kissed his rock-hard abdomen. His muscles contracting under her lips brought another heady rush of excitement.

He hissed in a breath and when he spoke his voice was strained. “Cal. Call me Cal.”

An open-mouthed kiss to the skin just above the band of his boxers brought his hands to her face with a soft touch. He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs and encouraged her to raise her face.

She knew what was coming, and it wasn't going to be her anytime soon, if the look on his face was any indication. He caressed her neck, where his grip had been tight.

Cal chuckled and placed a kiss on her temple and placed her on her feet. “Come on. We've got thirty minutes to pull ourselves together before Chris gets here. I'll even let you have the bathroom first.”

Molly grabbed her bag from the floor a few feet away and practically flounced into the bathroom, not bothering to glance back at Cal. She refused to consider how close she'd come to stripping him naked. Temporary insanity. It had to be. They'd only met a few hours ago, and though he might be ridiculously hot, she had never just jumped into bed with some random guy. But damn did she wish he hadn't put the brakes on their interlude.

The next morning, Cal heard Molly's little car pull into the lot downstairs, and Bo, the yellow Lab, gave a soft bark as he padded over to the door leading down to the pub. During dinner last night, they'd filled Chris in on the afternoon's events. Well, aside from the hot make-out session. They had definitely left that out.

Chris had convinced Molly to stay with him at his apartment for safety, but he couldn't take Bo, since his place had a strict no-pet rule. So Cal had kept Bo, and Chris had gone home with Molly. That had really chapped Cal's ass.

He wanted to tell Chris to take a hike, that Molly would be staying with him and no one else. Even though every cell in his body wanted to claim Molly as his own, he also knew she was off limits. They'd rushed through getting ready to beat the clock before Chris showed up, and even though they'd spent twenty minutes bouncing into each other in the tiny apartment, little had been said.

Now she was downstairs, and he was dying to get her alone again. Just the thought brought his dick to attention. Until he heard another car in the lot and a few moments later, a voice called out below. Well, hell. The afternoon staff was already showing up.

Opening the door for Bo, he watched the dog bound down the stairs and out the lower door he'd left open after their run that morning. He figured Noah ran with him on the regular, since Bo had appeared at the side of his bed with leash in mouth shortly after six that morning. He'd been more than happy to oblige the dog. He'd spent a sleepless night thinking about Molly and had been more than ready to get his day started.

He followed the dog into the pub below and found a man with a steel-gray buzz cut and heavily muscled arms behind the bar. He was stocking the coolers with bottled beer as he eyed Cal crossing the floor.

Molly's voice floated to them from the back office. “Chief, can you make sure the front door is unlocked? It's going to take me a few minutes to get these cases stacked back here.”

Cal veered to the left and flipped the lock before approaching the bar.

“Much obliged.” Chief's voice was a low rumble, like a man who'd spent a good many years using it loudly.

“Sir, Callum Eversman. A friend of Noah's. I'll be around for a few weeks.” Cal gave a nod in greeting with his words.

As the man placed a beefy hand out, Cal noticed a US Naval insignia tattooed on his forearm. “John Mason. Pleased to meet you.”

Cal took his firm grip in his own and they shook. “Master Chief.”

A small smile softened the older man's face, creased and weathered with age and sun. “Indeed, Sergeant.”

Now it was Cal's turn to smile. Of course Noah had given the retired Naval officer the details about him. Noah was no fool and would use every resource he had to ensure Molly's safety.

“Would you mind keeping an eye on the dog while I go talk to Molly?”

Chief nodded toward the far end of the bar, where Bo was curled up on a red dog bed, happily snoring in a patch of sun filtering through the window above him. “He's here nearly every day with Noah.”

Cal left the sleeping dog and the busy Master Chief behind as he made his way down the narrow hall to find Molly. He found her stacking supply boxes on the top shelf in a storage room near the office. She wore black ballet slippers, black Capri pants and a snug black tee. Her short auburn hair in artful spikes. She should have looked severe in unrelieved black, but instead she looked sexy and comfortable all at the same time.

