License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance)

by Kristen James

  “Mol,” he whispered. He thought maybe she was going to whisper his name back, but he leaned down to her and brought their lips together. Just a touch at first, then they lingered there, brushing lips as if to say ‘hello’ again after all this time. He felt as if an epic quest had come to completion. Before long, however, she kissed first his top lip, then his bottom like she used to, and they were kissing like they always had. Wow. He wanted so much more, wanted things to pick up right where they’d left off. But he’d waited all this time for her to return and he’d wait as long as he had to.

  Her arms slid up his shoulders and around his neck. He thought she needed him close just like he needed her. He’d been alone since losing her and wondered if this was also her first kiss since then. Her lips were the same sensual lips he remembered that seemed to be designed for kissing his mouth only. He briefly remembered Alicia telling him a good old fashioned kiss might bring Molly’s memory back, but he didn’t dwell on that thought long. How could he with Molly in his arms again? He sank his fingers into her curls, messing them up probably, but found her hair as soft as before. His Molly, here again.

  She pressed against him, emitting a soft sound of need. It sounded like she needed comfort, to be held and reassured. She pulled back, her swollen lips smiling.

  She laughed, though not a nervous laugh, and stepped back without moving her hands away from Trent’s arms. He didn’t let go of her, either, not wanting to acknowledge the moment was ending. He wanted to feel her in his arms and have that reassurance as well.

  “Am I rushing you?” he asked.

  “No.” She was out of breath. “Rushing isn’t the word.”

  Was she confused? Scared? He searched her face, her eyes, taking her head in his hands so she looked at him. She didn’t speak but kissed him again. His mind went blank except to smell and feel her. Leaning close, he rested his lips on her forehead.

  A minute later, she leaned back and asked, “Are you going to take me to your house today?”

  “Alright. You got me.” They strolled back, holding hands again. This had been a special place to them and now they would visit another. Trent wondered the entire way to the truck and his house what she would think and if she’d remember anything. He pulled into the driveway and she hopped out, looking ready and not worried at all.

  “Come on, slow poke.” She prodded in her excitement until he finally grinned at her. After waiting to see this place, she thought she’d be more nervous, but that kiss and feeling him hold her made things feel okay. After he unlocked the door, she let him lead the way inside and she slowly took in the front room. The linoleum from the entrance gave way to thick, lush beige carpet in the living room where overstuffed rich-colored sofas were arranged in a square to create a room within a room. The sofas faced the fireplace, not an entertainment center, she noted, and fine artwork hung on the far wall. Staring at the empty end table in the corner, she asked, “Where’s the lamp?”

  “Lamp? Guess I don’t need one,” he said in an off-hand manner.

  “But the rose?” Yes, there should be a rose lamp there she knew.

  “I broke it, on accident, by knocking it off. I’m sorry.” His voice caught on the last sentence and she finally looked at him. With a jolt, it hit her that they were talking about the past. Her heart rate picked up until she saw how sad he was over the broken lamp.

  “It’s okay, Trent ….” She had planned to say more but her eyes found the pictures over the fireplace and stayed there, staring at Trent’s high school prom picture – with her. She moved forward for a closer look of him spiffed up in a tux, his chestnut hair long enough to show its waves, a youthfulness in his eyes and slight dimples showing in his cheeks as he proudly grinned. Her wide smile, painted love red, looked as radiant as his. Her hair was pulled up in an elaborate mass of curls, some spiraling down her back, some teasing the sides of her face. The dress was black and long with a border along the top of soft green flowers. Tasteful, not too low-cut, and classy. She looked young as well with her freckles and tan.

  When Trent stepped up behind her, Molly said, “Such a happy couple.” She didn’t feel like she was talking about herself. Even with the sparks flying between them and the feeling that they fit together, she didn’t know about that long and happy past that seemed to exist.

