“Good. Thanks for trusting me. Do you want your brother in here with you?”
Molly scoffed. The late hour and the ups and downs of the day gave voice to her dormant attitude. “We’re really not all that close, if you haven’t noticed. He’s probably going home with Gina right now, thanking the stars he gets to score with her again. You rejected her, you know. It’s Kyle’s lucky day, catching your castoffs.”
She watched Liam’s face harden and heard Nate make a disparaging remark. “Look up at the ceiling. No matter what, don’t look down, okay?”
Molly obeyed, and was entertained by Nate’s stories of growing up in their functional family while Liam scrubbed her chest. “Remember when Donny cheated on Jess? You better believe no one makes our sister cry. He got a whooping he’ll never forget. I can’t imagine Kyle wouldn’t care if he saw what happened.”
Molly laughed, but then regretted the action. It made her breasts move, and she was not wearing a bra. All she could picture was Gina’s boobs being thrust upon Liam. She cringed, hoping she did not fall into the same category. “That’s sweet, Nate. You’re a good brother. But when have you ever seen Kyle do something like that for me? He’s only gotten worse since we graduated high school. You’re lucky. You got out.” She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s fine. I usually don’t need help like this. I can handle my own. Gina leaves me alone normally, and I usually lock my bedroom door. Tonight I think you set her off by not checking her breasts for lumps or something, Liam. I’m not much of a fighter. Doesn’t really feel right hitting people, even for this.”
Nate snorted. “I’d pay to see you clock Gina. And you’re a girl. Girls are allowed to hit other girls.”
“Clearly.” Molly tried not to focus on Liam’s sweet breath on her sternum as he scrubbed. “But I don’t want to be a person who hits. I don’t want to be Gina.”
“Keep your head up,” Liam instructed. “I think they got your arms, too. Can you take your robe off?”
Molly shrugged out of her robe, not caring for the horrified gasps the two men emitted. “Did they get me good? Just tell me they drew smiley faces on me or something.”
“Nate, you take over for a minute. I need a breather.”
It was true, the nail polish remover’s fumes were irksome. However, Liam’s tone displayed controlled anger, not discomfort.
Nate took Liam’s spot in front of her on the bed and dabbed at her cheeks.
There was a distinct lack of personality in the room’s décor. Nate pictured his sister’s bedroom growing up. It always had flowery decorations, pictures hung on the wall, and little knickknacks on the dresser to mark the room as hers. It was as if Molly was trying to erase herself from even her own living space. His voice feigned lightness as he worked on removing the marker from her face. “How’d you hurt your arm?”
Molly fought the urge to look down. Her left hand searched around for the bathrobe sleeve and tugged it up over her shoulder. “I fell outside. Scraped my knees, twisted my ankle and bloodied up my hands, too. Everyone trips and falls, Nate. You know how clumsy I can be.”
He knew she was purposefully avoiding his hard stare. “You know this bruise isn’t from that. And this? This is what was happening to you way back in the day when you used to call yourself clumsy? This is what you meant?”
Molly found a flaw in the ceiling paint and made a note to fix the slight discoloration the moment her body was ready to cooperate. “You’ve been away a long time, Nate. I’m glad for you. You never really fit in here. I mean, you fit in anywhere you go, obviously. That’s just who you are. But you were meant for more.” She swallowed. “Kyle is… not. And it’s my job to watch out for him. Make sure he doesn’t get arrested. Make sure he makes it home safe. When he had you around, it wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t twenty-one back then, so alcohol wasn’t as easy to get. Now his Mom and Dad pay his credit card down every month, so he has an endless supply to poison himself with.”
“Kyle did this to your arm?” When she did not answer, Nate held her chin still so he could look her in the eye. “Don’t lie to me, Little Luco. It’s in the perfect shape of a man’s hand.”
“Well, I bruise easily. I’m an albino ghost. It’s not a big deal. He didn’t break anything. Bruises go away. You just caught me on a bad day.”
