Hotshot and Hospitality by Nora Everly
Chapter 25
Molly
I turned off the highway onto the now-familiar nightmare forest road that led to Garrett’s place. But this time felt different—like a million years had passed between us since the last time I had been here.
I smiled at him and took his hand, jerking him to sit upright so I could hold it while I drove the rest of the way. We were both kind of driving now, but I didn’t care. He laughed when I had to turn the wheel sharply to make the right turn before we got to his driveway and I dragged his hand along with mine. I had feels and they were growing, my heart was about to explode, and I was beginning to think it was because of him and not some dumb sympathy pain thing. I felt more for Garrett than I had for all the Chrises combined. Our infamous Genie’s fake kiss felt like a lifetime ago and I still couldn’t understand why.
Because you’ve known Garrett your entire life, stupid.
Holy shit.
I threw my VW into park and sat up straight. “We’re here!” I announced with an insane brightness in my voice. I was suddenly unsure of how to act around him. Was I falling in love? Or was I about to drop dead of a sympathy heart attack?
I don’t know these things!
I was a go-with-the-flow kind of girl and not one to dwell on stuff. Plus, every man I had ever dated found me annoying by the fifth or sixth date and had broken it off. Since I’d never really cared that deeply for any of them, I’ve never had to deal with feelings like this before.
“Want to eat on the deck?” he asked, wrenching me out of my thoughts.
“Sure, but I have to say hi to Stan first,” I informed him, because obviously.
He tugged lightly on my ponytail with a grin, then turned to unlock the door. “Of course. I have to feed him too. I also want to call and check on my dad real quick.” We stepped inside. Garrett headed straight for the kitchen and I headed off to find Stan, my one true love.
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, smiling when I saw his royal chubbiness waddle his fluffy patootie out from behind the couch. “Come here, my wittle chunk monster, and get your sugars.” I knelt and gathered him up, kissing the top of his furry head.
There was nothing in this world better than kitty-cat cuddles. Except for maybe good dick, and every woman over the age of twenty-nine knows that good dick is a scarce and diminishing resource. Hence the rise of the cat lady, of which I would probably join the ranks of if I couldn’t rein in my crazy long enough to land a husband. I took Stan to my favorite chair by the fireplace where I scratched his neck and listened to him purr. I could relate. I, too, purred whenever my neck got the right kind of attention.
But alas, the pop of the kitty-cat food can opening in the kitchen took Stan from my arms before I was ready to let him go, so I got up to console myself with the cheeseburgers Garrett had ordered from Daisy’s—no onions, thank you very much. I had managed to notice that little request Garrett had made through the fog of my earlier brief mental breakdown. I was excited because saying no to onions meant saying yes to kissing and I was all for the kissing tonight.
I had to question whether I was having real feelings—the swirly heart stuff, the fog in my brain—or was it just low blood sugar? If I still felt this way after dinner, then I’d consider scheduling another freak-out or a lunch with Clara, which, come to think of it, would amount to the same thing. My talk with Bill had unlocked feelings that I could no longer deny. But the heart attack had cast a huge apprehensive pall over them. As always, I was one step forward and two more back.
“How’s your dad? Did you get to talk to him?”
“I talked to Barrett. Dad’s doing fine. He was asleep, so Mom and Barrett are having dinner in the cafeteria.”
“Good. I hope Barrett and your mom can get some rest later too.”
“Me too. I’m starving. Let’s go outside. Flip the switch on the wall and I’ll grab the food. Want a beer?”
“Sure, thanks.” I flipped the switch, stepped outside and crossed the deck, which was the same as before, then went down the stairs into the yard, spinning in a circle to take in all that he had added. He had wound tiny fairy lights up the trunks of several trees and hung lanterns from their branches. It still looked enchanted out here, like Hansel and Gretel’s magical forest, but I no longer had to fear the witch because I could see beyond his yard. He’d lit it up so it was magical instead of scary. My heart flipped over in my chest.
I squealed as his arms wrapped around my waist from behind and he buried his face in my neck. “Do you like it?” he whispered, then kissed my cheek.
“It’s beautiful. I love it.”
“Good. This is my favorite place to be and I want you to love it as much as I do.” I leaned back into his arms and tilted my head back to look up at him. He was so tall, all he had to do was bow forward a bit and he could look at my face upside down. But that wasn’t good enough. I pivoted in his arms and reached high to pull his face to mine.
I stood on tiptoes but couldn’t reach his mouth to kiss him since, for some reason, he wouldn’t bend over to let me. I really needed a kiss, dammit. These feelings needed to get out of my body and his mouth seemed like a good place to put them. “Why do I have to be so dang short?”
“So that I can do this.” He finally bent, sweeping his arms around my bottom to lift me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist.
Cradling his face in my palms, I allowed my crazy heart to take control as I pressed my lips to his and kissed him like I never wanted to stop. Because for once in my life, I didn’t want to run away from how I felt. I had the scary thought that I wanted to kiss him forever. Garrett didn’t feel temporary. In this moment, he felt like everything I had been missing in my life.
It scared the crap out of me.
