Betrayed [Bound & Cuffed 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  “I know how your sick mind works. You thought you’d set Harvey and Trisha up and then swoop in to save the damsel in distress when I found out, didn’t you?” Molly took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but it didn’t work. “I fell for it!”

  Molly’s finger disappeared into her fist as she balled her hands by her side and spat out that truth with total disgust for herself and him. She didn’t have anything else to say, but Logan finally managed to straighten up and offer her the lamest of all excuses.

  “I thought he’d dump you first.”

  Molly reacted instantly. She smacked him so hard, Logan’s head spun to the side. By the time it snapped back into place, she was already storming off. This time, he let her go. That didn’t actually make Molly feel any better and she headed for the only place that ever did when she felt this broken down—the beach.

  There was something about staring out at the ocean and its seeming sense of endlessness that soothed her ragged nerves and reminded her that it wasn’t that bad. As the saying went, this too shall pass. Only it didn’t this time. This time, she sat there staring at the waves and could only feel the churning deep inside of her.

  Her emotions were running wild, and they needed to be tamed. With a skill honed by a lifetime of practice, that was just what Molly did. She forced herself to ignore the panic and pain and focus on the questions that needed to be answered. The most pressing one was, where was she going to sleep that night?

  She couldn’t go back to the apartments. Molly knew she would have to eventually. If nothing else, she needed fresh clothes, but she couldn’t stay there. Not with Trisha. Not with Logan and Bruce living next door. But where else did she have to go? And what money was she going to move with?

  Molly had savings, but she didn’t relish the idea of spending that money on paying out the rest of her lease with Trisha and assuming a new one. Her savings was her everything. It was the one thing that made her feel safe and secure, a sense she’d never had as a child.

  While her parents may have been loving and caring, they’d also been a financial disaster. She’d been raised moving from apartment to apartment, getting evicted only to move on to the next dump until finally they’d ended up living in a recreational vehicle her uncle had lent them.

  Her parents had trashed it, and her uncle had never talked to them again. Molly wouldn’t go down that road. She was going to own her own house one day. Own it outright. That was what her savings was for, and she wouldn’t let Trisha, Harvey, or Bruce and Logan screw up that dream.

  “Molly!”

  Molly tensed at the sound of her name being hollered. She recognized Bruce’s voice instantly but didn’t bother to look up as he came rushing down the boardwalk to where she sat staring out at the ocean. She didn’t have anything to say to him, didn’t even know what she would have to say.

  What was there?

  “Molly?” Bruce came down the stairs, stopping on the last one Molly was seated on. “Honey? You okay?”

  That seemed like a stupid question and one not worthy of an answer. So, Molly didn’t bother to offer him one but continued to pointedly ignore him as she stared out across the sand at the water lapping gently against it. She stared, but she really didn’t see it, as all of her attention remained focused on the man settling down beside her.

  Bruce smelled good, his heady scent filling the air around her and making her heart ache as it never had before. She really just wanted to scream at him, not that she knew what the hell she’d say. All Bruce had done was take advantage of the situation, and Molly certainly hadn’t minded. At least, not last night.

  In the bright light of the day, though, she had her doubts.

  Beside her, Bruce sighed and started talking as if they were actually having a conversation. “I get that you’re upset, honey, but you have to know what happened between Logan and Trisha happened a long time ago before you’d even moved in with her.”

  That somehow was supposed to make everything better? It probably should have, but it didn’t. It didn’t even matter that she knew rationally that Logan and Bruce had been with lots of women before her. This was Trisha. This was the woman who had betrayed Molly’s friendship, and that made all the difference, even if it wasn’t rational.

  “Come on, Molly,” Bruce coaxed, sounding close to pleading. “You gotta know that Logan isn’t interested in Trisha. It was a one-night thing…one night and a lot of alcohol.”

  Molly couldn’t help but snort at that clarification, finally irritated enough to respond. “Yeah, you two find yourselves saying that a lot, don’t you?”

  That brought a scowl to Bruce’s brow as he shook his head at her. “No. I know what you think of us, but we’re not half as active as you seem to assume.”

  “And the amazon that answered your door? I live next door to you,” Molly reminded him, as if it needed to be said. “I know how active you two are and how short of an attention span you both have.”

  “Nothing happened. Carmen is just working a case with us, and I fell into a dumpster so we all, including her brother, came back so I could get cleaned up,” Bruce shot back defensively. “And if you hadn’t jumped to conclusions, you would already have known about that.”

  “The assumption was natural.”

  “Only because you’re a bigot,” Bruce retorted. “You know, maybe, if you stopped stereotyping Logan and me, you’d realize we’re just men. Men who know what they want and aren’t afraid to admit it.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean?” Molly bristled at the accusation in his tone, irritated by his words and the fact that he might actually have a point.

  “That you’re a coward,” Bruce stated bluntly.

  “I am not!”

  “You are too afraid to admit to the truth, but you know what, honey?” Bruce leaned in close, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I can hear you, honey, right through the walls, moaning and groaning my name at night.”

  “I do not!” Molly stiffened up instantly at that accusation, but the blush searing across her face ruined her denial. It told the truth, even if she didn’t.

