"Nonsense, Molly. Your social circles have expanded dramatically since you met me."
Yeah, and her bank account has probably depleted, too. I fisted my hand under the table and looked around, attempting to distract myself from getting into a pissing contest.
The casino was busy with everyone coming into town ready for the weekend. Women were dressed in evening gowns, men in suits, and yet more were still in their shorts and flip-flops. Vegas was a helluva place, whatever role you had in life.
"I'm actually pretty tired. I'm going up." Molly cut across any thoughts I had as I glanced back at her. She looked tired and a little pissed, quite honestly. Immediately I joined her standing up, putting my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
Higsun noticed that and his eyes narrowed. So I pulled a little harder and she curled into my chest. I took satisfaction in annoying him.
"Harrison, I'll see you in the morning." She stepped out of my arms and bent her head so he could kiss her cheek. A flame of jealousy threatened to burn me up and I longed to pull her back toward me.
"I'll come up with you." But Molly was already shaking her head.
"No, no. You stay down with Harrison and Ben."
"I'm sure Harry doesn't want me—"
"It's Harrison, actually." I needed to punch him. I counted to five for Molly's benefit.
"My apologies," I mumbled, looking across at Molly as she shrugged and began to move away. I really wanted to follow her, to make sure she was okay, but part of me wanted to stay here and get on Harry's nerves, too.
"I'm sure we'll have a great time," I patted her fiancé on the shoulder and he fell forward onto the poker table, narrowly missing knocking over his glass of some French shit. My eyebrow twitched and the dealer hid another smile.
Maybe this would be fun, after-all.
Chapter Six
The wine was flowing as I stuck to beer. If it was possible, the prick next to me was getting more and more obnoxious with every sip. And, almost an hour after Molly had left us, things were getting boring.
"Aren't you going to tell us about where you were, Tyler? I heard you were in Afghanistan—"
"No."
"You can't or you won't?" Harrison laughed at himself and I focused on that upturned nose of his.
"Both." The things I fucking did for Alex. He owed me big time. And he would pay for putting me through this. And not stopping his sister from marrying this twat in the first place. This dickhead shouldn't have even been allowed to breathe the same oxygen as that woman upstairs.
My phone rang as the mini-party was moving outside to the pool. Several women had attached themselves to the group, but I wasn't interested in fucking around with any of them. I hung back, following them still as I answered.
"Yeah?"
"Ty? It's me." Talk of the fucking devil.
"Alex, you're fucking killing me here."
"How's it going? Has there been progress?"
"Yeah, it's confirmed this guy's a prick."
"I already knew that the moment I saw him at last Thanksgiving and he gave me a lecture about being a puppet for the US government. Cock." I huffed my agreement.
"Well, right now I'm babysitting his ass. I'm trying to figure out how to stick my boot in without your sister punching me."
"How she doing?"
She's the hottest fucking woman I'd ever had the pleasure to see half naked. Not the right thing to tell him, though. I'd be likely ripped apart next time I saw him. "She's doing."
I stood outside the back entrance and looked on at the pool. Harrison had his shirt off, showing off his bony white chest, and was dancing with a girl with tits the size of a baby's head.
"Jesus. This guy is a fucking tool," Playing around with the women down here when he had Molly upstairs. Just thinking about that, my dick hardened at how I'd be treating her differently.
"You just make sure she doesn't marry him. There's been too many money things that have popped up to not think he's got an ulterior motive. And Molly's already told me I can't mash his face up." I smiled. My best friend was counting on me to do this. I couldn't fail, and that meant that seduction was still in the cards.
Fuck.
"I have to go. Let me work on it this evening." The phone clicked off and I stood, watching the fool fuck around with a gaggle of women.
This wasn't a normal bachelor's party. This guy's antics seemed way too polished to be a one-off. Something about this tickled my instincts and put me on alert. And I always trusted my instincts.
