Page 72 of Molly's Mr. Wrong
“I don’t...know.” And that killed her because she was supposed to be in control of her life. “What else you got?”
He reached out to take her face between his palms, gently drawing her near. Molly stepped forward as their lips met in a slow, deep, soul-searing kiss. Not casual.
He raised his head, his lips gently pulling away from hers. “Better?” he asked, somehow understanding what it was she had asked for. Had understood that it was more than a kiss.
She briefly rested her head against his chest before looking up at him and saying, “Yes. Better.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MOLLYWOKEUPwith a start, stretched out her hand and realized the bed was empty. She sat up, clutching the sheets to her for a moment, then collapsed back into the pillows, wishing her bed was not empty. She rolled over, dragging the sheet with her. The clock read 4:30. Too early to get up—especially since she’d gone to bed around 1:00 a.m.
She shouldn’t have kissed Finn.
Molly squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe not, but she’dneededto kiss him. To be kissed. To feel somewhat alive again. She’d walled herself off for protection after Blake, but the wall was cracking and she was afraid.
Finn understood, though. He’d said that he knew she was wary. He knew she wanted to be friends, not lovers. She grimaced against the pillow. She shifted, still feeling the throb of sexual desire even though she couldn’t remember the dream that had woken her.
It must have been a good one and it had to have involved Finn, because he’d been her first thought upon waking. She rolled over, resigned herself to staring at the dark wall until it was no longer dark, then fell sound asleep.
Georgina was making tea, when Molly rushed into the kitchen at 7:30 a.m. By pulling her hair up into a knot while it was damp and pulling the first outfit her hand touched out of her closet, she would make it to her eight o’clock class with a few minutes to spare.
“You’re still here? I thought you were gone.”
“Overslept.”
“Obviously.” Georgina popped up her toast and put it on a plate. “Here.”
Molly took the plate. “Thanks. I have an eight o’clock, covering for Mr. Cortez again.”
“I know.”
She poured hot water from the kettle into her travel mug, popped in a tea bag, closed the lid, grabbed the toast and headed for the door.
“You were out late last night,” Georgina called.
“And paying for it now.”
Molly arrived at Mr. Cortez’s classroom with almost two minutes to spare and after she caught her breath, class went well. The toast, which she’d eaten while driving, and the tea had perked her up and she’d prepared everything she needed the day before. All she had to do was to skid into class and start the lesson.
During her first class after lunch, she had to stifle the occasional yawn as the effects of the long night set in, but all in all it was a good day...right up until the dean stuck his head in her office just as her office hours were ending.
“Do you have a few minutes to meet? Or would it be handier to set up an appointment for Monday?”
“I have time now.” The last thing Molly wanted was to go the weekend wondering what the dean wanted to meet about.
“Five minutes? My office?”
“I’ll be there.”
When Molly showed up at the dean’s office a few minutes later, his secretary, Penny, told her to go straight in. Molly knocked lightly on his door, opened it and then closed it behind her as he waved her to the seat on the opposite side of his desk.
He set down his pen and lightly clasped his hands. “How are things going? In general, I mean. Any challenges or situations of note?”
Molly folded her hands in her lap. Preliminary stuff before he got down to the business at hand. She’d searched her brain but couldn’t imagine what the business at hand might be, unless Denny had struck again. “Things are good. I am finding the workload challenging, but I’ve been able to stay on top of it.”
The dean nodded, then said, “I had a talk with a concerned parent this morning.”
“A parent?” That seemed...odd, since she taught at a college.
