by Amy Gregory
“There. I just sent you a text back, so you’ll have mine.”
Brody felt the buzz in his pocket. It did little to reassure him, but that was all he was getting tonight.
The guy had been perceptive tonight and gotten his sister away from the questions. He’d been about to do the same thing, he’d been watching for a sign from her then suddenly Carter had whisked her away. He’d been expecting Carter to come running for help, not knowing how to handle the panic attack Brody knew would be coming. He never did.
“Did she get really upset?”
“She cried from the moment I sat her on the couch until she just fell asleep on me. She was whispering one minute about something, the next thing I knew, she was asleep in my arms.”
“But, like really upset?”
“Like the other night? No.” Carter shook his head.
Brody saw the relief spill over Erin’s face. “Oh, Brody, that’s amazing. No panic attack.”
Then he watched as she turned to Carter and gave him all the glory. “You have no idea how huge that is, Carter. That’s all you. You just have no idea.”
“I didn’t do anything, Erin. Really, I was just there for her.”
Brody wanted to scream.
Instead, he motioned toward the door. “You mind?”
“You don’t have to ask. Go on in.”
Brody went in and knelt beside her. He wished like hell he knew the right thing to do. He knew what the right thing for him was. Load her ass up and drive all night and tomorrow too, deliver her safe and sound back to their parents, and buy a lock for her door. Lightly running his knuckles over her cheek, he couldn’t help but ask himself what the right thing was for her. The war inside him was raging.
Being the same age as her, being raised together, they’d both suffered the effects of James and Karen’s parenting. They’d been what he’d considered overprotective of him as a kid, but when Molly moved in, that was taken to a whole new level, bordering on insane. The funny thing was, no one saw it at the time. Instead of he and Molly against his parents, he’d joined forces with them to make sure she was never hurt again. They were homeschooled, so that left just home and the tracks. At the track she was never alone. Ever. Looking back, Brody realized until this weekend she’d never fought it. She’d never complained once about being smothered or suffocated.
She had to have been. On one hand, Brody didn’t know how else to act with her, but on the other, he knew damned well that he could never have lived like that if it’d been him. James had raised them both not trust other men around her.
He leaned down and whispered how much he loved her and then stood. He took the smile Erin gave him for what it was—pride. He stepped back out of the motorhome and shocked even himself by offering Carter a hand.
“Thank you…for taking care of my sister.”
“You never have to thank me, Brody. She means everything to me.”
Brody ignored the last part. “When are you pulling out tomorrow?”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay. What about you?”
Erin rubbed Carter’s arm. “We can be flexible. Just let us know when she wakes up.”
“Of course.”
Brody took a deep breath and nodded before looking through the door one last time. He mumbled, “Thanks,” once more, before turning to walk away with Erin under his arm.
For a minute, Carter watched Brody and Erin walk away. It was a long sixty seconds spent trying to wrap his head around everything he’d learned tonight. When he figured it’d been enough time and Brody wasn’t going to change his mind and come charging back, Carter went back inside, shutting the door softly behind him. He grabbed the water she’d left untouched off the table and sat in the recliner across from her. Not realizing how dry his throat was, the bottle was empty in two long pulls. He sat peeling the label off the empty bottle for a long while, contemplating her childhood hell.
When at last he was blurry-eyed, he stood. Against his better judgment, he crossed the floor and cradled Molly in his arms. He laid her, still asleep, in his unmade bed and crossed to his dresser. When he turned back with the t-shirt, her eyes were open. “Hi, Gorgeous. I thought you’d be more comfortable in here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
The sleepy smile warmed his battered heart.
“Here’s a t-shirt for you.” She sat up and he laid it down beside her.
“Carter?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“Would you? I mean, do you mind?” He searched her face as she stumbled for the words she wanted. “Would you sleep in here…with me?”
How did she know how badly he wanted just that? “Oh, sweetheart. Yes. I’ll stay with you. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just…I don’t want to be alone.”
Carter pulled her to standing and engulfed her in his arms. “You’ll never be alone again. I’ll be right here, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” He let his arms slowly drop away. “You get dressed, I’ll come back in when you’re in bed.”
He turned to give her some privacy when she reached out to stop him. He slowly turned back around, looking down at the beautiful girl staring back up at him. The moment stretched on as they shared the silence, in it an unspoken understanding. Molly bit at her lip as she slowly raised her arms over her head. Carter sucked in a breath, amazed at the trust she was placing in him. He lowered his hands to the hem of her tight fitted t-shirt and slowly lifted.
This wasn’t at all the way he’d imagined how it would be the first time he undressed her. He took what she was offering—her last secret. The ones she could hide under her clothes. He tried to keep his face neutral, to keep the bile from coming up his throat. He had seen her in a sports bra, and she hadn’t tried to hide before, but seeing her now was like seeing her for the first time.