He carried me back up the stairs to the deck and set me down at the table. Smiling at me in the glittering light of the deck, his brown eyes twinkled. “This is the least romantic dinner ever.” He laughed as he opened the Daisy’s bag and passed me a burger.
“We don’t need fancy food, Garrett. Just each other, right?”
“You’re right. Molly, I don’t know what I would have done without you at the hospital. Holding your hand helped me keep it together.”
“Same. Your dad is like a second dad to me. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him.”
“It was a shock seeing him in that bed. I can’t get it out of my head even though I know he’ll be fine.” He set his beer down and stared out at the yard. The sun had gone down and all we could see beyond the deck were the shadows cast by the moonlight and the shimmer of the lights he had strung in the trees. Their stark beauty was a contrast to the vivid light on the deck. Like we were in our own glowing little world surrounded by thousands of tiny fallen stars.
“Let me take care of you tonight, please?” I reached for his hand to link our fingers. Making him feel okay again had suddenly become the only thing I wanted to do.
He smiled. “This feels familiar, doesn’t it?”
“I guess it does. But maybe this time we can get in that big tub of yours together instead of just me. What do you think?”
“I think you might be brilliant.”
“Of course I am. Naked comfort is always the best kind. It’s just like my great-aunt Belle always used to say—when all else fails, show your boobs.”
“Do I even want to know what prompted her to give you this advice?” I counted his laughing voice as a point scored in my newly invented Make Garrett Smile Tonight game.
“I’ll have you know it’s solid advice. She’s been married, like, eight times. Anyway, we’ll see if it works on you after dinner. For science.”
“Ah, I’ll do anything for science. If you recall, I won the science fair twice in high school.”
“I do remember. You were very impressive, hotshot. So, when would you like to take that bath?”
“Hmm. I’ve always heard the ideal time is thirty minutes after eating. We wouldn’t want to drown.”
“Brilliant,” I teased. “But I have to warn you—I had big plans of getting behind you, Pretty Woman-in-the-bathtub-scene style, but I’m too short, so I’ll have to straddle your lap instead.”
“I am totally okay with that.” His hand squeezed mine as he chuckled. “I’m so glad you’re here, Molly,” he quietly added.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” We finished our dinner, quietly enjoying each other’s company.
He gave my hand a light tug and I stood up with him. “I’ll go run that bath now,” he offered.
“No, I’m taking care of you. Go inside and pet Stan.” I gathered our trash and dashed inside, making a quick stop in the kitchen to throw it away. We’d already had the obligatory condom talk, so we were good to go. He made me feel like I was bursting with electricity. I tingled with anticipation but also felt languid and at peace, as if I could lie down with him and let the world just drift away into nothing. No more fears, no more of the noise that constantly filled my head with trepidation. All of it was gone, at least for now.
I kicked off my shoes near the couch and set my hearing aid on the coffee table before making my way into the bathroom. I pulled up the blinds nestled within the frame of the floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the tub, filling the bathroom with the moon and the stars and the flickering lights from the trees outside.
After twisting the lever, I knelt to add a few drops of lavender bath oil beneath the flow of hot water, swishing it around with my hand, watching as it created a sweet-smelling sheen and blending it in to make something that was already wonderful even better as my starlit reflection faded into the water.
I stood and, with a reach behind my back, unzipped my dress to pull it over my head and hang over the towel rack. I turned to see him watching me with his hip against the doorframe.
“Come here,” I murmured, reaching for his hand. He took it, allowing me to tug him into the room as he kicked the door shut behind himself. He reached out for me with his other hand, but I shook my head no. “I’m taking care of you, remember?”
A faint smile drifted across his face as his chest rose and fell with his quickened breath. “I remember,” he said as he let his arm drop. I had to read his lips to understand his words. But I wanted to do more than read them. I needed to taste them, kiss them, feel them on my body. I wanted to disappear inside of him and give him everything he needed, like he had always done for me.
Lifting the hem of his shirt, I struggled to get it over his head. With a soft chuckle he bent forward allowing me to remove it.
Once I’d undressed him, I led him to the tub. He allowed it even though I got the feeling he would rather be the one to strip me bare. “Take that off and get in here with me,” he demanded, gesturing to my undies.
“Not yet. Scoot to the middle.” He obliged, bending his knees and shooting me a side-eyed look of amused patience as I grabbed the shampoo from the shower adjacent to the tub, then sat at the edge. “I’m taking care of you . . .” I murmured as I tipped his head back to wash his hair, using my palms and the cup from his counter to get it wet, running my fingers through and gently scratching his scalp in a massage before rinsing it. Goose bumps rose over his broad shoulders and down his arms as he shivered beneath my touch.
Turning my back to him, I unfastened my bra and set it on the counter as I reached for the soap in the shower. “Hold this.” I passed him the soap, grinning as his eyes roved over my body, hot with perusal. He liked what he saw.
“You are fucking beautiful. Get in here with me.” It was another demand, one I couldn’t wait to obey. I slid my panties down my legs, kicking them to the side as I stepped to the edge of the tub.
He held my waist as I stepped over the ledge to place a foot near his thigh and lowering myself to straddle his lap. I was thrilled when his hardness brushed against me beneath the water.