  “We were.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Molly met Trent’s eyes. She saw oceans of hurt in those endless brown eyes, and she couldn’t imagine losing someone she loved so much. To make matters worse, he hadn’t known whether she was dead, hurt, or running from him. Standing next to him, she felt silly for the times when she wondered if something had happened between them to make her run.

  Nodding toward the empty end table, he asked, “You remember that, but not these pictures?”

  It seemed he didn’t want to ask if she remembered them. She shook her head sadly, not wanting to hurt him with her answer.

  She moved on, toward the hallway, but didn’t make it much farther when she saw the large picture frames holding collections of snap shots in the different sized slots. Pictures of them at picnics, the fair, gatherings with Alicia, and other friends. Trent’s parents were in a few, and even her own parents were smiling down from the photographs.

  “You put these together.” He spoke softly, and she saw now why he had waited to bring her into his home. They must have been fairly serious if she’d been adding touches to his house. She turned the corner to enter the kitchen, finding a tidy space without much clutter on the counters. Not much of anything, really, no spice rack or decorations on the walls.

  “Not big on cooking?” she asked.

  “I’m learning. I like to pull things out of the freezer and pop them in the oven. Haven’t had much to spend my money on, so I eat out.”

  Molly turned and leaned against the counter. “I cooked a lot for my parents. When they were gone, I cooked for myself and my friend Karen.”

  “You haven’t said much about her.”

  Molly looked at his boots for a minute while chewing on her bottom lip.

  Trent prodded, “Going to now?”

  “I’ve had this guilty feeling since I met all of you that I replaced my old friends with her, even though I didn’t know about anyone here.”

  Trent stepped forward and took her hands, making Molly look up into his face. “That’s just silly. You didn’t have a memory or much support. I’m glad you had someone there.”

  “Karen was great. She didn’t push me to remember, but we did things I knew I enjoyed to see if I’d remember some of my identity. I think you’ll like her, I’ll introduce you when we get there.”

  “I’d like that. I talked to her on the phone actually. About the medical stuff and what she remembered about your hospital visit.” He paused, wondering if maybe he should have told her about that sooner. Knowing her made investigating this case a bit on the strange side. Molly didn’t look mad, and if she was mad, she usually said so. “And I’d like to talk to her more in case there’s something she might mention that you didn’t think of.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’m not sure at this point, but I’ll check into everything. I’m interested in her perception of your parents. The answer to a case is usually in the minute details that don’t seem to mean anything at first.” He realized she didn’t seem to mind that they stood so close, her hands in his. Suddenly all he could think about was kissing her back at the pond, and wanting to kiss her again.

  Then the phone rang.

  Chapter Seven

  It was Mark calling. Trent told him they planned to leave for California in the morning, and somehow the two of them cooked up an idea for a barbeque sendoff that evening.

  Molly had wondered how she would say goodbye to the people she’d met here. While the trip was supposed to be short, leaving for any amount of time brought sadness over her. It made her realize how attached she was to the town and Alicia.

  Trent grinned at her after he hung up, “Just Ali
cia and David . . . and Mark and Bev, if David can get her to come.”

  “Mark and Bev, as in Mark and Bev together?” Molly asked, realizing she hadn’t picked up on it before. She’d been told Bev was related to David, and that was her connection with the group of friends.

  “Sort of. He’s working on it anyway.”

  Molly gave a hmm at the vague answer and checked his refrigerator. “Supplies?”

  “Yeah, maybe we need to go to the store.” He grabbed his hat, her hand, and started out. She walked a step behind, watching him. There was something sexy about him putting on his cowboy hat and the way he walked.

  In his truck, she asked him, “Is it just me or is everyone rubber necking at us?” Or maybe it was the truck they were checking out since it was a pretty sweet ride.

  “At you, I’d say.” He smiled slowly. “Maybe people recognize you.”

  His idea must have been on the mark Molly decided. They walked through the town’s grocery store and someone nearly tripped as they did a double take of Trent and Molly. She gave Trent an unbelieving look, and he said, “I almost trip sometimes when I look at you too.”

