Two Lovers for Molly (Lavender Lace, Book Three)

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An Excerpt From: TWO LOVERS FOR MOLLY

Copyright © LYNN LAFLEUR, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

"Why are men so stupid?" Molly Ross asked the question of her two friends, Marci Bayne and Twyla Gardiner, who sat with her at a corner table in Jennie´s Java. "I´m easy to please. I don´t ask for much from a guy. A little consideration, some kindness, some cuddling after sex. That isn´t unreasonable. Is it?"

"No, that isn´t unreasonable," Marci said. "What happened to make you think men are stupid?"

Molly looked at Marci. The beautiful forty-year-old blonde Molly had met here in Jennie´s Java two months ago had become a mother figure for Molly, even though she was only fourteen years older. Molly´s mother spent her time buried in a bourbon bottle, so had little time for her two daughters.

Pushing aside that pathetic image, Molly concentrated on her friend´s question. "I told you two about meeting Brandon a couple of weeks ago, at the Halloween party I went to." Both her friends nodded, so Molly continued. "Really cute, really nice. We spent most of the party talking. He was funny and attentive and a great kisser."

"Sounds as if he´s a winner," Twyla said.

"That´s what I thought too. He came over a couple of times for dinner and a movie. We had sex Friday night." She blew out a large breath and her bangs lifted from her forehead. "Wow. Talk about fireworks."

Twyla grinned. "Fireworks are good."

"I thought so too. When he asked me to go to a club with him Saturday night, I didn´t hesitate to say yes." Molly´s shoulders slumped. "We ran into some friends of his and it was like being on a date with a totally different person. He turned into an inconsiderate ass. He flirted with every pretty woman close to him and completely ignored me."

A sympathetic look crossed Marci´s face. "What did you do?"

"I told him I wasn´t feeling well and wanted to go home. He offered to call a cab for me! Do you believe that?"

"What happened between great sex at your apartment and the club?" Twyla asked. "Such a change doesn´t make any sense."

Molly looked down at the muffin crumbs in her saucer. She shouldn´t let anything that jerk did hurt her. After all, she barely knew him. Still, it hurt to be brushed aside for a gal with dyed blonde hair and phony boobs.

She lifted her gaze back to her friends. "He found a woman at the club with more...substance." Molly held her cupped hands eight inches in front of her small breasts.

Twyla winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, ouch. I asked you to give me some of your boobs, Twyla. Just one cup size. You´d still have plenty."

"Since I discovered the gorgeous bras at Lavender Lace, I don´t complain about the size of my girls anymore." She grinned wickedly. "Besides, Daniel really likes them."

With a disgusted huff, Molly folded her arms across her stomach. "Great. Rub salt in the wound."

"That´s not what I´m doing, Molly," Twyla said softly.

Guilt swamped Molly for sounding like a spoiled child. She treasured these two ladies´ friendship and wouldn´t hurt either for anything. "I know. It isn´t your fault I keep getting involved with assholes." She slouched down in her chair. "Things always start out so great. I don´t know what I do to drive them away." She frowned at her flat chest. "The fact that I look like a boy doesn´t help."

"Stop that," Marci said firmly. "If all a man sees is your body, he isn´t worth it."

Easy for you to say, Molly thought. Marci was beautiful, Twyla drop-dead gorgeous. Molly doubted if either woman had ever fretted over her looks. Neither of them had red hair that frizzed in the least amount of humidity, or dull green eyes, or freckles scattered over her body. They both had curves that shouted WOMAN. Her body shouted STICK.

Molly rubbed her forehead. She didn´t normally feel sorry for herself, but these last two weeks had really sucked.

"I´m sorry. Ignore my pity party, okay?"

"We´re all allowed to feel sorry for ourselves every once in a while," Marci said. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Shopping," Twyla said firmly. "Last month, when I was so down before Daniel and I made up, you two took me shopping. I say it´s time for us to do that again. Did you ever go to Lavender Lace?"

Molly shook her head. "I get a discount for working at Nordstrom. What little bit of bra I need, I get there."

"You were the one who turned us on to Lavender Lace," Marci said as she slung her purse´s strap over her shoulder. "Your sister works there. It´s way past time for you to go."

"Sexy lingerie won´t help me."

"It´ll make you feel better. That´s what counts." Marci stood and pushed her chair under the table. "Keefe and I have meetings scheduled all day today. How about tomorrow? What´s your schedule?"

"I´m off today, tomorrow and Wednesday."