Nate’s expression was devoid of all traces of levity. “Just so you know, Liam doesn’t handle this kind of thing discreetly.” He moved to her other cheek with the stinky rag. “Did you know my dad is Liam’s stepdad?”
“What? Um, no. But I don’t really know your family all that well.”
“My mom’s first husband was a douche who used to beat on her before Jess and I came along. Liam was young, but he saw a fair amount before Mom got the courage to leave the bastard. She got remarried to the best guy in the world, had me and Jess, and never looked back. But Liam doesn’t do well with the whole violence against women thing. Childhood trauma and all.”
Molly shifted. “I don’t really know Liam. Are you sure he’d be okay with you telling me something so personal?”
“I’m just warning you. He’ll find out it was Kyle, and Kyle’s going to get what’s coming to him. I don’t want you to be surprised.”
“Well, I just won’t tell Liam, then.” Molly closed her eyes to keep from looking into Nate’s earnest stare. “I can take care of myself. Usually. Tonight’s the exception. Thanks for getting Gina and her cronies out of here. I really don’t like them. They usually leave me alone. I don’t know why I’m suddenly all interesting to them.”
“Yes, you do.” The teasing snuck back into Nate’s tone, making his next sentence come out in juvenile song. “Molly’s got a boyfriend.”
“I do not.” Her blush was not noticed, courtesy of the vigorous rubbing that was actually doing its job of removing most of the stains. “Your brother’s just visiting. I’m not delusional.”
“Liam’s been pretty choosy in the past couple years. Think he got tired of the usual suspects. Then you came along, so…”
“Unusual? Thanks, Nate.”
“It was supposed to be a compliment. I forget why.”
“Gina said he was telling everyone downstairs we were doing… things.”
Nate raised his eyebrow at her. “How’d that sentence start?” He watched as realization dawned on Molly. “That’s right. I thought you were supposed to be some kind of genius. Liam isn’t one for kissing and telling. Hasn’t had an honest-to-goodness girlfriend in years.”
Molly’s eyes began to water, the fumes finally getting to her. “No talk about girlfriends and stuff like that. I’m nervous enough as it is. Combine that with the best and worst day of my year, and I’m a little on edge.”
Nate grinned. “I could always get you to talk. You’d be so silent around everyone else. I guess I just bring out the best in you.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “You antagonize me. Glad to know you haven’t changed completely.”
He put the cap back on the nail polish remover. “I can’t take the fumes anymore. Still don’t look, though. The marker’s gone, but it left pink stains, and you can make out some of the words.” He pulled her robe closed.
“I’m gonna go take another shower, if you don’t mind. Just a quick one to get the chemical smell off me.” She jerked her thumb to the bathroom door. “Don’t worry. We’ve got a hot water tank that could bathe an army.”
“I see how it is. You just can’t wait to get me naked. I’m onto your game, you little minx. Two-for-one DiNatali special.”
“Oh, shut up.” She shifted off the bed and tried not to make a face as she put the minimal amount of weight on her sore foot. “Hey, Nate?”
“Yeah, Little Luco?”
“You turned out alright. Not such a jerk after all.”
“Oh, you and your compliments. Stop it before Liam gets jealous.”
Chapter Ten
The Plan
Molly snatched clean clothes out of her dresser and locked hers
elf in the bathroom. She resisted the temptation to even glance at her chest as she quickly soaped up and rinsed off. The entire process took less than three minutes. The additional five was spent curled in a ball in the tub, silently weeping as the water covered her indiscretion. She did not want to be a mess. She had a plan. A solid plan to focus on. Every penny was being saved, each detail was meticulously researched. Just another month, and the property would be for sale. If she just picked up a few more jobs for the court, she would have enough to get out. Paying the entire price in cash assured there would be no paper trail to follow. She would be gone to her happy place, and Kyle and his parents could not find her there.
Just one more month. Hold on till then. You can do it.
