"Keep your eyes on mine, sweetheart. I'm not an object."
The outrage apparent in her face, a blush heating her skin from head to foot, she jumped off the bed and it almost broke me. I didn’t cover up though. Call me an arrogant prick, but sometimes kismet played the worst tricks on you. And there’s nothing like playing the hand you're dealt.
Molly turned away from me, flustered, and I smirked.
"Can you cover yourself up, or something?" Molly threw a pillow in my general direction and I caught it before it hit my face. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" She looked everywhere but at me.
"Your room? You certainly weren't here when I left for my run this morning. Finders keepers, I say." And after a pause, "You can look now. Your virtue has been protected." I placed the pillow over my dick and she finally looked my way. Her golden curls fell lightly across her shoulders and her healthy tan highlighted the length of her legs. Jesus, they could go on for miles. What I wouldn't do to have her against the window, her pins wrapped around my waist...
You shouldn't be looking at your best friend's sister, you freak. There were rules about that sort of stuff. Especially when this friend is also your commanding officer and he has no idea you've been lusting after his sister since you were thirteen.
"My father bought this hotel room years ago, before the new management took over." She paused to push a curl out of her face. "We've been staying here ever since."
"Alex sorted it out for me—"
"Alex," Molly said on a sigh. "I might have known." She looked around the room. I wondered if she realised she was still half dressed. The Molly Tucker I knew was always sensibly attired in usually a suit or casual dress. Never showing extra skin—yeah we won't go there.
"Where is my brother, anyway? You two are thick as thieves."
"He's got an officer training course this weekend." I saw the disappointment in her face and called Alex all sorts of idiot for not telling her. "He said he'll call you at some point."
"Whenever that might be." Molly turned and strode across the small suite toward the bathroom, giving me a perfect view of her pert ass and the panties which were riding high. If I was cursed to do the same job for all eternity, it would be to pull Molly's underwear out of her ass. Yeah, I was pretty sure I was going to hell for being a sicko.
"He's never liked Harrison." I blinked, wondering if I'd missed a crucial piece of conversation.
"Harrison?" I asked, looking as innocent as I possibly could with a raging hard-on threatening to burst through the pillow at any moment.
"My fiancé. I'm getting married tomorrow. Didn't Alex mention it?"
I shrugged and shook my head. There was definitely no way I wasn't going to hell for lying to her. What else was I going to say though, 'Oh, don't worry, he won't be your groom-to-be for long if I have anything to do with it.'?
"Where is Herman—"
"Harrison." Molly turned at the bathroom door and looked at me with a frown, her hands on her hips. "What are you, ten?"
I grinned and her face heated up again. She always did get easily embarrassed around me. Once upon a time I had wondered if she'd liked me. Right before I'd joined the marines she'd put me in my place with a punch on the nose after I'd tried to kiss her. If there was any doubt this beautiful, quiet, sensible woman was related to the hard-ass I took orders from, that was the moment I truly knew.
I absently rubbed at my jaw, remembering the hurt and disappointment of that day seven years ago. My ego had been well and truly flushed down the toilet. There was no way I was going down that road again.
But, with her standing looking like a goddess in front of me? I wanted to pick her up in my arms, carry her back to my bed and fuck her until she couldn't remember Herkel's name. I was a glutton for punishment. And a horn-dog.
"We'll get dressed and I'll ring down to get another room—"
"Why?" The question was out before I could stop it. "I mean, why don't we share?" Images of sharing the bed bombarded my brain and I had to use every part of my strict training to keep my mind on the target instead of on Molly.
"Because." She stood there looking rattled. "I can't share a bed with you. I'm engaged to be married."
The well-put together woman she'd turned into was completely at a loss by sharing a room with me. The notion intrigued me and I wanted to push her a little more.
"I was actually thinking there are two beds in this suite, Molly, but if you want to share this bed..." I patted the mattress and smiled, innocently.
"You're such an idiot, Tyler Beck." Molly blew her hair off her face. I wondered how hot I could make her. For research purposes of course. I was a SEAL—I needed to know such things in case it could help me serve my country one day.
I pushed myself up off the bed, keeping the pillow in front of me to save her from blushing. Slowly I walked toward her and her eyes got wide. They darted around, looking for an escape as I gained ground on her.
"What—what are you doing?"
"I'm heading toward the bathroom. What are you doing?" I kept my voice soft and kept up the eye contact.
Molly opened her mouth to say something as I stepped closer, almost into her space now. "Did you want to say something," I asked, reaching out and pushing back that same strand of hair from her face that kept on dropping forward. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and my hard on grew under the pillow.
Whatever control I had was diminishing rapidly. What the fuck was I doing? This wasn't part of the plan. Seduction wasn't meant to be how I stopped her from saying I do. Was it? I blinked. When I'd said I'd help Alex save his sister from a bad marriage, how exactly had I planned on accomplishing this?
My mind came up with a blank. Maybe I actually was desperate to see her again, despite the fact she was the cause of my blue balls on many a sleepless night and my one regret.
This shit was deep. Was I that much of an egotistical bastard I wanted to make her body mine after that rejection of years ago? Was there any other reason I'd stepped up to this challenge?
