When Hearts Collide - By James, Kendra Page 0,67

he could smell the scent of her perfume, even though the sheets had been washed several times. He inhaled again. It was his imagination.

He crossed to the bedroom Molly had used and took the pillow off her bed. Mrs. Flynn had refused to touch her room or change the sheets until he went to get her. He pressed his nose close to the cotton fabric. The scent brought back memories of their night together. Hugging the pillow to his chest, and drawing in her scent, he was finally able to sleep.

Chapter 17

Molly just wanted to stay in bed and feel sorry for herself. But she’d done enough of that. It was time to forget and move on. To forget that she’d finally found the man of her dreams, but all her dreams had turned into a nightmare. Would she never learn that love was for other people, not her?

Thoughts of her sister’s happy marriage surfaced. Why couldn’t she have someone like David in her life? But she’d had that for a while, even if it was only a pretense. Pearce had been what she wanted, her knight-in-shining-armor, ready to slay the dragons; her prince to rouse her from a somnolent state; her king to share her kingdom. Then, as if by the stroke of a wizard’s wand, her realm had vanished.

At least she was back at her job at Saint Christopher’s Hospital. Randy had been discretely dismissed, and other than initial gossip, everything was as if she’d never been away. Molly felt her eyelids droop, then forced them open again. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could think of was Pearce and Gracie. She’d almost drifted off when she heard insistent knocking at the front door. She ignored it for several minutes, praying the person would just go away. The person on the other side of the door didn’t stop.

Throwing a housecoat over her nightgown, Molly yanked the door open. “What?”

Her knees gave way and she had to clutch the doorframe. “What do you want?”

Pearce stood there, a sad puppy-dog look on his face. “I need to talk to you, Molly. I need to apologize.”

Why had he come? Couldn’t he just leave her alone? “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does, Molly. May I come in?” Pearce pleaded.

She wanted to slam the door in his face so hard it would knock him off his feet, the way she’d been knocked off hers. Instead, she let him slip through the door she still clung to.

He sat on the couch in the living room and waited for her. She curled herself at the far end of the couch, pulling the housecoat tightly around her, as if it might provide the armor she needed. But it was no shield against the emotional havoc his presence created.

“I’m such a fool. I should have believed you, trusted you.” Pearce shook his head. “Molly, I’m so sorry. I want you to come back. I miss you so much.” He grinned tentatively. “Gracie misses you.”

Head reeling over Pearce’s confession, Molly asked, “How is Gracie?”

Pearce looked down at the hands he clenched in his lap, then looked up at her. “She’s not the same without you. We both want you back.”

Molly shook her head. “No. I can’t come back just because you think you need me. Or that Gracie does.”

“Oh, Molly, I don’t just need you, I love you.”

“You just think you love me because I took care of you, saved your life...It’s called The Good Samaritan Complex.”

Pearce shook his head slowly. He smiled, advancing on her, coming so close she felt the heat radiating off his body.

“Is this a complex?” Pearce pulled her into his arms, his eyes smoldering with passion. He locked his gaze with hers. Icy shivers ran up and down her spine, and her cheeks burned with the flame he’d ignited.

His lips descended on hers. Lightly, then the pressure increased. She tried to resist, yet her lips responded. He pulled her closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers entwining in silky black waves.

“You feel it, too. Your body can’t lie. Oh, Molly.”

He pulled her to mold into him. The soft swell of her breasts pressed against his chest, and she felt the pounding of his heart through his thin cotton shirt. Could he feel her heart racing like a two-year-old filly galloping to the finish line?

“I’ve been so stupid.” Pearce shook his head. “I love you.” He grinned. “Do I need to have another car accident to make you come back?”

She shook her