Maybe with a little cajoling, I could get to this real story without pummelling his face in. "Hey Harry, why don't you go get lucky with that blond? She fucking wants you, dude." I couldn't believe I was encouraging him to do this. I felt like a cock. And I was encouraging him to cheat on Molly.
It's for a good cause, you moron, I told myself again.
I walked up to the groom-to-be and patted him on the back. He stumbled again, exaggerated this time by the wine he'd poured down himself in great quantities. He righted himself by grabbing hold of the nearest woman. He flattened himself against her and I felt sick that I was witnessing this bullshit.
"Tyler," Harrison hiccupped then coughed. "I love women like this. Big breasts, tiny waist, red hair..." He sniffed a poor giggling girl's hair and I rolled my eyes. "Molly needs to understand that I'm a man and I need women in my life. I have needs that, as a married man, I won't be able to feed with my wife. You understand me, don't you, Ty? You're a man of the world with a girl in every city." He laughed hard, showing me all those sparkling white teeth of his.
The fucking idiot was admitting to me he cheated on Molly? Yeah, I might have been encouraging him, but this was a fucking joke. It had to be.
"You're marrying Molly tomorrow." My voice was quiet but the anger was obvious to anyone who wasn't intoxicated. And he definitely was.
"I know. And we'll have the perfect life. I'll take over the business from her, and she can stay at home and have babies. Give me an heir. And—" Herbert swallowed the liquid at the end of a glass and wobbled. "And everything will carry on just like before."
"Just like before?" Yeah, I was a glutton, but I needed to know.
"We have an understanding, Tyler. She keeps out of my business—including how I spend my social time—and I'll give her a fantastic life as my wife. She'll take the title of Duchess, as well. My family has connections in all the right places. It's a win-win situation."
"You'll give her a fantastic life with her money?" Something obviously registered inside of this little shit in front of me. He hesitated in the process of opening his mouth to carry on.
"This conversation is strictly between us, okay?" He stumbled again, and this time the woman couldn't hold him upright and he barrelled into a table with bottles that smashed on the ground.
I stepped over to him, helping him to his feet. "Of course it'll stay between us." I lifted my phone up to him which had been in my hand all the time, showing I'd hit record on a video before we'd started talking.
Harrison paled, snatching at the phone which I tucked securely into my jeans.
"You know, if I'd had my gun right now, I'd shoot your fucking balls off you English piece of shit. Be thankful that I'm feeling generous right now. Molly deserves a better husband than you. She deserves the best, and that isn't you."
I walked away, but hesitated a few feet away. Turning around, I found him in the same place, stunned and drunk.
"Her brother sent me here to stop this wedding at all costs. Everyone could see you were taking advantage of her. No more. You disappear. I don't want to see your snivelling face again.” I stepped back toward him and I threw a quick left at his face, hitting in square on the jaw. From there, he fell right into the swimming pool. Watching for a few seconds, he sputtered to the surface and everyone around us cheered and began jumping in with him, fully clothed.
Once I showed Molly the video, I thought, walking away, she'd be a fool to still want to marry him.
And the woman who'd stolen my heart was no fool.
But, the other plan. Seduction. There was no need for me to go ahead with it but I wanted her so bad, I was even considering doing so. I'd opened the barrier to all my pent up feelings and it was bubbling over, consuming me.
If she ever found out that I was supposed to break up her wedding, she'd think any move on her was a set-up. Fake. And that couldn't be further from the truth.
I didn't fucking know what to do. Well, I did, but I didn't like it. Not one bit.
Making my way over to the express lifts up to the room, I slowly contemplated how I was going to bring this whole thing up. It could make me look bad when I try and show her. And I didn’t want Molly to marry him to spite me and her brother. I needed to tell her the truth. That I was here for a reason, and it wasn't a random coincidence. It would be for the best. Then, whatever happened, happened. At least I couldn't be accused of lying.
