He let her go when the sound of footsteps alerted them to the fact that the day shift was arriving. He and Molly exchanged pleasantries with several members of staff, brushing aside their eager questions about what had gone on during the night by claiming that they were too exhausted to talk about it right then. Everyone seemed to accept it so that in a remarkably short time they were able to leave.
Sean led the way to his car, opening the door for her while she climbed inside. He slid behind the wheel and turned to her. ‘Happy Christmas, Molly. Let’s make this the best Christmas Day ever, shall we?’
‘Yes, let’s.’
She smiled back at him, her expression filled with so much love that he had to stop himself reaching out and hauling her into his arms. However, this wasn’t the place, he reminded himself as he started the engine. They needed somewhere a lot more private than the car.
A shudder ran through him at the thought of what would happen when they got to Molly’s house. He and Molly were going to make love and, although it was what he wanted more than anything, he knew that afterwards he would have to decide what he intended to do. It wasn’t going to be an easy decision but one thing was certain: he couldn’t leave Molly in a state of limbo. It wouldn’t be fair.
* * *
Molly lay in her bed listening to the sound of the shower running while she remembered all the other times when this had happened. Sean would be taking a shower in the bathroom while she lay in her bed and waited for him...
She blanked out the thought. She didn’t want to think about the past at this moment. Maybe she was burying her head in the sand but she didn’t want any bad memories to taint what was about to happen. When the water stopped and Sean appeared in the bedroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his hips, she smiled. This was what mattered—what happened right now. The past and the future were unimportant.
‘Feel better?’ she asked as he came over to the bed.
‘Much. It’s good to get all that muck out of my hair.’ He ran his hand over his wet hair, accidentally showering her with water, and she squealed.
‘Hey! I’ve already had a shower this morning. I don’t need another one, thank you very much.’
‘Sure?’ He grinned wickedly as he bent and licked a stray drop of water off her shoulder.
‘Uh-huh,’ Molly muttered, trying to sound convincing. However, the feel of Sean’s tongue licking her skin seemed to have robbed her of even the most basic ability to string several words together.
‘Hmm, you don’t sound that sure to me.’
He deliberately spattered another few drops of water onto her skin, his eyes holding hers as his tongue followed the path they made as they trickled from her shoulder to the edge of the sheet that covered her body. Molly held her breath when he paused then let it out in a whoosh when he pushed aside the sheet, his tongue gliding over her breast until it reached her nipple. Sensations flooded through her when he drew her nipple into his mouth and suckled it.
‘Sean!’
His name was an explosion of both sound and feelings as it rushed from her lips and she felt him shudder, felt the hard pressure of his arousal against her hip. When he pushed the sheet completely off her so that his tongue could continue its journey, she didn’t protest. Why would she when it was what she wanted, what she needed? She wanted Sean to explore her body and get to know all the dips and hollows again, as she would soon know him.
His tongue had reached her navel now and slowly began to circle it, dipping in and out of the tiny indentation. Molly’s hands clenched because each gentle stroke of his tongue against her flesh was merely heightening her desire for an even greater intimacy. When he dragged off his towel and took her hand to wrap it around him, she gloried in the feel of him, so strong and vital beneath her fingers.
‘I love you, Molly.’ He whispered the words in her ear as he lay down beside her and took her in his arms. ‘No matter what happens, I want you to know that this isn’t just sex for me.’ He kissed her tenderly. ‘I love you so very much, my darling.’
‘I love you too, Sean,’ she told him simply, her heart breaking.
It was unbearably poignant to know that he loved her and still be so unsure about the future. It lent an added urgency to the way they came together. When Sean entered her with one powerful thrust, Molly clung to him, needing to savour every precious second. She had no idea what was going to happen in the future but she refused to allow it to spoil what was happening now. At this moment they had each other. They had everything.