Colin didn’t mean to kiss her. He’d knocked on her door meaning to apologize quickly and leave just as rapidly.
But Molly had opened the door expecting her sister and instead got him, and something about the vulnerability in her eyes mixed with the way her cheeks had flared with color had made him move forward, put one hand behind her neck, and draw her to him.
Her lips were as soft as they looked, and her breath, as she’d gasped, was hot and sweet.
And that would have been enough. More than enough. He wanted nothing more than to make her feel better. He wanted the kiss to help.
A simple, sweet kiss.
Then the kiss changed.
Instead of pulling back and smiling at him, Molly Darling kissed him back.
Sometimes, when Colin took the Chevelle out for a spin, he’d punch the gas with his foot and open her up, just to feel the speed push him backwards, to feel the change, the rush.
That was how Molly kissed him. Like she was opening the throttle, ready for speed. She kissed him harder, this time with her hand behind his neck. She met his intensity and matched it, raising the heat until he thought the core of him would turn into molten steel. Her tongue tasted faintly of bourbon and mint.
She pushed into him, her breasts against his chest. He was hard, instantly. Both of her arms had gone around him, and Lord have mercy, if he just took five or six steps forward, leading her like he’d wanted to on the dance floor just an hour earlier, he could have her on the bed.
Not that he would do that. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that wouldn’t be right for her, and some small reserve of grace and will kept his feet in place.
One more second of this and he wouldn’t have any more will left. “Hang on.”
Molly blinked. Her pupils were dilated in the dim light. Or was it the kiss that had done it? God knew he felt like he was over the limit and he’d only had one beer, hours ago.
She touched her bottom lip. “What the hell?”
Colin immediately wanted to try nibbling on the tip of her finger, chasing it to her lips again, restarting what he’d just paused.
But he hadn’t thought any of this through. He hadn’t thought about a damn thing since he’d heard Tinker’s voice and watched the crushed look cross Molly’s face. It was a good thing the guy had a warrant, because Colin had to arrest him for something better than just being a cruel, stupid jackass, which wasn’t against the law yet. Sadly.
He cleared his throat and tried to push oxygen back into his extremities by sheer force of will. He stepped away from her body, hoping she hadn’t noticed just exactly how turned on he’d gotten.
Say something. Anything. “Have you been to the old folly since you’ve been back?”
“No.”
Her voice was breathy, and Colin was struck with the urge to make it even more so. He jammed his hands back in his pockets so that he wouldn’t touch her again.
“Let’s go.”
She brought her hands in front of her belly, running the tips of her fingers against each other. He wanted to catch a hand and press it to his lips, biting softly on each knuckle.
She nodded.
Hope was so foreign to Colin that it almost felt like he was getting a cold. Right in the middle of his chest.
Hope for what?
Colin wouldn’t let himself name whatever it was.
He just let it flood through him, a rising tide that came in fast.