"We're going to the beach, but first I thought we'd run into Lily's Boutique and grab some shorts and a tank top."

"I can't let you buy me anything."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It's not right...it's unprofessional."

"You said you would do anything today."

"Shopping is not a form of exercise."

"You're ruining the moment," he said. "Go with it. Loosen up a little just this once."

"Fine. Let's go. You can buy me everything in the store if you want."

"Looks like Tom and Katie are at it again," Grant said, making Molly cringe since she didn't have to look over her shoulder to know what Tom and Katie were doing. But, of course, she looked anyhow. They were at the top of the jungle gym making out. They were really going at it, making her wonder how they could breathe. Until ten minutes ago, the four of them were having a great time talking about concerts and music. It was a wonder Tom and Katie weren't falling off the bars.

Molly's cheeks felt hot, and she hoped Grant didn't notice.

"Have you ever been kissed?" Grant asked.

Molly found it hard to swallow. She tried to say something, anything, but no words came out of her mouth.

He chuckled. "Is that a *no'?"

She shook her head before quickly changing it to a nod.

He leaned forward until his nose was only inches from hers. The mischievous look in his eyes told her he was waiting for her to make the next move. He was giving her a choice, which made her feel brave. She leaned toward him and tried not to squirm when her lips brushed against his. His lips felt softer than she imagined they would. He didn't smell like most of the boys who hung out in her neighborhood. He smelled clean and fresh, like soap. Her arms tingled. Kissing wasn't as gross as she thought it would be, but she still pulled away. He didn't seem too disappointed. At least he was smiling.

She decided right then and there that she liked kissing Grant Parker.

"What's going on here!"

"Principal Hardy," Molly gasped.

"Molly Murphy. Is that you?"

She looked at Grant, hoping he would know what to do or say to get them out of this mess, but he didn't say a word.

She glanced at the jungle gym. Tom and Katie had managed to escape unnoticed.

"Molly Murphy," the principal said again, making her feel like a ten-year old. Did you know school ended over an hour ago?"

"Gosh," she said. "You're kidding me?"

Grant chuckled, which made the principal's brow slant together. She hadn't meant it to be funny.

"Your teacher was worried about you and so were your classmates," Principal Hardy said. "I thought I'd check the park before I called your mother to tell her that her only child was missing. What do you think that would have done to her?"

"To tell you the truth, Mr. Hardy, I'm not really sure."

After all the daycare kids left for the day, Lindsay walked Cole to the door. "Thanks for your help. The kids really like you a lot."

"How about you?"

"Me?"

"Do you like me a lot?"

"You're a nice guy." The phone rang. "Just a moment." She left him standing at the door while she ran back into the house to pick up the phone. A moment later, Lindsay returned with her purse. She stepped outside and shuffled around the inside of her purse for her keys. "That was the principal at Molly's school. She was supposed to go to her friend's house after school, but apparently ditched her last few classes to go to the park with Grant, one of the boys you met at the bowling alley last weekend."

She finally located her keys. Her hands shook while she locked the door. Cole followed her to her car. "Has she done this before?"

"No. Never." Lindsay stopped in her tracks. "Damn."

"What's wrong?"

"I completely forgot. My car isn't working, which is why I asked Mrs. McDowell to take Molly to school today." She lightly tapped the side of her head, trying to figure out what to do. "I meant to call Kari earlier, but it completely slipped my mind."

"I'll take you."

She looked at his sleek black sedan parked in the driveway. "Are you sure?"

"It would be my pleasure."

They headed for his car. He opened the passenger door and held it open while she slid onto the smooth leather seat and strapped herself in. The car still had that new car smell.

Cole walked around the front and then climbed in beside her.

"I like this car," she said.

"A lot?"

She smiled. "Very much."

He pushed a button on the navigation system. "What's the name of the school?"

"Carter Junior High off Stafford Blvd."

He logged in the name, then turned on his blinker and merged onto the street. A light breeze blew the leaves from the trees lining the road. "So what's going on with the sperm bank?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you still going through with it?"

She made a tsking noise. "Of course. This isn't cosmetic surgery where you just change your mind on a whim. I'm going to have a baby. Yes, I'm still going through with it."

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry." And she was. The poor guy had done nothing wrong and yet she seemed determined to push him away, for no reason other than the fact that he was an athlete and too good looking for his own good. "It's just that I've put a lot of thought into having a baby of my own. It's not something I woke up and decided to do one day. I didn't sign up with DLS until after years of thought and planning went into my decision."

