WindSwept Narrows: #23 Molly & Natasha

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  Jonathon’s laugh was low and rippled over the half cup of coffee left in his cup.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. As to the noon thing…I’m just as guilty and have been telling myself it’s a weekend and allowed. It must be all that late night activity we’re not accustomed to,” he teased, spearing a sausage link with his fork and biting down. Ahh, she was definitely back to normal, those sexy dark eyes narrowed and glaring at him, despite the slight rose color flooding into her cheeks. “Spend the day with me, Molly.”

  She swallowed the last bite of sandwich and held the juice between both hands.

  “I was planning to go to the discount book store.”

  “Book store. Good. I love book stores.”

  “And then pick up some groceries.”

  “I could use a few things,” he nodded, smiling at the look in her eyes.

  “And I have some laundry to do,” she grinned at the arched dark brow. “I thought a visit to the local mall would be fun…”

  “Brat,” Jonathon said through his grin.

  “Okay, maybe not the mall and I’m basically wash an’ wear, so the laundry pretty much does itself,” she teased. “But the look on your face made it worth it,” she looked at the large hand that crossed the table to lifted hers with a tug that had her standing up. He continued tugging until he had her sitting on his lap. “This is not my idea of errands,” she told him, pulling her lower lip between her teeth.

  Jonathon ran his hand along the jean covered thigh, stopping only when her fingers came down on his wrist.

  “Spoilsport,” he lifted her back to the floor after a long, probing kiss. “I’ll go find the rest of my clothes. I have an SUV for shopping.”

  “I’ll combine this stuff for later and stick it in the fridge,” she told him, watching him go and inhaling slowly at the muscles that rose from his waist to his shoulders.

  Molly nibbled on chunks of fresh pineapple as she combined meats and eggs and potatoes into smaller plates and covered them before sliding them into the fridge in the compact kitchen. She wasn’t sure who Jonathon thought he was feeding when he ordered breakfast and bit into a slice of peach as she moved the nice fruit platter to the fridge next.

  Part of her was still working out the bout of nerves.

  True, waking up in a completely different location might have been part of it. The other was definitely seeing Jonathon standing half dressed in the doorway of that location. That was something she could most easily get used to, she admitted with a sigh.

  She checked the bag she’d brought from the bedroom and found the small purse she wore when she shopped, the thin leather strap dropped over her head. She was standing by the patio doors watching the clouds above them try and decide if they were staying or going.

  She was standing in one of the suites of the resort waiting for Jonathon. A man she’d met the day before and had spent the night with. Even repeating those words aloud in her mind didn’t make them seem real to her. She did pride herself for not jumping out of her skin when a pair of large hands came to rest on her hips.

  “I think you might need a jacket today,” Jonathon leaned his cheek against her forehead.

  “Yeah…it’s definitely looking a little fall like out there,” Molly settled against the hard muscles, sighing and wondering if all people think about how long will it last when they meet someone. Especially when it feels so good and so right. Was she his type? Was he, her type?

  “That sounded like a sigh filled with angst,” he commented after the soft breath slipped from between her lips. He wouldn’t have offered much resistance if she’d dragged him back to bed for the day. Not that it was anywhere near a normal behavior for him, but something about Molly Fielding tossed all thoughts of normal out the window.

  “I think I sometimes ask questions that should stay locked away,” she answered with a perky grin aimed up at him over her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re up to a day of errands? I can drive. I wanted to ride through some of the streets above the resort and look for sale signs or rent signs, too.”

  “Hmm…being chauffeured around by a pretty girl, dragged to book stores and shopping as well as house hunting,” Jonathon stepped back, one hand up and rubbing over his face. He met her grin with one of his own. “I think I might be able to handle it. Barely.”

  “Yeah…you’re trained to give orders and expect them to be followed,” she chided, crossing the room while digging into the small bag for her keys.

  “I’m rediscovering how much I enjoy being at the ground level again,” he admitted, making certain his wallet and key card were in the pocket of his jacket before joining her at the door. “There’s an amazing sense of satisfaction building something and knowing the outcome is going to be long term and beneficial to more than just a few choices individuals.”

  He suspected there was something else on her mind and he wondered if it was a reflection of his own thoughts. So he decided to just start talking as they walked to the elevator.

  “I almost woke you up this morning,” he mentioned casually, the edge of her ponytail brushing his shoulder as they walked. She wore a pair of bouncy sneakers today and bounced a little as she moved. A sexy little bounce that had the rounded behind begging to be touched. So he gave in, his palm sliding from her hip to her ass with a sigh that triggered the night’s memories.

  She closed her eyes and remained still while they waited on the elevator.

  “Why didn’t you?” She asked, her voice a low quiver. She knew what he meant.

  Jonathon smiled at the memory. “I was afraid if I did, you’d run on me because I was too demanding.”

  Molly coughed out the choke that happened when she tried swallowing. “You don’t think I’d just say no if I wasn’t interested?”

  “I think I can be very persuasive.” He was positive he actually saw disbelief in her eyes, but he knew it wasn’t at his persuasive abilities. “You don’t realize how very sexy you are and how much I can’t stop thinking of each next encounter, Molly.”

