Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6)(84)

“Holy shit.”

This had a low laugh escaping her. “Yeah. That was my initial reaction too. So . . .” Suddenly she felt a little gun-shy. “This would be a really great time for you to tell me you want to be with me too.”

He dragged her up against him, wrapping her up in those strong, warm arms she loved so much. “I want to be with you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life,” he said and leaned down to kiss her. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

Pressed up against him as she was, she had an inkling, but she shook her head. “Maybe you should show me.”

He smiled at the challenge and tightened his grip, lowering his head—

“Hey!” her brother called from the hallway. “You’ve got an audience, you know.”

“Archer,” Lucas called, never taking his gaze off Molly. “About that time off to fully recover . . .”

“Take it,” Archer said. “Both of you. Get out of here. That’s a direct order.”

“Hear that?” Lucas asked Molly. “A direct order.”

She smiled. “Maybe it’s one we’ll actually follow.”

He smiled and kissed her, and everything was in that kiss; his promise, his hope, his love. Everything she’d never known how much she wanted.





Epilogue





One year later



Molly waved goodbye to everyone at the pub and made her way through the holiday-decorated courtyard up to Lucas’s apartment.

Their apartment, as he’d insisted she think of it. They were sharing both of their places and were looking for something to lease together.

She was pleased with herself, having just closed up a missing person case for Archer. She no longer worked the front desk; they’d hired someone new for that. Molly had her own office and worked with the guys, and also on her own.

She’d never been happier.

She set her purse and keys on the sideboard. Had she not been two margaritas in and thinking about when Lucas might get back from the job that had taken him away for three straight days, she might’ve noticed there was already a set of keys in the tray.

And that the lights were on. She turned to take in their pretty, shining Christmas tree when she was suddenly scooped up and tossed over a shoulder, making her gasp in surprise. “Lucas!” She swatted his delectable ass as he headed toward the bedroom. “You scared me!” Wait a minute . . . he wasn’t wearing a shirt and with a hum of approval, she licked along his shoulder blade.

A low, sexy growl sounded from his throat and then she was in the air, being tossed to their huge bed. His body followed her down and then his mouth covered her with a possessive, hungry kiss, making her moan as her arms came up around his bare back. He kissed her until she was breathless and then pulled back with a smile. “You taste like a strawberry margarita,” he said. “Girls night?”

“Yep.” With a smile, she buried her face in the hollow of his neck. He was fresh out of the shower and his scent made her dizzy with desire.

“That might be the tequila making you dizzy,” he said, sounding amused.

Oops. She’d spoken out loud. “I’m not drunk,” she said, kissing her way over every inch of his chest and then back up his throat, ending at his mouth.

He smiled his very best badass smile. “Good. Because I want you to remember every second of what I’m going to do to you.” He divested her of all her clothes and she lost herself in his caressing hands and demanding kisses.

“I missed you,” he whispered and was just about to slide home when someone rang the doorbell.

“No,” Molly said, trying to get his mouth back on hers. “I’ve been dreaming about this for days. Days, Lucas. I need this. Bad.”

“Mmm,” he said, his voice pure sex. “Tell me all about this dream, slowly and in great detail.” He bent to kiss her again, but before his mouth touched hers, the doorbell went off several times in quick succession, prompting him to blow out a frustrated breath. “They’re not going away.”

“Take your gun,” she said. “Kill ’em quick and hurry back.”

He was laughing as he bent to pull on his pants.

“Don’t forget to hurry,” she said when he left the room.

She was thinking about all the ways she was going to make him stop laughing and start moaning her name when he came back. He stood at the side of the bed with a bag hanging off one shoulder and a baby on the other.

“That was Finn,” he said with a half smile. “Something you forgot to tell me?”

Finn had been behind the bar serving Girls Night, bemoaning that he needed to get Pru away for an overnight all to themselves, and somehow Molly had opened her mouth and promised to babysit for the next twenty-four hours. After all, what could wrong in twenty-four hours? “I’m babysitting tonight! I forgot!” She slapped her forehead. “Shit!”

Baby Penelope focused in on Molly with a toothless grin. A line of drool hit Lucas’s shoulder. “Shhhht,” the little cutie-pie said and bounced up and down in excitement at the sight of one of her favorite people.

Molly froze in horror. “Did she just—”

“Shhht,” the baby said again and laughed her full belly baby laugh.