Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) Read online

  He pulled her sweater back up to her shoulders. Pressing his lips to her cheek for a moment. “How about dessert?”

  “I think that would be great. Can we eat inside?”

  “Perfect. I’ll bring these plates in and meet you in the living room.” He moved away from her and missed her touch instantly.

  * * *

  Molly sat down on the couch, placing her hand over her heart. It was beating fast. God, that man could kiss. She wanted to know where things would’ve headed out there on the porch. Making love to Luke would be phenomenal. Maybe one day. But things were just too complicated right now, weren’t they?

  The more she thought about it, the more she realized that things really weren’t that complicated anymore. She’d laid her deal out on the table and told him where she stood when it came to the house, and he was fine with it. It was obvious that he cared for her. But he’d also just learned she wasn’t able to have children. He needed time to let that soak in. Sure, he had one child, but did he want more? That conversation was important before she could get any more involved with him. She used to think she was broken, but she knew now she wasn’t, she would just have to find motherhood a different way. Maybe that was her calling.

  “Molly.” Luke called from the kitchen.

  She spun around on the couch and looked toward the doorway that she assumed lead to the kitchen. “Yes.”

  “Dessert is very rich. Want a glass of milk to go with it?”

  What she really wanted was more wine, but knew any more would surely get her straight into Luke’s bed. And she was having a hard enough time not going to it now. “That’d be great.”

  Turning back, she looked around. The room was filled with picture frames. On the table beside her, she picked up one that depicted Luke with a few other police officers. The background appeared to be a festival, and she noticed they were all fighting over a bowl of something. Peering closer, she had a good idea it was a bowl of his potato salad. She had to give it to him—it was good stuff.

  Placing the frame down, she grabbed the one next to it. It was Sammy. She smiled. She’d only had the honor of meeting the child twice, but it had been a delight each time. He was a wonderful kid. She knew if she got the chance to know him more, he’d steal her heart for sure.

  Setting the picture down, she saw Luke come in, carrying a tray this time. “I forgot about this thing. It would have come in handy earlier.” He laid it on the coffee table.

  Two plates sat there with a delicious looking red and white square. “What is this again?”

  “Red velvet cheesecake brownies.”

  “What a combo. They look good.”

  “This is my first time making them. I hope they taste as good as they smell and look.” He handed her a plate.

  “Did you taste the batter?”

  “You caught me red-handed. I did.”

  “I don’t blame you. I always do too.”

  “Ladies first.” He motioned toward her plate.

  She didn’t have to be told twice. She couldn’t wait to taste it. This was a new recipe for her. The fork easily slid through the dessert. She opened her mouth and when the sweetness hit her tongue, she groaned. “Oh my God, it’s so good.”

  Luke stared at her, watching her devour several more bites before he finally took a taste himself. She watched him the same way he’d watched her. When the fork entered his mouth, she could see the almost orgasmic look appear on his face. Yes, these were that good.

  “Wow, these are delicious.”

  They finished their dessert, silently watching each other. She wasn’t sure why, but the expressions he made as he ate his masterpiece made her feel connected to him. It was weird, and she couldn’t explain it. When her last drop of milk was done, she set the empty plate and glass on the tray and leaned back into the cushions.

  “I’m stuffed. You’ve spoiled me tonight.”

  “Good. You deserve it.”

  She glanced at the clock hanging above the mantel on the brick fireplace. “It’s late. I should get going.”

  “But I haven’t given you a tour of the house yet.”

  “After the tour, I should probably head home.”

  He pried himself off the couch and then held his hand out to her. She took it, letting him pull her up. For a moment, she wanted to push him back down and have her way with him, but then she reminded herself to wait.

  He held her hand as he walked her around. The first stop was his kitchen, which was a wreck. It was a familiar site to her as a cook as well. When she got lost in a recipe, she didn’t care about the mess. The fun was all in creating it. After that, he showed her his empty formal living room, as well as empty formal dining room. She realized then he had about as much furniture as her, and he lived in a bigger place.

  The hallway that led to the back of the house was dark and took several turns. It was unique in her eyes, because most hallways were a straight shot. They passed a bedroom that, he told her, was also empty. Next was Sammy’s room. She stood in the doorway and saw the perfect kid’s room. Luke had spent a lot of time making this room a little boy’s dream. From the captain’s bed to the posters on the walls. Luke tugged her by her hand, urging her forward. She knew what room was next—his.

  At the end of the hallway, a door was wide open. Taking a deep breath, she walked with him to the last room. He flipped on the light, and the first thing she saw was the bed. “Is that a waterbed?”

  “It is.”

  “I didn’t know people still slept on those.”

  “It’s heaven. Have you ever been on one?”

  She laughed. “Years ago. Probably when I was in middle school and they were all the rage.”

  “I love it. Come on; try it out.”

  She hesitated.

  “Don’t be a chicken. Climb on and see why I won’t give it up.”