  “Then it would be alright for me to admit the same thing,” she said when the doors to the elevator slid open and they entered, joining the three people already inside and heading to the main level.

  He could only smile at the hint of pink dusting her cheeks as they rode in silence to the bottom floor. He took her hand in his, their fingers locked as they walked from the elevator behind the others.

  “I think admitting it concludes I should have woke you up this morning when I wanted to make love to you again before my shower,” Jonathon told her when they were out of hearing range of people coming and going. “Where do you park?”

  “I…um…” Molly stopped and sighed, turning them toward the resort again. “The employee lot is this way, near where I live. Stop messing with my head,” she ordered with a frown at the laugh he offered.

  “I admit I have fun with that part of you, as well as the rest,” Jonathon tightened his hold on her fingers. “And I don’t intend to let the other males in the area have a second chance, Molly.”

  If she even had a response to that, she wasn’t sure what it would be. Would ‘thank you’ be appropriate? “This honesty stuff is…embarrassing.”

  “So tell me why it embarrasses you that a man finds you attractive and sexy? Smart…funny…engaging…”

  She busied herself digging the keys from the pocket of her jeans where she’d stuffed them, the jangling sound something to focus on besides Jonathon. He was so close or maybe she was too lost in the words he had used. For her.

  “No one had ever put anything into words before,” she admitted finally, pressing the unlock on the keychain and listening to the light chirping sound. “I…I guess before, all I did was guess. I know I said things like that, because it’s what I felt. With dates, it’s easy but…” she considered her choices. “They were different on a date.”

  “I bet you can count on one hand how many made it into your bed,” Jonathon opened the passenger door and waited unt
il she was on the other side of the car before sinking into the large front seat of the wagon. It smelled like sand and tide, he realized with a smile. She was wearing another shading of rose on her cheeks. “And I didn’t make that comment as any reflection on our time in bed last night, Molly. I made it because you’re particular who you spend your time with. You told me that and I am really glad you gave me a chance to do more than have dinner with you.”

  “It takes some getting used to, Jonathon,” Molly slid the key into the slot and turned it over, the engine responding smoothly. “Do you think there’s such a thing as too much honesty?”

  “Since it’s pretty new to me, I don’t know. I have to believe that honesty given in care and…” he caught himself from using the ‘L’ word, his focus shifting to the seat belt. “Without the desire to hurt the other person…I just don’t know. I think I’m going to apply a little think before I speak, regardless. I don’t want you running for the hills.”

  “I might scare you away,” she said as she guided the car into Saturday afternoon traffic. A soft rain was falling around them and scooting down the windshield.

  “I don’t scare easily. I think time together will help us figure out how it goes, don’t you?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Molly was still a little in shock when she pulled into the employee lot and turned the car off. It had been a wonderful day. She wasn’t sure why she expected things to be a disaster. They disagreed on things. And even argued through laughter and mild rebuttals.

  They hit the used book store and separated and neither was offended. Each went in search of different things and wandered and explored for almost an hour before she went to find him pouring over a collection of a fantasy scifi novel series. That surprised her just a little. But she was learning more and more about Jonathon Shepherd and even the quirky things like his neatness on the desk where he worked in the suite was tolerable.

  He didn’t quite jump out his seat at the way she drove, but she was positive she heard teeth grinding. That reaction she was used to.

  He even looked comfortable in the leather jacket and jeans as they wheeled their way through the grocery store. She found things she was after and he added things to the top of the cart that he wanted for the suite. He’d admitted he was becoming tired of not being able to cook, something that made her raise her eyebrows at him.

  “You like cooking? Really? That’s way cool. I nuke most things or eat a lot of salads and fruit and…” she stopped when his gaze shifted to the things she had added to the cart. “Yeah, well…I like easy.”

  “I’ll cook for you as soon as I find a house that works for me,” Jonathon promised without hesitating.

  Which led to a discussion about what each was looking for in a permanent residence. They had settled into a quiet café outside one of the small housing areas above the resort, sharing a sandwich and warm drinks inside next to the roaring fireplace.

  “You’d hire someone to clean your house?” Jonathon lifted half of the large sandwich they’d ordered and watched as she carefully removed the pickles and ate them out of her portion.

  “I fit it into my budget,” she told him with a nod. “And if you’d read the list that makes up the philosophy, contributing to local businesses, such as a cleared housekeeping service, you’re building the community you’re living in. I can afford it. I can come home to a clean house or apartment and work a puzzle, soak in a tub or play a computer game and not have to be concerned with laundry or dust. I figure I don’t have a lot of vices, so a housekeeper is a good one to have,” she told him with a cheeky wink.

  “As it happens, I agree with you.”

  But the things they disagreed over made her laugh. Almost to the point that her eyes watered as they collected sale pages outside the homes in the neighborhoods where she’d taken them driving. Until it came close to six-thirty and the daylight was definitely now smothered by the evening clouds taking control.