Okay, so I was an asshole of the biggest kind for this. But part of me also knew that if I went down this route, there'd be no turning back for me. Hell, I'd passed the point of no return years ago.
Seduction.
The idea should have sounded absurd. Yet here I was, standing naked in front of her, wanting to fuck her so bad I could have cried, and I was contemplating seducing her for my own arrogant purposes. Maybe it was the jet-lag talking. Maybe this was all a hallucination of the fucked up variety. Maybe I was the one who was absurd.
"I'm getting married on Saturday. Tomorrow." I wondered whether she was repeating herself for my benefit or for hers.
"You've said that already," I murmured.
"Oh right, so I have."
We stood in silence for a time.
"I'm such an asshole. I haven't congratulated you."
Molly laughed nervously as I stepped even closer. I realised I needed to kiss her. Maybe, after all this time of fantasising over this woman, one innocent kiss would sate me. I doubted it, but it was worth a try.
"There's no need for that. All Alex has done is lecture me on getting a pre-nup—"
I kissed her to shut her up. Hearing about her fiancé and her brother were the last things on my mind right now. My lips moved softly against hers and I never closed my eyes like she did. I saw everything about her. How her eye-lashes fluttered the split second before the kiss, how the pulse in her neck jumped. How beautiful her skin was even up close with no make-up. I saw everything, but I needed more.
Seduction. The word lingered in my mind even as Molly parted her lips ever so slightly to let my tongue slide in. I didn't mean to take it this far. I didn't want to seduce her, did I?
I pulled away, halting whatever was happening in its tracks. My dick felt like it was as big as the empire state building and I adjusted myself underneath the pillow.
"Have dinner with me. I have some errands to run this afternoon, but I'll be don
e by five."
"Yes." Molly nodded. "That would be nice." Her eagerness pulled at my chest.
"No, I can cancel what I'm doing. Meet me at 2:00 p.m. and I can help with your preparations for tomorrow." Bullshit. I wanted to be with her, that was the simple truth of it. And the only reason I wasn't insisting I spend the whole day with her was because I needed some space to figure things out.
This was Molly. She was the perfection in my imperfect world and I couldn't—wouldn't—ruin that. But my head was all over the place. Some poker and a drink or three might make things clearer.
I didn't hold out much hope, though.
"So, you want to use the bathroom first or shall I? I need a shower after my run this morning." I didn't want this conversation to end. I was such a douche. My team would poke the shit out of me if they could see me right now.
"I'll take it," Molly nervously giggled. I hadn't heard her so unsure of herself before. "Err, I'll be in and out."
My gaze automatically drifted down. It was bliss to be this close to her after all these years.
Seduction was all it could be, if I decided to go down this road. I wasn't the marrying kind, but if there was ever a woman to tempt me, it would be Molly. Which should have warned me off this ridiculous idea in the first place.
Years ago, I put her up on a pedestal and she was still there. If I did this, everything might change. I could fuck her life up and I wouldn't ever forgive myself.
Molly turned to step into the bathroom, but I wasn't ready for her to go yet. I grabbed her hand. It fit perfectly into mine and I didn't want to let it go, so I didn't. "Are you here alone for your wedding? No friends?"
Molly shook her head, a sadness creeping into her face. "I wanted it quiet. And my friends don't...like...Harrison very much, so I thought it easier to do it this way."
Good for her friends. "Not very supportive, are they?"
"They're great friends, but they also have to travel in from Hawaii and Colorado." I nodded, slowly, but she carried on. "And after my parents, you know, there's no other family except Alex."
"I'm sure Alex would have come if he could." It was the least I could say. I wanted to punch him on the nose and shake him by the hand for pushing me toward this woman. But losing her parents three years ago was a huge shock for both of them. They were good people. The best, in fact.
When my parents hadn't been there for me, they'd practically taken me in to live with them. A kid with a lot of attitude, from the wrong side of town, had befriended the town rich-kid and landed on his feet. That was the long and the short of it, but it was so much more than that. Thinking of Sal and Petra Tucker was hard, even now.
It was one of the reasons I would never disrespect Molly, because I owed her parents so much. Her face was upturned right now and I still had hold of her hand. On impulse I pulled it up to my lips and kissed it gently.
Molly blossomed with red once more and my heart might have danced just a little.
I needed to break this spell. I needed some distance to get my head straight.
"If I don't pee soon, it won't be pretty." Molly blinked then threw her head back and laughed, pulling her hand from mine in the process.
Disappointment threaded through me.
"We can't have that, Tyler Beck. Here, you go first." And with that, she walked away from me and I turned around to watch her. Was it my imagination or did she sashay her hips a little more than usual?
Fuuuuck. I stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. One could only hope it kept a lid on the idiotic feelings this beautiful woman was sparking inside me.
Chapter Four
Molly Tucker could have lived comfortably in a large house in the Hamptons for the rest of her life, and still be okay for money. Yet, here she was, haggling over the rental of a wedding dress, and booking a time in the chapel next door because she wanted Elvis to give her away.
This was pretty fucked up. And completely not what I'd expected.
