Molly's Man (Haven, Texas Book 4) Page 5

  “Ooh, goody.” Molly rubbed her hands together. “You need us to bring anything home?”

  “Nope, we’re good,” Max said. “Just take care of each other.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t corrupt her. Too much.” Molly sent them a wink before heading off down the street with Savannah.

  Molly threw back her head and laughed as Lila told an amusing story about one of her husbands. The woman had three. Whew! She’d thought Savannah was brave having two, she couldn’t imagine what it was like to deal with three.

  But Lila seemed to manage it. From what she’d learned, she’d known her husbands a long time. Grown up with them, and then fallen in love with them.

  Molly glanced around the backroom of Laken’s shop. She’d been greeted with a huge hug. Laken was also a former patient. She’d been the one to recommend Molly to Savannah. She was thrilled by what Laken had achieved, and that she was now with the man she’d always loved.

  After Lila had joined them, Laken had turned the open sign around then grabbed a chilled bottle of wine and they’d all settled in the apartment upstairs to have a drink.

  Savannah’s phone made a noise and she picked it up. She smiled as she read the text message. “Max said he’ll pick us up in one hour. We’re not to leave until he gets here.”

  Before Laken opened the wine they’d all decided they better arrange a ride home. Molly thought she might feel like an intruder considering how well these three women knew each other, but they’d made her feel so welcome she’d soon relaxed. The wine helped too.

  “So, Molly, how long are you planning on staying in Haven?” Lila asked.

  “Oh, probably until Savannah and her men grow tired of having a house guest and kick me out.”

  Savannah snorted. “As if that will happen.”

  Laken leaned over and replenished her glass. “And if it does, you can always come stay with me and Duncan.”

  “Think your hunky deputy will be happy having me stay?” Molly teased.

  Laken smiled. “He’ll be fine with it.”

  “Yeah, but Molly may not be after you keep her up half the night.” Lila smirked.

  Laken picked up a cushion from the armchair where she sat and threw it at her. “Well, if you don’t want to move in with us, you can always stay here; it’s empty.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got plans to find some tropical island and work on my tan.” She looked down at her pale skin pointedly.

  “Oh, that sounds nice,” Lila said. “Which island? For how long?”

  “I’m not sure. Right now, I’m thinking about Samoa or Rarotonga. And maybe indefinitely.”

  “Really?” Savannah asked. “Won’t you get bored living on a tropical island? What about your work?”

  “Oh, I’ll always find work no matter where I go,” she said vaguely.

  “There are crazies everywhere, huh?” Lila asked, this time ducking to avoid the cushion Savannah flung her way.

  “Well, I’m not really allowed to call people crazy . . . but if the shoe fits . . .” A cushion landed against her arm, causing her to spill her drink on her jeans.

  “Oh, shit, Molly, I’m sorry,” Laken said apologetically, getting up to go and grab a cloth. Molly took it from her, using it to dab at her pants.

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ve had worse spilled on me.”

  “Let me go get you something to wear from downstairs,” Laken offered.

  Molly dismissed that suggestion with a shake of her head. “Don’t bother. I’m fine. It’s not that bad. I shouldn’t have been teasing you all.”

  “When you get settled on that tropical island, we might just have to visit you,” Lila said. “A vacation sounds perfect right about now.”

  “Sure. Come visit anytime.” She felt bad for not telling them everything. Like they’d better come visit sooner rather than later or she might not be there.

  “So.” Molly sat forward. “Can any of you tell me what I have to do to join Saxons?”

  The three women were silent for a moment, staring at her. Then Lila and Savannah looked over at Laken.

  “Not sure why you’re all looking at me. I don’t go there that often.”

  “But you’re the only one of us who’s a member,” Savannah pointed out.

  “You are?” Molly asked, delighted. “So, Duncan is dominating you again? That’s wonderful. I’m glad to hear you’ve started practicing again.”

  Laken chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t think there are many shrinks who would be so happy that their former patient is getting tied up and spanked on a regular basis.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “Molly!” Laken said.

  “What? Is it like Fight Club? You can’t talk about it? That’s disappointing. I was hoping for some details or pointers before I took the plunge.”

  “The plunge?” Savannah asked. “You really want to go to a BDSM club, Molly?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Laken tilted her head to one side. “I wouldn’t have picked you for being a submissive.”

  “Maybe she’s a Domme,” Savannah said.

  Molly thought about that. “Nah, I’m not interested in spanking someone else’s ass. But the idea of being turned over some strong, handsome man’s knee, now that makes me squirm.”

  Lila giggled. “You’ve come to the right town then.”

  “Your husbands spank you?” Molly asked.

  “Do they ever,” Savannah said dryly. “She’s always getting herself in trouble.”

  “On purpose?” Molly asked. It was so refreshing to be able to talk about her desires without being judged. When she’d asked Richard to spank her he’d suggested she was a bit stressed and maybe she needed to take a break from work.

  Lila winked at her. “Sometimes. But don’t tell them that. They might think up some other punishment that’s not nearly as fun.”

  Molly sighed. “Now, I want to experience that.”

