Molly stood on the porch watching the rainfall, waiting for Lucian to come back outside so they could leave. It was already dark but the outside lights were on a timer, which illuminated the area. Her father installed them after the place was broken into a few times. She wasn’t really sure how lights were going to help stop the break-ins but at least she wasn’t standing outside in the dark. She never realized how creepy this place was at night or how cold it could get. When she worked here, she was usually back at home before the sun went down. Her father didn’t want her and Peggy driving on the mountain roads at night because of the switchbacks and the drop offs. It was hard enough to maneuver in the light of day. The sheriff pulled cars out a few times a week from tourists who took the turns too fast and lost control. Luckily no one had died. At least not lately.
“Come on,” she said, rubbing her arms. They had both been outside getting ready to leave but at the last moment, Lucian decided he needed to go back inside to check something. What that something was, she had no idea. And decided very quickly she didn’t want to know, especially if it had anything to do with Rebecca. She had the map tucked securely in her bag. She had made Lucian give it to her before he went back in the building.
If he thought that was a strange request he kept it to himself. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, exactly…well, she amended, that wasn’t exactly true either. She didn’t know what to believe. By his own admission he said he could see the ghost of Rebecca which made her wonder about his state of mind. But as it stood, she didn’t have much room to talk since she was thinking the same thing, only, unlike him, she couldn’t see Rebecca. Nor did she want to.
As far as their little episode in the museum, well, not little, she amended quickly blushing to her toes—damn—she was getting all hot and bothered all over again just thinking about what she had done to him and she decided just as quickly that she wouldn’t mind doing it again.
Lucian stood in front of Rebecca’s picture, mesmerized just like he had been the first time he laid eyes on her. He didn’t know why he needed to go back inside to see her picture. It was like he was being pulled to her, or this room for some reason. He just didn’t know why. “I found your map,” he told her, or rather, the picture of her.
There was no answer, no aberration of Rebecca appearing before him like she had done near the piano earlier. And then again while Molly was taking him in her mouth. She, Rebecca, had simply stood there, watching, adding to the exquisite pleasure Molly was evoking from him. It was one of the most erotic things he had ever done in his life and also the strangest. Maybe he hadn’t seen her at all. Maybe he was losing his mind? But deep down he didn’t believe that. She wanted something from him. Was it simply to find the Emeralds or was it something more.
“I will be back tomorrow,” he said, reaching out to touch her picture. “I promise.” He dropped his hand back to his side and taking one last lingering look at her picture, he turned and headed back up the stairs to meet Molly outside, completely oblivious he was being watched the entire time.
Molly started from the noise of the door slamming shut behind her. She spun around with her hand on her heart. “Lucian?”
“It’s me,” he said, locking the door behind him.
“What took you so long?”
“I had to check on something.”
Molly chewed on her lip not knowing if she should question him further or just let it slide. Obviously, he was doing something, but what? “What?” she asked against her better judgement.
“I had to see Rebecca, tell her we would be back.”
“And did she answer you?” she prodded.
“No. She didn’t show up but I could feel her presence.”
Molly bit back her snappy retort. “All righty then.” She blew out a slow stream of air, fighting the jolt of jealousy that surged through her. It was just her luck. She finally found a man she could really fall for and he was apparently missing a few screws…or was he? She didn’t know, but one thing was certain, she wasn’t giving up without a fight. Rebecca was dead and she was not. End of story.
♣
After they got back to the hotel, Molly handed over the keys to the golf cart to the valet standing out front.
“Did they bring my car back?”
The valet looked at his clipboard. “I don’t see anything. You may want to check the front desk.”
“Great. Thanks.” Molly walked up to Lucian. “My car isn’t back yet.”
Lucian pushed his wet hair from his face. “Should we just stay here another night,” he asked.
Although Molly was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed, she decided that since her car wasn’t back and if they were going back into the mine the following day it didn’t really make any sense to go back home in the dark especially since it was still raining. “Yeah, I guess that would be the best avenue at this juncture.”
“Good.” He slung his arm around her shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
On cue, her stomach grumbled. She had been so caught up in everything that she didn’t realize how hungry she was. “Yeah, me too,” she agreed.
“Can we order some room service?” He looked down at her expectantly.
“Sure. Why not.”
