All too soon, he pulled back a little, caressing the end of my nose with his before leaning his forehead against mine. “Mols,” he groaned, expressing the exasperation I felt. “We can’t.”

“But I want to,” I whispered. “Don’t you?”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “More than you fucking know. But we can’t.”

My body shivered involuntarily at his denial. I couldn’t remember a time I needed something more than I needed this. More than I needed him. I jerked my head to the side, pressing my lips against his again, fingers sliding down his back and moving to his front, determined to change his mind.

His hands snapped from my shoulders to my wrists, gripping them tightly and forcing them away from him as he stepped backward. “Stop.” The low command left no room for arguments. I shivered again, making his face soften a bit. “You’re cold.” Before I could argue, he’d turned toward the shore, pulling me through the water behind him.

The climb up the rocks was tricky, especially with wet feet and a distracted mind, but Mike helped me to the spot where he’d dropped his clothes. Not giving me a chance to object, he reached for the bottom of my top and pulled the sopping cotton from my body, covering me almost immediately with his own before he yanked on his jeans.

His dark tee shirt fell almost to my knees, the sleeves dwarfed my arms, and while it was warm from the sun, the best part about it was that it smelled like him. “This is getting to be a habit.”

His eyes traveled over me as he pulled up his zipper, leaving the button undone. He shrugged, his expression blank as he slid on his sneakers and reached for my hand. “You look better in my shirts than I do.”

I stepped out of his reach, walking in front of him. A few steps down the road, I glanced over my shoulder. “I look better out of them.”

I turned back toward the road, hurrying ahead, pretending I didn’t hear the groan he tried to smother, or my name when he called it. I couldn’t hide the smile on my face, though. Without knowing it, he’d just made the next few months of this tour bearable and given me something to look forward to. I was a stubborn little shit, and I loved a challenge. Mike Carson would be begging me before it was over.

Chapter Twelve

~ Mike ~

I was so fucked.

She thought she was a comedian, this girl. In reality, she was tempting as fuck. And off limits. So fucking off limits she wasn’t even on my radar. But goddamn if I didn’t want her.

The kiss had been a lapse in judgement. That was it. Two people, exhausted from being on the road, shared a moment in which they both let their guard down. Happened all the time. Especially to people in our professions.

There’d been a time when the wives and girlfriends had dreaded the ‘Bama Boys going on tour. As head of security for Nate, I’d witnessed my fair share of infidelities. Men who you’d never think would cheat on the women they love would find themselves in a situation they normally never expected, and because they were exhausted or drunk or lonely as fuck, they made mistakes. Mistakes that would have never happened in their everyday life.

That’s what our kiss was. A result of two lonely people being forced to spend every second together and getting confused. The lines had blurred for a second and I’d forgotten she was my responsibility, my boss. It was my goddamn job to protect her from assholes like me. If Lee found out, she’d fire my ass.

Lia. I’d been so focused on Molly that I hadn’t thought about Lia in days. Yeah, I’d talked shop with her earlier, but hearing her voice hadn’t sent me on a bender like it would have just last week.

I’d let my thoughts wander while watching Mols swim, imagining all the dirty, nasty things I wanted to do to her. While her lips were on mine, all I could think about was how I wanted to kiss my way down her body, to rip off her sexy as sin black panties, kneel before her, and part her legs, just to find out what she tasted like. I longed to make her scream my name until it was the only thing she remembered how to say.

Never once had my mind drifted to the redhead that used to haunt that part of me. It had been years since I’d kissed a woman and actually seen her face. Yet, when I opened my eyes and leaned my head against Molly’s, it was violet blue eyes full of longing and trust that I saw. The woman before me, a breathtaking blonde who wanted me as much as I wanted her.

It was a mind fuck. I’d been so distracted by Mols that I hadn’t had the time to whine to myself about how pathetic my life had turned out to be. Suddenly, I understood how men I’d spent years judging, men I thought were pathetic liars and cheaters, did what they did. Why Jules did what she did.

Not that I’d cheat. Fuck no. I would cut off my own dick before I hurt someone I cared about like that. But I could see how you could become infatuated with someone else, get caught up with someone other than your wife in such a short time. I’d only been back on the tour for a few days, and had only been alone with Molly for one of them, but my body was consumed with the need to pull her into the woods, push her against a tree, and fuck her until we couldn’t stand another second.

The image flew through my mind, but I groaned as my dick started to harden. I craved her. I had to have her. I was so unbelievably fucked.

Then, the woman who had wormed her way into my every waking thought stopped abruptly. I halted next to her, the need to touch her strong enough to make me reach out and wrap an arm around her waist. I felt her tension immediately.

“Mols?” I didn’t wait for an answer, scanning the area to see what had made her so worried. There was an older model truck in the driveway. It was almost hidden by our SUV, but I could just make it out. I swore, glancing behind us. There was no one else as far as I could see, but I was pissed that I’d let my guard down enough to not notice it before. I didn’t even have my gun on me. “Was your mom expecting company?” I’d trusted her mom. I hoped to Christ that hadn’t been in error.

She shook her head once, a haunted expression covering her face. “I hope not.” She turned her face to me, sadness filling her eyes. “I hope that it’s just a mistake and that Mom didn’t know she was coming.”

“Do you know who it is?”

With a quick nod she moved her attention back to the house, her breath coming faster now, in panic. I’d seen her in some of the most stressful situations one can imagine, and not once had she acted like this. Molly was tough as nails. Whatever this was about, whoever was here, was cause for concern.

I stepped in front of her, blocking her view, and cupped her chin, making her focus on me. “Who is it Mols?”

She inhaled a shaky breath and then swallowed, worry lines forming on her face. “My sister.”

I was an only child, and a man, so I was the last person who could begin to comprehend sibling dynamic, let alone the relationship that sisters shared. But I’d been a part of the Kellys’ life long enough to know that sisters didn’t always get along. Hell, half the time, I was sure the Kelly girls hated each other.

Molly had mentioned her sisters over the years, but had never gone into detail. I had just assumed they were not a topic up for discussion. I never pushed or asked question because most people in the public eye keep parts of their private life very private. Sometimes it’s a significant other, sometimes it’s family, and sometimes it’s close friends. All people who didn’t choose the limelight, and all people the celebrity didn’t want to get harassed if they do something stupid.

Which, in Molly’s case, was all the fucking time. It only made sense that she’d keep her family sheltered. We’d never been close enough for her to tell me the intimate details of her loved ones back home.