He dropped her shirt to the floor and ran his finger over her shoulder, and her eyes slowly lowered with her head. He ran his thumb over the mark under her chin, and at last, she nodded. He continued to shower each trace of her past with gentle touches and light brushes of his lips. He unclasped her bra and slipped his t-shirt over her head. There would be time for looking at her body for pleasure. Tonight wasn’t it. She had offered herself to him completely, vulnerable and open, a treasure he would never take for granted.
He helped her into the bed then crossed to the other side. Shucking his clothes along the way, he left his boxers on for her comfort and prayed he wouldn’t embarrass himself. The instant he laid down, she rolled to him. Feeling her in his arms, albeit in less than romantic circumstances, still felt like home. She fit him. The whole of her, he wanted it all. When she drifted back to sleep, her breath on his bare shoulder, he knew he’d found the love of his life.
He traced patterns on her bare arm for what must have been hours. When at last he couldn’t keep his eyes open another minute, he whispered the words he wanted so badly for her to hear, right before he thanked God she was alive and with him now.
~
When she started to stir, Carter rolled from his back to his side and softly brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open. “Morning, Gorgeous,” he said quietly.
She gave him a small smile. “Hi,” she whispered.
She cuddled up to him. “You feel so good next to me.” She rubbed his smooth, bare chest with her fingers.
He drew in a long breath at the contact. “How are you doing this morning?”
She snuggled even closer to him. “I’m okay, a little embarrassed, but good.”
“Well, you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, baby.” Carter hugged her tight, just wanting to keep her with him. He’d been sick to his stomach all night, between her past she’d told him about and not wanting to be away from her now even more because of it. Several times in the night, he’d squeezed her against his chest, needing to comfort himself.
“I’m sorry about last night, Carter. I sure didn’t want to be crying uncontrollably to you the first weekend we met
.”
“Gorgeous, I’m just worried about you.”
“I’m fine. I’m sorry, really.” She took a deep breath and looked up. “Carter…”
“Yeah baby?”
“I really was going to tell you, just in my own way. You know, a little more casual, not like that. Not so damned dramatic.”
“No. I have no worries about that. It was just hard to see you so upset.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Molly, stop apologizing. I want you to be able to count on me for anything.”
“Well, you have definitely proven yourself worthy.”
He saw her actually smile for the first time and started to feel some relief. “How’s your head?”
“Pounding.”
“How about some breakfast and something for your head?”
She nodded, but cuddled up closer to him, kissed his chest, and shut her eyes again.
He grinned proudly. “I’m glad you’re not rushing to get out of my bed.” He chuckled lightly. “I was a little afraid you’d be kinda freaked out this morning.”
“You took such good care of me last night and you feel so good to lie next to. Thank you, by the way…for everything. I kind of dumped a lot on you. I wouldn’t blame you if you ran screaming the other direction.”
“Gorgeous, I’m not going anywhere.”
Molly looked up at him. A smirk of a grin appeared and he immediately felt better. “You know…when I thought about our first night together and how it would be, last night wasn’t really how I pictured it,” she giggled.
The sound of her laughter made the weight fall off his shoulders. “Oh, really?” He didn’t try to hide the huge grin that split his face. “You’ve been thinking about that have you?” Her cheeks flashed red and the giggling continued instead of answering him. “Uh huh, I think you have.”
“Well, do you blame me? You’re hot.”
Carter felt so much better after hearing her laugh and joke with him. “Oh, Gorgeous, I adore you.” He sighed and stared at the ceiling, hating that this perfect morning was coming to a close. “Hey, Mol, we need to let Brody know how you’re doing. He’s been really worried, and the longer you slept, the more worried he got. He’s sent two texts already.”
She laid her head back down tucked herself close to his bare chest. “I don’t want to move.”
Carter’s heart swelled. “I’m glad, but what if I do this?” He pinched her butt.
“Nope.” She shook her head and chuckled.
“What about this?” He tickled her waist.
She wiggled. “Nope.”
“Are you sure?” He started to tickle her with both hands.
She put up a good fight, wiggling and struggling, but started laughing uncontrollably, “Okay, okay…Uncle!”
“That’s my girl.”
“Just for that, I’m keeping your t-shirt.” She pulled the collar up to her nose. “It smells like you.”
“Baby, you can have it.” He paused. “But…”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yep, there’s a catch. When we sleep in the same town, the shirt sleeps here.” She snickered but he continued, “What do you think?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Come on, Gorgeous, I’ll be good, I promise.”
“Well….you said, the shirt sleeps here. You didn’t say anything about me.” Laughing, she started to roll away from him.
He grabbed her and rolled on top of her. “I think you know what I meant.”
“I don’t know…I think I got you on a technicality.”
Grinning, he slid one hand down her back to grab her bare butt, courtesy of her thong, and squeezed. “Oh yeah?”
“Yep.”
“Well, Gorgeous, let me clarify this for you.” He leaned down to kiss her. “I want the t-shirt with you in it. Stay with me next weekend. What do you think?”
A nervous smile played at her mouth as she looked up at him.
“I’ll be good, I promise. I won’t try anything. It’s just that last night was so right, lying beside you, listening to you breathing, feeling your skin against mine. I liked knowing you were right here beside me. I want this, the laughing and talking in bed. I like this alone time with you.”