♣
After she checked in and picked up her bag from the front desk where she had left it earlier, she met Lucian in the hall. He was leaning against the wall, looking sexier than ever. “I got the room,” she announced walking up to him.
He pushed off the wall. “Great. Let me take your bag.”
“Thanks.” She handed her bag to him. “The room is this way.”
“You lead, I’ll follow.” He gave her a sexy smile as he lifted her bag on his shoulder.
Molly nodded, her belly flip-flopping with expectancy. In silence, they made their way down the carpeted corridor and then she stopped in front of the door. Inserting the key card, she waited for the lock to click and then pushed open the door.
Lucian held the door until she stepped in the room and then he followed. Turning, he brought the bolt home and as he walked inside, he dropped her bag down on a chair. “I need a drink,” he announced, flopping down in one of the two chairs. “And then a shower.”
“You and me both,” she agreed, feeling nervous suddenly. Her naughty side was bubbling to the surface again. Would he want to take a shower with her? She was getting all tingly just thinking about it.
“Mind if I call room service while you get the drinks?”
“Not at all.” Molly walked across the room, pulled two miniature bottles of whiskey out of the minibar, and poured them in the glasses sitting on top of the dresser as Lucian dialed the number for room service.
“You want a steak?” he asked, cradling the phone to his ear.
“Sure. That sounds great.”
“Loaded potato?”
She nodded.
“I’ll take two of everything,” he said. “Salad dressing?” he asked her.
“Ranch.”
He winked at her. “Yeah, I’ll take Ranch too.” Then he hung up the phone. “It’ll be about an hour.”
“Great.” She walked over to him and handed him one of the drinks.
“Thanks.” He took a long pull off the glass and then settled back into the cushions. “That was something today.”
“Yeah.” Her throat was suddenly too dry. She gulped her drink, nodding all the while.
He frowned. “Something wrong.”
She wiped the dribble from her drink off her lip. “No,” she squeaked.
He gave her a curious look. “You sure you’re okay?”
She plucked at her shirt. “Just need a shower. I feel gross.”
“Tell me about it.” He rested his head back on the chair and shut his eyes.
Molly busied herself with inane tasks, hoping he might want to initiate something with her. Like offer to soap her back or something equally stimulating. Glancing over at him, she thought about inviting him into the shower but when he didn’t even look in her direction she ended up feeling too shy to even ask. Grabbing her bag off the chair, she went to the bathroom all by her lonesome.
Lucian waited until Molly shut the door and the shower turned on before he took out his phone. He had three more messages. Leaning forward he braced his elbows on his knees and hit play.
“Lucian, please….”
It was Cecily, again. He didn’t want to hear her pathetic excuses. He hit delete before he could hear any more of what she had to say—bitch.
“Lucian, it’s me, Reed. I need to talk to you.”
“Too bad,” Lucian said but he didn’t erase the message, he just skipped over it to the next message.
“Hi, Lucian. It’s me, Raven, I know we don’t know each other that well but Reed really needs to speak with you about….”
Lucian hit end and scrubbed his hands over his face. The last thing he needed right now was some guilt trip by Reed’s new wife. He had enough to deal with. Tossing his phone back on table, he got up and paced the room. Then he crossed over to the bed and opened Molly’s purse. He just wanted to look at the map, study it a bit while she was in the bathroom. But when he opened her purse he noticed it wasn’t inside. “Damnit!” He exhaled and raked his hands through his hair and sat heavily on the bed. He couldn’t help but wonder why Molly took the map with her. Did she not trust him? Granted, she didn’t know him that well, but her mistrust still stung.
Standing once again, he crossed the room and picked up his glass. In one gulp, he finished off the contents. The sound of the shower drew him to the bathroom. He glanced at the clock beside the bed. It was almost ten. How long ago did he call for the food? he wondered. Feeling antsy, he walked over to the minibar, pulled out another bottle of whiskey, and refilled his glass.
Leaning back against the dresser, he thought about everything that happened earlier at the mine. His strange attraction to a ghost was pretty out there, not to mention the fact that he kept seeing her. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was he losing his mind or was she really there? And what of his mindboggling orgasm with Molly? Was she responsible for it, or was it because he could swear Rebecca was watching or was it combination of both. Either way, he was getting turned on all over again, painfully so. His dick was throbbing.