  That got a giggle out of her. Since they didn’t grab a basket, they both ended up in the checkout line with their arms full.

  “Molly Anderson?” A surprised voice exclaimed behind her. She turned to find a short, energetic looking woman in her forties wearing the store’s blue uniform.

  “Hey, Birdie.” Trent greeted her as space became available for them to lay down the groceries. “Molly, this is Birdie Duncan.” The other woman looked surprised that he had to introduce her.

  “I was just going to lunch. Molly, I can’t believe it’s you! Where have you been?”

  “Redding.” Molly spilled her load onto the belt and looked to Trent for help.

  “Birdie’s a real sweetheart. Everyone shops here just to talk to her.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far!” Birdie’s warm personality showed in the laugh lines around her eyes. “I heard rumors, but they never pan out. So you really are back?”

  “Back, yes. I’m re-meeting everyone.”

  “You’re staying?”

  After a quick glance at Trent, Molly replied, “Yes, I am. I’m running back down tomorrow for a few days, then I think I’ll be back.”

  Birdie shook Molly’s hand, told her she was happy to see her again, and wished her luck in getting her memory back. When Birdie left, Molly noticed other people watching them, and she had to wonder if any of them had known her before. Trent caught her eye and said, “You worked here for a while in high school.”

  “I did?” Molly looked back toward the aisles. “We just walked all through here and—” She stopped when it was their turn to check out. Trent paid and bagged despite her attempts to help. They escaped outside without anyone else stopping them.

  After opening her truck door, Trent put the bags in back and started to walk toward the driver side door.

  A huge pop caused Molly to about hit the ground.

  “Trent?” she called and saw him straighten up on the other side of the truck and open his door.

  “Backfire.” He got in, dismissing it, but saw Molly’s bewildered face. “Did that scare you?”

  “I didn’t see you at first.” She smoothed her hair, still feeling rattled. “Do you ever get shot at? In your job?”

  “Some people are bound to get violent.”

  “You have?”

  “I’ve been shot at twice. Never hit,” he said. “Actually, the first time it was some drunk guy firing up through his roof. I just wasn’t sure what happened at first.” Molly stayed quiet for a while, and he wondered what she thought of his job. He was trying to keep the conversation light today, take some of the pressure of her, and let her enjoy herself.

  She asked him, “Have I told you thank you for helping me, and offering to drive down to Redding with me?”

  “Hmm, not sure, but you don’t need to.” He turned into his driveway and led the way to the kitchen where he stuffed the bags into the refrigerator.

  “Come on out back, we’ll start the grill.” Trent had a decent sized landscaped yard with a grill, a covered patio table, and other lawn chairs, and then the yard turned to forest. Alicia had said there were five acres out here. She wondered what he planned on doing with all that space. Maybe it was for kids to play in and build forts in the trees.

  She reclined in a chaise and watched him pour lighter fluid on the charcoal. “So you like to play with fire?”

  He moved his eyes toward her without moving his head and she caught the gleam in them. They smiled at the heated question and let it go. “I can grill. Not too good in the kitchen, but I can make a mean steak or hamburger out here.”

  David called out a “hello” as he came in the side fence with Alicia, toting drinks.

  “Hey,” Alicia greeted Molly, cheerful, beaming even, and Molly knew today must be like old times for the rest of them. Seeing Alicia’s devotion and concern for her made Molly want to be the same kind of friend back, do her part of the relationship.

  “We need to celebrate!” David set an ice chest down and dumped ice into it before setting the drinks in to chill. “My wife’s best friend is back.”

  Molly could swear David’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he spoke, and something told her he wasn’t being sincere. Didn’t he seem overly enthusiastic? She covered her thoughts with a forced smile and decided to ignore it.