"Perfect." Marci looked at Twyla. "Can you get off work a little early tomorrow?"

Twyla nodded. "No problem."

"Okay, it´s settled. Lavender Lace closes at six. Let´s meet there at four. That´ll give us two hours to look around. Shopping first, then dinner out. Maybe a movie too."

"Works for me," Twyla said.

Molly appreciated her friends´ efforts to cheer her, but looking at all that sexy lingerie at Lavender Lace would only depress her since she had no one to show it to. She opened her mouth to protest. Marci raised one finger before Molly could utter a word.

"No arguments. It´s settled. We´ll finalize plans here tomorrow morning." Marci glanced at her watch. "I have to go. Will you be okay?"

"Oh sure. I´m tough."

Marci squeezed Molly´s shoulder. "Yes, you are."

"I´ll walk out with you, Marci." Twyla gathered up her purse and empty cup. "I´ll see you tomorrow, Molly."

"Okay."

After her friends left, Molly lifted the lid of her laptop. She didn´t have to rush to get to work, so she might as well write a while longer. That would make her feel better.

She propped her elbow on the table, rested her chin on her fist and stared at the words on the screen. Everything she´d written this morning was complete crap. No wonder an editor didn´t want to read past the first three chapters.

She´d worked so hard to create a world that an editor would love. She´d read books in her genre until her eyes burned. She´d written detailed synopses and polished her first three chapters until they were perfect. Every editor and agent who´d read her work had turned her down. Never one to give up, Molly had put that book aside and started another one. Different book, same number of rejections. Now on her third book, she wondered if this one would produce the same result as the first two.

It would if she submitted garbage like the kind that filled her screen. She highlighted the five hundred words she´d written this morning and hit the delete key.

Inspiration would help. A guy about five-ten with dark brown hair and sexy brown eyes who was an amazing lover would be perfect.

Where´s my Prince Charming when I need him?

* * * * *

Julian Forrest sipped his coffee and watched the cute redhead frown at her laptop screen. Whatever she looked at obviously displeased her. He couldn´t tell for sure from this distance, but he thought she´d just deleted a large amount of text. Maybe she was working on something for college. She couldn´t be older than her early twenties.

He´d seen her Friday when he´d stopped in Jennie´s Java for the first time. She´d been deep in conversation with the two women who´d left a few minutes ago. He´d watched her, noticing how her face lit up when she smiled.

She wasn´t smiling now. In fact, she looked very close to tears.

An almost overwhelming urge to go to her and try to make her feel better washed over Julian. He didn´t understand that urge, nor the strong attraction to the slim redhead. She wasn´t his type at all. He wasn´t a giant at five-ten, but she couldn´t be much taller than five-two. Eight inches was a big difference. He preferred women closer to his own height. It made everything he enjoyed so much easier-dancing, kissing, making love.

He chuckled to himself at that last item. It had been so long since he´d made love with a woman, he´d almost forgotten how it felt to slide his hand down a woman´s bare back, grip her ass, thrust inside her wet pussy.

Women were out there and available. He´d met several over the past few years who would be willing to spend time naked with him. In his early twenties, he´d have taken them up on their offer in a heartbeat. A night of sweaty sex with no worries about tomorrow would have been perfect. Now, two months from turning thirty, he wanted more. He wanted the commitment, the house, the dog, the two-point-five kids.

He´d had a couple of relationships that could have turned into marriage. But something had been missing, that special feeling deep inside that shouted "she´s the one". He´d cared deeply about both women, yet couldn´t say he´d loved them. He couldn´t say he´d ever loved anyone.

Except maybe Lane.

Julian quickly pushed all thoughts of Lane Edison out of his mind. That relationship had been a mistake, a rebound after his breakup with Ms. Almost Right Number Two. He never should have given in to his desire to kiss Lane´s lips, suck his dick, fuck his ass. But he had. And he´d loved every moment of it.

Lane´s deployment to Europe put an end to their four-month-long affair. Julian had said goodbye to the naval officer a year ago and returned to looking for the special woman who would share his life.

He hadn´t found anyone in Bremerton. When a job offer in Seattle came his way, he´d accepted it without hesitation. Perhaps the move to Seattle would bring him better luck at finding Ms. Right.

That thought drew his attention back to the redhead. She gathered up her laptop, purse and coat and headed for the exit. She´d been here Friday and today. He wondered if she came here every weekday.

Maybe he´d come in tomorrow morning and find out.