Craving Molly (The Aces' Sons 2)

“I asked Farrah to pull it out of my face, it was driving me nuts.”

“You look like a skinny sumo wrestler.”

“But it’s out of my face,” she said with a small shrug. I didn’t know why she kept doing that. I could see the pain in her eyes every time she moved her shoulders.

“How’s the arm?” I asked as I pulled my t-shirt off. I’d slept in one the night before and I’d kept waking up thinking someone was trying to strangle me.

“It’s throbbing,” she admitted. “I’ll be glad to have it set and casted.”

“Then you just gotta deal with it itching and not bein’ able to reach it.”

She watched me unashamedly as I kicked off my boots and dropped my jeans to the floor, so I took my time setting my wallet and my keys on the dresser before I grabbed a pair of sweats and slipped them on.

“You didn’t wear sweats before,” she said as I turned off the lamp and walked toward the bed.

“Reb’s gettin’ older,” I murmured as I leaned down and moved her to the middle of the bed. She was going to be squished in between me and Rebel and I was hoping Reb would spread out like she’d done the night before so that Molly would have to stay curled up against me.

Molly let me pull her close to my side as I settled in, being extra careful not to put pressure her arm. “Can you keep her tomorrow while I have my arm set?” she asked. Shit.

I sighed and ran a fingertip over her shoulder. “Can’t.”

“Oh,” she replied, her body stiffening just a little. “Amy’s bringing me to the appointment, so I just thought . . .”

“Headin’ out in the morning, sugar,” I said against the top of her head. “Won’t be here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Not a question you get to ask.”

She jerked and her body stiffened even more. “Fine.”

“Don’t do that,” I murmured, running my hand down her back.

“Do you think your mom will keep Rebel for me?” she asked, ignoring my softly spoken order.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure Mel will be here in the morning.”

“Thank God,” Molly said, her body relaxing again. “She’ll take care of everything.”

She said it like it was a foregone conclusion. Like I hadn’t been taking care of her since the minute I’d seen her all beaten and bloody. Like it was a relief that she finally had someone to lean on, even though I’d been trying to be that person for her. I’d obviously been failing at that.

“Go to sleep, sugar,” I said quietly. I rolled to my back and Molly moved with me, resting her head on my chest.

It didn’t matter if she never fell asleep that way again, I still knew that I’d never be done with her. After a year and a half of no contact, she still did it for me. I smiled as Rebel snorted in her sleep. I wasn’t going to walk away again.

Chapter 17

Molly

“Where is she?” my best friend’s voice yelled frantically from outside. I pushed myself up off the couch and stepped around Rebel just as Melanie came barreling through the front door of the club. She searched the room and as soon as she saw me, burst into tears. “Oh, my God, Moll.”

“I’m okay,” I said as she came toward me. “It’s just a broken arm.”

“And your face! Holy hell.”

“It looks worse than it is,” I promised.

“Your dad . . .” she whispered, glancing at Rebel.

“I know.”

She hugged me gently, not letting go for a long time.

“This is insane,” she mumbled as she let go, leaning back to look at my face again.

“I have to go in to get my arm casted today,” I said, ignoring the question in her eyes. “Can you keep Reb for me?”

“Of course,” she replied immediately. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

“Will’s leaving today—”

“What?” she interrupted incredulously.

“So I need you with Rebel.”

“What a dick,” Mel spat.

“That’s Will,” I replied with a small deprecating laugh. “He’s got places to be and people to see.”

“Are you two a thing again?”

“No. Nothing’s changed,” I replied sitting back down on the couch. She followed me, saying hello to Rebel as she sat down beside me.

“I can’t believe he’s going to just leave.”

“It’s fine, Mel,” I said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening to us. “Just leave it.”

“What happened?” she said quietly, turning to face me. “Grease said that some guys killed your dad?”

“I don’t know,” I hedged, not meeting her eyes.

“They already told me, dumbass,” Mel said dryly. “I know that you were there and that’s how you got all that.” She waved her hand in a circle in front of my face. “Do you know why?”

“No.” I shook my head, and looked down at Rebel just as she looked up at me, wiggling the stuffed dog she was holding and lifting her eyebrows up and down. Silly girl. “I don’t know what happened. We showed up because my dad was supposed to watch Rebel so I could work, and there were three Russian guys in his house.”