She turned off the water and dried her body for the second time that night, donning pajama pants to hide her bandage and a long-sleeved shirt that covered the writing and her bruise. She brushed her teeth and pulled her hair up in a messy bun without looking in the mirror. She hobbled on her sore foot back to her bedroom to find Nate and Liam in cahoots.
“Hey, Moll. I’m tired. Like, crazy tired. See you in the morning, Little Luco,” Nate said, darting out of the room to give the two some time together.
“Subtle, Nate,” Liam called out the door.
“You’re welcome!” Nate sang from the guest bedroom down the hall.
Liam helped her to the bed, not looking her in the eye. The heat between them was dissipating, and she began to feel more like a patient than a woman. The more he avoided her, the worse she felt. “I’m gonna grab a shower. Long flight plus sitting in the mud. Yikes.” He took an armful of clothes from his suitcase and headed to her bathroom, giving her a polite nod as he left.
Molly tucked herself into the bed, settling on pretending she was asleep when he emerged. It was a nice moment. Don’t let Gina or the awkwardness ruin that. You kissed a guy! Liam DiNatali kissed you! No matter what, this counts as a good day. Molly’s pep talk to herself was heartfelt, but only registered the smallest amount of positive results. Her heart was heavy as she imagined the awful things the jealous girls wrote on her.
She was sure once Liam saw she was safely in bed and under the covers, he would leave and make the couch downstairs his bed for the night. He turned on the bedside lamp and switched off the overhead light. When he moved around the footboard and got under the covers to sit next to her in his blue pajama pants and fitted white t-shirt, Molly was confused. Surely he wanted to leave after seeing the crazy that went on in her home. The motel in town was scummy, but probably less eventful than the Luco loony bin.
“I know it was Kyle who bruised your arm,” he confessed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I gotta ask. Why are you here? Why are you living with him?”
Molly patted the extra pillow next to her head and motioned for him to lie down on it. He lowered himself next to her, their faces only a few inches apart. She reached for his hand and clasped it between hers. She did not know how she instinctively knew what to do around him, but she did. Being with Liam came natural, once she ignored her nerves. “Kyle’s parents are done raising kids. They want a life. They’re in the Keys doing whatever retired people do. They asked me to move back home and look after Kyle. So I stay here rent-free in exchange for keeping Kyle out of jail.”
“Kyle’s an adult. And I don’t think they’d be okay with the bruise on your arm.”
Molly smiled at his innocence as she patted his cheek with her fingertips. “You’re a sweet guy, Liam. But not everyone has your family. Kyle didn’t invent smacking me around. That’s learned behavior, my friend. They couldn’t care less about me.” It was not a pity party. It was fact, and like the scientist she used to fancy herself, she owned the truth without denial. “Can you keep a secret?”
Liam nodded, taking her whisper to mean the topic was serious. He shuffled the sheet around him so he could move even closer to her in the bed. “Sure.”
“I have a plan.”
Her voice was so quiet, Liam had to hold his breath to keep from missing her words. “Yeah? What’s the plan? If it’s beating Kyle senseless, I’m already on it. When he gets home, he’ll remember why it’s not okay to knock around women.”
With a tender expression, Molly took a chance and closed the small gap between them, caressing his lower lip between hers. She leaned her forehead to his, savoring the tender moment and the safety that came from having him so near. “No. I’m getting out. I have a plan, and I’m leaving. Soon.”
Liam’s kisses were laced with emotion he could not voice. He rolled on top of her and hooked her good leg around his hip as he buried his face in her neck.
“Tell me,” he murmured, sewing kiss after gentle kiss into her skin in slow motion, making her body bend as he willed it.
“Hmm?” Molly could scarcely recall what they were talking about. She had never felt more cherished in her life.
“Your plan. Tell me everything.” He sunk down under the covers and lifted the hem of her shirt, kissing her abdomen until she squirmed.
Molly writhed under his touch. Each flick of his tongue sent her reeling. His fingers felt like they were touching every nerve on her heated body, setting ablaze and healing as they caressed her hips. It was the sexiest moment of her life, and she didn’t want to think about the plan, Kyle or the attack from the girls. She wanted more of this, more of Liam. “Not tonight. If you’re still around in the morning, I’ll tell you all about it then. For now, just kiss me.”
