Molly’s warm breath against my chest was the most divine feeling in the world, but even something that sweet couldn’t stop the throbbing in my leg.
It hadn’t bothered me while we were asleep, but when my eyes automatically snapped open at seven am, I realized I really did need a bit of help.
Kissing her on the forehead, I slipped out of Molly’s grasp slowly, limping to the living room to dig in my jacket pocket. Popping a painkiller into my mouth, I found a glass in her kitchen for a bit of water.
I sat on the couch, digging out my phone to set an alarm to remind me to take another pill in three hours. There were a half dozen texts from work, which was unusual for a Sunday morning.
Scrolling through them quickly, I discovered that the deadline for the project I’d been working on for the past month had been moved from next week to this Thursday. Not only were we losing six days, but they had also made a few changes to the specifications.
It probably seemed minor to them, but it would involve completely re-checking every aspect of the mechanics.
“Hi.” I looked up to see Molly in the doorway, her long hair wild and messy, and her seductive curves clearly visible through a thin pink t-shirt and little shorts.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” I said.
She came to my side, curling up next to me on the couch. “You look a bit angry,” she said. “Is something wrong?”
I explained the changes in my project, and she stuck her lower lip out in a sexy pout. “Well, that just sounds lousy.”
Leaning over to kiss her, I moved her head so that we nodded together, making her laugh.
“It sucks, but Army men are used to that,” I said. “I don’t mind the work, but it means I won’t be able to see you until Friday.”
“I understand,” she said quickly. “I’d never want to get in the way of your work.”
“This doesn’t happen very often,” I said. “But the timing is terrible, since I had just started thinking about all of the places I wanted to take you to dinner this week.”
Her hand rested in the center of my chest, just over my heart. “That’s fine,” she said. “We have lots of time to go restaurant-exploring, right?”
Although I didn’t want to disturb her head from where it was nestled into my shoulder, I sat us up straight, turning to face her.
“Molly, I know this is fast, but it’s right.”
I paused, trying to sort out my scrambled thoughts without confessing anything upsetting.
“I was never good at expressing emotions, and a few things have happened that have made that even more impossible,” I said slowly. “So I want to be clear with you. Even when I’m grumpy, or distracted, or exhausted, I absolutely adore you. I’m going to try very hard to be a good boyfriend for you. Okay?”
Her smile quivered as she blinked quickly several times. Taking a breath, she whispered, “I have a lot of feelings for you, too.” Tangling my fingers into the back of her hair, I kissed her softly, deeply, until I heard her little purring moan.
“I know it’s just a few days, but I’m going to miss you terribly, baby,” I said. “I’m sorry I have to run.”
She rushed to bring me my pants, and I dressed in the living room. I could see that she was trying to save me every unnecessary step. I found that illogically annoying, but I knew that her heart was in the right place.
“I’ll text you when I can,” I said, holding her tightly. Kissing her softly, her sweet little mouth was so inviting that it was extra hard to leave.
She waved as I walked slowly down the stairs, trying not to let her see how much weight I was placing on the handrail.
As I got into my car and started to drive home, the morning sunlight hit my eyes. Then something else hit me. If I got closer to Molly, she was going to be near me when I was feeling happy, but also when I was feeling low.
What would happen if I had a nightmare when she was in my arms? What would happen if I needed to go down to the basement to manically punch the heavy bag while screaming? What would happen if she ever a
sked directly about the things I’ve been through?
The second I pulled into my driveway and hit park, I swallowed another painkiller. To get this project done on time, I’d have to tune everything else out.
Fortunately, that was something I was a solid expert in.
CHAPTER TEN