I was at the room door before I knew it and I hesitated before using my key card, finding I needed courage to even face her and not kiss her senseless. It was a battle that I couldn't lose. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was illuminated with a couple of fancy lamps, causing an eerie glow to be cast across the main area and sending shadows dancing up the walls. My eyes sought her out, finding her looking out of the window. She was in darkness, wearing a dressing robe, her pretty hair pulled up messily on top of her head. Maybe she'd had a bath, my overactive imagination started with.
Visions of her soaping her body had me reaching for the closest chair to steady myself. Seconds passed and I wasn't sure she'd even heard me come in. She looked in a world of her own and I thought about turning around, going downstairs again and getting shit-faced.
"Do you think I should marry him, Tyler."
I let out a slow, steady breath and thought about what I should say. Show her the video, my mind said. She deserves to know. Tell her the truth about everything. Instead, I walked toward her and stopped behind, watching the play of lights outside from the other casino's on the strip. It was beautiful in a way.
"No, but It doesn't matter what I think you should do." My hand was on her shoulder before I could hold back. I didn't need to do this. I had options. My brain—heart—wouldn't listen. If this was going to be the only time I'd be able to touch her, this was going to be it. "He doesn't deserve you. You can do so much better than him."
Molly turned. Her big blue eyes seeking mine out and holding my gaze. She had a glass in her hand and it was one sip away from being empty. I wondered how much she'd had to drink while me and her fuck-wit of a fiancé had been downstairs. "I'm not sure whether I'm marrying him because I want to, or because he asked me." A half sob, laugh erupted from her pretty mouth.
"You could have any man you want. You know that." My hand was still on her shoulder. I should move it, step away from her...
"Really? Then why didn't you want me, Tyler?" I dropped my hand and stepped back, knowing I'd just been catapulted into the Twilight Zone. I had no idea where that was coming from. And it was probably as useful as a cold shower at stopping my arousal from becoming an issue.
I went to turn, this was a bad idea and I shouldn't even be in the same room as her. Space was needed.
"I mean it. You were my little brother's best friend and you've only once—when you were pretty stupid drunk—ever hit on me. Why is that?" She gulped the last of the drink down and moved away to the mini-bar. Pouring herself another small bottle, she turned around again, her eyes like blades of ice. "I can tell you why. I'm not a woman who makes a man go weak at the knees. I've never had anyone get infatuated for me. Not like the beautiful women you see in Vegas where men are panting for them. That's not me. And I'm okay with that." Molly downed this drink in full.
She didn't fucking sound okay with whatever bullshit she was spouting.
"Maybe I'm not cut out to be lusted after. Maybe I should just take what I can and marry Harrison." She paused and I felt my hands fist at my sides. "Harry isn't a bad man. He just wants money again. His family lost it all a few years ago playing the markets."
Her voice softened and I knew, before she had the chance to change her mind about marrying the prick, I needed to say something. Anything. Hell, I had the video in my pocket of him admitting he was a flake. But, somehow I couldn't show her. I was an idiot.
What would I say to her now when the only thing to say was that I wanted every part of her? That wasn't going to work.
"Don't marry Harrison," I managed eventually.
Molly giggled, holding her hand up to her mouth. "You remembered his name."
The little snort of laughter softened my insides into goo. I was a fucking Navy SEAL. I was a tough guy. I shouldn't be feeling all sorts of things when this woman was around. Except, it was too late for that. It always had been when it came to her.
"I always knew his name. I never thought him worthy of you so I didn't call him by his name."
Molly smiled absently. "You and my brother are so much alike." She turned and looked at me. "How have you been? I know it's been hard. Alex doesn't tell me a lot, but he's tired. I can see that."
"Don't change the subject. We're big enough and ugly enough to look after ourselves without you worrying for us." Jesus, it was nice to think she was worried about him. One of those random thoughts that kept you warm at night when you wanted to die from the cold, or your blisters on your feet kept you awake.
"You're not ugly. Far from it," she said, slamming the glass down on a small table. "That was why it was so hard to turn you down when you tried to kiss me. I punched you because I wanted you and I knew you weren't in your right mind."
