by Jenny Penn
Bruce shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds like Logan, but nobody made Harvey and Trisha get together. That’s a decision only they could have made.”
“Bu—”
“No buts.” Bruce cut Molly off, sensing he was about to lose and knowing when to retreat. “We don’t have time for buts. Logan and I have a job to work tonight, and you need to eat something and catch up on your rest. Now, come on, we can bicker later.”
Molly hesitated for a second, watching Bruce stand up and hold a hand out to her with enough leeriness for him to know they’d be revisiting this subject in the future. By then he and Logan had better have some damn good answers, or they were going to get reamed.
He’d sweat that out later. Right then, Bruce was just happy when Molly gave in silently and took his hand, allowing him to pull her back to her feet and escort her back to the bike. Then they were flying through the air, racing through a night sky filled with sparkling stars. Molly was clinging to him, holding on so tightly Bruce could feel the lift of her breasts against his back with every breath she took.
He could have ridden all night just to feel her so close, but eventually they reached the parking lot where her car waited. Bruce had to admit he expected her to take off in the opposite direction, but Molly surprised him once again as she followed him all the way home.
* * * *
Logan felt fit to be tied by the time he heard Bruce’s bike rumble up to the corner. He knew sending his cousin after Molly had been the right thing to do. While neither he nor Bruce could be considered smooth, Bruce was still smoother than Logan, which actually had become a concern once the sun had set.
Bruce was supposed to be luring Molly back into their clutches, not his own. It looked as if his cousin had done just that as Logan moved out onto the porch to spy Molly pulling along the curb right behind Bruce. He felt like fist pumping in the air in celebration but held back on the urge as he watched his cousin rush to get Molly’s door.
Bruce escorted her up the path as though he was some kind of proper gentleman, which assured Logan of one thing. They were on thin ice, thin but not broken. He could work with that. Schooling his features to try to hide any hint of the smug satisfaction filling him, Logan straightened up and stood ready to greet Molly with a warm and honest welcome, but she beat him to the punch.
“Not one word,” Molly warned him as she started up the steps to the porch. “I’m still mad at you.”
Logan knew when not to argue with a woman. He didn’t say a word, just held his hands up in surrender and stood back as Bruce swept her into the apartment with smile that his cousin didn’t even try to hide. Smiles were not what greeted them as Logan followed the two into the living room.
Instead, it was the Montez twins with their matching frowns and clear scent of impatience that waited for them all. It couldn’t have been made it any clearer by their expressions that they thought this little drama was completely unnecessary. They weren’t wrong, but Molly was worth the headache.
“Molly, this is Carmen and Tony Montez.” Bruce waved in the direction of the twins, even as he slid an arm around her waist and escorted her back toward the kitchen and past the matching scowls that nodded ever so slightly with that introduction.
“Now, I want you to come on back here and help yourself to whatever you find in the cupboards and refrigerator. Then just pick out a bed and get yourself a good night’s rest. Okay?” Bruce brought Molly to a stop, not giving her time to agree or disagree with him before dropping a quick kiss on her forehead.
“We’ll be out late working tonight, so don’t wait up and don’t worry. Whoever’s bed you pick, Logan or I will just bunk on the couch.”
He would? That was news to Logan, but he didn’t question Bruce right then. He didn’t have a chance. Before Molly could do more than nod, he was turning and rushing them all back out the door. They had a list of places to check and a long night to get through, which was why they’d agreed to split up in pairs— Logan and Bruce in Logan’s truck and the twins could take their serious asses off in the SUV they drove.
Logan was glad to get rid of them. They made him itchy and unnerved, but his cousin made him curious. He couldn’t hold back the questions that came to mind as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“So what was all that about me or you sleeping on the couch?” Logan asked before Bruce had even shut his door. “You made some kind of deal, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” Bruce nodded, pulling his seatbelt across his wide chest as Logan jammed the key into the ignition. “I swore we wouldn’t try to seduce her for the next two weeks, and she’ll stay with us.”
Logan blinked that in, considering all the ramifications and shrugged. It wasn’t a bad plan. He could see the wisdom in it. “You want her to relax…and hoping she’ll seduce us.”
“That’s the idea.” Bruce nodded, tossing a smirk in Logan’s direction. “And I don’t think we’ll have to wait that long.”
“Yeah? And I think you’re delusional.” They’d been waiting for Molly to give in to temptation for two years. She never had. Logan didn’t see how waiting any longer would change things.
“It’s the plan,” Bruce insisted. “And hell of a lot better than any of yours, which you better count on answering for because Molly’s not going to let the matter go.”
That sounded just about right. “What’s she pissed more about? The fact that I fucked Trisha or set her up with Molly’s boyfriend?”
“I think the fucking, but they’re both sort of evil, man,” Bruce informed him as if Logan didn’t know that already.
“Hey, all is fair in love and war.” There really weren’t any depths Logan wouldn’t sink to make Molly his.
“Oh, please.” Bruce shook his head. “I suggest you come up with a better response than that when Molly asks. That is if you ever want to get into her pants again.”
Bruce might have a point. Logan did need a better plan. He spent most of the next several hours trying to devise one.
