Текст книги "Out Of The Blue"

Автор книги: Carina Adams

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

“Yes.” She groaned in annoyance. “I used to call you all the time to talk for no reason.”

My disbelief came out in a chuckle. “Yeah, when we were married and had shit to talk about. We aren’t anymore…and we don’t. You have friends for that.”

“How is New York?”

I shook my head, not really surprised that she wasn’t getting the message. “Jake tell you where I was?”

“It’s on his map,” she explained. “Plus, you’re all over TMZ.” Of course we were. Fucking privacy-invading dicks. “You promised we’d spend a Christmas in New York one year. Go skating, see Rockefeller Center.”

“Yep.” I walked to the patio door and yanked the curtain aside, looking out at the city. “And you promised to be faithful. Guess we both lied.”

“Mike.”

The shower started in the other room. I had someplace I needed to be.

“Julie,” I countered in the same tone. “It’s late. I’ve had a long day. What the fuck do you want?”

“You’re with her, aren’t you?”

I wasn’t talking about Molly with the woman who took my kids away from me. “I’m fucking working,” I ground out.

“You’re with her,” she answered herself. “How does her husband feel about that?”

I opened my mouth, ready to tell her to mind her own goddamn business when I realized that she hadn’t been talking about Molly, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t sober. “Where are the kids?” My only thought was that it was the middle of the week and my children were home with a woman who wouldn’t be able to get her ass out of bed in the morning.

“With Gram.”

I was both relieved and pissed. “Lewis working?” I asked only because I wanted to know why in the hell she would have dropped the kids off with my grandmother.

“No.” Her voice broke with a sob. “He left me.”

There it was. She was alone and Julie didn’t do well alone. As usual, she thought I was her fucking safety net. Not this time. “Go sleep it off, Jules.”

“We need to talk, Mikey. Come home. We’ll—”

I didn’t give her a chance to finish whatever bullshit she was about to spew. I hung up and tossed my cell across the room before walking to the bed and sinking onto it. The woman was a fucking piece of work. I’d spent years letting her twist me into every knot possible, but she wasn’t my problem anymore. And I was too fucking tired to deal with her shit.

I fell asleep before Molly joined me.

Chapter Nineteen

~ Molly ~

“Tell me about Julie.”

Lia couldn’t hide her surprise, even though she tried to cover it and keep her face neutral. Setting down her drink, she put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. Clearing her throat, she met my eyes. “Julie and I grew up together. She was more like my sister than my friend. After she and Mike eloped, they made some choices I didn’t agree with, but we all do stupid shit when we’re teenagers. We aren’t friends anymore. Some days, though, I really miss her.”

“Bullshit.”

Her eyebrows rose at my outburst.

“I know all that, Red. I want the biased version. The one you don’t share with anyone but your best friends. As my friend, it is your duty to tell me what I need to know about the ex-wife of the man I’m sleeping with.”

Lia hesitated, glancing around the small restaurant. We’d agreed to meet here this morning to have some last-minute girl time before we were stuck on the buses with the boys for the next three weeks straight. Finally, she nodded her head, as if deciding she could be honest with me. “I used to love that girl. But Jules grew up to be a vicious and spiteful witch who hurts my friend every chance she gets, and I hate her for it.”

Leaning back, Lia sighed. “When I left home, I left everyone behind. Including Julie. It was selfish and I didn’t stop to think how my actions would affect my friends. I just wanted to get the hell out, to give Nate a chance to be who he was supposed to be.”

I nodded. I’d heard it a hundred times before. But Nate and Lia’s story had already been told. This was Mike’s.

“Mike did what any good friend does—he forgave me, and went out of his way to be included in my life. Julie never let it go, though, and until my wedding, refused to see me. She even forbid Mikey from introducing me to the kids.” Lia shrugged. “All understandable, on some level, I guess. What I can’t forgive is how she treated Mike. Has he told you about Jake?”

“That he wasn’t planned?”

“Ha!” She snorted sarcastically. “That’s the understatement of the century. Julie got pregnant on purpose. She stopped taking birth control and never told him. Mike was her ticket out of town.”

“How can you be sure, though? Accidents happen, Lia. Most of the time, even if it is an accident, the girl gets blamed.” Not that I was sticking up for Julie, because I wasn’t. I just knew a little something about being accused of getting pregnant intentionally.

