I dried off and put my clothes back on, wishing I had something cleaner to put on. I felt a lot better, though, as I sank onto the couch and dialed the nursing home.
“Hi, I’m calling for Tommy Malone.”
“Is this Molly?”
“Yes! Jackie?”
“Hey, girl. I’ll call his room for you.”
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s no big thing.” A breath as she hesitated. “I’m so happy for you two.”
I felt a big warm spot open up in my chest. We weren’t alone. It wasn’t just me and Tommy anymore. We’d made real connections since we came here.
As if on cue, Callaway walked in, bearing food.
He held up a bowl and a stack of plates.
“Food’s ready when you are.”
I smiled at him, the phone clutched to my ear. I nodded and mumbled, “Thanks.” He started setting the small table by the windows where we’d used the laptop earlier.
I heard the phone ring a few times as I was connected and then a soft click.
“Yeah?”
I closed my eyes and pulled my knees into my chest. The sound of Tommy’s voice was the best thing I had ever heard. By far. He was still here. He was okay.
“Hey.”
“Hey, you.”
“Listen. I’m sorry I’m not there. I’m coming over soon. I just need to eat something really quickly and—”
He cut me off.
“I’m good. Seriously, Molls, you need to chill.”
I laughed, feeling every minute of the last five years. Every second.
“Chill. Right.”
“Well, you do. I’m okay. I’m going to bed soon. And anyway, I could use some alone time.”
I cracked up at that. My brother was a teenage boy and he was basically telling me he needed to wank.
“Gross.”
“Whatever. Just get some sleep or whatever. Is Callaway there?”
“Yeah, I’m at his place.”
“Good. I like that guy.”
“You do, huh?”
“Yeah. And so do you.”
I nodded, watching Callaway bring all the Italian taco fixings out to the table. He couldn’t hear me, but Tommy sensed my agreement. I did like Callaway. Even though it scared me, I liked him a lot.
“See you tomorrow, Sis.”
“Okay, Bro. I’ll catch you mañana.”
I heard the whoosh of air as he set the phone down. I set my phone on the heavy wood coffee table and pushed my damp hair behind my ears.
Callaway carried out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He stopped, checking in with me.
“All good?”
I nodded, smiling brightly at him.
“Yes. All good.”
“Great. Let’s eat.”
My stomach made a loud rumble in response. Yes, we would eat. And after that, I wasn’t quite sure what would happen.
Liar. You know exactly what’s going to happen. It’s about time too.
Tonight, I was finally going to lost my V-card.
Chapter Eighteen
Callaway
“Had enough?”
Molly was leaned back in her chair, holding her cute little belly. She’d been so tired and hungry, she’d put away almost three helpings. I hoped she hadn’t overdone it. I didn’t want her upchucking while I had my way with her.
Because I had plans for her.
Big plans.
I smiled reassuringly. No need to make her nervous about what was to come. She’d been through so much, it kind of made my head spin. She was so sweet and yet so strong. She broke my heart and healed it, all at the same fucking time.
All I wanted to do was keep her close, put my hands on her, see her fucking perfect face every day, and protect her.
Well, I wanted to touch her with a lot more than my hands. I wanted her against me as often as possible. It wasn’t just about sex either. It was almost as if I wanted to absorb her, just lay my body on hers and get as close as possible. Not just with my cock.
I want to freaking mind meld with her.
Yeah, Molly was turning me into an alien from a Sci-Fi movie. Only this was the soft-core porn version of that Sci-Fi movie. If I was an alien, I wanted to mate with a human.
This human.
I smiled at her again, reaching out to pick up our plates. We’d both had a little wine, but not enough to make us act foolish. Just enough for a little courage.
The truth was, I needed it.
I was laying my cards on the table tonight. Laying down the law. I felt sure that my way was right, and the best thing for both of us. Best for her brother too.
But deep down, I was afraid she would say no. Push me away again. Tear me apart without even realizing what she was doing. I’d nearly lost my mind when she’d tried to turn me away. It was like the sun had gone out and it was never coming out again. I had been crumbling, and she had barely noticed, too tired to even pay attention while she ripped my heart out.
Because I knew without a doubt that Miss Molly had no clue how much power she had over me.