Second Chance on St. Patrick's Day: A Billionaire Romance

by Mia Ford

  We parked in front of the restaurant and I shrugged into my leather jacket before walking around to her side. I opened her door and watched her slide out of the truck as she giggled and reached out for me for balance. “It’s a little high. I added the tires when I knew I was moving here.” I told her as our eyes locked and held. She licked her lips and I caught it as a blurry movement, too wrapped up in the intensity of her gaze. I was holding her by her waist and if I leaned in just a little, I could kiss her. I sucked in some air and stared into her eyes with a question as she pressed her hands to my shoulders.

  Her eyes screamed yes as she looked at me, raw emotion all over her face. I leaned down slowly, still searching her face before I pressed my mouth gently to hers. I brushed them softly against her lips and she let out a soft moan as the urge to push her against the car hit me. I wanted her right here, right now and I pulled away to breathe for a moment. I looked at her and saw the look in her eyes that mirrored my thoughts though I knew that she wasn’t ready yet. “Let’s go in.”

  “Yes,” Molly said as she glanced at the window of the car to check her face. Whatever she had on her lips was good because it looked perfect. It hadn’t smeared at all and I wondered darkly what it would take for a second before I took her hand and led her inside of the restaurant.

  Chapter 8

  Molly

  My thighs were shaking as I walked in, still stunned by that kiss. It was gentle and light but it made my whole body react and I blinked as the hostess greeted us in the restaurant. She led us to a table in the corner as I glanced around the pretty room. I’d never been here before and I thought that I should spend more time in town. I was just working so much or sleeping. Robert waited for me to sit in the booth before sliding in across from me and asking for some tea.

  I read over the menu as I kept playing the kiss through my mind and I looked at Robert across from me, reading his own menu. He was so gorgeous and he wanted me.

  Me.

  I was smart enough to know that Lance was young and that this man sitting across from me wasn’t him, even with the memories of my pain. “See anything that looks good?”

  “I am thinking about the lemon chicken. It sounds delicious,” I replied as I looked at him. “You?”

  “General’s chicken. I get it every time I’m in a place like this.” I didn’t know what that was so I read the menu to see. It was spicy and I smiled. How spicy did he like things in life? Was Robert wasting his time with a girl like me?

  The waitress came over and focused on him, barely giving me a glance as I ordered. I frowned, thinking back to the woman at the cafe that day. What did I expect? He was handsome and so confident, so why wouldn’t every woman want him? Robert was cordial, but he didn’t flirt back with her and I watched with fascination.

  As soon as we were alone, Robert poured us each some tea and leaned forward. “Tell me about yourself, Molly.”

  I moved up in my seat and thought about what to say. “Well, I have lived here for almost a year now. Noel’s folks let us stay there and helped us open the cafe. It was something she’d wanted to do for so long and I suppose that she roped me into it. I graduated with a degree in Literature and thought life would be different. It’s good, though. I added the shelves and all the books to the cafe.”

  “I like that touch. I am sure that most of your customers do,” he said as I smiled.

  “I think so. It’s Noel’s place since she does the baking and the business side of things. Her dad is smart about all of that and he helps her. I just help where I can.” I shrugged as he frowned.

  “You do a lot more than that. Noel could never run that place on her own and in fact, I think that you two could use a little help. Do you get any days off?” Robert asked as I shook my head. “You have to get up early to be there?”

  “Around 3:30,” I admitted as he gave me a horrified look. “I help her bake everything fresh. I live on caffeine during the day and naps after work. Life on the edge.” I smirked to let him know that I was making a joke as Robert’s eyes softened. “What about your job?”

  “I am a major in the air force. I have been with them for twenty years now,” he boasted proudly as I nodded. “I moved here to do a little cleaning up at the base and now I am overseeing the classes for the new guys.”

  “You like it here, you said?” I asked as he nodded easily.

  “It’s a nice place to settle once I retire in a few years. I can go fishing and hunting. All of that manly stuff.” I laughed because Robert was the picture of masculinity to me. He was gorgeous but took excellent care of his body and had a bit of an edge to him. This place suited him.

  “How old are you?” I finally asked, needing to know. I’d tried to do the math, but it was too hard because he looked so good.

  “I am forty-two. How old are you?” Robert asked as I looked down at the table. That was a lot of years between us.

  “I just turned twenty-three.” I admitted, searching his face. “Is that too young?”

  “No, not at all. I think that you’re something of an old soul, Molly. I remember being your age and you’re above all of that.” He smiled and I wondered what he was like back then. Was he like Lance when he was my age? Was he like that now? There were a million warning signs going off in my head but my heart was beating fast in my chest. My body was craving him and I pressed my thighs together.

  “My mom always told me that, too. She said I was born older.” I grinned. “They’re in Malad City. I was born here, but I jumped around to go to college and then moved here.”

  “Any siblings?” He asked and I shook my head.

  “I’m it. They had trouble having kids and once I was born, they stopped worrying about it. We were happy when I was growing up.” I looked into his eyes. “You?”

