In a daze, she crossed the living room toward Kate and Beth, her thoughts scattered and unfocused. She should be celebrating, she knew. Garrett wanted to talk to her in private tomorrow, and he was, at the very least, concerned. Maybe he was even hiding his jealousy with grave effort. By all appearances, her plan was succeeding. Wasn’t that what she’d been dreaming of accomplishing?
But no. She couldn’t enjoy her victory because she was too rattled by what she’d done.
What on earth had gotten into her, to tempt Julian the way she had? Were those the actions of a woman in love with another man?
And what if things became awkward with Julian now? What if this stupid charade affected the one relationship in her life she cherished above anything?
“What on earth happened to you?” Kate cried with one startled look at her.
Molly decided she was going to own up to it.
Whatever her sins, whatever her mistake, she was going to own up to it if it killed her.
“Julian and I made out in the dark. You should try it sometime, Kate. It was actually fun before those two idiots interrupted.”
She glared in the direction of Garrett and Landon, then saw Julian stroll from around the corner of the hall, his hands in his pockets, his blond hair mussed. Sexy didn’t begin to describe the man. He looked tousled. Delish. Thoroughly kissed, as he’d put it—and there was no question about it. Streaks of what looked like Molly’s peach lipstick slashed all over his tan skin. Marking his thick throat, up along his jaw, across the side of his plush lips. He looked so rumpled he could’ve just battled a Siberian tiger in a cage, and for some reason, knowing the tiger had been her caused a pool of liquid heat to rush between her thighs.
“Julian, what happened to you?” Beth asked as he approached.
Julian’s green gaze tracked and zeroed in on Molly, and her swollen mouth began to burn under the intimacy of his stare. Between her legs, she burned. Her breasts, the very breasts he had cradled in his enormous hands, pricked hotly in remembrance. Quite simply, and too damn easily, he set her ablaze with his gaze, reminding her of his blatantly sexual words, almost causing her to combust.
“Molls and I had a little fun in the downstairs office. You okay, baby?”
His voice, still husky enough to resemble the timbre he’d used in the dark, did wild things to her overstimulated senses. Awareness had quickly skyrocketed to hyperawareness in that empty office, and now she was frantic to power these sensations off.
While the other women processed his words in stunned silence, Julian made a thorough assessment of Molly’s face with a measured expression on his own.
Was he worried they’d gone too far, too?
Trying to offer some reassurance, Molly let her lips curl upward, loathing this awkwardness between them. But thankfully, a playful light kindled to life in his eyes. When he gave her his wolfish smile, Molly almost sagged in relief.
Visibly relaxing, too, Julian put his arms around her and dragged her to his side, and Molly knew as she snuggled against him that whatever happened, it was all going to be all right.
As long as she had Julian.
“You know I love you, don’t you?” she whispered up at him once again, kissing his hard cheek. It was not the first time she’d said it, not at all. But this time, he drew back and met her gaze, his smile fading. Then he planted a long, hard kiss on her temple, his voice gruff as he told her, in her ear, so nobody else could hear, “So do I.”
Six
So here we are now, Molly thought as she rode the elevator up to the top floor of the San Antonio Daily building the next day.
At last Garrett seemed to be ready to do something about her situation with Julian. The question was: What was he going to do?
And how was Molly going to react to it?
She honestly didn’t know. Whatever happened today, though, she wore her largest earrings and her thickest bangles and her sassiest attitude to the meeting. It was a trick she used when she needed the extra security boost. There was just something about big jewelry that made her feel better no matter how dreary things looked or how anxious she felt. So now it was one minute until noon, and she was every bit the confident lady as she marched down the long hall that led to the executive offices.
“Molly!” Julian’s assistant exclaimed with obvious warmth, glancing up at her through her spectacles from behind an enormous desk. “I didn’t know you were paying a visit! He went out to lunch….”
Smiling, Molly greeted the older woman with an affectionate hug. Ms. Watts had been with Jules forever and sometimes conspired with Molly to pull Julian out of important meetings. Just for fun.
“I’m actually here for Garrett today, Ms. Watts.” But her stomach felt queasy, and suddenly she very much wished she was having lunch with Julian instead.
She was led directly into his office by Garrett’s assistant, a younger woman who sat at an identically enormous desk not too far away. Molly couldn’t help but straighten her spine when she was announced. “Miss Devaney to see you, Mr. Gage,” the assistant intoned, and then quickly shut the doors behind her.
Over six feet tall, with dark hair and broad shoulders, Garrett stood by the window with his hands in his jacket pockets, radiating intimidation. Her knees felt knobby as she walked forward, somehow expecting to catch a glimpse of something telling in his expression. But his face revealed nothing at all when he turned around and gave her a brief, almost businesslike smile.
“Molly, I don’t think I need to tell you why you’re here? Or why Kate—” he signaled to her sister, whom Molly just now noticed sitting behind Garrett’s desk, pretty as you please “—and I want to talk to you today.”