more about your marriage,” he said, continuing despite the hard edge that entered her gaze. “I want to know more about why it failed, so we can talk about what we’ll do when things get hard. I don’t want us to fail for a second time.”
Molly swallowed and let one of her hands drop to his shoulder. “I don’t want that either.”
“I want to tell you about my birth mother, and why I’m scared out of my mind to be a father.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“I want a lot of kids,” he said, everything inside him spilling out.
“I want them too.”
Hunter suddenly felt lighter than he had all summer. He didn’t ask to kiss her, the way he’d done before. He simply lowered his head, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was too strong in the beginning, and he knew it. He couldn’t slow it or tame it though, because he still had so much inside of him that needed to come out.
She returned the somewhat rough kiss, though, and after a few seconds, he’d calmed enough to stroke his lips against hers in a more loving manner.
His blood heated, and his hands slipped up and into her hair. Every touch of her fingers along the back of his neck and his shoulders sent his cells vibrating.
Oh, how he liked this woman. He liked talking to her, and he liked listening to her, and he liked working with her.
He pulled away slightly, nearly breathless from that kiss. “I’m sorry I’ve been treating you like my secretary.”
“You haven’t been,” she said, her voice definitely made of air. She closed the distance between them again, kissing him sweetly but with plenty of passion too. Hunter wanted to be present for this moment, so he pushed all the other thoughts out of his head and focused on kissing Molly Benson.
Chapter 16
Molly didn’t want Hunter to stop kissing her. Ever. She never wanted to part from him, and as she kissed him back with as much passion as she dared to show, she felt herself fall in love with him all over again.
He was careful with her, and she loved that.
He took care of her, and while she could take care of herself, she didn’t want to have to.
If the way he kissed her was any indication, he loved her, and Molly wanted him to know she felt the same.
Listening to him talk about his therapy as a reason he was afraid broke her heart, and she wished there was a way she could assure him that she didn’t mind his flaws. His imperfections made him human, and Molly very much needed Hunter to be human so she felt worthy of his attention and love.
She loved the feel of his hair between her fingers, and the taut muscles in his back. She liked the taste of his mouth and the shape of his lips against hers. She enjoyed the fire ignited along her scalp and neck and everywhere else he touched.
He broke the kiss, and Molly pulled in an audible breath, as if she’d just burst up from being underwater for a long time.
“Molly,” Hunter whispered as he touched his mouth to her neck. She simply held onto him and reveled in the warmth of him in front of her, the touch of his hand on her lower back, the heat from his breath and lips against her collarbone.
The intimacy between them increased, and Molly needed to get control of herself and stop Hunter. “What time do we need to meet your uncle for dinner?” she murmured.
Hunter took the hint and straightened. His chest rose and fell faster than usual, and Molly watched him keep his head down for several long moments.
“Sorry,” he finally said, turning away from her.
“For what?” The absence of his embrace sent a chill straight into her stomach, and Molly darted after him to catch his hand in hers.
“I got a little carried away.” He flicked a glanced in her direction. “Sorry, it won’t happen again.”
Molly didn’t know how to tell him she’d liked it. He paused in the doorway, the block of sunshine only a step away, and gazed out onto the farm. “I’ve kissed a lot of women, Molly.”
A sting jabbed at her behind her heart. “Oh.”
He looked at her, those eyes so dark and so dangerous and so filled with desire. “You can thank Uncle Wes for that tonight,” he said with a half-smile. “You should know that you’re still the standard for me.”