girlfriend already—or yeah, his lover, since Julian was too worldly to have girlfriends—so she clamped her mouth shut and privately thanked her lucky stars that she truly had better sense than to become notch number 1,000,340 on the mysterious and uncatchable Julian John Gage’s bedpost.
Kate paused in her cookie wrapping and lifted two winged eyebrows in question. “So how did it happen? Did he just suddenly—?”
“Did I realize what a fool I’ve been not to finally admit little Molls is the one for me? Yeah. Exactly like that.” The deep baritone that interrupted them startled Molly so much that her arms broke out in goose bumps.
She spun around as Julian shut the front door after him, and her stomach sank in mortification when she realized that once again he would find her in paint-splattered work clothes. Then she remembered she didn’t care. This was Julian John and she didn’t need to impress him. He already thought she looked like a by-product of a blender. Why ruin it for him?
But it seemed wholly unfair that she would be wearing paint marks up to her hair and he would look so clean and male and good. Black jacket slung over his shoulder, his burgundy Gucci tie almost undone, he looked sexily tousled and delicious. Not that Molly wanted a bite of him or anything, but she supposed another woman would. Hell, they all did.
But Molly had common sense in regards to him.
She mentally patted herself on the back once more while Julian stalked forward as if he owned the place, wearing that playful grin he’d given her ever since they were kids.
“Whatever Kate has said about me, Mopey, don’t believe her. It’s all due to the fact that she wanted me first.” His strong arms coiled like a steel vise around her waist while that Beckham-blond head dipped toward hers.
Molly didn’t see it coming. He moved too fast and had incredible strength, and she was only five feet tall and easily handled. Before she could even realize what was happening, Julian had already reeled her in, crushing her breasts against his rock-hard pecs as his mouth settled firmly over hers, expertly, perfectly, oh so hotly.
And ooh. Oooh. A tiny working part of her mind frantically screamed at her to push him away. The only one she should be kissing now was Garrett! But the fact was, Julian kissed like his brother. Except Julian tasted clean and minty and not of wine, and he kissed her as if he had all the time in the world.
Those silken playboy’s lips pressed with painstaking gentleness against hers and moved so languorously that all her senses began to spin out of control. Molly became magnetized. Hypnotized. Almost transported to the night her entire world had flipped upside down, and she’d glanced down to find her heart had been stolen from her chest.
She wasn’t even sure she was standing anymore, but trusted that Julian would always catch her fall. The sudden desperate urge to press closer to him flitted through her, burned through her being as he lingered in his kiss for a thrilling, electrifying second, and then he was gone. Leaving her dazed and surprised and scatterbrained as he set her away—thankfully keeping a steady hand on her elbow until she found her ground.
He said something once it was over. She thought it was hello.
Molly pushed her hair back, feeling dazed. “Uh—hi.”
He asked her something, his voice huskier than usual, his eyes at half-mast, and she stared at his mouth. His soft yet strong lips became the center of her attention, for she wondered what exactly it was about those lips that had felt so incredibly good when he’d put them on hers.
Even her knees had taken a hit.
She fought to calm down, but remained so shaken she ended up snapping at him for catching her unaware. “What are you doing here, JJ?” she asked, glaring, using his old kiddie nickname just to punish him.
Julian remained aloof and calmly popped a cookie straight from the baking sheet into his mouth. “Nothing, pumpkin buns. Just wanted to check in on my girl.” He strode over and squeezed her butt, whispering only for her ears, “JJ? You’re going to pay for that, Molls.”
She fake giggled so Kate wouldn’t notice anything strange and pulled away, her buttocks aflame from his touch. How to get back at him? She said the first thing that came to mind when she caught Kate’s confused expression. “JJ loves for me to call him all sorts of pet names when we’re...you know,” she told her.
“JJ?” Kate turned to Julian, hands on hips, spatula held like a sword. “I thought you absolutely loathed that nickname.”
Julian shot Molly a warning look. “I do,” he said, jaw square as a cutting board. “But little Molls calls me JJ exclusively when she wants me to spank her.”
Molly’s satisfaction in getting back at him vanished.
Her cheeks burst into flames. She wanted to die of embarrassment, for now her sister would forever believe her to be into that kind of kinky stuff.
“Baby, its barely afternoon and I still need to make myself sexy and sophisticated for you,” she told him as she went around the kitchen and shot him a scowl from behind Kate’s shoulders. “Not all of us come by it naturally. Now you’ll have to wait for me a bit. I’m sure Kate and her spatula would love to keep you company, though.”
He moved fluidly, nonplussed. “I have a better idea, bun-buns. Why don’t I help you get dressed, hmm?” Before Molly could deny him, he’d followed her into her bedroom and locked them inside while Kate remained in the kitchen, no doubt still wide-eyed.
“Will you puleeze stop provoking me,” Molly hissed, pushing him against the door. “Stop calling me bun-buns.”
He leaned forward with gritted teeth. “Who’s provoking who? You know I freaking hate JJ!”
“And don’t you dare kiss me again without warning like you just did!”
“If you ever call me JJ again, I’m going to kiss you—with tongue. So don’t, otherwise I’ll think you want my tongue inside your mouth!”
He glared at her and she glared back, wishing that a stream of butterflies hadn’t just migrated to her stomach. She couldn’t help but wonder what Julian did with his loathed tongue that drove all women crazy, crazy, crazy....
“Are we clear about this, Molls?” he demanded, using his thumb and forefinger to tip her head back and force her to meet his gaze. She was appalled to realize she had apparently been staring dumbly at his mouth.
She nodded so that he would release her and swallowed, some rebel inside her wanting to test him and say: Yes, JJ.
Then she groaned and thrust him away. “Why, oh, why did you have to tell her you spanked me?” She shook her head and rubbed her temples in complete mortification.
“Because sometimes I swear to God you want me to.” He swatted her butt and strolled to the closet, leaving her to grapple with incredibly strange and powerful emotions and an uncomfortably stinging butt.
“So.” He yanked out a huge suitcase, turned back and cocked a devilish eyebrow at her. “I told the love of your life that you were moving in with me. What do you say about that, my little Picasso?”
“Was he jealous?”
That smile again. “About as close to banging his head on a wall as I’ve seen him.”
