Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  “Take a lunch,” the redhead said as she brought Mollie a bowl on a plate. “I have the counter.” Molly thanked her and fixed a drink quickly before she looked around. She glanced my way and saw me looking at her as she blushed.

  I silently urged her to come to me and she licked her lips as she walked in my direction. There were free tables near me and she took one that put her in a place where her side was near to me as she got settled. I looked at the redhead who had noticed where Molly sat before she looked at me curiously. Her head tilted as she seemed to consider the situation before her with a tender smile.

  That was promising and I turned my head as I heard Molly speak. “Are you new to Mountain Home?”

  “I have lived here a couple of weeks. I transferred with the air force recently.” I saw her look at me with big eyes for a moment.

  “So, you’re not staying?” She pressed as I frowned. Was she wondering if I was going to have my fun and just leave town?

  “I am twenty years in so I have the choice. I like it here,” I assured her as she nodded and leaned over to take a bite of the soup. “Are you from this town?”

  She chewed and shook her head after a moment. “Idaho, yes. I moved here after college a couple of years ago with Noel to open this place. It’s her home town.”

  College. She was in her mid-twenties, then.

  “It’s a gorgeous town,” I said thoughtfully as she nodded again.

  “Do you live on the base?” She asked as I smiled. She was prodding me for information.

  “No, I rent a house on the edge of town. I have always thought that base housing was for families.” That told her that I didn’t have one, something that might be important to her. I had already pointed out that I was older and she shouldn’t be worried about my having any kids or ex-wives.

  “Oh, you don’t have kids?” Molly asked as she looked at me. I shook my head. Something softened in her eyes and I took the moment to ask her something.

  “I am a career guy. I always have been, but a place like this makes me want to slow down a bit,” I said as she smiled and nodded.

  “It does.”

  Her lunch was over all too soon and she was taking her dishes to the back after a shy smile in my direction. I hadn’t told her my name but that would come. This was a great start.

  I left after she was back at work, helping the stragglers. I noted that they closed at one today and tomorrow before I walked out, smiling to myself. I’d gained some trust today. I’d seen her closer and decided she was breathtaking with full breasts and a great ass in addition to her other assets.

  6

  Molly

  I watched him leave after my lunch, thinking about him as Noel sat down for a quick lunch with Nate. We didn’t talk a lot, but I felt like I knew more things about him that encouraged the attraction between us. I felt like something was growing.

  Noel came home with me, planning to nap before going to a party with Nate. She asked all about my conversation with the sexy, older man and I explained that it wasn’t extensive. I told her that we were just talking about the town. “He is into you, Mol. I see it in the way that he looks at you.”

  “He’s so handsome. He could have anybody,” I protested as she turned right.

  “He’s not a boy. He’s a man and they go for what they want. He won’t be like Lance was because he’s grown out of that.” Lance’s name was like ice water and I leaned back.

  “He might be worse,” I added as she looked at me.

  “Oh, Molly. Not everyone will be him.” She pulled into the driveway and looked at me. “Don’t turn someone good away because of Lance.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I still had a lot of fear inside over men and while today made it a little less frightening, I was still hesitant.

  I went inside first and decided to take a nap. I knew that Noel was going to do the same for her date but I knew that I planned to stay home and relaxing. I had a lot to think about tonight.

  She left early for the party and I had dinner with Keith and Marta, enjoying some chicken and potatoes before they left for a movie. I dropped on the couch and turned on the television to find a movie. It was quiet tonight and I stared at the screen blankly for a few minutes. What would it be like to go visit mystery man at his house? What would it be like to just talk to him and get to know who he was?

  What would it be like to kiss him?

  I blushed and closed my eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh. I was thinking too much about him and I didn’t even know his name. I knew nothing about him other than the fact that he was in the military, which Marta warned me to be careful of. I couldn’t risk getting involved with him for him to turn around and leave. My life was here and I wouldn’t be able to just up and move, not with the cafe to run. Life was so unfair sometimes. I’d waited a few years since Lance and his betrayal and here I was attracted to another man that I shouldn’t be thinking about. It was too scary and impossible.

  I found a love story that I left on to watch. It was pretty steamy and I shifted on the couch as I watched, feeling embarrassed despite being alone. I hadn’t thought about a man physically since Lance and right now I wanted to throw myself at my older man and let him ravage me. I laughed and sipped my wine as I dropped my head to the cushions and slid my hand over my thigh. Lance used to like to watch me touch myself so he could get off and I blushed as I remembered the feeling of it, but there was nobody here. There was no man telling me what to do and it would be for me. I looked around and listened to make sure that I was alone before sliding my hand under my yoga pants. I found my hot center, touching myself over my underwear. It was sensitive there and a little wet on the cotton and I giggled as I pressed a bit harder. I pushed the memory of Lance’s orders out of my head and listened to the moans on the movie as I closed my eyes. I moved the material aside to touch my bare pussy, feeling the slick folds and swollen clit. I learned these words from Lance and still blushed as I thought about them, feeling dirty as I stroked my nub, the hot juices spreading around and giving me some speed. “Oh, God.” I dropped my head back and moved faster, arching my back as I imagined the man over me, kissing my lips and neck. It urged me to move harder, pressing down as I rocked against my hand. This never felt so good before and I felt the pressure deep inside as I gasped. This only happened once before and even then, it was when I was alone.

