Craving Molly (The Aces' Sons 2)

“Beer for you and beer for me,” Mel announced as she sat down across from me. “See, isn’t this fun?”

“We could’ve drank beer at my house,” I replied flatly.

“Oh, come on. You’re not going to be like this all night, are you?” she complained. “Bottoms up—once you have a couple drinks in you, you won’t be in such a pissy mood.”

“I’m not in a pissy mood,” I bitched. I was in a completely pissy mood.

“How’s work been going?” Mel asked, ignoring me. “And have you and your dad made up yet?”

“It’s fine, and yes. He never stays mad for very long, and then he feels like shit about it.”

“He should have,” Mel grumbled. “It’s not like you’re some skank. He overreacted big time.”

“I think he was just surprised,” I said, taking a large sip of my beer. I’d only drank about half by then, but I could already feel the tension in my shoulders fading away. “He was used to Mase, ya know? He’d be completely freaked out if I started seeing someone now.”

“Well, what does he think? That you’ll just be single forever? That’s ridiculous.”

“I can’t really see me dating anyone.” I shook my head. “I like being by myself too much.”

“Yeah, right. You just haven’t found the right guy yet,” Mel replied, making me wince. “Or maybe you have.”

“Don’t go there.”

“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m just saying, you weren’t all ‘I’m going to be a lonely old spinster’ after that night with Will.”

“Yeah, and look how that turned out.”

“You got smokin’ hot sex the next day? Poor baby.”

“Until he ran out of my house!”

“Maybe he had shit to do.”

“I haven’t talked to him in weeks, Mel. Drop it.”

“Well,” she said softly, glancing over my shoulder. “I have a feeling you’ll talk to him pretty soon.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I hissed, my entire body freezing in place.

“No, you won’t. You’ll be too busy—oh, hey, Rocky.”

I sighed in disbelief as the handsome guy from that first night rounded our table and leaned down to kiss Mel lightly on the lips.

“I didn’t know you’d be here already,” he said quietly, smiling.

“We got here before the rush,” Mel said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“You wanna come sit with us?” he asked, glancing at me before quickly looking back to Mel.

“No,” I replied curtly.

I hated that I could feel Will watching me. I hated that I’d worn old baggy clothes to prove that I didn’t care, and now I just felt stupid. And I hated even more that underneath the baggy clothes, I was wearing one of my only matching bra and panty sets—just in case.

“Molly,” Mel scolded, looking at me in disbelief.

“Go ahead,” I told her like a pouting five year old. “I’m going to stay here, though.”

Rocky chuckled, glancing back over his shoulder at the group he’d come in with. If Mel left me to sit with him, I was going to walk my happy ass home.

“It’s all good, girl,” Rocky said to me, pulling out a chair. “I’ll sit here.”

“She’s in a mood,” Mel said tightly, glaring at me over her beer.

“Oh, fuck off,” I murmured, picking up my phone like there was something super important I needed to check.

“Seriously,” Mel continued. “She’s not usually like this.”

“I’m right here,” I snapped, not looking up from my phone.

“I’m guessing my boy pissed her off,” Rocky said, leaning back in his chair.

“He didn’t piss me off,” I mumbled.

“He didn’t call, he didn’t write . . .” Mel said dramatically, batting her eyelashes.

“Will you shut the hell up?”

Rocky laughed again, and I seriously considered throwing my phone at Melanie’s head.

“Are we sitting over here?” another voice piped in, and I turned to see Homer sauntering over toward us. “Table’s a little small.”

“Looks like it,” Rocky answered. He stood up from his seat and pulled Mel with him, sitting back down in her chair and pulling Mel onto his lap. “There—we’ve got more room.”

I clenched my jaw as Homer took Rocky’s seat, leaving the chair right next to me vacant.

“How you been?” Homer asked Melanie, like they were old friends.

My eyes narrowed.

“Good. Just working a shit ton.”

My body tensed as a big hand grasped the chair beside me and pulled it out, and seconds later, Will dropped into the seat. I wanted to freaking scream.

Melanie had obviously been hanging out with these guys and she hadn’t said a word. She’d made it seem like she was just hoping that she’d run into Rocky, but she must have known they’d be at the bar that night.

“Molly,” Will greeted, leaning toward me.

I refused to look up from my phone. Instagram was hopping and I needed to check out everyone’s photos. It was imperative I didn’t miss a single one.

“Hey, Will,” I greeted my phone.

“You pissed?”

“Why would I be pissed?” I asked, looking up. He was staring down at me, his entire torso turned in my direction, and he’d leaned an elbow on the table in an attempt to close us off from the others.