Not Pretending Anymore, Ward, Penelope [books that read to you TXT] 📗

again as she walked over to the coffeemaker and poured some into a travel mug. She looked back at me, and even though we’d just supposedly resolved things, nothing felt resolved.

I leaned against the counter and tried to be nonchalant. “So you haven’t answered him yet about being exclusive?”

She shook her head. “No. We’re supposed to go out again in the middle of the week. Our shifts don’t overlap the next few days, so I’ll see him on Wednesday. I figured I’d wait till we see each other in person.” She winked. “Plus, I don’t want it to seem like it was too easy a decision.”

“Right.”

She looked deeper into my eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I looked away for a moment. “I am. Just relieved we got this conversation out of the way.”

***

When Molly and I crossed paths again the following night, I’d just gotten home from work, and she was already in her scrubs, getting ready to leave for her shift.

“Hey, roomie.”

She smiled. “Hey.”

I’d hoped to feel different by the next time I saw her, but it was even harder to look at her now than it had been before. Adding fuel to the fire, the thin material of her scrubs was oddly revealing. I often stiffened at the sight of Molly’s ass in her scrub pants.

I felt jealous and angry—angry at myself, mostly. But I still knew I was making the right decision. Despite that, I was still feeling a little greedy. I deserved some sort of parting gift.

Molly was preparing her lunch bag when I opened the cabinet next to her and pretended to be getting a glass for water.

“So I assume you still haven’t spoken to Will about his proposition?”

“No. Remember I told you I won’t see him until our date on Wednesday night.”

I crossed my arms. “So technically, you’re still single.”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I guess for another couple days.” She must have noticed the way I was looking at her, because she laughed nervously as her cheeks turned pink. “What?”

“Since you’re still single…” I swallowed and forced the words out. “I want to kiss you. Just once.”

Molly’s mouth fell open. Instead of taking her shock as a hint to stand down, I went into full-on staring at her lips. They were so full and inviting, so pink and supple. I had the strongest urge to take the bottom one between my teeth and bite, yanking it in a good, firm tug.

Her breathing sped up, and I was mesmerized by the rise and fall of her chest. Watching her get worked up right before my eyes was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen, and it made me feel a thousand-feet tall.

I stepped around to stand before her, face to face. Taking a hold of the counter on either side of her hips, I boxed her in. More than anything, I wanted to push her up against the cabinets and take the taste I’d been dying for since the day I moved in. But this was Molly, whom I respected and adored, so I needed her to give me something—anything—to let me know she wanted it, too.

“Talk to me, Molly.” My voice was strained and gritty. I moved a half step closer, slipping two fingers under her chin and gently lifting so our eyes met. “Tell me it’s okay, that you want me to kiss you.”

She swallowed. “I do.”

My heart raced. I closed the tiny gap still remaining between us. Her warm, soft breasts pressed against my chest. “Do what, Molly? Say it. Tell me what you want.”

“I…I want you to kiss me.”

My mouth curved to a wicked grin. “Oh yeah?”

Molly’s hair was in a ponytail, the way she often wore it to work. I reached up with one hand and slowly wrapped the entire length of it around my fist. Dipping my face so our noses brushed, I groaned. “Say it again.”

Up until now, she’d seemed pensive, but I guess she was growing as impatient as I was. She wet her lips and looked straight into my eyes. “Goddamn it, Declan. Kiss me already. I have to leave for work in a few minutes, and that’s already going to be too soon.”

My eyebrows jumped. But she was so right; I needed to stop wasting precious time. Plus, I could get lost staring into those big baby blues. I smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Leaning in, I cupped her cheek and tilted her head with the hand wrapped in her hair before I planted my lips over hers. The moment we connected, my entire body lit up like a goddamned Christmas tree. Jesus Christ. However good I thought we’d be together, the reality had exceeded my imagination already. Usually with a first kiss, there’s a certain feeling-each-other-out period where you get to know the other’s style—the logistics take a bit to fall into place. But not with Molly. We were completely in sync from the get-go.

I slid my hands down to her ass, readying to nudge her to wrap her legs around me and let me take her weight. But by the time I got there, she was already climbing me like a fucking tree. Molly dug her nails into my shoulders as she hoisted herself up. Needing some leverage so I could press her even closer, I walked with her wrapped around my waist until her back hit the refrigerator with a thud. Our lips never parted as my body smashed against hers, and I grinded my hips between her legs to show her exactly what she was doing to me.

Molly gasped into our joined mouths, and I almost lost my mind.

I had so much frustration, desire, and anger pent up that I couldn’t be gentle. With a firm yank of her ponytail, I forced her neck back so I could suck my way down from her lips. My teeth scraped over her chin, and I used my tongue to trace her pulse from her jaw down to her collarbone.

“Declan…” Molly whimpered.

God, I wished I’d had the foresight