Reeling in Love

by Gloria Herrmann

  He tangled his hands in her hair as he battled for control. “God, Molly, you’re killing me.”

  She pulled off him, looked him straight in the eye and winked. “Good.”

  Payback was a bitch, and for all the weeks he’d made her suffer, Owen deserved a little torture. Molly ran her tongue along his inner thighs, nipping gently. Owen tried to steer her back to what he wanted. Looking up at him with a devious smile on her lips, Molly reminded him that right now she was in the driver’s seat.

  * * * *

  “Wow, I love your place,” Molly said as she started to remove her sweater. Owen came up behind her and helped her out of it, but not without kissing her neck.

  “I’m glad.”

  His home was incredible. There were windows everywhere that gave a view of Elliott Bay. The exposed, dark wooden beams and rich tones were masculine. It was open—all the rooms connected. The living and dining room merged right off the kitchen. There were no walls, just lots of space. There was no hint of femininity anywhere. This was a man’s home, from the large, bulky furniture to the enormous television that was perfect for watching a Seahawks game with his buddies. The kitchen—cherry cabinets, stainless steel and granite countertops—was neat and orderly. Molly didn’t notice any food on the stove and everything was spotless. They were eating, right? Her stomach growled and she was kicking herself for not having eaten all day.

  His lips were still on her neck as she took in all the details, the little touches that were Owen—picture frames containing photos of an older couple, some with him. A lot of the frames held shots of fish or the ocean.

  Owen was behind her, his arms around her waist. “I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered into her hair.

  Her body began to hum. It was becoming his instrument, begging for his touch, for him to play music all over it with his fingers and his tongue.

  Molly spun around. She didn’t even have to search for his mouth. He captured her the moment she’d faced him. She loved the way he tasted, the soft way he kissed her, but there was a searing passion that she knew burned behind it.

  “Okay, we’d better eat before I haul you off to my bedroom.” Owen released her, but snatched her hand and pulled her to follow him. He led her through the home, telling her about each room, but he paused at one that had double doors, not saying anything. He ushered them in a different direction. Now she was curious and hoped that they would visit that room later.

  “I thought we could eat outside,” he said as they wandered out to an expansive redwood deck. A small patio table with four chairs was off to one side. There were several loungers and an obnoxiously giant barbecue, again incredibly male. She saw smoke coming out of it and smelled the delicious char of cooking meat.

  The salty air mingled with the scent of steaks that were nearly ready to take off the grill. Owen threw on an adorable apron and peeked inside something wrapped in foil—salmon. Molly stood next to him, holding a beer and feeling very wifey. This whole scene was domestication at its best.

  She wanted to assist in making the salad, even though he playfully scolded her for helping, explaining she was his guest. They bickered like a real couple, but Molly won that battle quickly after flashing him by the kitchen sink, telling him she’d brought dessert. Granted, it was in the form of a red lacy bra and panties. He threatened to take her right then and there. She egged him on, daring him, only to run away when he went to grab her.

  The flirty cat and mouse game had them both smiling all through dinner and even after she’d finished washing their dirty dishes. They worked well as a team. Both helped clean up and put away any leftovers, working in sync. They finally wound up on the deck loungers, quiet all around them as the sun ducked lower into the horizon, casting a sherbet-colored sky over the bay. They drank their beers, laughing at several seagulls that visited them on the deck, looking for a handout. The peacefulness and overwhelming sensation of how right this all felt flowed through Molly. She was happy—truly happy—more than she’d ever felt with someone else.

  “So, about that dessert…” Owen’s eyes turned bright with lust. Molly brought her leg up over his stomach, securing herself to him. He ran his hand up and down her bare calf. They were sharing a lounger, snuggled close together, watching the world around them change colors as the shadows of night emerged.