  She did as he asked and sat down on the bed, feeling it sway beneath her.

  “Lay down now.”

  “No funny stuff.” She knew it may have been a little too late for that.

  She lay down on the bed, resting her head on a pillow. It was nice; she’d give him that. She wasn’t sure she could sleep in one of these every night, but every now and then, maybe.

  He stood at the end of the bed with a mischievous look on his face. Before she had the chance to say anything, he leaped onto the bed, sending her bouncing up into the air. She screamed out and laughed when she landed back down, rolling right into him.

  “Oh God, that was fun.” Molly laughed.

  “See, I told you; waterbeds are fun.”

  “You’re just a big kid at heart, aren’t you?”

  “Being an adult is no fun. Sometimes it’s nice to let loose.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” A wave of confidence came over her. She scooted in a little closer, and before she could talk herself out of it, she kissed him.

  He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. The kiss was sweet and tender. She ran her hands through his hair and groaned in delight as he traced a small circle on her lower back.

  She tossed one of her legs over his, pushing her center right into his erection. His kiss became more desperate and his hand drifted down, squeezing her backside. It felt so amazing to be touched again. She wanted more—a lot more. Maybe she could do this, just one time. Then they could have the talk that needed to be had.

  As his hand rubbed her butt and got closer to her sex, she felt the switch go off. She needed sex. She needed the connection it would bring and the intimacy. And she needed it to be Luke.

  She pulled away from the kiss and sat up. He gazed up at her. She stole a glance to his lower half, seeing he was turned on as much as she was. Meeting his eyes again, she slipped off her cardigan and dropped it to the floor. Next, she lowered the straps to her sundress and began to remove it slowly.

  “Wait, I thought you said…” He grabbed the strap before it slipped too far down.

  “I know what I said, but I need this.
Just once, with no questions asked.”

  He sat up. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He pushed her hands away and then pulled the dress down, revealing a white lace strapless bra. Molly lay back on the bed while he tugged the dress off. His grunt, she hoped, meant that he liked what he saw. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt. Reaching up, she did her best to help him along. As he worked on his shirt, she unbuckled his belt. She had to tease just a little though, letting her hand slid over his erection. He was big, and she couldn’t wait to see it. The only thing that had been inside of her in the past year had been her purple plastic vibrator. And it was nowhere near as long or thick as she imagined Luke was.

  With her foot, she helped him wiggle out of his jeans. They were both down to just their undergarments. He was a boxer man, a plaid boxer man to be precise. And if it wasn’t for the button that looked as though it was ready to pop off, she’d have an eyeful.

  He lay back down beside her, his hand rubbing her stomach. With each stroke, he got closer to her breasts.

  “Touch me, please.”

  He caressed her and dipped his finger under her cup. She sighed and then pulled his mouth to hers. As his hands worked their magic all over her body, she finally reached down and popped the button lose, letting him spring out. Wrapping her hand around him, she was able to give a few strokes before he placed his hand over hers to stop her.

  “It’s been way too long since a woman has touched me. I don’t think I’m going to last long.”

  She reached behind her and released her bra, tossing it off the bed. She then wiggled out of her panties. “I need you in me just as much as you. It’s going to be quick for us both.”

  He kissed her neck and removed his boxers. With his knees, he pushed her thighs open and climbed between. He detoured to her breasts, taking turns drawing each one into his mouth before he kissed his way back to her lips. He then leaned away from her and fumbled inside the nightstand drawer.

  “Damn.” He was pushing around things in the drawer. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  She pulled him back to her. “I’m clean. Are you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then it’s fine. And it’s not like I can get pregnant.”

  And with that, he entered her, and every coherent thought she had went out the window.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Luke left the lawyer’s office Monday afternoon feeling as though he had just taken two giant steps back. Leslie had passed the required drug test, which meant his case was getting weaker. His lawyer had advised him to continue collecting evidence at this point, but right now they didn’t have enough to prove Leslie was an unfit mother.

  His lawyer did say they could go to court and he could fight for more time with Sammy. Or even split the kid’s home life to two weeks with him and two weeks with Leslie. But, how could that be best for his son? He’d never have anywhere to truly call home. Plus, they lived in two different school districts. Where Luke lived was the better district, and he really wanted Sammy to attend those schools.

  At this moment, the only thing Luke could really do was sit and talk to Leslie. Perhaps he could convince her that he was a better fit. He wasn’t going to stop, though, until Sammy lived with him full time. It was, after all, what his son wanted.

  He pulled up to the station, wishing he didn’t have to come back to work, but duty called. He sat in his car for a few moments, enjoying the last few French fries from his lunch. While this fight for his son was his number one priority, he also thought about Molly.

  He still couldn’t believe they’d made love. He wished he could say it was his best performance, but he had to be honest with himself. The only action he’d had since leaving his wife was his hand. And sinking into Molly was soft, warm, wet—a little slice of heaven. She didn’t complain, though. She seemed to fall over the edge into total bliss as fast as he did.