  “Oh, honey, don’t even bother trying to fool me.” Bruce shook his head at her, a smile beginning to pull at his lips. “I know the truth, but I’m curious as to why you fight it. Afraid it might end up being more than just sex?”

  That was exactly what Molly feared, but she wasn’t about to admit to that either. She didn’t have to. Bruce already knew the truth, and he wasn’t going to let her get away with lying. That became clear as he pressed his point.

  “I tell you what. You give us a week.”

  “A week?” Molly frowned, not certain what he meant.

  “A week, to prove this is more than just sex…no, make that two weeks,” Bruce amended after a moment’s pause. “Two weeks, you come live with us, no sex.”

  Molly still wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but somehow the no-sex part bothered her more than she cared to admit. Didn’t he want her? And if he didn’t, what the hell was he doing here?

  “And what is that supposed to prove?” Molly finally asked, unable to help herself, even when she knew she should just turn him down.

  “That we want more from you than just your body,” Bruce stated simply, scaring the shit out of Molly.

  More meant things she didn’t even want to contemplate right then. The very idea was scary. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on,” Bruce pressed. “Where else are you going to go?”

  * * * *

  Bruce knew he’d cornered Molly with that question. He knew her well enough to know she didn’t have anywhere to go but possibly to a hotel, and Molly was too cheap for that. It was one of the reasons he admired her. The woman could pinch a penny harder than any other he’d ever met. Bruce worked hard for his cash. He didn’t like having it spent by a careless woman.

  But better than being cheap, Molly was also a woman of deep passions. Bruce didn’t believe for a moment she could make it through
a whole week, let alone two, without giving in to temptation. When she did, Bruce would be ready. That thought had him holding back a smile that ached to spread across his face as he pushed up to his feet and held a hand down toward Molly.

  She hesitated but didn’t shock him when she finally gave in and slid her soft fingers over his. In an instant, Bruce remembered how good those tips felt as they’d glided down his back. Her touch made him want to purr…and bite, but that was just another urge to be held back as he led her up the path and toward the parking lot where the car waited next to his bike.

  Molly followed along beside him silently, and he could all but hear the doubts and dour thoughts souring her mood. He needed to break that cycle and had a damn good idea as to how. So when Molly would have released his hand to head for her car, Bruce held on and pulled her around the bumper of her little tin-can of a vehicle.

  “Come on,” Bruce urged as Molly pulled back.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you for a ride,” Bruce responded without thought and then realized just what he’d said and rushed to take the lewdness out of that answer. “On my bike. Have you ever been on one?”

  He knew she hadn’t but rushed to ask before she could take offense at his little slip. Sure enough, Molly took the bait with a ladylike huff.

  “No, and I don’t intend to now. Those things are death traps.”

  “Do I look dead to you?” Bruce smirked as he tugged her along. “And neither am I broken or paralyzed, so I would think that would assure you that you have nothing to fear with me behind the wheel. Now, come on.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” Bruce cut her off, coming to a stop beside his motorcycle and finally turning to confront Molly’s hesitation. “Live a little. Come on, you know you want to.”

  “I really don’t,” Molly said so earnestly Bruce nearly laughed.

  “You may not think you do, but trust me, you’re about to have the time of your life,” Bruce assured her.

  With that, he lifted Molly right off her feet and settled her down over the back of his bike. Instinctively, her legs spread across the seat as she scrambled into place. Bruce had to admit he was surprised when she didn’t jump back off immediately but, instead, shot him a dirty look.

  “You kill me and I’ll haunt you.”

  * * * *

  Molly knew she’d lost every marble in her head. The loud rumble of the motorcycle starting up seemed only to emphasize that conviction, but it was the first shift of the bike beneath her that told her what kind of predicament she’d really gotten herself into. As Bruce eased the bike back out of its spot, Molly found herself suddenly shift, bouncing in her seat, and, quickly, she went from trying to hold herself stiffly away from Bruce’s hard body to clinging to him in a second.

  He felt solid and strong and smelled so damn good she felt instantly drugged by the intoxicating scent, and her arms tightened around him as a thrilling sense of excitement came to chase away her doubts and fears. There was no room for them as Bruce’s body shifted against hers. The small, subtle motions sent a wave of tantalizing tingles racing up her nerve endings, filling her with a bolt of exhilaration that bloomed all the higher as Bruce aimed the bike down the highway and took off.

  It was a wild ride, one that that had Molly biting back squeals of delight as they went faster and faster, fishtailing around the switchbacks that stretched alongside the rugged line of the beach. She watched them fly past, reveling in the warmth of the sun shining above and the hint of excitement filling the air.

  All of her worries faded away as she rested her head against the back of Bruce’s broad shoulder, letting the pleasure of the moment fill her. It was a moment she could wish would never end. She lost herself in that dream, allowing her eyes to drift closed and the minutes to grow into a lifetime of possibilities.

  They were foolish thoughts, but that small fact didn’t diminish their potency. They seduced her, leaving Molly feeling more than tipsy by the time Bruce pulled into another public lot and brought the bike to a stop. Feeling a little sleepy and slightly disoriented, she straightened up and blinked back in the sun that now sat on the edge of the horizon, casting a violently beautiful river of red and orange across the still surface of the ocean.