  “I have a brother that’s thirty-eight. James. He’s a cop in Philadelphia where they all still live.” He smiled fondly as he spoke of them and I knew that he loved his family. “The military thing is a family deal. All the men were in the Air Force and James started there but ended up joining the police force. I have a hell of a lot of respect for him.”

  “I can see that you’re close,” I responded before the waitress came with our food. She set mine down quickly and leaned over to place Robert’s plate in front of him, smiling as he smirked at her. “Does that happen everywhere you go?”

  “Sometimes, but it doesn’t matter. I’m with you.” His words played through my mind as I took a drink of my tea. I’d heard them before.

  We ate and talked about the towns that surrounded us and places we liked there. I had only been to the movies a few times and the diner since Noel and I weren’t into drinking too much with our hours. We’d done a little hiking as well, but I admitted to Robert that Noel was a lot more social than I was.

  “We can get to know the town together,” Robert told me as I blushed. “I’m surprised that you don’t date more. You’re beautiful.”

  I leaned back and pressed my lips together. Behind this red lip stain and dress, I was still the scared girl that didn’t want to trust anybody. “I haven’t done a lot of that.” I looked at him and thought that he must have women throwing themselves at him since he was in school. He dated. I could tell that he did and probably all the time. “I…I have something that I should tell you.” Was it too soon for him to know that I was a virgin?

  Robert leaned closer to me and met my gaze. “What’s that?”

  “I haven’t dated a lot and I also have never…slept with a man,” I took a good look around before speaking to assure myself that we were alone. I looked at him and watched his skin pale as he leaned heavily on his arms. “I know that you have probably been with a lot of women and I didn’t want you to waste your time with me.”

  He stared at me as a dark look crossed his face, filled with doubt for a moment. “How am I wasting my time with you?”

  “You could take me home if you want to. I know that I am probably not what you expected.” I heard the horrib
le words and self-doubt pouring out of my mouth but I couldn’t stop it. I lowered my face to stare at my lap as I tried to regain my composure.

  “Molly,” he said as I felt someone sitting beside me. I hated Lance and what he did to me as Robert circled my shoulders with his arm. “I don’t care about that.” I lifted my face to look at him doubtfully. “Someone did. Someone hurt you.”

  We left the restaurant shortly and he took my hand as we walked towards the car. I didn’t want to talk in that room where anyone could hear my embarrassment. “Do you want me to take you home?” His voice was low as I looked at him.

  I didn’t, but I was too nervous to say that. “Not really.” He paused and moved closer to me, locking his eyes to mine.

  “I didn’t bring you here to sleep with you, but I am attracted to you. Molly, I am so drawn to you but it isn’t all about sex.” He frowned and cupped my face with his hands as he looked at me.

  “Is that a first for you?” I asked as he looked past me and licked his lips.

  “God, I don’t know how to answer you. Yes, it is but I feel like you’re different,” Robert pressed his forehead to mine as I let out the breath that I was holding. I lifted my face to touch his mouth with mine, softly. I had not kissed anyone since Lance, and this was more than that had ever been. I felt foolish for wanting him at all now and I wrapped my arms around Robert’s waist, feeling his muscles tense. Robert tilted his head and kissed me harder as one hand slid into my hair to hold on.

  God, I wanted this man. I opened my lips at the feeling of his tongue tracing the lower one and was rewarded with the feeling of him inside of my mouth. I felt him move me and then my back pressed against something as I just held on. He pressed against me gently and I felt my thighs heat up before they turned to jell along with my legs. I moaned as he kept kissing me, sucking all my willpower away as I held tightly to him.

  Robert finally pulled away and I looked into his eyes to see how much darker they were. “I know that this is a small town and we don’t have a lot of options, Molly. Do you want me to take you home or is there another place that you want to go?”

  Flames licked at my thighs as I ran a hand up his back, aroused by the muscles. “Can we go to your house?”

  He looked pained as he stared at me and a shudder ran through him. “Are you sure?” I nodded and he sucked in a ragged breath.

  “If you’re comfortable with that. Everything closes early around here and I don’t want to sit in a movie theater with you. I want to talk to you, get to know you. I want to kiss you like that a lot more.” I almost told him that I wanted him to touch me but I held it in.

  “Okay but I’ll get you home early so you can get some sleep tonight,” he told in a husky tone as he stepped away and looked up at the clear sky. Robert took a few breaths and eased me away from his car to unlock the door. I slipped inside and leaned back as he closed the door, feeling the adrenaline rush through my bones.

  Chapter 9

  Robert

  I drove her to my house and parked in the garage. I had a private lot and I looked over to see her looking around. I got out and went to open her door to the sound of the crickets and frogs, leading her to my door. “I like this house,” Molly told me as I glanced at her with a smile. “I think I can see why you don’t want to live on the base. It’s so private here.”

  “I like that,” I told her as we approached the door that led into the house and I unlocked it. My house was always clean, having grown up with a family that had a slight case of OCD. My house was always tidy as a kid and the military had nailed that shut for me, so I wasn’t worried about how it would look inside.