  “You realize there’s more to BDSM than a few fun spankings, right?” Laken asked her cautiously.

  “Of course. I read. I’ve done some research. But I won’t know if I like it until I try it, right?”

  She recalled the sheriff’s shocked look when she told him what she was planning. “Is Jake a Dom?”

  Laken frowned slightly. “He’s a member of Saxons, but he never plays.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  The other woman shook her head. “I don’t know. He just comes a few times a month, watches some scenes from the bar then leaves. It’s kind of sad, really.”

  Hmm. That was interesting.

  “He tried to warn me off going.”

  “Really?” Savannah gave her a look of disbelief. “You two seemed to be having an intense conversation when we interrupted earlier. Why would he try to keep you away from Saxons?”

  “I think he believes I’m too flippant. That I won’t take it seriously enough. But I’m not sure why it can’t be fun.”

  “Jake is a serious guy,” Lila said. “Maybe he’s just worried about protecting the other members.”

  “I’m not looking to hurt anyone or make fun of them.”

  “Of course not.” Savannah reached over and patted her hand. “But he doesn’t know you. Give him some time. He keeps to himself a bit, but he’s really a nice guy.”

  “All I want is to give this BDSM thing a go before—” Crap, she shouldn’t have had that second glass of wine.

  “Before what?” Laken asked, refilling everyone’s drink.

  “Before I leave here. Doubt there’s many BDSM clubs in Rarotonga,” she joked. Tears threatened, and she had to turn her face away. So stupid. She’d cried so many tears already. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t change her circumstances. All she could do was live the rest of her life how she wanted, on her terms. To fit in as much as she could into what time she had left. But damn, she really wished it hadn’t taken her impending death for her to finally decide to live.

  “I don’t want to talk about you
leaving when you just got here,” Savannah pouted.

  “I’ll talk to Duncan about Saxons,” Laken promised. “I’m sure you’d be allowed to come as our guest as long as he took responsibility for you.”

  Molly wrinkled her nose. “But that means I’d have to behave.”

  Laken grinned, shaking her head. “Somehow, I have the feeling you’re going to turn this town upside down.”

  Hopefully that wasn’t a bad thing.

  “Actually, maybe I will go down and grab some clothes. If that’s still okay?” She set her glass down. She felt a little raw inside, she just needed a few minutes to herself or she was worried she’d burst into tears and tell these women everything.

  “Of course it is.” Laken smiled at her.

  “I’ll pay for them of course.”

  “No, you won’t. It’s my gift to you. Especially since I spilled wine all over you. I’ll come down with you.”

  Molly waved her away. “Don’t bother. I can find my way down there.” And it would give her a chance to clear her head and stop feeling so damn melancholy. She should have moved to Haven years ago. Or someplace like it. She’d never been truly happy in the city. With the long hours she’d worked, she hadn’t had much of a social life. She’d missed out on nights like this one with good friends and lots of laughter. And now she had only a limited time to cram them all in.

  With a sigh, she flipped the light switch on in the shop and turned to the racks of clothing, hoping she could find something that would go over her ass. She’d accepted that she was never going to be thin. Well, not unless someone invented a magical pill that enabled you to eat as much as you liked without ever putting on weight. Now wouldn’t that be awesome?

  She’d just picked up a bright yellow skirt with white trim when a knock on the door startled her. She turned, the skirt clutched to her chest, to find a dark figure looming in front of the glass door. Who the hell was that? She thought about calling out for Laken, but then maybe it was that husband of hers.

  She moved forward, coming to a stop as she finally managed to make out the features of the person on the other side. Jake.

  Her stomach danced happily as she opened the door. “Hey, Sheriff. You sure you’re not following me?”

  He pulled off his hat, holding it in front of him. “Molly, what are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I saw the light was on and I knew Laken should have been closed up by now. Thought I’d just check that everything was all right.”

  She sighed. “You caught me red-handed stealing.” She held out the yellow skirt. “I suppose you better arrest me and haul me away to jail.”

  “You want to be arrested?”

  “I have a thing for authority figures,” she whispered with a wink, leaning into him. She leaned a bit too far, though, and her sprained ankle gave way, sending her toppling into him.

  He grabbed hold of her, holding them both steady.

  “Whoops! Sorry, Sheriff. Didn’t mean to fall head over heels for you.”

  His eyebrows drew closer together. “Molly, have you been drinking?”

  “Just a couple.”

  “You smell like booze.”

  “I do not!” she protested before she remembered the wine she’d spilled on herself. “Oh, I suppose I do.”

  “I hope you’re not planning on driving anywhere,” he said sternly.

  “Of course not.” She sighed with exasperation. “Sheriff, are you always so serious?”

  “I am about people driving under the influence.”

  She pulled away from him. “I’m not an idiot. I’ve only had a couple of glasses of wine, but I’m not going to drive. Max is picking us up soon. I knocked some wine onto my jeans, so I came down to pick out something to wear. That’s all. Laken and the others are upstairs. So, you see, I’m not stealing anything, not breaking any laws.”

  “Molly? You okay? Did you find something to wear?” Laken walked into the main shop. “Oh, hi, Jake. What are you doing here?”

