Carly Phillips - Sealed with a Kiss

Hunter caught the dejected look on Molly’s face. He understood how badly she wanted to find something that would lead to more information and hopefully free her father.

“I didn’t say it was nothing. I just said we need to look deeper.” He started to reach a hand out to comfort her, then curled his fingertips into a fist and dropped his arm back to his side. Touching her now would be deadly to his self-control.

And he had to be tougher around her now.

She turned away, pretending not to notice his rejection.

But he knew she had and his stomach cramped. “Let’s go back to your father’s and see what we can find out,” he suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.”

He followed her out, wishing like hell she’d confided in him instead of choosing to shut him out by lying to him about Sonya and Frank’s relationship. Not only had she sent him into a witness interview unprepared, she’d shaken the fragile trust they’d begun to develop again.

It was ironic, really. And it would be funny, if he wasn’t so disappointed in her. Molly had lied out of fear that Hunter would no longer trust her father and he’d drop his case as a result.

Her plan had backfired big-time. Because it was now Molly he didn’t trust at all.

AWOMAN SCORNED had nothing on Hunter, Molly decided as she dressed to meet Ty and Lacey. In the two days since he’d discovered Molly had lied about her father meeting with Sonya, Hunter had frozen her out. He acted as if they’d never made love. As if his body had never been buried deep inside hers, filling her completely.

Ignoring a headache that had been building, she pulled on her red cowboy boots for luck, hoping that a visit from his best friends would help improve Hunter’s mood. Ty and Lacey were driving down from Albany to visit and to give them the information on the Atlantic City motel. Hunter had asked Ty to run down the lead after Sonya said she’d never seen or heard of the place on the matchbook before. She also suggested it had been a place where Paul stayed while out of town, not on business but with his mistress of the moment. Molly shuddered, remembering the matter-of-fact way she’d discussed the issue. Clearly she’d known of her husband’s infidelities and it made Molly sad to think of living with someone you couldn’t trust. Which brought her full circle to her major mistake with Hunter.

He was right about one thing-every decision she made was dictated by fear of losing her new family. But he was wrong to think she didn’t trust him or that she’d deliberately chosen her father over him. It wasn’t that clear-cut, she thought, still frustrated and upset.

Enough that she sensed her headache was turning into a massive migraine. The kind she used to get as a child. It had been a while since she’d had one, but she kept her prescription updated and filled just in case. Still, she wasn’t in enough pain to take them, so she popped two over-the-counter painkillers instead and tried to think of positive things that wouldn’t upset her more.

All she could do now was go forward and hope Hunter could move past it, as well. She ran her fingers through the air-dried waves in her hair, brushed on a swipe of peach lip gloss and decided she looked as good as it was going to get.

She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said to Hunter, who paced by the front door.

“He’s been wearing a hole in the carpet,” the commander said. She sat in a chair in the family room, obviously keeping him company. “It’s a male thing. They get ready too fast, then have to pace and wait while a woman makes herself beautiful. Doesn’t she look beautiful, Hunter?”

Molly flushed red. She figured she’d done a lifetime’s worth of blushing since Hunter had come to stay here. “We’re going to a business meeting, Commander.”

“Well, if I could get these legs into skinny jeans and boots like that, I could pick up every man within a ten-mile radius.”

Hunter turned Edna’s way, taking in her now dark brown hair. She’d rinsed out the purple last night, changing it for a mahogany after pronouncing the burgundy too punk for her liking. “You can still pick up any man you want and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Hunter said with a grin.

His eyes filled with genuine affection and his tone held a deep warmth.

Regret suffused Molly and she silently promised herself she’d somehow win his affection back.

“I think I’m going to head over to the senior center and bag myself a man!” Edna chuckled, but didn’t rise from her seat.

“Just because a handsome man complimented you, don’t fall for the first pretty face.” Molly strode over to her grandmother and kissed her cheek. “You need to find someone active. Jessie’s getting older and you can travel again if you want.”

Edna raised an eyebrow. “Are you volunteering to keep an eye on her?”