“I absolutely agree.” Lia nodded. “I think if two people are dumb enough to have sex without a condom in today’s world, they’re both to blame for whatever happens. We know she did it on purpose because after Mike’s accident, when he was at his lowest, Jules came clean and spilled all of her dirty little secrets. Including the fact that she wished he’d died overseas because she hated him and didn’t want to be tied to him any longer.” Lia narrowed her eyes. “I was serious when I said I hate her.”

I knew the shock showed on my face. “What? Why would she say that?”

“She blames Mike for the way her life turned out. When he came back, he was”—she paused, frowning as she searched for the right word—“needy. He didn’t remember conversations that he’d had even an hour before, let alone the month before. So the things they’d said seven months prior were completely gone. She was angry. She had just started to build the life she’d always wanted, one that didn’t include an injured vet, and she did not want to have to take care of him on top of two kids. Plus, Mike wasn’t Mike anymore; he was a broken shell of the man he’d been. That didn’t change the fact that he’d been the person who, just before he’d left for deployment, had been cruel and threatened to take her son away from her.”

“He was going to take Jake?” My heart ached for him as I started to piece the puzzle together. “Because of Janet.”

Lia nodded, staring at her plate. “He said Julie stole his child, so he was going to take hers. They had a horrible fight, but I don’t think he meant anything he’d said. He was just reacting to news no parent wants to hear. That was his little girl, and the woman he trusted had deceived him. For years. What kind of woman takes a baby away from a loving dad?”

I froze, my heart pounding fast. This conversation was hitting way too close to home. My stomach clenched, threatening to rebel against the breakfast I’d already eaten.

“It’s so complicated.” Lia paused, twisting her lips into a frown. “I have to remind myself that teenage Julie was a lost kid who wanted Mike to rescue her and show her the world. When she thought he was going to leave without her, she got pregnant with Jake so he wouldn’t leave her. But their marriage wasn’t perfect. In fact, it was pretty messy. Adult Julie thought that if she got pregnant again, and he got to experience it with her, that baby would magically fix all their problems and that Mike would love her. That backfired, too. Mike loves his kids.” Lia swallowed loudly. “Those kids,” she corrected. “Mike loves those kids more than life itself, but he never loved Jules. At least not the way she wanted him to.”

“The way he loved you.”

Lia snorted and waved her hand. “Please.”

“I’m serious, Lee. How can you be the only person in the world who doesn’t see it? Mike Carson is head over heels in love.”

Lia held up a finger. “Jesus, you sound just like Nate.” She sighed. “You’re wrong, Mols. Mike thought he loved me because Julie was the only other person he had to compare his feelings to.” I shook my head angrily, but Lia continued. “When that’s all you know, a relationship built on secrets and lies, it’s easy to cling to the good things in your life. Mike and I have a history. A messy, complicated, but great history. Sometimes those lines can get a little blurry. But he doesn’t love me, Molly.”

“Mike sees it very differently.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized how jealous I sounded.

Lia only chuckled. “Does he?” She leaned back, watching me closely for a minute. “Let me ask you something—if you were to walk in on me and Mike kissing, how would that make you feel?”

I stared at her, not sure what to say. I felt the heat flood my cheeks as embarrassment and anger combined. Just the thought of his lips on hers disgusted me and made me insanely jealous. She already had a man—a decent, loyal, kind, loving husband. She didn’t need mine. My heart was pounding and I could barely breathe, but I answered as honestly as I could. “I’d be pissed.”

“And heartbroken and devastated. And probably homicidal.” Lia offered me a kind smile. “Now, take a moment to think about what it would be like to live with Mike and me for months, watching us kiss whenever we want, seeing us laugh and joke together, and knowing that every night, he was going to be in my room, not yours.”

“I couldn’t do it.” I interrupted, not wanting to hear another word. “It would kill me.”

“Exactly!” Lia pointed at me, beaming. “And you two just started your…well, whatever it is. I have loved Mike for as long as I can remember, and he’ll probably say the same. A love that best friends share. That’s it. If it were anything more, he wouldn’t be able to be here on the tour. He wouldn’t be able to watch Nate and me—day in, day out—and still be here.”

“That’s why he left, Lia. Because he couldn’t handle it.”