  It was breathtakingly gorgeous, mesmerizingly so, and Molly didn’t offer a single bit of resistance when Bruce pulled her off the bike and escorted her through the sand dunes to settle down in the soft, white sand to watch the sun set in a brilliant outpouring of colors. She didn’t even object when Bruce put his arm around her shoulder and settled her into his side.

  The seconds dripped past in a slow cascade that pooled into an endless sense of perfection. There was no fighting what she felt in that moment, and Molly didn’t even try. Instead, she let the warmth filling her go unchecked. It guided her to glance up just as Bruce’s chin dipped downward.

  Their lips met in a soft, slow rub that grew into an equally tender kiss. It started as a simple brush of his mouth across hers before settling down to press against hers with a patience that had Molly’s mouth opening slowly. Bruce took instant advantage, allowing his tongue to lick out and tease her with an invitation Molly didn’t have the will to resist.

  The heat and passion that flared to life roared into an inferno of uncontrollable need as their kiss turned from one of simple delight to a devouring that left Molly clinging to Bruce once again. He fell back into the soft sand, taking her with him and rolling so that he had pinned beneath him before Molly could even think to object.

  There was no objecting or rejecting the want burning through her veins. There was only giving in, and that was just what she did.

  Chapter Six

  Bruce had Molly right where he wanted her, knew that he could have taken her right there and then on the beach. While that might have been a fantasy of his, he didn’t dare to give in to it that night. When she came to her senses, and eventually Molly would, she’d be outraged and would probably never forgive him.

  On the other hand, if he left her wanting, than those passions would simmer and stew until finally they boiled over. Bruce couldn’t wait to get burnt when that happened. It would be a happy burn, not the bad one he’d risk if he took things too far. That was what he kept telling himself, but he couldn’t seem to stop kissing Molly long enough to care.

  Bruce knew he should ease up, but like the sound of the rush of the ocean in the background, it was just a distant ringing in his ears. Then the softness of the night was pierced by the real ringing of the phone in his pocket. Molly stilled for an instant before quickly breaking away from Bruce’s hold as he sat back up with a groan.

  He knew he was in for it now and hoped that time would help to soothe whatever indignation Molly had brewing inside of her. Bruce gave her the moment to collect herself as he dug his phone out of his pocket and glared at the name flashing on the screen.

  Logan. That figured.

  “What?” Bruce barked into the phone a second after he hit the accept button on the screen.

  “What?” Logan shot back just as sharply. “What do you mean what? We got a job to do…and where the hell are you? How the hell is Molly? So what yourself, man.”

  “Everything is cool,” Bruce assured his cousin, knowing that would do very little to actually reassure Logan but not interested in going into details while Molly appeared to be sulking beside him. “We’ll be headed that way shortly.”

  “You better be headed with more answers than that,” Logan retorted, but Bruce didn’t bother to argue with him.

  “See you in a few.”

  After disconnecting the call and turning the ringer on mute, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and cast a wary glance at Molly. She didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy staring out at the ocean with a silence that unnerved Bruce. He couldn’t help but to take in her protective posture. With her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, she looked both lost and alone.

  Bruce’s heart
all but ached as he considered how hard Molly had been pushed over the past few days. In that light, he figured he kind of owed her an apology and a quick explanation because he didn’t want to be part of the things making her hurt.

  “I’m sorry,” Bruce began, keeping his voice gentle and soothing as he dared to break the silence surrounding Molly.

  His words drew her gaze back from the endless horizon to blink over at him with a slight look of confusion, as if she’d forgotten he was there all together. “For what?”

  “For pushing you.” Bruce dared to reach out to brush an errant strand of Molly’s hair back behind her ear and safely out of the cool breeze that had started to roll in off the water. “I know you had a hard day, but…you’re kind of irresistible.”

  Molly snorted at that, offering him a sad smile in response. “Apparently, so is Trisha.”

  “Trisha.” Bruce repeated that name, his mood souring in an instant at the very thought of the petite blonde. “So, Logan had no taste and Harvey had no morals, which one is really worse? Besides, Logan made a one-time mistake. Harvey made…uh…” Bruce hesitated as Molly’s gaze narrowed on him. “Well, it’s been going on for a while.”

  “And you couldn’t tell me about it?” Molly shot back with enough of huff to warn Bruce that her passions were stirring once again. Only this time not in his favor. He needed a quick answer, and a good one.

  “Like you would have believed me?” Bruce snorted at that very thought. “If I had told you, you just would have confronted Harvey, and he’d have lied and you’d have believed him.”

  Molly couldn’t argue with that, though her expression assured Bruce she wanted to. A woman who wanted to argue was going to argue. She’d just changed the subject to one she could win. That was just the way women were, and Molly wasn’t any different.

  “Yeah? Well, you could have set me up to find out sooner,” Molly complained before skipping right on to her next accusation. “Besides, Logan is the one who set Harvey up with Trisha, or did he lie about that?”