  I came, hard and fast as I moaned. It was intense and fabulous, making me breathe deeply as I jerked with the waves of pleasure. I opened my eyes when it was over, feeling like I’d been flying as I slid my hand out of my pants and grabbed my wine, draining it in one sip. I laughed, feeling light and free as I looked back up at the television. I slowly made my way to the kitchen to wash my hands and get some more wine before I took a muffin from the bag on the fridge. Somehow, doing that cleared my head and I decided that I could know him, whatever his name was. If I got turned on seeing him, which I surely did, I could just touch myself. It worked with Lance when I was too scared to go past touching with him, at least until he broke my heart. I could get through this crush or whatever this was and move on. Noel didn’t sleep with every guy she dated and there were a lot of them. She seemed fine, most of the time.

  I went upstairs around eleven, now bored and a bit tired. I made myself come again, loving the feel of it before rolling over and falling asleep.

  When the alarm went off, I thought to myself that we should be closed one or two days a week so I could sleep in. As great as it was having my own business, I could admit that part was a bit of a drag. I didn’t have to go in with Noel to bake but it didn’t seem right to send her in the building alone. It was faster with the two of us and we both owned the business together. Once I was up and around, I realized that I felt pretty good as I showered and pulled my hair into a low ponytail. I did the basic makeup and jogged quietly down the stairs to find Noel in the living room waiting for me. “How was your party?” I asked as she tilted her head at me.

  “You are far too perky
for this early in the morning.” Noel spoke softly as she shook her head.

  “I slept late last night,” I told her as she rolled her pretty eyes at me.

  “The party was fun. His friends are so nice and I think I met one that would be perfect for you,” Noel told me as we walked into the garage. “Hear me out. He’s low key and so nice. He’d give you the room you need.” I looked at her in the dim light of the street lights. “I can’t stand seeing you just sitting at home when I’m out. This way, you could be with me and someone else in the same place. You wouldn’t be alone.” Lance never liked Noel and separated us using his control over me, slowly and thoroughly.

  She had a point, but I needed to get my older man out of my system. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that other than time, but I would. “Let me think about it.”

  “That’s better than a no,” Noel said with a small smile as she pulled onto the main street. It was cold and basically empty now of day, apart from the police car in front of the cafe. Noel told him to come in today for a dozen pastries to take to the small station for the other guys since they all took turns doing this for us. He laughed and agreed before seeing us inside the building, leaving when we were locked safely behind the doors. We got right to it doing the usual routine with music playing loudly as we danced and sang to the new Paramore song. I loved the beat and she laughed at me as I shook my hips around before putting trays of muffins into the ovens. “You’re in a good mood. Are you sure something didn’t happen last night?”

  “I stayed in and watched a movie. Nothing exciting. I think I just slept well.” I shrugged as I grabbed another tray to bake. “Coffee!! I forgot the coffee.”

  “Says she who cannot survive without it,” Noel said dryly as I laughed and walked out to the counter. I made us each a fancy latte and brought it in with a smile as she mixed the raspberry scone mix. That cooked a little less so she could work on it as the last mix of the morning last as well as the large snicker doodles that she was baking this morning. “Yummy. What’s the special occasion?” She asked after she sipped the coffee. Her eyes were wide with the need to know what was up with me and I didn’t have much to tell her. Noel was my best friend, but I didn’t feel the need to tell her every detail about my life. I was shy when it came to talking about sex and it took me a few weeks to tell her all about Lance.

  “I just wanted something different. We don’t have the fancy drinks enough.” I brought mine with me to go tidy up the dining room and start a fire before I turned down the music. Noel started loading up the display case and I went to unlock the doors at six, greeting Mike as he walked in carrying flowers. “Mike! You shouldn’t have,” I said as he winked at me.

  "I’d love to take credit, but they were against the door, Molly.” He handed me the bouquet and I looked at it as I followed him to the counter. There were about two dozen flowers; a few different roses, lilies and even a few orchids. It was beautiful and clearly expensive, making me wonder if Nate dropped it off for Noel. There wasn’t a card. I set the flowers down and got Mike’s order ready as Noel came over to stare at them.

  “Who are these from?” She asked, looking between Mike and me.

  “He said they were at the door. No idea. Would Nate do that?” I asked as I gave him his cup of coffee and muffin.

  “He was exhausted last night, so I can’t see him staying up just for this. Maybe, though. How sweet, right? They’re gorgeous. We need a vase.” Noel pushed the cart into the back for more pastries and possibly to look for something to put the flowers in. I thanked Mike for the tip as always and glanced at the door to see that I had some time before more customers came in. I got all the coffee brewing and set up the cream station with fresh supplies before going back behind the counter for a sip of my coffee.