She shook her head. “No. He left because he is in love with the idea of me. I’m the friend who has always been there. The only person who has always been there.” She shrugged. “I love Nate, with every fiber of my being. If I had to watch him kiss another woman, to laugh with another woman the way he laughs with me…” Her voice broke and she looked away. “It would destroy me. It would cause me physical pain.”

I understood exactly what she meant.

She turned back to me. “It’s not a pain you can hide. You don’t have that pain when you look at Nate and me, which is how I knew you weren’t in love with my husband. Mike doesn’t have that pain in his eyes when he looks at me. That’s how I know he isn’t in love with me.”

I shook my head, not sure what to say.

“There is a look that’s a dead giveaway. Julie had it every time she looked at Mike. And Mike? He has it every time he watches you on stage. So, you’re right—I think Mike is head over heels in love right now. With you. He just doesn’t know it.”

My egg-filled fork paused halfway to my mouth as I gaped at her. When I was able to gather my wits, I shook my head. “Do you have any idea how nuts you sound right now?”

She only shrugged smugly, taking a bite of her own food.

“We’ve had sex a few times, that’s it. I’d like to think that my pussy is magical, but let’s face it. It’s not made out of gold.”

She choked on her toast, coughing and sputtering.

“Crazy talk aside, what’s going on with Mike and Julie?”

“Nothing that I know of. Why?”

“She called this morning. We’d just gotten back to the room. He talked to her, yelled, and then went to bed without me.”

As I spoke, her eyes narrowed further and further. “Fucking bitch.” Twisting her lips, she sighed. “What did he say about it?”

I frowned, shaking my head. He hadn’t said a damn word, acting as if it hadn’t happened.

“I don’t know why she called him, Mols. Unless one of the kids is sick. But he would have told you that. My guess? It’s Julie playing her little games.”

Mike and Nate chose that moment to walk into the diner. I watched them walk across the small room, almost every set of eyes following them. Mike smiled his greeting at Lia, but when his eyes met mine, his whole body seemed to relax and his grin turned more playful.

I didn’t agree with Lia. Mike wasn’t in love with me. Part of me was disappointed that she didn’t see how much he felt for her; the other part was glad that she was clueless. He and I were having a blast, and were getting closer than we should, but love had no place here.

When he slid into the booth next to me, throwing an arm over my shoulders, a feeling of protectiveness washed over me. Julie could play whatever game she wanted, but she’d never met an opponent like me. I’d move mountains before I let her hurt this beautiful soul again.

Chapter Twenty

~ Mike~

It had been one hell of a long ass day, and it wasn’t even eleven yet.

When Mols had woken up early, I’d gotten up with her, adamant that I needed to go to breakfast with her and Lia. She refused, saying the whole point was to get away from me. Sam promised me that he had them and they wouldn’t leave his sight. I trusted him, but I hated the idea of me being stuck in a hotel room while she was out in the public where anything could happen.

I couldn’t do my fucking job if she wouldn’t let me.

She’d kissed me, swearing that there was nothing for me to worry about, and then she’d ignored my orders. I paced around the room for fifteen minutes before realizing the walls were going to close in if I stayed put. Changing, I headed to the hotel gym and pounded out my frustration on the treadmill.

I didn’t want Molly watching the tabloids. Just a few days ago, I’d convinced her to remove the Google notifications from her phone. She didn’t need to know what people thought of her.

On the other side of that spectrum, though, I wished she could’ve been a little more mindful of the fact that people watched her everywhere she went. I didn’t want her to be scared of going out. I just wanted her to be aware that her trip to a supermarket would make headlines.

I’d just increased the elevation and speed to give myself a grueling workout that would hopefully clear my mind and calm me down when someone stepped onto the machine next to mine. I didn’t glance over, too busy focusing on my breathing and my agitation toward the woman I couldn’t get out of my head, when he started talking.

“I used to know what you were thinking without you tellin’ me. I’d know what you were gonna do before you did it. I trusted you, above everyone else, ‘cause you’re my family. I never questioned any decision you made because you always saw the big picture.” Nate stopped talking as he started to run, almost matching my speed.

I hit the pause button, stepping onto the floor. I’d heard those words, almost verbatim, before. A year ago. For a minute, I struggled to catch my breath, watching him keep a quick pace as he ignored me.

“Ya know, I used to know what you were thinking before you told me. Most of the time, I knew what you were gonna do before you did it. I trusted you, above everyone else, ‘cause you’re my family, Carson. Closer than blood.”