"Why so eager?" he asked. "You're still young. Why not wait until the right guy comes along?"

Her sigh came out sounding like a huff, especially since he obviously didn't think he was a contender as the right guy for her because otherwise he wouldn't have worded it like that. Why that would unsettle her, she wasn't sure. She'd known what sort of man Cole was since the day she met him. "There is no right guy for me," she finally answered.

He looked away from the road long enough to give her an incredulous look. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. Men are control freaks. They're domineering. They don't care for what is easily gained, instead desiring only that which cannot be obtained without difficulty."

He let out a short caustic laugh. "So you think that if you went out with me, I would lose interest fairly quickly."

"Without a doubt."

"So dating is all just a silly game."

"Exactly," she said, "which is why I don't do it very often."

"Because you don't like games?"

"Right again. For the record though, I'm truly not interested in dating you. It's not a game. It's not an act." She looked over at him. "That probably stirs something inside of you, doesn't it?"

"You could say that."

"Men are predictable that way. For instance, if I said pull over so we can have sex right here, right now, odds are you wouldn't hesitate to do just that."

He smiled, causing a handsome dimple to dent his profile. "Okay, maybe you have a point."

She laughed and then leaned her head back against the headrest. "Men."

"The same could be said about women."

"Okay," she said, "tell me what's on my mind."

"Although you appear to be having a conversation with me about men vs. women, you're really thinking about Molly. You're worried about her. I can see it in your eyes. If I said let's pull over to the side of the road and have sex, you would either laugh it off or punch me in the nose, but secretly, way down deep inside, a fluttering would start in your belly at the idea of the two of us getting naked, because you haven't been with a man in a long while and you know you want it. Being that you're stubborn and you like to be in control, inevitably you would be the one on top, the one setting the pace and taking us both to the edge. The sound of a car honking in the distance might make you stop and wonder what the hell you were doing, but then the heat of my tongue tangled with yours and the feel of my hand cupping your buttocks would make you forget everything else, and for the first time in a very long time you would climax. Right here. Right now. On the side of the road in Cole Fletcher's brand new BMW."

It was quiet for a moment.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to get a hold of herself. "Wow, you're good," she said, sarcasm lining her voice. "How did you know I liked being on top?"

He let out a long laugh as he made a left on Turner Road. The school was up ahead on the right. He parked the car and followed her to the front office.

Lindsay knew Molly might be embarrassed to see Cole, but she figured the kid deserved whatever she got. Inside the school office, four chairs lined the left side of the room. Molly sat alone in the first chair. She looked up, surprise lighting her eyes and heat coloring her cheeks when she spotted Cole Fletcher.

"Where's Grant?" Lindsay asked.

"His mom just picked him up."

"You stay here with Cole," Lindsay told her. "I'm going to go find the principal."

After Lindsay disappeared, an awkward moment ensued and Cole wondered why he'd followed Lindsay inside. "Howdy," he said.

She lifted her gaze and managed a half smile.

"How much trouble are you in?"

"Suspended for the last two days of school. No dance for me this Friday." She shrugged. "It was a father daughter dance anyhow, so who cares? It's not like I have a father."

Cole shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Where is your father?"

"Don't ask me. Ask your friend."

He looked over his shoulder, thoroughly confused. "What friend would that be?"

"Mad Max."

"Does he know your father?"

"He is my father."

CHAPTER 10.

Kari watched Max leap in the air, muscles flexing, tendons straining as he spiked the volleyball over the net.

One of the three guys on the opposing side was ready for him though and the big guy managed to give the ball just the right touch, sending the volleyball right back toward Kari.

"Mine," she called.

Tense, she entwined her fingers, elbows straight, just as Max and his football friends had instructed. She was ready this time...legs apart, body alert, eyes on the ball. Right before she could touch the ball though, Max flew through the air in front of her, hit the ball with his palm, and sent the ball over the net, giving them another point.

Max looked over his shoulder at her and winked.

She plunked her hands on her hips. "I called that ball."

He smiled. "Sorry, babe. I didn't hear you."

Babe? Since when had she become babe? Max had started acting strange, playing the macho boyfriend the moment they hooked up with his friends. "That's bull," she said, hoping to show him she didn't appreciate being treated like an object instead of a human being.