When he shut the door with a click, she wobbled on the stepstool for a moment before catching herself. Turning quickly, she braced her hands on the shelf before her and eyed him from top to bottom. It was like a physical touch as she raked her eyes down the length of his frame.

He grew taut and aware when she raised her gaze back to his face. Without a word, she launched herself from the stool into his arms. She was light, but her attack caught him off guard and he took a step back as he caught her around the waist.

Molly wrapped her legs around his middle, pressed in close, and his heart thumped noisily in his chest. When she gripped the back of his head and took his mouth with a greed that surprised him he settled his hands on her ass with a squeeze.

“Hey, soldier.” She gave him a saucy wink and landed on her feet like a cat as she freed herself from his grip.

Off limits.
Knowing that fact didn't stop the zing of arousal from spiking through his bloodstream. “Not that I'm against a make-out session, but I'm pretty sure the Master Chief might break me in half if he found us back here.”

She laughed, a real one that started in her belly and vibrated through her. “He can be a bit protective.”

He shifted his weight, bouncing from one foot to the other, in an oddly nervous gesture. “Actually, I'm here to ask you on a proper date. Just the two of us. Would you like to grab dinner tonight?” That actually wasn't what he had come back here to ask, but Molly scrambled his brain in ways he could've never expected. And the words just broke free, beyond his control.

Damn. Chris and Noah were going to kick his ass. Couldn't even make it one day without asking the one woman who was off limits out on a date.

Molly pulled away from him, peering at his face closely, looking a touch stunned. She put a few feet between them before looking up at him. “A date?”

“I know I'm only here at the lake for a few weeks. But I'd like to take you out on a date. Spend some time together while I'm here.”

She eyed him speculatively. Then crossed her arms over her chest. “What's the angle here, Cal? There's no need to
dat
e.”

Jesus, she said it like a dirty word. Every inch of her body was screaming back off.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the punch. “Look, I'm sure you are a perfectly nice guy. Bottom line—you're a military man and you're going to walk out that door in two weeks and never look back. And I'm not the least bit interested in being left behind. So, either it's a no-strings-attached bit of fun or it's just guard duty. It cannot be anything more for me.”

For a moment he gaped at her. Just standing there sucking air. Molly Ryan was just full of surprises.

Grudgingly he said, “I see your point, I suppose. Fine, no dating. But I would like to see you again while I'm here. Exclusively, that is. No other men, or women, while we are
not
dating.” Was he really setting boundaries on a fling? What the hell was she doing to him?

“Deal.” Molly stuck her hand out to seal the deal. Instead of shaking it Cal pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“And since we are
not
dating, I think we should spend some time training. I scoped out a local gym this morning we could use.” There. That was what he was supposed to talk to her about.

She squirmed in his arms, but he only pulled her in tighter. “You know it's the smart thing to do. How long has it been since you've worked on self-defense with your brother?”

“How do you know about Gabe?” She was glaring at him again, even more fiercely than before. When she put her hands on his chest to push him away, he let her.

Taking a step back he said, “He was part of the information Noah pulled for us when I got here. As well as some details about Pratt.”

She flinched when he said the bastard's name, but recovered almost immediately. Pulling her spine straight she said, “Fine, we can train in the mornings before I come in. My work schedule is all over the place while Noah's gone, but we can figure it out.”

“Good. We'll start tonight after your shift ends. I'll call the gym and reserve some space.” How was that for
not
a date?

Cal tugged her into a loose embrace again. He nuzzled along her neck before placing a soft kiss there.

When she spoke her voice was breathy and soft. “Maybe we can find time to get a meal?” It should have been a statement, but instead it ended like a question.

“If that's what you want, I'm sure we can make time.” They may not be officially dating, but daily training sessions were going to be even more useful in figuring out the complexities of one Molly Ryan.

She sighed. “Come have lunch. Chief makes a mean crab cake special.”