I’d glanced up from the label I was picking off my beer, Nate’s tone putting me on edge.

I wasn’t the only one who felt the shift. Next to me, Reb adjusted in his seat, and across from us, Billy put his phone down and watched us closely, his eyes darting back and forth between Kelly and me.

“You fucking knew.” I didn’t have to ask him what he thought I knew. It was written all over his face, alternating between pain and unfiltered hatred.

I didn’t deny the claim. When Lee left that day, she’d left us all behind. I couldn’t do shit to find her, couldn’t chase her down, because I’d shipped off to boot camp. But that didn’t stop me from looking. I nodded. “Yeah.”

Kelly’s eye’s narrowed. “What the fuck?” The question was full of surprise, as if he expected me to deny it.

I shrugged. This was a conversation that was long overdue, but I was terrified it was going to cost me the man I loved like a brother. “What do you want me to say, Nate? I’m sorry? ‘Cause I’m not.”

“You went through it all with me, every drunk night, every never-ending day without her. You watched me torture myself, miserable because I couldn’t find her. And all the time, you fucking knew where she was. You were part of her life.”

“Yeah, I watched you mourn her. For a little while. You know what else I saw? A man who fucked anything that offered. A man who made a big show of dating only the most beautiful and perfect women, because he knew that Lee would be watching, and that it would hurt her. I saw a selfish dick who didn’t care how much he hurt the woman he was supposed to love.”

He stood up so fast that his chair fell backward and I was being yanked out of my own before I could stop him. I was bigger than he was, thanks to my years in the Navy, but there is nothing too heavy for a man enraged. He stepped in close, his nose almost touching mine. “You fucking lying prick.”

I shoved him, forcing him to take a step back, and poked a finger into his chest. “I never fucking lied to you. Not once. I told you the truth, explained why she fucking ran to begin with. She wasn’t hiding from me, friend. She was hiding from you.”

The truth of the words hit him. Hard. His hands clenched into fists at his side. “And, you were just going to let her keep hiding?” He stepped close again. “I would have fucking told you. I would have put your mind at ease, told you that the woman you loved was safe.”

“You knew she was safe. Her dad told you that!” After she’d disappeared into thin air, we’d talked to her mom, her dad, and anyone else we thought might know where she was. Eventually, her dad broke down and told me how to get a hold of her. Only because I never gave up, even when Nate did.

“He told me she’d find me when she was ready. I begged you to talk to him for me, to convince him to tell me.”

“Lee didn’t want you to know, Nate. Have you ever fucking thought about that? She told her parents not to tell you. She swore me to secrecy. If she had wanted you to know, she would have found a way to let you know.”

“Wasn’t that convenient for you? Finally saw your chance, didn’t you, Mike? Couldn’t let it go.”

“What?” I hissed, my own fingers fisting.

He laughed, but there was no humor or warmth in the motion. “How fucking stupid do you think I am? Did you think I didn’t know? That I haven’t known since we were seventeen? I’m honestly shocked it took you this long to move in on my girl. Only problem is, she never fucking wanted you, did she? Even without me in the picture, you were just a substitute for the real thing.”

I stepped into him, years of unrealized resentment bubbling to the surface. “Guess I’m not the only one keeping secrets then, am I? She was my girl first, Kelly. Don’t ever fucking forget that. I have years of memories that you will never have. A piece of Lee you never will.”

I saw the fist before it got close, and blocked him. Before I could throw a punch back, four arms wrapped around me, dragging me toward the door and out into the cool night air. Noah and Billy pulled Nate out right behind me, but they weren’t letting him go.

“You stole those years from me, Carson!” Nate screamed across the lot, not caring that people were filing out of the bar to watch the night’s entertainment we were providing.

“I didn’t steal shit! You gave ‘em up, Nate. You can pretend to be the fucking victim all you want, but we both know the truth. It’s not the dark ages and you’ve never been poor. How hard would it have been to hire a private investigator to track her down? If you were so desperate to find the woman you say you loved, you would have found her. I didn’t give up until I did. I wouldn’t have given up. But you? You were too busy selling songs about your heartbreak to actually give two shits about the girl you were exploiting.”

Noah and Billy were no match for Nate, as he tore away from them, a look I’d never seen on his face directed right at me. The arms that were holding me disappeared, either because Reb and Rhett were in fear for their life, or because they realized I was a prick that needed my ass handed to me.