  “He saw the light on and came to check I wasn’t robbing you blind.”

  Laken smiled at Jake warmly. “Sorry, sometimes I forget how observant you guys are. I spilled some wine on Molly, so I told her to grab something from the shop.” She looked over at Molly. “Oh, you found the skirt. I just remembered about it and came down to find it for you. It would look amazing on you.”

  “Thanks.” She gave Laken a smile before turning to Jake. “I’ll just go put it on. Good night, Sheriff.”

  He gave her a formal nod. Then looked over at Laken. “Duncan is picking you up?”

  She nodded, seemingly unoffended by his nosy question. “Yes, and Colin is coming to get Lila. Don’t worry, we’re being safe.”

  “Good. Keep the doors locked until they get here. I’ll see you ladies later.”

  With that, he left, and Molly finally remembered how to breathe properly again. Damn the man. He was uptight, blunt, and so fucking sexy it was hard to concentrate in his presence.

  “Molly? Everything okay?” Laken asked, startling her, and she realized with a blush of embarrassment she was just standing there, staring at the door.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll just put this on.” She escaped before Laken could ask her any more questions.

  Because she wasn’t certain she had the answers.

  5

  Jake walked towards the skate park. He was attempting to track down a couple of teenagers to read them the riot act for skateboarding recklessly through the park. Just this morning they’d knocked Mrs. Wellham over. As he grew closer to the skate boarding area the town council had built a few years back, a curvy redhead caught his attention. Molly. His stomach tightened. Damn, he’d hoped his reaction to her would have lessened by now. She’d been in Haven for two weeks now, and he’d only seen her a couple of times, usually with Savannah, Laken, or Lila. Each time he’d seen her, she’d been laughing, looking carefree and beautiful.

  And every time his body reacted the same way. Almost as though it went on high alert in her presence. She stopped and bent over to tie her shoelace, and he found himself checking out her delectable ass.

  Damn. What a woman.

  He’d been pleased she hadn’t followed through on her idea to join Saxons. He’d turned up on both Friday and Saturday night, but no Molly. And no one had mentioned her, so he figured she hadn’t been there at all. There was no doubt she made an impression wherever she went.

  What the hell was she doing? She stood talking to a couple of teenagers who were holding skateboards. One of the teenagers handed his skateboard and helmet over to Molly. She put the helmet over her hair and holding onto the skateboard, moved onto the concrete pad.

  She wouldn’t. She’d injured her ankle not that long ago.

  She put one foot back and pushed herself forward, her arms held straight out from her sides as though she was about to take off like a bird. Her laughter danced through the air. His heart started beating again. She was okay. She pushed off again. This time going faster. That wasn’t a good idea. His eyes widened as he saw her hit a rough patch in the concrete, she wobbled back and forth, and for a moment he thought she would regain her balance. But the skateboard shot out from underneath her, and she landed on her back on the hard ground.

  “Molly!” he yelled out as he raced towards her. He pushed past the boys who now surrounded her and kneeling next to her.

  “Jesus, that hurts,” she muttered, trying to push herself up.

  “Lie still,” he barked at her as he ran his hands over her body.

  “Why, Sheriff, I really don’t think this is the place,” she attempted to joke, but he saw the flash of pain on her face as he prodded her ankle.

  “You’ve hurt your ankle again.”

  She grimaced. “Guess it’s still a little weak. Twisted it as I fell.”

  “What the hell were you thinking? Why would you get on that skateboard?” She also had a couple of scrapes on her elbows that were bl
eeding.

  She shrugged. “I’ve never tried before.”

  That didn’t seem like a good enough reason to him. But he held back his lecture as he saw her wince again. He needed to get her checked over.

  “Let’s get you to the Doc.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, I might just sit here for a bit. Catch my—” Her words were cut off as he slipped an arm around her back and under her legs and then stood, holding her against his chest.

  “Jake! What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I like when you call me by my name,” he told her.

  She shook her head. “Jake, put me down.”

  “Nope. I’m not letting you put weight on that ankle.”

  “You can’t carry me.”

  “Uh, hate to tell you but I already am.”

  “I’m too heavy. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  He paused glaring down at her. “I don’t know which part of that statement to address first. The insult to you. Or to me.”

  “I didn’t insult you.”

  “You did by implying I can’t handle you.”

  “Oh, so sorry to insult your manly ego. Didn’t realize it was so fragile.”

  He hadn’t seen her like this before, grouchy and short-tempered, and it made him realize she was probably in more pain than she was letting on. And maybe a little embarrassed. This wasn’t the first comment she’d made about her body. Did she have issues about her size? How ridiculous. She was so hot he could scarcely keep his dick contained.

  “Baby, I could carry you for hours and not tire,” he told her.

  Her eyes widened, probably due to the endearment that slipped out, but by that time he’d reached his car.

  “I’m going to ease you down so I can get the car door open,” he told her. “Keep your weight off your bad foot and lean against me, all right?”

  “All right,” she said a little weakly.

  He studied her for a moment. “You okay, Molly?”