My fingers found the doorknob. Twisting it open, I darted through the door before Alfie could even say another word. My bare feet padded along the carpet in the direction of the guest room. The cold night air kissed at my naked skin as I hurried to the privacy of my room, fighting against the need to run as fast and as far as I could.
I locked the door for good measure even though I was sure that Alfie had a key to get in if he really wanted. I sagged against the door with a trembling sigh.
What the fuck have I done? And even worse…why do I want to do it all over again?
Chapter Eleven
Alfie
A headache pounding furiously in my temples stirred me from a dreamless sleep. The blankets were tangled around my legs, and the air was cold against the bare skin of my back. I was naked and hung over—a combination I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Rolling over with a groan, I forced my eyes open to look up at the morning light dancing across the ceiling. Images of Molly naked and writhing beneath me in pleasure from the previous night flashed through my mind. I hardened just remembering it.
This is a new place to be. I fucked my former mate’s ex-fiancée. I laughed humorlessly. Harry never deserved a woman like Molly. Just the few days I had spent with her proved it. She was beautiful, smart, and knew had to have a good time. She was well rounded when it came to her life and ambitions. That was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Gone were my days of sleeping with young women who had no idea where their lives were going besides hoping for access to my bank account.
I sat up with another groan as the world spun for a moment. I needed coffee. I needed something greasy for breakfast to fight off the hangover. But more than anything else, I needed to talk to Molly once my damn headache went away.
The cold shower helped the throbbing in my head a bit while cooling other parts of my body down. I reluctantly dressed for work in a few hours before venturing down to the kitchen to start on coffee. It was still early for the rest of my staff to arrive.
Popping a few Tylenol, I poured myself and Molly a cup of coffee. I could hear the floorboards groaning—a sure sign that she was awake and moving about the room. The shower turned on a few minutes later followed by the flush of a toilet.
I waited patiently in the kitchen while nursing my drink. A flash of movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I leant back on my kitchen stool to look down the hallway leading to the foyer to find Molly grabbing her coat from the peg next to the front door, her bags at her feet.
She was planning to leave. Fuck.
I drummed my fingers on the side of my coffee cup while I debated on letting her know that I was there. It would be better to let her go, but I couldn’t find it in me to stay sitting. I was on my feet walking toward her with a cup of coffee in my hand.
“Molly?” My heart fluttered in my chest to see her again. The night before had been way too short in my own opinion. If she’d only let her concerns and judgements go, she could have stayed all night with me. I’d have worshiped her, fucking her three to four more times before wrapping myself around her. She’d have felt the depths of passion that resided within me and a sense of security and healing that I knew, without a doubt, that I could provide her with.
She jumped in surprise to hear my voice. Her jacket fluttered to the ground between us. I arched an eyebrow at her jittery movements.
“I didn’t think you were awake,” Molly said. Her eyes were fixated on the ground between us, not willing to look up at me. Her cheeks were flushed pink while her damp hair was clipped at the back of her head. She still looked beautiful even when she was dancing around anxiously.
“Well, I am,” I said, and offered a mug of coffee. “Here. This is for you.”
She glanced up as her eyes filled with tears. “No, but thank you.”
“Love… Are you trying to sneak out without alerting me?” My heart hurt at the thought of her slipping out of my life and the two of us never having closure on what might have been. Sure, she belonged to a different world than mine, and our relationship was taboo as fuck, but that didn’t stop the feeling inside of me to pull her close and promise her the world.
Harry fucked up. I stepped in to help and play the good guy with all above the surface intentions. I couldn’t help that things had taken a turn in my favor. I wouldn’t be ashamed of it. Not ever.
Molly opened her mouth to reply but clicked her jaw shut. Shame filled her face as she shrugged her shoulders absently and glanced back at the ground. “I just figured it’d be better this way.”
“How so?” I knelt and put the coffee cup on the ground before rising and moving toward her. I pulled her into my arms and touched her chin forcing her to look up at me. “We were drunk, and you were stunning. I’m a man, Molly. You cannot hold that against me. You needed comfort, and I would give it to you all over again. Period.”
A tear dripped down the side of her face, and I realized how calloused I’d been to her situation. Where I was benevolent in letting her stay with me, I hadn’t been very good about understanding what was going on in the depths of her heart.
“Okay,” she whispered roughly. “I still think—”
“No. You think wrong.” I hugged her warmly before moving back and picking up the coffee. “Go in the kitchen and relax. I’ll put these up.”
I picked up her bags and walked them back up to her room. She was hurting, and I had to be careful to acknowledge that. Maybe sleeping together wasn’t such a great idea, but the memories of it had the power to warm me to the core. I couldn’t help but hope that they were doing the same for her.
Life was short, and it beckoned to be lived full out. She was a strong woman. She would realize that our passionate night was a great release and nothing more. And if she tied something emotional to it, great. I’d deal with that when it came up. If it ever did.
After getting dressed for the day, I wandered back down to the kitchen. Molly sat at the table, her expression filled with such concentration.
“Hey. Look at me.” I stopped in front of her and offered her a smile. “Stop thinking about anything other than yourself. Life handed you a bunch of shit, and you’re going to push through it. We made love.” I lifted my hands to the side. “And if I’m being honest, it was fucking amazing. Don’t let your thoughts of what’s right and wrong destroy it. Go take a long shower, put on something that makes you feel beautiful, and go out today. Explore the city.”