Just like when we crashed to the forest floor, I slid my center along the length of him before coming to rest on his thighs. “Soap. Gimme,” I bossed.
He shook his head with a grin and handed it to me. God, he felt good beneath my fingers. I worked the soapy lather up the ridges of his abs, to his wide chest, hard and dusted with just the right amount of hair to make it interesting. I pressed my breasts against him, shivering as my nipples hardened. I was running my hands up and down his back, with my face buried in his neck when he started swirling his fingers between my legs. Oh, yes.
I pulled back to watch his face as he touched me. His eyes grew hooded as his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip before he bit it. “You’re staring at my mouth. Do you want a kiss?” He grinned as he slid a finger inside me.
“I’m not wearing my hearing aid, Garrett.” I gasped when he began to thrust it in and out, using his thumb to press on my clit as he moved. “I don’t want to get it wet. I have to read your lips.” I panted my answer through the mindless haze of pleasure he gave me with each movement of his fingers.
“Ah, of course . . .” He pressed his mouth to my neck, right behind my ear. I shivered in his arms as he slowly glided his lips down my neck, then along my collarbone, pressing soft kisses and swirling licks along the way.
“Garrett,” I gasped, threading my fingers into his hair to clutch him closer.
He tilted his head back and bent his knees, lifting me higher as I sat on his thighs. I had to look down to see his face. “Go ahead and read my lips, Molly. I have a lot to say to you.” His tongue darted out to lick my nipple into his mouth.
My head fell back, ponytail dipping into the water as my brain stopped working. Between the feel of his beard against my sensitized nipples as he sucked and placed biting kisses to one, then the other and back again, his capable fingers creating magic between my legs and the tip of his hard cock poised at my entrance, it was all I could do not to lose my mind.
“I’ve waited forever to be right here,” he murmured against my skin.
“What did you say?” I moaned as he pulled me up, gaze blazing into mine. I could see it in his eyes—he was as hungry for me as I was for him.
“This is happening, Molly. You and me.”
“God, yes, Garrett, yes. Come inside. Please . . .”
His hands at my waist with his eyes burning into mine like he finally had what he wanted and was never letting it go, he lowered me, slowly sliding my body down until I was stretched full of him.
Suddenly, I was not just physically naked with him—I was vulnerable, too. “You scare me sometimes,” I accidentally confessed, overwhelmed with how it felt to finally have him inside of me. His body was mine and mine was his. In this moment we belonged to each other and I never wanted it to end.
“I know I do, baby. Give it time and it’ll pass.” Big palms gripped my hips, holding me up so he could move, taking me with smooth hard strokes, the water sloshing back and forth as he rocked up into me.
“Time, yes. Oh, god, please don’t stop. Please.” He didn’t stop and, as though he was compelled to do as I ask, he went even harder. Until with a heave, he stood me up, my legs on either side of his. “What . . .?”
“I want to watch you come before I do,” he said right before burying his face between my thighs, entering me with his tongue, then lapping up to suck my clit into his mouth.
“Gaaaa . . .” I tried to say his name, but lacked the ability to form words. “Oh god, oh god, I’m close,” I finally managed to say.
“Get closer,” he growled against my clit. My legs buckled as I let go and exploded into tiny bursts of light, just like the stars shining through the window.
With a glance to the side, I saw our reflection. His head was between my legs, hands digging into my bottom to hold me up as I trembled, hovering there above him.
Gently he helped me lower to my knees as he rose to his behind me, joining me in watching our silhouettes in the star-speckled glass. With one hand on my hip and an arm wrapped around my waist, he entered me from behind.
“Look at us.” His voice was a harsh rasp in my ear as he cupped my breasts in his palms, then let one go to drift down my stomach and gently pinch my clit between his fingers. My hands gripped the edge of the tub, white-knuckled and trembling as he worked my body toward another release.
I opened my mouth in a silent moan as my knees slid further apart and his big body bowed forward, pressing his chest to my back until there was no separation between us. Until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began. He felt so broad as he surrounded me, filling me up over and over until I was mindless, boneless, and limp with pleasure in his strong arms.
“Do you see how we belong together?” he growled into my right ear, thrusting harder, moving faster. My hands slipped from the tub, but he held me firm, pulling me up with a hand beneath my chin as we watched each other fall apart in the glass.
Hours later I awoke to darkness, wrapped in Garrett’s arms and pressed against his solid warmth. My heart was heavy as I tried to fit all that had just happened between us inside of it. I wanted to keep it there, hold it tight inside of me so it would keep my doubts at bay, but little by little the fear crept in, shoving away the feelings I had before.
My eyes burned as I slid out of the comfort of his arms to sit at his side. In sleep he was at peace, relaxed and beautiful. A faint hint of moonlight shone through his blinds casting him in a silvery glow. He looked otherworldly in this light, like something out of a dream. Chin to my knees, I watched him, startling when he started to speak in his sleep.
Squinting in the dark, I watched his mouth, leaning toward him as close as I dared so I could hear while at the same time trying not to wake him up. “My Molly. Love you . . .”
Gently, I got up, bending to tuck the covers around him.