  She hadn’t stayed the night as he’d hoped. He’d begged her to let him see her Sunday, but she was working a double.

  He’d made a call to his real estate agent to give him a heads up on Molly’s plans. His agent was surprised that Molly’s realtor had agreed to it, but in the meantime they needed to get back out there. Luke hadn’t set up another appointment yet. At this point, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to buy. The only reason he had considered it before was for Sammy. He had an excellent landlord and cheap rent. Maybe staying put was the right thing for him at the moment.

  The last French fry was gone, which meant he no longer had an excuse to hide out in the parking lot. He dragged himself out of the car and to the station. Normally, he loved his job, but this day he just wasn’t feeling it. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to everyone else’s problems—he had enough of his own.

  He was greeted right away by Annie as he walked through the glass doors. “So…good news?”

  He shook his head. “Not this time.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not giving up.”

  “That’s no surprise.” She laughed. “I left a file on your desk. Mrs. Scotts was in again today.”

  He sighed. “What did her husband do now?”

  “She arrived home five minutes late from work and he made her sleep outside.”

  “Did he hit her?”

  “Not this time.”

  He grunted. “Then what can I do for her? I can go out there and talk to him and tell him that it wasn’t nice to do that, but he’s been managing his anger. I don’t understand why she stays with him.”

  “I know, sir.”

  “I’ll swing by their place when I leave tonight.”

  She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. “You’re a good man. In the end, you’re going to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

  He chuckled. “Is that so? And when did you become a psychic?”

  “In my spare time.” She winked.

  He shook his head and grinned at her. Annie always knew how to make him smile. He then went toward his office to see what else had piled up on his desk while he’d been away.

  * * *

  Molly plopped down on her couch and waited for Sandy to join her. She placed her plate in her lap and stared down at the grilled cheese and pretzels. It wasn’t the most elegant meal, but it was perfect for the evening.

  Sandy had brought over the latest movie from the book craze that hit recently with werewolves. This was the third movie in the series, and Molly had missed it in theaters. Sandy had picked up a copy the moment it came out and told her, since they were both off, they were watching the movie.

  Molly was looking forward to seeing it. She’d read the book series and enjoyed it. Usually she wasn’t one for paranormal things, but the books had been well written.

  Sandy joined her on the couch. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  “You sound so thrilled. Hello…we get to see men with their shirts off through almost the whole movie. What could be better?”

  Luke, with his shirt off. “Let’s get it started. I don’t want to start eating until it’s playing.”

  Sandy picked up the remote and hit play. The movie started, and Molly hoped it would be a good distraction from the man crowding her mind.

  By the time the movie was over, Molly had in fact forgotten Luke’s name for a few moments. Half-naked, muscled, and tanned men could do that. Though Luke naked topped the half-naked men any day.

  “I can’t believe they ended it like that. Talk about a cliffhanger.” Sandy threw up her hands.

  “You already knew that though—you saw it when it was playing at the theatre.” Molly reminded her.

  “I had wishful thinking they’d add more.”

  Molly giggled. “I’m sure they were going to do that for you.”

  “You never know.”

  Molly glanced at the coffee table. At some point during the movie, they’d finished off her ice cream. She was feeling stuffed. As she rubbed her belly, she wondered wha
t Luke was doing. Ugh, she was sure she just grunted aloud.

  “What’s up, girl?” Sandy asked.

  “I can’t get my mind off a certain person.”

  “If I had that hot cop after me, I would be throwing myself at him.”

  “I did.”

  Sandy’s mouth dropped open. “Did you get your cherry popped?”

  “What? Um, I haven’t been a virgin in a long time.”

  “Not like that. But, you haven’t been with anyone since Steven. Your hole probably closed up.”

  “I’m glad I’ve known you for years, otherwise I’d be throwing you out for wanting to talk about my hole.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So you slept with him?”

  “Yup.”

  “Oh my gosh! How was it?”

  She’d hate to tell her friend it lasted all of five minutes, yet it had been the best orgasm of her life. That certainly didn’t sound sexy. So she’d stick with simplicity. “Stunning.”

  “I bet you guys did it all night.”

  “Just once. It was that good.”

  “Damn! I’m jealous.”

  Molly giggled. Would she really be that jealous to know they were both so sex deprived that even touching one another about sent them over the edge?

  “Are you going to keep seeing him?”

  “Maybe. We need to talk about the no children thing before things get serious. I need to know how he feels about that and if it’s something he can handle.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  “We talked about it some, but not in depth.”

  “You know the doctors said there were other ways for you to have your own baby.”

  “Yes, I’m aware.” Molly rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m still on the fence if I would consider a surrogate or not. I want to carry my own, feel it kick, and so on. What if someone else carries the baby and after he’s born, the baby never bonds with me?”

  “Seriously? You overthink things.”

  That was one thing Molly could agree with. She certainly did overthink things.