  Feeling daring and confident, Molly unbuttoned her turquoise-colored blouse slowly, giving him a peek-a-boo glimpse of her red bra. She couldn’t explain why this man brought out the brazen wildcat in her, but she liked watching the desire burn in his eyes and it stoked a seemingly unquenchable fire of need in her. She’d never felt so wanted in all her life. Owen made her feel special, like she was the most sexy and beautiful woman in the world. Molly wasn’t stupid. She knew things weren’t as tight or toned on her body as they’d used to be—she wasn’t in her twenties anymore. But to have a man treat her like the rarest and most precious of treasures was welcomed and appreciated—and about the hottest thing she could imagine. “You love torturing me, don’t you?”

  “Maybe just a little.” Molly moved in to kiss him. It was as though her mouth was magnetically drawn to him.

  In a quick maneuver, Owen pulled Molly and, suddenly, she found herself on top of him, comfortably pressed against something very big, very hard and very Owen. This was one of her new favorite positions. Owen undid the rest of her blouse then traced the outline of the bra. He ran his tongue through the smooth valley of her soft mounds.

  Molly sighed, then it dawned on her they were outside. “What about your neighbors?”

  “What about them?” His voice was muffled, he continued to nuzzle her chest. Owen held her hips and was too busy to exploring her breasts to pay attention to her concern.

  It was difficult for her to stay focused, too, when he took a nipple into his mouth through the lace, biting it gently. It sent a spike of lust straight to her sex. “Owen, I’m serious. What if they see us?”

  “Then they’re a bunch of lucky bastards, if you ask me.”

  She slapped him lightly and tried to pull away. “I mean it.” Molly saw the sky growing a deeper purple as night swallowed up the last remnants of the day. Stars were already playfully twinkling above them.

  “Okay, okay.” In a fluid motion, Owen gently moved Molly off him as he rose from the lounger. He stared at her briefly then hoisted her up. With a sexy grin on his handsome face, he tossed her over his broad shoulder.

  “Put me down,” she squealed.

  “Nope.” Owen carried her through the sliding glass door, past the living room then down the hallway he’d shown her earlier. The inside of the house was dark, but she could make out the outline of the double doors as they approached. It was the one room he’d not shown Molly yet. Owen used his free hand to open the door. The next thing Molly knew she was in the air for a brief moment, then landed on a soft surface. He flicked on the light and she saw the gorgeous room. The bed was massive, with carved wood posts at all four corners. The room was decorated with the sea in mind. A captain’s wheel was hung above the headboard, and there were framed prints of driftwood-covered beaches, raging ocean waters and his boat.

  “Who took those?” She pointed to the pictures that were hanging on the wall.

  “Some guy.”

  “Come on. Who?” As a photographer, she was drawn to the composition of the edits and the simplicity of each shot. Sometimes nature was the best model, but whoever had taken these had some skill.

  He exhaled loudly as he joined her on the bed. Their legs were intertwined as they both stared at the wall. “Me.”

  Molly let out a gasp. “No way. Really? They’re beautiful, Owen.”

  “Thanks. But I see something far more beautiful.” He began to kiss her exposed, bra-clad breasts, her blouse nearly completely unbuttoned. He began to roam his hands over her body, but Molly was more focused on the fact that Owen had failed to share that he was also a photographer.

  “So, how long have you been taking pi
ctures?”

  “Those are old.” He pulled her nipple out and sucked gently.

  Molly moaned then gathered her thoughts. “So you stopped?”

  Owen huffed and looked up at her. “Yes. Now, are we having dessert or discussing those old pictures?”

  “Can’t we do both?” Molly grinned. Come on. I’m a photographer. What does he expect? After finding out those were his shots, she wanted to know more.

  “I can’t multitask, so it’s one or the other, babe,” Owen said as he returned to exposed nipple.

  Fine. They would definitely be returning to this conversation. Molly wove her fingers through his hair as she wrapped her legs around him, locking him to her. She had so many questions, but right now she had a hungry man that needed his dessert.

  * * * *

  “That’s friggin’ hot, Molly,” Tiffany said in short breaths. They were jogging, the sand heavy under their running shoes. Carkeek Park was quiet this evening.