* * * *
Molly didn’t know what she was doing. She stood there in the middle of Logan’s bedroom wondering how she’d come to this moment…and why had she chosen Logan’s room. It was a mess. While she knew she should resist temptation, Molly couldn’t control the urge to clean up. All the while, she argued silently with herself.
This was a mistake. Moving in with Bruce and Logan was a sign of insanity. It didn’t matter if they didn’t have sex. What mattered were the bonds that they might form. That was what really scared her because, while one night of passion with the two cousins might easily be excused as an experiment, a relationship with the two was ridiculous. Logan and Bruce didn’t do relationships.
It didn’t happen.
It wouldn’t.
It was absurd to think that it could.
So what the hell was she doing there?
Molly still didn’t know. All she knew was she wasn’t ready to go home and confront Trisha. In fact, she didn’t even want to see the other woman, which was why she was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. She surely didn’t want to sleep in them. That really left her with nothing more to wear than one of the T-shirts she’d just finished folding.
Molly gave it the sniff test to assure it was actually clean and found herself instantly drugged by the rich, intoxicating scent that was Logan’s all alone. It flooded through her body, warming the blood in her veins and filling her with an exhilarating rush of excitement. That was how it had always been since the very first day she’d met him.
Molly remembered that day well. It had been spring, and she’d just moved to town to take the job as the manager at the restaurant where she worked. Never having had the time or the money to go to college, Molly had worked her way up and had dreams of even owning a franchise one day. That dream had never felt more attainable than it had that first day when she’d come to town to start climbing her career ladder.
Her happiness had only been enhanced when she’d met Trisha. They’d
been opposites, but at the same time, it had felt as if they were truly long-lost sisters. Then Trisha had offered to share her apartment, and Molly had met the hunks living next door.
Molly stared at the shirt in her hands, wondering how it had come to this. That day had held all the possibilities of a future that bloomed brightly in that moment, but that moment was just a distant memory now.
Reality had intruded. Trisha was a bad sister. Bruce and Logan were players. It would be decades before she could afford to own her own franchise…unless, of course, she re-evaluated her plans and found a new path. That thought had her sighing as she settled onto the edge of Logan’s bed.
Molly was tired and out of plans, without the energy to make new ones. That left her feeling defeated as never before. Worse, she felt lost, uncertain of what to do or who to trust.
* * * *
“It’s empty.” Logan shook his head and yawned.
This had been a waste of a night, but then again, a lot of bounty hunting was spent wasting time chasing down leads and possibilities. The possibility that Guy Roswell would use one of the abandoned shacks littering the rural area surrounding their small town was high. That was the bastard’s normal routine, and they stood a good chance of catching him in the act but tonight…
Tonight was almost gone.
“That’s the last one on the list,” Bruce commented, smothering his own yawn. “So I guess he hasn’t found a victim yet.”
“I don’t know whether to be relieved about that fact or not,” Logan muttered as they tromped back down through the woods to where they’d left his truck parked on the side of the highway.
“I know what you mean.” Bruce nodded as he fell into step beside Logan. “But we’ll get this bastard, and maybe before he gets somebody else. So why don’t we head home and catch a few hours of shut eye before we start the search again.”
“Sounds good to me.” Not that Logan was planning on sleeping. Not if Molly had chosen his bed. “Why don’t you text Carmen or Tony and let them know we’ll meet them back at the office around noon.”
“On it,” Bruce assured him as he dug his phone out of his pocket.
Instantly, the quiet of the night filled with the chirping of Bruce’s phone as he pecked out a message on the screen. Logan ignored his cousin, his thoughts still filled with what he’d do if he found Molly sleeping in his bed. After all, he hadn’t agreed to Bruce’s deal. That meant he wasn’t bound by any vow not to touch her.
He wanted to touch her so badly, so badly the urge was dangerous because Logan had spent the better part of the night plotting Molly’s seduction instead of focusing on the job at hand. That could get a man killed in his line of work. Bounty hunters couldn’t afford distractions, and Logan’s hard dick was one hell of a distraction and there was only one cure for that pain.
Logan kept that problem to himself, though, as Bruce frowned and shook his head. His phone dinged back almost instantly with a response.
“Carmen says to make it ten,” Bruce grumbled as they finally cleared the line of trees to be greeted by the sight of Logan’s truck. His cousin split around the hood, barely looking up as he went while tapping away at his phone.
“You going to argue with the woman?” Logan paused by the driver’s door to cast a surprised look across the hood.
He thought he and Bruce were in agreement on the Montez twins. They were wound a little too tight and kind of scary for it. So, while it wasn’t in Logan’s or Bruce’s nature to give over control of an investigation to somebody else, they’d both agreed this wasn’t their investigation. They’d let the Montez twins have the lead, or there would be no doubt that they’d take it.
“Hell no.” Bruce snorted, shooting Logan a quick smirk. “I’m just telling her to bring coffee and donuts.”
Logan laughed at that, certain he knew how the stiff-faced Carmen would take that order. “You like to live dangerously.”
“And I like my caffeine,” Bruce shot back. “But sleep is better, so let’s get a move on it.”
