Page 64 of In Her Sights
Although she rolled her eyes at his transparent plot to get his hands on her again, she was still smiling. She wasn’t sure if she was going to stop anytime soon. “How can I say no to an efficient plan?”
“You can’t.” As he climbed the stairs, he gave a dramatic, evil-villain laugh, making her snort. “I know your weakness.”
Even as she pinched his bare backside again—or tried to, since there wasn’t any give to his buns of steel—she silently acknowledged that he was right. He did know her weaknesses, but she trusted him, both to have her back and with her tender, tentative heart.
* * *
After a shared shower that stretched so long the water ran cold, Molly got dressed in his bedroom. Sitting on the neatly made bed, she pulled on her socks. Now that she was clothed and didn’t have anything to do except look around the room and try to wrap her head around the fact that she’d just had sex with John Carmondy, she felt anxious and twitchy. Unable to sit still, she started toward the door as John emerged from the bathroom.
The sight of him, all huge and buff, his upper half bare, made her freeze in her tracks. She felt both justified in the decision to tumble into bed with him—well, onto the couch—and also even more nervous, because seeing him made what they’d just done all the more real. He gave her a slow, curling smile that instantly lit the smoldering fire in her belly, but she firmly stomped it down. That was what had gotten her into this situation in the first place.
He grew serious as he studied her. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” The denial was automatic, but it felt wrong. This was John, the guy who’d had her back over the past few nightmarish days, who’d protected her too many times to count, and whom she’d just slept with. She could tell him. “Just…this was fast.”
He looked stricken for a fraction of a second before his expression blanked. “You regret what we did?” Molly was careful not to look at him, knowing that she couldn’t think of how wonderful he was without losing the last of her composure.
“No. Maybe. Not regret.” Her thoughts were whirling, impossible to sort through, frustrating her. “I’m just adjusting. I mean, now I know what John Carmondy looks like naked. That’s so…weird.”
His expressionless look cracked slightly as the corner of his mouth tipped up. “I look weird naked?”
“Of course not.” The familiar feel of their banter settled her nerves a little. “You know you’re pretty. I just feel like a time traveler who woke up in the future…in bed with John Carmondy.”
“I’d watch that movie.”
“Me too, but that’s not the point.” She struggled to pin down what exactly her point was. “It’s just not what I expected to ever happen, so I think I’m in shock.”
“In shock? My naked body put you in shock?”
“Minor shock.” Her qualifier didn’t seem to help, judging by his expression. She opened her mouth to say something, who knows what, when she was rescued by the hum of her phone against her leg. Hurrying to answer, she didn’t even check who was calling. “Hello?”
“Moo, we need to have a strategy meeting.”
She’d never been so happy to hear Cara’s voice. “Are you okay? Any problems at the warehouse? You didn’t do a video tour, did you?”
“And go inside the spooky, abandoned building? Of course not. How dumb do you think I am?”
“Not dumb, just task-oriented and conscientious,” Molly corrected as she noticed that John was watching her closely. Unable to think coherently with his eyes on her—never mind the distraction of that gorgeous naked chest—she dropped her gaze to the rug beneath her socked feet. “You’re okay, then?”
“I’m completely unharmed. The warehouse seemed totally empty, actually. No one in or out. Can you and John swing by the house? I’ll finish filling you in, and Norah has some stuff to share, too.”
“Sure.” She snuck an upward glance at John’s face, but he still had his blank mask on. “We’ll get there in fifteen.”
“See you then.”
Molly said goodbye and ended the call, feeling both relieved and sad to be leaving John’s house. She had too many emotions rampaging around her body, and she was actually looking forward to a good chase to clear her brain of everything except the need for immediate survival. “Cara asked if we could meet at our house. She’s fine, but she and Norah have some info for us.”
He was quiet for a moment, just long enough to reawaken the jangle of nerves inside her. Finally, he said, “Let me grab a shirt and we’ll go.”
The drive to her house felt endless and horribly awkward. Everything had been wonderful until she’d started overthinking. Regret filled her as he pulled up to the curb in front of her house.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted, turning to face him. John kept his gaze fixed through the windshield, even though they’d stopped moving, showing her his impressive profile and the small muscle twitching in his jaw.
“Sorry for what?” he asked, his voice stiff.
“Making you think I regret it. I don’t.” As soon as the words were out, Molly knew they were absolutely true. Her wild thoughts calmed down, and she reached for his hand, pulling it into her lap. “Not at all. I just freaked out for a second. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about anyone besides my sisters, and it scared me how much I want you to stick around.”
He finally turned to look at her as his cool expression melted away, leaving the tender, warm look that was quickly becoming her favorite. “As long as you want me to stick around, I’m here.”