“I fucking love her!” Nate roared as he stomped toward me.

“So do I!” I screamed, reeling backward as I realized what I’d just admitted. “I’ve loved her my entire life.”

I saw the fist coming but didn’t move out of its way or try to block it. I deserved whatever was coming. I’d broken the code of friendship, and severed the bonds of brotherhood. Bros before hos, or some shit. Didn’t matter, ‘cause I’d do it all over again. I’d hurt my best friend if it meant protecting the woman I loved.

The first hit landed on my upper cheek, and I knew I’d be sporting a shiner come morning. The second caught the corner of my mouth, snapping my head back. The third and forth were quick, back-to-back blows that had me fighting down years of tactical training. I knew how to take a blow, how to handle pain, but I’d also been taught how to fight back when I barely had a breath left in my body.

“Stop!” a familiar voice screamed. “Nate, stop!”

A tiny blur of blue forced her way between us before anyone could stop her, shoving a man twice her size out of the way and placing herself in front of me to keep him from hitting me again. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she hollered at Kelly, pushing her hands against his chest and forcing him to take a few steps away from me.

Then, she was at my side, small hands framing my face as she assessed the damage. “Shit, you’re gonna be hurting tomorrow.” Pulling a bandana from her hair, she held it to my lip. “You hurt him!” Her voice was filled with fire. “Why would you do that?” Turning toward the boys, she yelled, “Why would you let him do that?”

“I had it coming,” I told her, glancing around. “I fucked up.”

“Jesus, Mikey,” Molly whispered. “Boys are so dumb. Wouldn’t an apology have been easier?” Then she chuckled. “You are both so screwed. Lia is going to kick both your asses when she finds out about this.”

 

Nate turned off his treadmill and joined me on the floor, yanking me from memory. I’d never thought about the giant role Molly had played in my life that night. How many other times had she been there, making things easier for me, and I hadn’t noticed?

“You and Molly?” His tone was full of disbelief. “My Molly?”

I wanted to tell him that it was none of his business and to fuck off. Every part of me wanted to keep Molly and my feelings toward her to myself. I couldn’t do that to him, though. He needed reassurance so he could worry about his own shit.

I met his eyes and nodded. “Molly.”

He took a step toward me, eyes lit in anger. “She’s not what she pretends to be, she—”

“Doesn’t need you to protect her. Especially from me,” I snapped back. “I see who she is, Kelly. I’m not fucking blind.”

“She’s family, Carson. I take care of my family.” He watched me closely, gauging my reaction. “You hurt her and I’ll kick your ass.”

We both knew his threat wasn’t an idle one. We also both knew that I would decimate him if he came after me again—he had his one shot at me, he wouldn’t get another. This wasn’t about who was physically stronger, though. It was about making a point. “Molly isn’t your responsibility. She’s mine. I’ll keep her safe. No one is going to hurt her while I’m here.” Including me.

The unspoken understanding between the two of us hung in the air. Before he could reply, my phone rang. Yanking it from my pocket, I saw the name and cursed. “It’s Sam.”

Tension filled the room as we both shifted, suddenly on edge. Sam was with the girls. If he was calling, there was trouble. I hit the speaker button so we could both hear. “I’m with Nate, and you’re on speaker. What’s wrong?”

“Just the two I was looking for,” Sam’s slow drawl replied. “The ladies have been recognized. They have quite the fan club waiting for them to leave.” In Sam speak, that meant there were photographers gathered outside the restaurant, all trying to get the next picture that would cause a media sensation.

“Backdoor?”

“Bigger fan club.” There was no way we could get them out without being seen.

Fuck. “How big?”

“It’s obviously a slow news day.” There were a shit ton.

I looked up at Nate, the worry I felt reflected on his face. “Text me the address and give us twenty; we’ll be right there.” I shook my head as I hung up the phone. “Meet me in the lobby in ten?”

Nate was already on his way out. “I’ll give you five before I leave your ass here.”

Sam hadn’t been kidding. A small crowd—probably thirty men with varying styles of cameras—clogged the sidewalk outside the diner. They were so busy focusing on the people coming out, they didn’t bat an eye when Nate Kelly strolled by them on his way in.

The restaurant was small, but it took me a second to find my two favorite girls. They were at a table in the back, deep in serious conversation, oblivious to the circus out-front. Lia looked up first, surprised when she saw me. I smiled reassuringly, trying to let her know everything was okay.