“Fuck!” He didn’t know what to do and thinking about it only made him feel more unsettled and hornier than hell. He looked back over to the bathroom door, then back to the clock, making up his mind.
♣
Molly looked at her distorted reflection in the mirror as the bathroom steamed up from the shower. She braced her hands on the sink and took a few breaths. She was trying to make up her mind whether to ask Lucian to join her in the shower. The old Molly would never entertain such a notion. But she had already done other things to him, she reminded herself, so what would a few more things matter, in the big scheme of things?
“Coward,” she reprimanded herself chickening out, and instead of heading toward the door, she climbed into the shower.
♣
Lucian opened the door silently, noting she hadn’t locked it, which he took as a good sign. For a moment, he stood in the doorway watching as she lathered soap all over her delectable body. She had nice full breasts, not more than a handful...a perfect handful, he thought as his dick sprang to life. She turned into the spray of water, showing him her rounded heart shaped ass.
That did it.
Jerking his shirt over his head, he tossed it on the floor. His jeans and boxer briefs soon followed. Crossing the room, he pulled back the curtain. “Mind if I join you,” he said.
Molly covered herself and then made herself drop her hands. The old Molly would be embarrassed but she reminded herself she was turning over a new leaf. Naughty Molly would certainly do this, she thought.
“Not at all,” she said, trying to sound sexy but it came out more of a squeak. Thankfully, Lucian didn’t seem to notice.
Lucian climbed in and pulled the curtain shut. “Want me to wash your back?” He lifted the soap.
Molly nodded, yes. Her legs felt weak and her heart was pounding.
“Turn around,” he instructed.
Molly did as he bade, bracing her hand on the wall to keep upright. She bit her lip to stop from crying out, as his soapy hand slid slowly over her back and then down farther.
Throbbing in anticipation of what was to come, he savored the moment, taking his time, massaging her back, kneading the muscles. He wanted to drive her wild… make her cry his name in ecstasy.
“So, sweet,” he murmured.
Leaning forward, he nuzzled her neck as he slid his soapy hand down her back and then over the rounded curve her delectable heart shaped ass.
“Do you like that?” He slid his hand between her thighs and then slowly pulled it back out gain.
“Yees…”
“Spread your legs a bit more,” he instructed. “That’s it. Put your other hand here.” Lifting her hand, he placed it on the wall next to her other hand.
“That’s my girl.” He slid his hands upward and around the front, feeling the weight of her breasts. In slow lazy circles, he teased her nipples into tight little buds.
Molly gasped in pleasure—she had never been so turned on in her life—Dan never, ever, got close to how she was feeling right now.
“You like that?” He nipped at her earlobe.
“Yees…” His hands left her breasts and slid downward over her stomach and into the soft-cropped curls.
“I want to be here…” he breathed as he slid one finger inside her wetness.
Molly gasped in pleasure as an intense heat surged between her thighs. She was so hot she felt like she just might burn up from the inside out.
Lucian must have felt her fire too, because in that instant he increased the pressure, pushing harder…
“Yeah, that’s it,” he coaxed her onward.
Molly bit her lip to stop from yelling out. She couldn’t take much more and lifted her hands from the wall to turn around. She wanted to kiss him, take him inside her body.
Lucian stopped her.
“No,” he said. “It’s my turn.” With one hand on top of hers, he continued his assault. His fingers worked their magic, delving deep and then retreating. The spray of the water turned cold but that didn’t matter to Molly, actually it only added to the pleasure as icy needles struck her hardened nipples, pushing her closer to the edge.
“Does that feel good?” he murmured against her ear.
“Oh God, yes, yeess…”
Lucian had no idea what was happening. Well, he knew what was happening. But normally he would have already buried himself deep inside of her, pounding away, to push himself to where he liked to be, in blessed oblivion but with Molly something held him back. He wanted…no, he needed, to hear her cry out his name and mean it. Granted Tracy did a few times, more than a few, he amended, but it wasn’t the same as this. Something about Molly made him want just a bit more. Maybe it was because he felt that Molly got him, who he was. Both of them down on their luck, both screwed over by the people they thought mattered to them most. Maybe that was it, he thought, trying to make sense of the feelings coursing through him. Ones he didn’t think he would feel ever again. Yeah, he thought, maybe, just maybe, that was it. It couldn’t be that he was actually falling for her…could it?