He didn’t have to tell Logan that twice. Logan was more than anxious to get back to the apartment and see whose bed Molly had chosen to sleep in. It seemed as if an eternity passed before he pulled onto their street, and Logan couldn’t deny he felt a sense of sudden relief at seeing Molly’s car still parked by the curb.
Part of him, a part he’d refused to acknowledge, had wondered just what they’d do if she’d decided to leave. Now Logan didn’t have to find out. What he did find was Molly sleeping on the couch.
“Well…damn.” Bruce came to a stop beside Logan. “I didn’t see that coming.”
Neither had Logan, but he should have.
Chapter Seven
The next morning Molly woke up feeling just as edgy and uncertain as she had when she’d fallen asleep. Her nerves were raw and chapped, scraped that way by spending a restless night rolling around in Logan’s big bed. The mattress was soft, the sheets softer, and the scent lingering on them had her flushed with a need she fought with every breath.
It was a need she feared because it could lead to so much more, so much heartache, which is just why Molly had gotten up and moved to the couch. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, making it perfect to pass out on…or, perhaps, that had been a dream.
Molly frowned as her sleepy senses sharpened with the sudden realization that she was back in Logan’s bed. This time, she wasn’t alone. She had a vague memory of being picked up off the couch and carried back to a soft bed in the strong arms of man who had smelled good enough to snuggle into, but Molly had thought that was a dream.
Clearly not.
Opening her eyes to find Logan lying there beside her was not as surprising as finding him staring back, a small smile tugging on the edge of his lips. He looked so good, so sexy with his hair tousled in a sleepy mess and creases of the comforter marring the side of his hard-cut cheek.
“You talk in your sleep.” Logan’s voice rumbled out in a husky drawl that took the sting out of that revelation and had Molly smiling slightly as she shrugged.
“Hopefully I didn’t say anything embarrassing,” Molly whispered back, knowing she had from the way Logan’s grin widened. That flash of white teeth should have sent a chill through her, but instead, a giggle popped up.
Molly never giggled, or never had before. For some reason, though, she found herself laughing at Logan’s mischievous look. The man was up to no good, but then wasn’t that always the truth? The difference wasn’t him. It was her.
She was in danger of forgetting every bit of common sense she’d ever prided herself on, but Molly didn’t care. She couldn’t work up that kind of tension. Not right then because, right then, every breath she took filled her with a warm sense of comfort and security, too strong to be denied, much less defied.
“You know what?” Logan’s eyes twinkled with a sparkle that had Molly smiling before she could think better of it.
“What?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“Okay.”
No…wait. That hadn’t been an authorized response, but it was too late to take it back. Not that Molly really wanted to. The instant sense of panic that had filled her dissipated almost as quickly the second Logan leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. They were soft but firm, brushing against her mouth with a slow, sensual motion that left Molly sighing as her lips parted beneath his.
Logan didn’t take instant advantage but teased her with gentle swipes of his tongue that sent a delicious thrill racing through her. That tickle exploded into a frenzy of delight as Logan shifted closer, pressing his long, lean, and clearly naked body against hers. Molly still wore her nightshirt, but the thin cotton offered little protection against Logan’s hard heat.
She could feel him grow harder as the thick bulge of his erection pressed tight against her stomach. The coarse hairs covering his legs scraped against her softer ones as they twined around her knees, capturing and holding her close as Logan growled and deepened the
kiss.
His tongue slid in past her teeth to take total control of the kiss as Molly dueled with him, fighting for dominance until the challenge ended in a drawl. They broke apart, gasping for breath. Molly had barely caught one before Logan’s lips were covering hers once again. Over and over their mouths mated as the need building in Molly’s veins slowly had her twisting and grinding against the heavy weight of Logan’s body.
He answered her instinctive call with a rough slide of his hand down her body. Molly felt the callused tips of Logan’s fingers dip beneath the hem of her shirt. They sent shivers racing up her spine as they slid back up along the smooth curve of her thigh. She knew just where he was headed and had no will left to deny him.
Instead, Molly’s legs fell apart, opening up the soft folds she could feel swelling with anticipation to his touch. Logan teased her with a soft, gentle glide of his fingers over her aching flesh, making Molly moan into his mouth as her hips arched in silent demand for more.
Logan didn’t deny her.
He pressed down, sliding his fingers deeper between the aching lips of her pussy to brush across her clit in an electrifying caress that had Molly jerking with a bolt of pure, molten pleasure. Like a geyser, it shot out of her cunt, spraying her body with a heated wash of wanton delight that set her nerve endings to tingling.
The glorious tide only grew in intensity as Logan captured her clit and began to roll the sensitive nub. Slow to start, he circled her tender bud with an increasingly fast motion that had Molly coming just as quickly and as hard. Whole body flushed with the searing rapture as she gasped and panted for breath.
Logan didn’t give her time to catch it before he shoved her shirt up and out of the way as he shifted above her. Then Molly felt the heavy press of the rounded head of his cock resting against the spasming entrance to her body. He hesitated, seeming to want something from her, but Molly had nothing to offer him other than the arch of her hips as she lined herself up for his penetration.