When my eyes moved to Molly, though, and knew for certain that she was okay, my entire body relaxed, releasing tension I hadn’t realized it was holding. I felt my lips curl, truly glad to see her. Sliding into the booth next to her, I threw an arm around her shoulders, needing to touch her.

“How was breakfast, beautiful?”

She turned to me, raising a single eyebrow. “Well, it was peaceful. Now I’m not so sure.” Laughing, she moved a hand to my thigh. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re the reinforcements,” Nate answered, grabbing a slice of bacon off Molly’s plate.

“What?” Lia asked, giving her husband a stern look. “You and your riddles. Just answer the damn question.”

Lia was new to celebrity life, but Molly had been doing this a long time. At his answer, she turned toward the windows, her entire body tensing when she saw the people waiting. “How’d they know we were here?”

Lia, finally catching on, looked over and swore under her breath. “They must have followed us.”

“It’s okay, Red.” Nate kissed her temple as he reached for a menu. “I’m famished. They want to grab some pictures, they can fucking wait.”

I nodded, following his lead and plucking a menu from the side of the table. “Good point. It could be a while before we have a chance to have a relaxing meal, just the four of us.”

Lia never missed a thing. Smiling, she reached for Nate’s hand and pulled it into hers. “I don’t remember the last time it was just the four of us. Let’s enjoy every minute.”

For the next two hours, we laughed and talked and snacked. We forgot about the stresses of the tour and our everyday worries and instead, focused on catching up. I didn’t realize until it was time to leave that Molly’s hand had been planted on my leg the entire time. As we slid out of the booth, our fingers joined.

I don’t think she was trying to do it, and I knew without a doubt it wasn’t for show, but with a simple gesture, Molly Ray claimed me, telling the world I was hers.

Sam and his boys had cleared a path for us, but that didn’t stop the bastards from shouting questions and trying to blind us with their flashes. I went first, pulling Molly behind me, using my body to shelter hers as much as I could. Nate and Lia were right behind her, with Sam bringing up the rear.

There was a car waiting for us, so the four of us climbed in the back of the Suburban and let Sam take the front. The door wasn’t closed behind Nate before they were cupping their hands against the glass, trying to see in through the tinted windows. I knew they couldn’t see anything, but I yanked Mols against me anyway, tucking her into my side and pushing her face against my chest.

“I can’t breathe!” she hollered, laughing as she struggled to get free.

“You’re fine. We’re taking off in a minute,” I promised, but I loosened my hold. When she sat up, she smacked me playfully in the chest. Without thinking, I leaned down, capturing her chin and stole a kiss.

I’d meant it to be a quick, playful peck. Mols had other ideas. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she leaned into the kiss, groaning into my mouth as she moved her entire body onto mine. I forgot where we were, my hands grabbing her hips and grinding her down against my hardening dick.

Need for her consumed me. She pulled back, adjusting, but I couldn’t pull my mouth away. Instead, I kissed and nipped at her exposed neck, causing her to make all kinds of delicious little noises. I needed to be in her. I was going to explode if she wasn’t sitting on my dick in five seconds. I—

Whatever thought that had been forming quickly disappeared as Lia cleared her throat. Loudly. As if she’d done it a few times already. Molly and I both stopped abruptly, a beautiful shade of pink climbing onto her cheeks.

Tipping my head slightly, I realized that the only person in the car not staring at us was the driver. “Sorry,” I mumbled pathetically. “Got carried away.”

“We saw that,” Nate answered. For the first time, he didn’t sound pissed about the idea of Molly and me. Turning back to Sam, he shrugged. “Guess we will need some time back at the hotel before we get on the bus. The two love birds in the backseat need to have some alone time.”

“Oh, God.” Poor Molly moaned. If she’d been embarrassed before, she was mortified now.

“Exactly.” Nate pointed at her. “That’s the kind of shit I don’t want to spend the next few weeks listening to, so if you two could get it out of your system now, that’d be great.”

Fuck.

Three weeks on a bus with a bunch of assholes. Three weeks of no privacy, spending every waking moment with Molly, but not being alone with her. Three weeks of sleeping in a bunk near Mols, but not with her.

Tucking hair behind her ear, I cupped her cheek. It was almost completely healed, and I touched the fading lines gently. “I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to make it that long.”

“It’s gonna be hell.”