When Hearts Collide - By James, Kendra Page 0,23

tried to think. She should turn around right now. She should run out of the room. She should run out of his life as fast as her legs would carry her. But her legs weren’t listening. Instead, like magnets, they propelled her toward his outstretched hand.

The hand slid around her waist. Like a hot poker, it branded every spot it touched. Sliding up her back, it scorched the skin in its path. Then the hand pulled her downward. Molly felt like a giant silk moth, mesmerized by the flame, her antennae shouting, ‘the fire’s too hot, fly away,’ but the fluttering in her heart drew her close. She saw the smoldering emotion in his eyes, felt the heat of his breath, felt the blaze of his lips. Molly was powerless to resist.

The sound of a giggling child brought her to her senses and she pulled away. She was glad the nurse had put a chair beside the bed. Her knees turned to rubber, no longer supporting her, and she collapsed into the chair. What was happening? Had he cast a spell on her? Never had a man she barely knew kissed her, and never had she wanted a kiss not to end.

“Such a nice, wifely kiss, Molly.” Pearce grinned wickedly. “I can see you missed me.”

Her mouth was suddenly parched, her tongue swollen, and she choked on her words. “I was,” Molly stammered, sensing Rita’s presence in the room, “so worried about you.”

“I can see that.”

Was her face as red as it felt? His words teased, but the look of kindness and gratitude melted her insides. When he squeezed her hand and whispered a soft thank you, she knew it came from his heart. She desperately needed a long, tall drink of water.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Gracie.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

A tear slid down Pearce’s pale cheek. “I love you, too.”

Gracie had climbed onto the bed and wiggled her way into the crook of Pearce’s unhindered right arm. Molly could have kissed the child for diverting his attention away from her, but she didn’t want to think about kisses of any kind. She needed time to gather her emotions, to get back to her normal unflappable self. Here was this man lying flat in a hospital bed, restrained by intravenous tubes and monitor wires, yet the six-foot two inches of his muscular, broad-shouldered frame held more attraction than any man she’d ever met. Several wisps of dark hair had fallen across his face, and Molly had to restrain herself from reaching out and brushing them away from his eyes. Instead, she spoke quietly. “We need to talk. I need to know what you want me to do with Gracie.”

He motioned to Gracie. “Little pitchers have big ears.”

“What pitchers, Daddy?”

“The pictures on the wall.”

“Oh, Daddy, pictures don’t have ears.”

Pearce and Molly both laughed. Their eyes met, and it was like something synapsed between them and they were in harmony. She couldn’t believe she’d just known him for a few short hours. And she couldn’t believe the attraction she felt.

Molly sat in the chair beside the bed, content to watch this man cuddle with his daughter, his hand making soothing circles on her back. The child, exhausted from her late night and the trauma of the accident, soon slept.

“Molly?”

Drawing her attention from the child, Molly looked up and her heart did a little flip as she was caught in the intensity of Pearce’s expression. A knot formed in the middle of her chest when she saw the concern on his face. Would she ever be lucky enough to have a child of her own, one she could care about as much as this man obviously did? His clear blue eyes examining her snapped her mind back to the present.

“Molly, you’ve done so much already, I hate to ask.” Exerting a slight pressure on her hand, he pleaded with her. “Would you consider caring for Gracie until I get out of hospital?”

Shocked at his proposal, Molly jerked back in the chair and her hand slid out of his. She shook her head. “I have to be on my way.”

“Please. I need you to look after her.”

“I can’t. I’m on my way to...” Where was she going? All she knew was she’d wanted to get away from St. Christopher’s. She had no concrete destination in mind. She’d booked a night at the Tillsonburg Towers to give her distance to think about what she was going to do, and where she was going to go. Right now, she