  Sundays brought a lot of the church goers in, both before and after the services. We even made muffins for the services most weekends. I liked that the day went by quickly even though today I was looking for dark hair and light blue eyes.

  He didn’t come in today. I looked at the flowers, propped in a high metal mixing bowl behind the register, hoping that they might be from him. Maybe he was thinking about me as well, but dropping off flowers before the sun was up was insane. It had to be Nate.

  7

  Robert

  I had to work on Sunday so I made a point of getting some flowers at the local flower shop to leave at the cafe late Saturday night. I wanted to leave them at the door so Molly would find them when she opened the doors since I sensed she hadn’t been romanced a lot in her young life. Men that age didn’t know what they were doing and I certainly didn’t back them.

  I didn’t have the balls to leave a note with them once I jogged past and dropped them at the step. I liked the idea of her wondering if they were from me.

  I got ready for work, trying to picture Molly’s face when she saw the flowers. I went big with them because the combination just caught my eyes when I walked in. She deserved that.

  We were going over some flight training all day Sunday for the students coming in the following week. There was still some of the remaining gossip from the affair floating around and I sensed it when I walked down the hallway, my skin prickling at the vibe in the air.

  Fucking immature children. That’s who worked for me. Nobody should ever get involved with colleagues because this is what happened. Is that why I was pursuing a local cafe owner? Was she separate enough for me?

  I paused when one of the women stepped out of a room in front of me, her laugh throaty as she glanced at me with hungry brown eyes. “Good morning, Major Johnson. How are you?” I heard the inflection of her voice when she said my last name and I saw the way that she looked down my body.

  It was Olivia, one of the instructors and I narrowed my eyes at her. “Just fine.” I didn’t bother to use her name and she flinched a bit at my tone. “You do know that this is a base where we work right? This is a place where we work for our country, not a fucking frat house.” I lowered my voice as her eyes widened, her skin paling. “I am not going to participate in these games and since you are one of the biggest gossipers in this building, I expect you to stop talking about the last incident here. I expect that to stop right now.”

  Olivia stepped back and nodded mutely. I was done with this stupid, fucking scandal and I just wanted to focus on work. She disappeared back into her office and I continued down the hall to the room where I was meeting the others to discuss our plans.

  Randy watched me walk in with a smirk on his face. “I guess you told her. Most men would consider that and have, you know.”

  “I don’t shit where I eat. Isn’t that the saying?” I asked as he laughed. “I’ve worked for the air force for twenty years and never touched a woman here. I have everywhere but work, but never on the job. Look what happens.”

  “Agreed. That was a train wreck and they both fucked up their futures. I hear that his wife is divorcing him and moving back to California with their daughter.” Randy shook his head. Neither of us were married but we would respect it if we were.

  The others joined us, including Olivia. She wouldn’t even look at me and we all spent the next few hours planning the lessons that she and Brian would be giving the class. I loved participating in these. I looked back fondly at my own flight training and loved it while I lived that life, but I preferred what I did now at this age. Sure, I’d hop in a plane and mess with the class here and there, but I didn’t want to do it for a living.

  I just liked fucking with the cocky guys that thought they were going to be a gift to the air force.

  I drove back home that evening and made a steak on the grill for dinner. The cafe was dark as expected, and I wondered what she thought of the flowers as I looked at the stars in the sky.

  I thought about Olivia and the look in her eyes. I could have shoved her back in that office, bent her over and fucked her right without delay. She would allow it without a thought to her career. In a bar or a different setting, I might have ta
ken her up on it.

  I ate outside at the small patio table and sipped a cold beer. I thought about Molly and the look of fear in her eyes when she asked me if I’d be leaving this place. Did she have some abandonment issues with another man, or perhaps her family? What was it about her that made me want her so badly?

  I’d been jerking off in the shower every day since meeting her. I pictured her underneath me, or on her knees sucking my cock as I did and it drove me mad. There were plenty of women that I could have if I just said the words, both in town and at work but I didn’t want them. I wanted Molly even if it might break her.

  I turned in early that night, planning to grab some coffee at the cafe before I went in the following day. I wanted to see her face and try to read if she knew about the flowers.

  I rose for a run early, planning to arrive shortly after they opened. It seemed like the girls worked every day, never having any time off. That was a lot and I wondered why they didn’t hire some more people to help them out. I took the forest path again, enjoying the peace of it as I breathed in the cool morning air. This was much better than jogging in the city streets where I’d lived in the past. Some would say there were more risks here with the animals, but I felt safer here. I wasn’t afraid of the animals.

  I hot the street once the path ended and made my way into town. There were a few people out and about, opening businesses or getting coffee like me and I greeted them with a smile.

  Slow, sleepy town.

  I walked up to the glass doors, opening them to see a group of women at the counter chatting with the girls. They were obviously regulars and I watched for a moment just to see Molly smile. She got them their coffees and pastries before looking over to see me, her smile fading for a moment.