Chapter Eleven
Master Plan over Breakfast
Molly awoke in her bed, unsure of the time or day. She was warm under the covers, lying with her head on the pillow and Liam’s arm wrapped around her. She turned to face him and found him fast asleep. Without the worry embedded into his eyebrows, he looked younger, and if possible, more handsome.
She slid out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans to get dressed for the day. Her ankle felt more stable than it had just hours ago, but it was still tender, so she used it with care.
Downstairs was a disaster, but that was no surprise. She despised the drugs just sitting out on the coffee table for anyone to see. No stranger to this kind of morning, Molly set to work erasing all memory of the party. Only this time, she did it with a hint of a smile on her face.
Molly swept through the house like a hurricane with a sore ankle, doing everything except running the vacuum, so as not to disturb her guests. Then she set about making breakfast: crème brulee French toast, orange juice and scrambled eggs with bacon. Kyle was usually too hung over in the morning for her to bother making a decadent meal, so she relished the chance to let her cooking skills shine a bit.
She put the food on a tray and ambled up the stairs, glad no one was there to witness her lack of grace. She knocked on Nate’s door with her elbow and tried not to laugh at his serious case of bed-head. Brown hair like his brother’s, but slightly longer, lent to unpredictable angles and uncontrolled adorableness.
“Thought you might be hungry,” she mumbled, hiding her amusement by ducking her head.
He took the tray from her with wide eyes. “Whoa! You made me, like, the Ritz Carlton of breakfasts.”
“It’s my way of saying thanks for being a decent human being last night.”
“What do I get if I clean out your garage or something?”
Molly smiled. “Lunch.”
He sniffed the air curiously. “What’s that smell?”
“Bacon? Maybe cleaner? I straightened up downstairs.”
He sniffed like a bloodhound, moving closer until he was hovering over her head. “Just as I suspected. You stink of great sex.”
Molly’s blush attacked her cheeks in an instant. “What? We most certainly did not have sex!”
“Really? I was sure you two would’ve…” He took in her discomfort and smiled. “You thought about some filthy things last night, you dirty girl.” He ruffled her black hair and grinned. “Good for you. I would say you need it, but, you know, understatement.” Inst
ead of shutting the door and devouring the meal that made his stomach lurch with hunger, Nate leaned down and pecked her forehead. “Thanks for breakfast, Little Luco.”
She left him to his meal and went to her room, silently opening the door and shutting it behind her. She put the tray down on her desk, and set about moving her important papers aside and stacking them where they would not get ruined. Liam was still asleep on his side, his mouth slightly open. His soft breath relaxed her more than she anticipated.
His mom is dying. He’ll leave to go be with his family after breakfast. How it should be. Don’t make a big thing of it. Just think of this as one great day. This needs to stay a good memory. It’ll keep you going until you make the offer on the land and get out of here. Just be grateful you had one great first kiss.
She watched Liam sleep as she tidied up her room, waiting for the scent of bacon to wake him. She was on the carpet, sorting through her caseload for the next week when he began to stir. He groped around the bed for her, frowning at her absence. Molly beamed at the simple confirmation that he actually might like her. He wanted her in the bed with him, and that thought reassured her that giving her very first kiss to him had not been a mistake. “Morning, sunshine,” she greeted from her place on the floor. Her papers were spread out around her in neat little piles, which she stepped over to retrieve the breakfast tray.
“Breakfast? You made breakfast?” he mumbled, his lips puffy as he tried to wake himself up. He rolled over onto his back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stretching to take up almost the entire bed. Molly gaped at his large form, one part in particular drawing her eyes. She averted her perverted gaze before he caught her indiscretion.
He sat up and stretched again, his biceps every bit as sculpture-like in the daylight. He stood and moseyed to the bathroom, tossing her a dreamy-eyed smile along the way.
Unraveling Molly Page 6