  The tide was pulling away from the shore, exposing a raw ocean dinner for the seabirds that were pecking at the sand.

  “Damn, Tiffany’s right. How in the hell did you get so lucky?” Mackenzie huffed as she ran.

  Molly could feel her legs burning, but now that she was going to be naked a lot more, she figured she’d better step up her fitness game. “You guys have no idea. But now I need to make myself sexy.”

  Mackenzie winced. “Ah, the pressures of being perfect for men. Sucks being a woman sometimes, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t get it. You guys already screwed. He saw you naked and didn’t run away screaming. Trust me. You’re good, girl,” Tiffany confirmed as they kept in sync.

  “True. But it wouldn’t hurt to slim down a wee bit to try to see if I can keep these puppies from dropping down any lower—at least for a while.” Molly clutched her chest as they continued to run.

  “I wish I had boobs,” Mackenzie complained. Her figure was lean and athletic. She still looked like a teenager. But she was right. She was more than a little flat-chested. Mackenzie wore a bright neon blue sports bra, baring her midsection and black leggings that made her long legs seem even longer. They all envied her abs. They weren’t the ugly, over-defined type but were trim, flat and smooth. Mackenzie looked incredible when swimsuit season rolled around.

  “You are welcome to have some of mine,” Molly offered playfully.

  “I have too much ass. You want some, Mackenzie?” Tiffany laughed. She was wearing animal-print-style leggings that were cropped mid-calf, and her usual black layered tank. Tiffany could pull off pretty much any swimsuit as well, but she did have a large butt. Molly was completely and utterly jealous of it. Any jeans, yoga pants—literally anything—looked great on her figure.

  “Look at us, such pathetic examples of women. Here… I want what you have and you want what I’ve got. There’s just no pleasing us, is there?” Molly said when she considered her body for a moment. Her middle was soft. It needed some work for sure. Looking down at her gray and pink shorts, she saw that her pasty legs needed more sun and they could be longer. She wore a faded pink Seattle Mariners baseball shirt. Under it she had doubled up on her sports bra in hopes of not getting a black eye during this jog, one of the many reasons why she loathed running.

  “Nope. We are constantly on the hunt for perfection. It’s nowhere to be found. I swear, it’d be a whole lot easier if I quit searching for it,” Tiffany replied.

  They paused for a moment by a log that had washed up on the shore, catching their breath and stretching as the sun sank below the horizon. The sky was a smeared lilac hue with traces of gray clouds. The wind was beginning to pick up and they needed to get back to their cars before it started raining. The workout had felt great. Molly knew she’d be sore tomorrow, but it would be worth it. Knowing how much Owen loved her assortment of bras, she’d come up with a goal for herself. She wanted to lose around fifteen pounds, then she was going to splurge on some sexy new undies, just for him. Granted, she wasn’t sure how that was a reward for herself, but somehow her mind was made up that it was a good plan.

  “So, you guys are like a thing now, right?” Tiffany asked as they set back off in the direction they had come from.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m Owen’s girlfriend now.” She liked the way it sounded as the words exited her mouth.

  “Gotta admit, it has a nice ring to it,” Mackenzie commented with a genuine smile.

  “That reminds me. Did you ever hear from Jason, that bouncer guy?” Molly asked, her lungs beginning to beg for mercy. She hated running, but Tiffany had insisted that this was how she would lose weight.

  “Actually, he called me last night.” Mackenzie laughed nervously in between gasping for air.

  “Oh really? Do tell,” Tiffany pleaded as she increased the pace they were running.

  “Just one thing, why did we decide to go jogging? This sucks,” Molly blurted out. “We could be drinking wine and talking about men right now. Just sayin’.”

  “Yeah, but there will be no men to talk about if we’re fat,” Tiffany countered.

  “I’m fat now and I’m getting laid,” Molly pointed out smugly.

  “True, but remember… This was your idea.”

  “What? I don’t recall that,” Molly lied.