  Mark entered through the fence as David spoke, and Molly noticed how he checked for Bev, who wasn’t there yet. He joined Trent, who was putting the hamburgers on, and started a conversation about work. It turned to the trip to California, and what Trent hoped to find there.

  That’s when Beverly slipped through the gate and took a seat. Alicia murmured a “hello” to Bev while Mark talked. He gave Bev a big smile that Molly couldn’t miss and raised his beer her way.

  Everyone was listening to Trent and Mark at this point, and Molly felt thankful when the topic dried up. She wanted to get to know them more, not talk about her.

  “You’ll call with an update, won’t you?” Alicia asked more to Molly than Trent.

  “Of course. Every day till we’re back.” As she hoped, Alicia relaxed. They broke out the drinks and soon the food was done. Bev never did say much to Molly except a soft “hello,” but she kept a watchful eye on her.

  The conversation stayed light after that. Mark was full of interesting facts, some learned from law enforcement, others from personal experience, like the multicolored egg he found in his refrigerator – he swore it’d been white when he bought it a year before.

  Laughing, Alicia asked, “Don’t you ever clean your fridge?”

  “I do. It was one sneaky little egg,” Mark said. Molly liked his generous smile because it gave him an honest, open look. With his dark curly hair and skinny, long build, he just had to be funny. There wasn’t any way around it.

  “Did you hear the weather forecast?” Alicia asked all of them. “We’re going to hit 70 degrees tomorrow, and it’s supposed to be an awesome day on the coast.”

  “Is that an idea?” Mark had a smile on his face already. “Who’s up for a day trip?”

  Molly glanced at Trent to see his opinion. He grinned at her. “Guess I’m in,” she said. “We can put off the trip to California.”

  Everyone raised beers and wine coolers in agreement. They sat around and talked until they were losing daylight. This time of year, the night air felt ten degrees cooler just after sunset. Everyone helped pick up before leaving, and Trent drove Molly back to the hotel.

  Almost giggling, Molly told him, “I think I have a buzz.”

  “Well, scoot over here. I wouldn’t want you falling over.” He pulled her over and she rested her head on his shoulder while he drove. She liked the fresh, outdoor smell that clung to them, along with the charcoaly smell from the grill. Not to mention his cologne. A potpourri of sentimental smells.

  She told him, “I’m so g
lad I’m getting to know your friends.”

  “At some point, you’ll have to admit they’re yours, too.”

  “I know,” she said. Ever since she found Trent she’d been forming a mental picture of the person she was before, but she had trouble stepping into that picture. She wasn’t used to having a lot of friends. He said she loved being a cheerleader, but she tried to hide now. Or she did in California. Her mother said she didn’t like drawing attention to herself. Ellen even talked her into staying home from shopping trips or outings.

  Molly had many things she needed to admit, including her feelings about her parents. Just not now. She thought of the happy afternoon at Trent’s. “I’m glad you have Mark around. He seems like a really good friend.”

  Trent pulled into the hotel parking lot and turned off the engine. “He listened to me whenever I needed a friend, which was a lot, and he answered all my questions the best he could.” He took her hand as they slid out Trent’s side of the truck and walked to her room.

  She squeezed his hand. “I can’t imagine how awful it must have been these last four years.”

  “Maybe you can.” He turned toward her as they stood outside her door. She felt herself wondering why it all had to happen, but she decided to live in the moment, enjoy standing close to him. Their earlier kiss circulated through both their minds. When Trent put his hand on her back and pulled her close, she tilted her head expectantly.

  Two greedy people had never kissed so wildly. It pulled the breath right out of Molly. His mouth on hers made her tingle and his hands gave her hot chills. She felt his need in his touch and found herself tightening her hold on him.

  Though there was a light above them, she suddenly saw herself in darkness with Trent, kissing just like this, and looking over his shoulder. Feelings dove through her. She remembered feeling the hair on his chest against her bare skin, his arms on her bare back. His hands felt gentle as they ran over her skin. She’d been excited, nervous.