"You didn't want a fancy wedding at a hotel?" I asked as she stopped to look at a tiara that looked more bling than bliss.
"Harrison wanted to do something nice," She said walking out of the rental place and back out onto the busy road in downtown Las Vegas. "I eventually convinced him it wasn't about the cost of the ceremony; it was the vows that meant something.”
"So he wanted the Bellagio and fountains and you wanted the drive-through wedding?"
Molly threw her head back and laughed. She was wearing jeans and an old t-shirt I remembered Alex wearing years ago. It was so different to what I thought she'd wear, I kept staring at her. She should have looked plain and faded into the background with her blond hair pulled back in a pony tail and sunglasses on. But Molly Tucker looked about as amazing as I'd ever seen her.
"Yeah, pretty much. Sometimes he focuses on the material things when it really doesn't matt—" Molly giggled self-consciously. "It's not important. In twenty four hours we'll have the rest of our life to figure out our differences." Sobering, she looked down at her feet and I wanted more than anything to ask her what she was feeling. Whether she was sure she wanted to do this.
"Have you ever wanted something so bad, Tyler, that it messes with your head and you'll do anything to achieve it?" Molly stopped walking and turned to look at me.
I wanted to snort with laughter because she was what I wanted more than anything and look at where fate had put me? At her side, hours before she was saying I do to another man. "Yes." I said, keeping it simple. "You?"
Carrying on walking, I watched her face. She was distracted.
"Harrison can have his moments, but I do care for him."
"Care? Aren't you supposed to love someone you're about to marry?" Molly stopped in front of a small bakery and looked at the cakes on display.
"With some people that takes time. Love shouldn't be rushed." It was the most personal conversation I think I'd ever had with Molly and I was intrigued. "Some people you have an instant attraction to and the fires burn deep," She smiled. "Usually that sort of relationship isn't meant to be."
She spun on her heel and quickened the pace of her walk. It took me a moment or two to catch up. I waited several beats to see if she would carry on, but it seemed to be all she wanted to share.
"I've booked everything and we've already got our licence. There's nothing more for me to do." Molly said it absently and I wanted to tug her into my arms. Her wedding should be a happy time. It shouldn't create all these odd silences and weird questions. I needed to get this back onto the original plan.
"How about we go get dinner now?" I prayed she would say yes. After three hours of walking around in the dry heat of the desert, looking at wedding paraphernalia with very little sleep, I was ready to surrender. How the fuck could women actually do this and not want to punch everyone in the fucking mouth, I had no idea. Being around Molly was the only highlight of this shit.
"Sure, let's go now. Harrison is coming into town this evening with his best man. I said I'd meet him before they went out for the evening." Her voice sounded hollow and I automatically looked down at her. She had that miles away look again and I automatically pulled her into my arms. I didn't know whether it was actually for her benefit or mine. Molly was tiny compared to me and she fit perfectly against my body.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" I said eventually.
"It's nothing, really." Her smile was as fake as my celebratory attitude about her forthcoming nuptials.
"But?" A load of people got off a bus right next to us and I pulled us away from the crowd to have some privacy.
"But I'm wondering whether I should wait until Alex is back so we can do this as a family."
It was the last thing I'd expected her to say and I was momentarily lost for words. Could it actually be this easy to stop this wedding? I buried my face in her hair, smelling her shampoo and chastising myself for using this to my advantage.
"Alex is probably disappointed he's going to miss your wedding. He'd love t
o give you away." That I knew for a fact. "But it isn't about him. It's about you. Whatever makes you comfortable is what he'll want for you."
Molly pulled back and smiled, her eyes overly shiny with what looked like unshed tears. I was such a fucking hypocrite. All I could think of was seducing her and if she'd already called the wedding off, there was no excuse for me to do so.
Tyler Beck, you fuck-face, you're walking on thin ice.
Chapter Five
Helmutt was a prize fucking dick and I wanted to rip him apart. No wonder Alex had taken an instant dislike to him.
"Why on earth would someone not go to the best hotel when they come to this place? It's the tackiest city in the world and you pay for it. Let the hosts busy themselves in making you happy." He was talking to his friend and I wanted to go back to my room, take out my firearm, and practice my shooting on him. His proper English accent was grating on me and that stupid-fucking bowtie he was wearing, well, I wanted to strangle the fucker with it.
What Molly saw in him, I had no idea. All it did, seeing her around him, was piss me off further.
"Darling, are you sure you want to marry me here?" The dick-wad turned to Molly who was standing quietly behind him at the poker table. I was sitting next to him, almost out of chips, and the other fucker was on his right side. Both of them needed some manners. I was this close to teaching them some.
"I'm sure."
"Ahh, well I guess we can go somewhere nice to get a blessing. Having a couple of hundred of our closest friends together would make the ceremony that much better."
I rolled my eyes at the cute dealer who was listening to the conversation. She grinned discreetly. "I'm not sure about you, Moll," I said grabbing her hand and pulling her behind me and further away from Hercules, "but I don't think I even know a couple of hundred people who I could abide to have at a party, let alone a wedding."
Molly smiled genuinely for the first time since we'd met up with Dumb and Dumber. "Me neither, actually."
Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances Page 128