  “As I recall, you said, ‘Tiff, please help me. I’m a fat cow. I’m one pint of ice cream away from mooing’ or something along those lines,” Tiffany said as she reenacted their conversation.

  “Yeah, I kinda remember saying it, now that you mention it.”

  “So see? I’m keeping you from being a cow. You’re welcome.”

  “Who wants to grab some froyo after this?” Mackenzie asked.

  “Mackenzie, jeesh, didn’t you just hear us talking about Molly becoming a cow?”

  “Yeah, but they have dairy free. Besides, I didn’t offer to help her. I offered froyo, so really… Who here is the better friend?”

  “I kinda like Mac a little more right now,” Molly teased.

  “Fine. We’re all going to end up as fat cows anyway. So how about this… Last one to the car has to pay?” Tiffany suggested.

  “Moo!” Molly shouted as she sprinted for the car with all the energy she had left.

  They all laughed as they picked up their speed and started to race along the shore.

  And even after they’d made it to their cars and gotten to the frozen yogurt place, they were still smiling and laughing when one of them would offer a spirited ‘moo’.

  The brightly colored shop was family-friendly with a trendy and hip flare. They were seated in a booth enjoying their treats. Molly had lost the race and had to pay, but it was so worth it.

  “This was fun,” Mackenzie said as she licked her spoon. “But I better get home. I have grades to do. Anyone wanna help?”

  “You have to grade kindergartners? Like what do you grade them on, who doesn’t eat crayons or paste?” Tiffany asked as she scraped the last bit of froyo out of her bowl.

  Mackenzie shook her head. “Actually, you’d be shocked on what we have to grade them on. Don’t get me started on what the state wants them to know by now.”

  “I can’t believe summer is almost here,” Molly added.

  “This school year flew by, yet was kind of agonizing. I’m so looking forward to summer.” Mackenzie looked at them seriously and asked, “We going on vacation anywhere awesome this summer, ladies?”

  Over the last decade summer had consisted of multiple trips, usually down to the Oregon Coast, but they always tried to escape somewhere different and unexplored. Not being tied down in a marriage or with kids did have its advantages. It allowed them to go practically anywhere they wanted. Mackenzie became a different person during the summer. Something about her changed. She would become more carefree, easygoing and just up for anything. Once September hit, she was back to early bedtimes and creating little geniuses. Tiffany had a Monday through Friday, nine-to-five kind of job, but she hoarded all her sick days and vac
ation time to use during summer, so they made the most of it. Molly could go anywhere, any time. That was the beauty of her career. She’d even dragged Mackenzie and Tiffany along to some of her location shoots as a part of their vacation getaways.

  “Gosh, somewhere incredible… A place we’ve never been to—Ireland, maybe?” Tiffany suggested. “I have always dreamed about going there. It seems so romantic.”

  “It can’t be too far,” Mackenzie added. “Besides, what is so romantic about leprechauns?”

  Molly agreed. “Leprechauns aren’t romantic. They are super creepy.”

  Tiffany rolled her eyes as she quietly slipped a spoonful of froyo into her mouth.

  “Anywhere is fine with me,” Molly said.

  “You sure about that?” Mackenzie gave her a confused look.

  “Yeah, why?”

  They both stared at her for a moment, causing her to shift nervously in her seat. Why are they looking at me like that? Then she realized, Owen.

  “Well, you know, this whole thing you’ve got going on does sort of change things a little,” Mackenzie explained.

  “Does it? I mean, I’m not his wife. We aren’t married. Even if we were, I could still travel.”

  “Yeah, Mackenzie is right. You’re in a relationship now, doll. You can’t just go jet-setting around the globe without talking about it with Owen first,” said Tiffany, and she frowned slightly.

  Molly still didn’t see how that had to stop her from having fun with her best friends, or was that the reason why none of her relationships had ever worked out? Maybe it was because she’d never given it a second thought. Molly had never asked permission. She’d just gone and done what she’d pleased. For the first time ever, she knew that her carefree, do-whatever-she-wanted life just might be changing for good.