He could see her struggling. The nice guy in him wanted to tell her not to worry about it, it wasn’t a big deal. Every other part of him wanted to keep begging until she caved.
“Will you be upset if I ask for time to…think about it?”
“Not at all. If you don’t want to or don’t want to upset Brody, that’s fine. I understand. I won’t be upset.” He winked down at her and saw the relief in her face. “I just wanted you to know where I’d like you to be, and that’s with me.”
The knock on the door made her jump in his arms.
“That’s probably Eli or Jess wanting to check on you before they pull out.” Carter gave her a quick peck, before hopping out of bed and pulling on his jeans from last night. “Ah, I guess I should have woken you, it’s after eight and you didn’t get your run in.”
“I’d rather have been here.” Molly smiled as she got out of bed, pulling on her jeans as well, but leaving on his t-shirt.
The knock on the door was louder the second time. Carter opened it, fully ready to welcome in one or both of his two best friends. Instead, it was her brother. Shit. If Brody would lighten up a little, Carter would meet him half way in a heartbeat. As it was, Carter felt like he’d snap in two from bending over backwards to try please the man.
“Come on in, Brody,” he said, deliberately trying to keep his voice welcoming. “Hey, Carter? Where are my shoes?”
Brody’s attention immediately went to the voice from the bedroom.
“They’re out here.”
“What in the hell?” Brody’s head whipped back to Carter and his voice went to steel.
Carter was so taken back, he didn’t answer. Judging by the anger in Brody’s eyes, Carter’s silence was apparently fanning the flames.
“Did she not sleep on the couch?”
“No. I didn’t.” Molly appeared in the main room, unflustered.
Carter only wished he could be so calm. “We didn’t do anything, Brody. I promised you last night. I offered for her to sleep in the bed. I wouldn’t do anything to take advantage of her.”
“And I’m the one who asked him to stay with me, beside me. And that’s what he did, if it was any of your business, but since it’s not…back off, Brody.”
Brody just ignored her and directed his anger at Carter. “I knew I couldn’t trust you, man. You’re just like all the rest.”
“Brody.” Carter wouldn’t fight back, but he wasn’t going to let him assume the worst by any stretch of the imagination. “I am not,” Carter said, emphasizing each word. “I told you before, I will do anything to protect her and make her happy. I will never hurt her.” He kept his gaze level, his breathing calm, and his voice low. If this ended badly, he didn’t want Molly to have any reason to be mad at him.
“Enough.” Molly’s voice and tone had both men’s attention immediately. “You’re out of line, Brody.”
“Dad is going—“
“Oh, don’t you worry. I’m calling James the minute I step out of this motorhome. I know you were worried and upset about last night, something I appreciate, but you coming in here half-cocked, ready to start something, is bullshit. You want to love me, great. I love you too. You want to protect me, great. Saturdays around here can get crazy and I don’t like crowds. You know that. So great, I appreciate the help. But when it comes to this…” Molly motioned between Carter and herself “You have no say, no jurisdiction, no comments, nothing. This is my decision.”
She pointed at the open door. “We’ll finish this conversation in a few minutes.”
Carter watched her chest heave with the angered breaths she was taking. Later on, he’d have to remind himself to never piss her off. After that, he’d laugh his ass off at how the little, barely over five foot tall girl had brought her brother, who
was almost a foot taller than her, to his knees. She was definitely a little spitfire.
Brody looked between the two of them and left without another word.
“Why? Why do you keep putting up with this?”
Carter took her in his arms and whispered against her ear, “Because I’m in love with you, Molly.”
Chapter Ten
A couple of days later, her cell phone rang. Molly answered on the first ring. That phone hadn’t left her side since the moment they’d pulled out of California last Sunday morning.
“Hi.” Molly couldn’t help but sound eager to hear from him. She had tried really hard the first couple of times he’d called to play it cool, not wanting to sound like a giggly little high school girl hearing from the quarterback, but she couldn’t help it. When she saw his number appear, her heart sped up and her excitement couldn’t be contained, so she’d given up. Now she didn’t care, and judging by his laughter on the other end, he didn’t seem to mind.
“Hey Gorgeous, how’s my girl?” He chuckled.
“Better now. It’s so good to hear your voice. How was practice?”
“Fine. We’re getting ready to pull out and head to Houston.”
“I can’t wait. We’re leaving early in the morning. Brody has the trailers packed, except for my bike since I need to practice one more time before we load it.”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I can’t wait for you to hold me again.” She wasn’t used missing someone, like half of her was gone. Sure, she’d been away from Karen or James over the years. Karen and James had stopped traveling with her when Brody had taken over her training after he’d retired, so she missed both of her adoptive parents. This longing she felt for Carter was very different though, it was so much stronger. She was having a hard time not crossing that mental line of being needy.
“Good…I’m glad. I have to tell you something.”
She could hear the lightness in his voice, but still she was a bit skeptical. “Okay?”
“It’s not bad.”