Molly grinned. “Soon but not yet. We have to wait until she likes me a little more.”

“But you’ve made progress and that’s all I can ask for.” Leaning into the back of the cushioned chair, Edna picked up her book. “Now go have fun.” She waved her other hand, shooing them out the door.

“It’s business,” Molly reminded her grandmother.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.”

“Have a good night, Commander.” Hunter waved and opened the front door.

He still hadn’t addressed Molly directly. He hadn’t picked up on her grandmother’s compliment about how she looked. And as far as Molly could tell, he hadn’t noticed anything other than her being late.

Which she wasn’t. He was just early, impatient and frustrating her.

“You, too, Hunter. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Edna said, then turned her concentration to her book.

“Now, that leaves too much open.” He laughed, a husky sound that caused Molly’s stomach to churn with a familiar rush of desire.

Molly followed him out the door and into the cooler night air to his bike, where he unstrapped two helmets, handing her one. She gamely accepted the helmet, determined not to let her headache get in the way of the bike ride.

“Thanks. Can you put this somewhere?” She held out her purse.

He secured it in a pack behind the seat and put his helmet on without further discussion. She did the same. Then she climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, deliberately placing her hands beneath his jacket so her palms were flat against his stomach.

He tensed but said nothing, merely started up the engine.

She pressed her hands tighter. There were other ways to break through his reserve without words, and they had a good ten-minute ride for her to work with.

***

HUNTER PULLED the bike in to a parking spot and turned off the engine. He wanted to kill Molly. During the entire ride to the restaurant, she’d had her hands beneath his jacket, on his chest. Although she’d held on to him securely, she did have a wandering hand. An alternate wandering hand, first one then the other. Her forearms were locked against him but her palms and her fingers had a mind of their own, caressing, rubbing, teasing him until he was thoroughly aroused.

Somehow she’d known his weakness. Her touch, mixed with the roar and vibration of the bike between his legs, had incited his desire and need for her like nothing else. Not even his lingering anger had mattered, not while she held on to him, pressed her cheek against his back and teased him mercilessly with her hands.

She slid off the bike first and he followed, his dick hard, his body tense.

She pulled off the helmet and ran her hands through her tousled hair. Her cheeks were highlighted pink from the wind and her eyes sparkled with both mischief and delight. She’d enjoyed the freedom of the ride as much as he had. Damn her.

He snatched the helmet and hooked them both onto the bike, ignoring her long enough to get his body under control. Sort of. He figured he’d be as hard as wood for the rest of his natural life.

“That was exhilarating,” Molly said, fluffing her hair one last time.

She looked as if she’d been thoroughly ravaged in a man’s bed and those hot red boots only added to her appeal. He narrowed his gaze and scowled at her. “I see Ty’s car, so we’d better get moving.”

“Okay. I hope he has news that will give us a good solid lead.”

“He said he did. Let’s go inside.”

He started for the entrance, walking stiffly but quickly, and hoping nobody noticed he had a hard-on thanks to the witch by his side. “Molly?”

“Hmm?” She came up beside him, her boots clicking on the walk leading to the door.

“Your grandmother was right. You do look great.” The words were out before he could stop them and after he spoke, he could have bitten his tongue in two.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly, pissed at himself to no end. He stopped for a second and turned to meet her gaze.

Her pleased grin couldn’t be denied. “Well, like I told my grandmother, you’re a handsome guy and you’re looking pretty fine yourself tonight.” She reached out, her hand brushing his jaw as she fixed the collar on his leather jacket.

The electricity shot straight to his groin and he instinctively grabbed her wrist. “Just so you know, this doesn’t change anything.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and enjoy seeing your friends, okay? We have a lot of work ahead of us on this case and it’s going to go smoother if we’re not at each other’s throats. Besides, I apologized more than once, so let it go.” With a shrug, she strode around him and walked inside, leaving him with his mouth open and nothing to say in return.

***

HUNTER SUFFERED under Ty’s scrutiny as the other man leaned forward and studied him.