My breath stopped and I hoped, no begged, she'd carry on.
"I wished so hard you'd try again when you weren't drunk. Is that awful? That I had the hots for my little brother's friend?" her face sobered. "I never wanted you to regret you'd kissed me when you could have had any other woman at Alex's party that night."
I was over to her in two strides and I pulled her into my arms. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but it was so fucking tragic that this had been the whole reason it hadn't happened that night. "That might have been the dumbest and sweetest thing you've ever said to me." I lowered my mouth down to hers and hovered a fraction above her lips. "But I've wanted you almost since the moment I met you."
This kiss was everything I'd been fantasising about for years. Molly's lips were soft against mine as she opened herself up immediately and let me in. The kiss earlier had been sweet and hot. This was like an inferno had gone off in my body and her tongue was stoking the flames.
"You're perfect, Molly." I said in-between kisses. "And I've waited so long to feel you against me."
She sighed into my mouth and she reached between us for a moment. My breath caught when she slid her robe off her shoulders leaving her completely naked in my arms.
"Molly, this is a bad idea." My hands slid down her back to cup her ass. I lifted her against my raging erection and she coiled her legs around my waist, tying me against her. "We should talk. There's something I need to—"
"I want tonight, Tyler. Please."
One night I could do. It was forever that was out of the question, especially with my job. As much as I wanted it to be different.
I cupped her breast, pulling at the nipple. Large and rock hard, they tempted me beyond reason.
"I need to taste you." Carrying her over to the bed, she was as light as a feather as I gently placed her down on the freshly made mattress.
"I haven't got any condoms." The look on her face could almost be comical. "I never thought—" Molly blushed and I noticed every part of her reddened. It was charming and oh so fucking sexy.
"Lucky for us, I live by being prepared for any eventuality." I pulled my wallet out and picked out three condoms. "If that's not enough, we can get some more."
"Not enough?" Her voice sounded little and I knew she was over thinking this. I needed to giv
e her a choice. And a chance to back out.
"Are you sure you want this? We can stop at any time. I know you've had a couple of drinks..." Shit, was she too drunk to know what she was doing? Was I? I pulled away from her, assessing as best I could.
"I can't believe we'd use more than one. I don't think I've ever had a man who could keep going."
"Baby, I'm a SEAL. There isn't anything we can't do." I knelt down in front of her, my knee on the bed. "But I need to know whether you're sure about this."
"Shut up and fuck me, Tyler Beck. I will start begging, soon." I needed no other encouragement.
I pulled off my t-shirt and unfastened my jeans, pushing them over my knees and kicking them onto the floor. My shorts followed, and I loved how Molly's mouth held in a letter O as she took all of me in.
"Hold that thought, Moll." I murmured as I finally joined her on the bed, pulling her on top of me. "You're so fucking beautiful." I said letting my gaze roam across the top half of her body. Her boobs were perfect handfuls, and I automatically reached up and tested their weight. "Do you know how many nights I've gone to sleep thinking of you?"
The admission was out before I could stop it and I closed my face down, knowing I'd gone too far. This—whatever this was—should be easy and temporary. Nothing more and definitely no admitted feelings should pass from my lips. It didn't matter that I wanted things to be different, they weren't.
"Do you know how many times," She hesitated and I waited. Her skin pinked up and I leaned forward and grabbed a delectable nipple in my mouth, biting down hard enough for her to grind against me. "I've touched myself and thought of you?"
I let go off her nipple but didn't move. This was big. And something I would never have heard from her lips. If my arousal was on a scale of one to ten, she just fucking knocked me to Mars and back. Sensible, quiet little Molly had blown me over once again.
Without looking at her, I reached for the condom and quickly rolled the rubber down the length of my penis. "Any more secrets like that you want to share, now would be a good time." I shifted her hips so her pussy was right over my dick. "Because I'm gonna fuck you so good, you'll never want another man to touch you."
Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances Page 129