  Jonathon couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent the day with someone who made him feel so comfortable and relaxed. He bundled her close to him as they ran from the parking lot, weaving between families, couples and singles making their way into the resort. He stopped just inside and out of the line of traffic, both of them shaking off their jackets on the thick carpeting that had been laid down just for the fall storms coming in.

  “You really don’t have to cook, Jonathon,” Molly shook her head, drops of rain falling and slithering down her back. She shivered.

  “We’ve been through this. I’ll take this bag to the suite and we’ll go to your apartment where I will further wow the woman in you by preparing pasta with prawns,” he ran a palm over her head, stopping with his fingers beneath her chin. “In your gratitude for my excellent meal, you’ll invite me to spend the night.”

  “I haven’t exactly found a housekeeper,” Molly murmured, trying to remember where each mess pile was in her apartment.

  “I won’t judge, I promise,” he chuckled, his head shaking when the sound of his name reached out to him above the normal din of the foyer.

  “Jonathon Shepherd?” Came the surprised, very feminine voice. “I can’t believe you’re this far north!”

  Jonathon felt the chill sweep down his spine, his hand falling to his side as he slowly turned to face the familiar voice.

  “Angela,” he didn’t move. He didn’t offer his hand. All the relaxation and fun that had filled him from twenty-four hours with Molly, vanished.

  “You are the last person I would have expected to find here,” the tall blonde let a pair of carefully designed eyes roam over him with a little smile. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible, Jon, but you’re even sexier than you were before. Age definitely agrees with you.”

  “Thank you for pointing out my age, Angela,” Jonathon felt the familiar annoyance against the back of his neck. The irritating feeling of doubt that he allowed inside him around her. Nothing had ever been enough; ever right or to her standards. And it all revolved around him as a man. He really thought all that was gone. It was over ten years ago. Yet a few choice words from her and it went raging through his blood again.

  “She looks your age,” Molly said from his side, squinting a little and leaning closer to peer at Angela.

  For a minute, he almost burst out laughing. Then years of manners kicked into play.

  “Molly…this is Angela Branson.”

  “His ex-wife,” Angela corrected mildly, her gaze sweeping over the casual t-shirt and jeans on the other woman.

  “Oh. That’s you,” Molly said, popping the gum she had been chewing and grinning over at her. “You must be here for business. No one dresses like that to have fun. Isn’t that skirt terribly hard to walk in? Is that silk?”

  “It’s an original,” Angela informed her flatly. “I enjoy finding clothing that reflect the inner me.”

  “Oh. Hmm…” she glanced down at her clothes with a little frown. “I must reflect confidence in simplicity,” she announced with a grin at Jonathon. “Why are you surprised to see Jonathon here?”

  “Are you here…together? On vacation?” Angela asked politely.

  “I work here,” Molly answered with a bright smile. “Are you from Houston, too? Your accent is much more pronounced than Jonathon’s.”

  “I…my…I do not have an accent,” came the haughty response.

  Jonathon glanced toward the floor, his eyes closed for a moment while he worked to find his self-control to keep from laughing. He felt both of Molly’s hands around his bicep, her cheek pressed to his shoulder.

  “It’s ever so slight, but it’s definitely there. I guess that sort of thing is hard to lose when you grow up with it. I’ve been a good many places and listen to accents a lot,” Molly continued happily. “It’s kind of a game, you know? Trying to figure out the person and where they’ve been through their life.”

  “Perhaps we can meet for lunch tomorrow, Jon,” she shifted her attention to her ex-husband. “I had heard you left To
wnsend but no one knew where you’d gone.”

  “When have my whereabouts mattered to you? We haven’t spoken in years.”

  “I’d really rather not air our laundry in front of strangers,” she replied with the barest hint of a chill to her words.

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I know all about it. I’m not really a stranger,” Molly laughed. “Well…we’re pretty familiar…”

  “Why are you here, Angela? This is hardly the Riviera or Los Angeles,” Jonathon reached out and stroked his hand over Molly’s.

  “I’m trying to arrange a meeting with the principles of the resort to discuss investors,” she told them, a slight frown on her face.

  “They don’t sell stock,” Molly said, little inflection in her tone.

  Jonathon saw a wariness in Molly’s eyes that went beyond the initial one when he’d first introduced Angela. Twenty-four hours and he was picking up on the emotions and moods that struck her a hundred times better than he ever had with Angela. She did a good job keeping them in check, probably part of being a physician. But he saw deeper than a patient or stranger would.

  “Everything is for sale,” Angela said with a low, sexy laugh. Her hand rose and long pearl painted nails drew down Jonathon’s arm. “Anyone serious about business, knows that philosophy. True, Jon?

  “The Narrows is privately owned,” Molly told her firmly. “They aren’t for sale now or anytime in the near future.”

  Jonathon wasn’t sure if it was the tone of voice Molly used or her suddenly straight posture, but Angela delivered a new appraisal of her. He’d seen the look many times in the past. One that had finally registered Molly as a possible adversary and obstacle to whatever her intended goal.

  “Do you work for the Narrows?” Angela finally asked, her voice decidedly chilled. Her gaze swept from the plain sneakers, over the simple jeans and onto the solid color red t-shirt.