  Molly walked inside as I turned on the light in the kitchen, taking in the spotless counters. “Can I get you anything to drink?” I asked her as I watched her slide her jacket off, revealing her curves. Jesus, I wanted to touch her.

  “Do you have hot chocolate? Mom used to make that for me on cold nights as a kid.” I nodded and moved over to the stove to heat up some milk as she placed her jacket over the end of a chair.

  “I love hot chocolate at night too. Coffee is great to wake up but when it’s dark and cold, I like something sweeter.” I smiled as I confessed this, feeling like a kid or something. I stirred the milk as I reached for the box in the cupboard and set it beside me. Once it was at a slow boil, I turned it down and added three packets to the pot.

  “Where are the mugs?” Molly asked as she walked behind me and I pointed across the small kitchen to another cupboard. She opened the heavy door and pulled out two mugs, reading them both. One was an Air Force mug that I received at some point in time and the other was a chipped green one that I’d brought from my parents that talked about living your dreams. It was my grandma’s and I held on to it these years after she died. She set them near me and leaned against the counter, staring at me as I mixed everything together. I used a large ladle to fill the cups and invited her to the living room to sit on the couch. We sat on the big couch in the living room as I turned on a light and smiled at her.

  “The place came furnished with all of this. I try to make moving easy unless I think I’ll be staying somewhere for a while.” I indicated the worn furniture with my hand.

  “It’s cozy in here, though. They did a great job with the cabin on the edge of the woods,” Molly told me as I handed her the bag of small marshmallows. She added a few to her cup and stirred it as I watched her. “Do you have a dream house in mind at all?”

  “I have lived a lot of places all over the world, Molly. I have seen a lot of things that all suited me well at the time. Now though, I like this. I like the quiet and the peace that I am offered here.” I shrugged. “Maybe I’ll buy something like this when the time comes. Don’t most men think about all of that outdoors stuff when they stop working?”

  “I don’t think Keith will ever retire and my dad runs a business from home. I only know some of the customers that come in and kill time. They seem happy with that. What do you like to do away from work?” Molly asked as I sat in silence. I didn’t want to tell her that I relaxed with women. I lost myself in them in ways she might not ever be able to handle.

  “I hang out with some friends from work here and there. You saw me at the movie that night and we went for a drink afterward.” I looked at her as she smiled and nodded.

  “I don’t drink too much. Noel, too,” I sensed a tone in her voice that much more than just disinterest in the subject. It was dislike.

  “Why not?” I pressed as she took a long sip of her drink.

  “I had some bad experiences with it in college.” Molly’s answer was vague and her tone casual, but her eyes showed all the emotion that she was trying to hide. I set my drink down and slid my hand over her shoulders, stroking her neck as she stared at me. “I haven’t wanted to be touched in so long.”

  “You have been, then?” I queried as she blushed.

  “A little bit, but mostly by myself.” The idea of her stroking her pussy made me instantly hard as I slid my hand into her hair.

  “Do you do that a lot?” I asked, my voice slow and controlled.

  “More now,” Her eyes were locked on mine as she answered and I cupped her head before I put my cup on the table. I leaned in to kiss her, unable to resist any longer. She felt so fucking good as her warm lips parted in response to my tongue, allowing me into her warmth. I tilted my head, tasting the sweetness of the chocolate and the marshmallows as I slid my tongue against hers. Molly moaned and I gripped her hair as my free hand slid over her hips. Molly’s innocence was so damn sexy even as I reminded myself that there was some darkness there as well. I couldn’t push her too far but the way she kissed be back without inhibition made me hold tighter onto her body.

  We kissed for what could have been hours. Our teeth crashed together and tongues danced as I kept my hands in place, despite wanting to feel her full breasts in my hand; her hard nipple. I wanted to slide my hand under her skirt and tear through the tights to touch her.

&n
bsp; What would she sound like when she came?

  I grunted against her as my hand slid slowly up her body. I brushed her curves, sliding my fingers underneath the curve of her breast as Molly jumped. She pulled away from me, looking at me with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” I asked her in a breathless tone, searching her face.

  “Surprised. Like I said, it’s been a while.” She took a few slow breaths, inhaling deeply as she closed her eyes.

  I scooted closer to her, needing to feel the heat of her body. “It doesn’t have to go any further than you want it to. I didn’t bring you here to fuck you, Molly. You just taste so damn good.”

  She looked at me with dark eyes and found my lips with hers again. I felt her slipping and eased her back against the cushion of the couch, securing her in my arms as she moaned.

  I knew how to kiss a woman but there was something about Molly that was different. I loved the way her tongue moved with mine as I pressed against her gently, feeling her heart pounding in her chest and her nipples pressing through her bra.

  I pictured her naked with my hand tugging on them, making her cry out with pain and pleasure. I pictured her bound to my bed as I kissed her hungrily, I kissed her with everything that I had until I was moving between her legs and spreading her legs apart.