Chapter 26:
AJ woke up in the middle of the night to the touch of cool fingertips traveling down his chest. Molly's head was still laying on his shoulder comfortably, when he opened his eyes. But he knew she was awake as well, when she pressed her lips against his skin. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"Did I wake you up?" she whispered, looking up at him. "Sorry!"
"It's alright", he smiled, his voice raspy from sleep.
She smiled. "I just couldn't resist", she said, kissing his chest again. "You smell really good, you know?!" Her fingertips drew invisible patterns around his navel. "And I don't mean your cologne. Just...you. You taste good as well." Both chuckled.
"I'm glad you finally told me", AJ joked. "I believed you think I stink."
"Well, actually you do, McLean. I was just trying to be nice."
AJ rolled them over, so that he was lying on top of her. Grinning evilly he said: "How 'bout I suck?" With that he lowered his lips to her neck and began kissing and sucking on Molly's flesh. She was laughing first, because it tickled, but soon he was eliciting small moans from her.
This time Molly didn't think about stopping him, when his hands roamed over her body. She trusted him that he wouldn't go too far, and besides she could always stop him if she started feeling uncomfortable. She doubted she would, though. When she had woken up a couple of minutes before AJ had, she hadn't been able to resist the urge to kiss and touch him. It would've been a shame to waste the chance to give and get some tenderness.
She pressed the back of her head into her pillow, as AJ's tongue travelled down her throat, before she pulled his head back up for a deep kiss. "Good thing we didn't sleep for long", she chuckled, when he pulled away. "No sign of morning breath yet!"
AJ just shook his head at her grinning. "I'm glad that's all you think about while I work my magic on you", he teased.
"You might just have to try a li'l harder", she replied, smirking. AJ didn't need a second invitation. Molly highly enjoyed what he was doing to her. So much that she didn't mind, when both his hands and lips traveled further down and pulled her pajama pants down a little to reveal her panties.
He startled her though, when he suddenly jumped towards the bedside table and turned on a lamp. Molly shielded her eyes from the bright light, while AJ exclaimed: "Damn! Woman!"
"What?" she asked confused. "What's wrong?"
AJ resumed his previous position, staring intently at her panties it seemed. But then Molly began laughing, when he exclaimed excitedly: "You never told me you have a tattoo!"
Still laughing, she replied: "Alex, are you going to ruin all of our moments with some shit like that?"
He just grinned: "Baby, that's what makes our moments!" He returned his attention to her tattoo, a Chinese symbol, that was far down left of her navel. He traced it's lines with his fingers lightly, asking: "What does it mean?"
"McLean's love slave!" she joked.
"You wish", he laughed. "No, actually I wish!"
"Nah, it's the Chinese symbol for destiny and fortune", she answered.
"Beautiful", AJ murmured. Then he felt her stomach muscles contracting by surprise, when he kissed the tattoo and ran his tongue over it. "You like that, baby?" he whispered.
"Baby likes anything you do", she smiled back at him.
They were in no rush and each took their time to please the other that night, and so quite a while passed, before they decided to get some more sleep.
Again Molly was the first one to wake up in the morning. AJ was laying behind her, almost spooning her, his arm draped lazily over her waist. She stretched, careful not to wake him up, before she looked at the clock.
"What the heck?" she whispered hoarsely, when she realized it was only around 8:15 am. She thought it was way too early to be awake, but since she didn't feel tired at all, she decided to get up. If she went back to sleep now, she'd be feeling dead by the time she woke up again. It was queer, but that was how her system worked. She slipped out under AJ's arm and out of bed, then headed downstairs and flopped down in front of the TV. What could be better but spending the early morning watching cartoons?!
Twenty minutes later she heard someone coming down as well. She turned to look who it was, surprised that it was none other than AJ. "Alex? Up already?"
He rubbed his right eye with his hand, not looking very awake yet. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep anymore. The bed was cold."
"You're shitting me", she laughed. "Sleeping under the same covers as you is like sleeping next to a heater."
"Ok, ok", he yawned, "it was boring without you."
"Now that is something totally different", she grinned, shaking her head at him.
"Animaniacs?" he asked, taking a look at the TV.
Molly nodded. "My fave cartoon show!" She smiled, when AJ rested his head in her lap, his eyes fixed to the TV, but his hands caressing her knees and thighs. She began playing with his hair in return, while they laughed about the cartoons.
That was how Nick and Araysa found them an hour later, watching "The Simpsons" then. The two couldn't suppress loud chuckles, when they neared the TV, only to find Molly and AJ exclaiming: "DOH!", before they burst out laughing.
"Good morning to you, too!" Araysa grinned.
Molly turned around, smiling brightly: "Oh, hey! Morning, guys!"
"How come you're up and awake, Bone?" Nick asked.
"Whoever said I was awake?" AJ replied. "But you're one to ask! Did Ray kick you out?" he asked.
Araysa just chuckled. Nick explained: "Nah. Joe wants me in the studio by 10:30. I hope I'll be able to sing at all today. Damn, I'm tired."
"I wonder what kept you up all night?" Molly smirked.
Araysa snorted and grinned. "Look who's talking. There was definitely noise coming from your room tonight, too."
Molly raised her eye-brows. "Noise? Uh uh, lady. Besides you must've been awake already to hear that. You been doing the nasty?" she joked.
"Nothing nastier than you two", Araysa grinned, to which both AJ and Molly asked:
"Discussing tattoos?"
Araysa raised her hands in defeat. "Ok, so obviously Nick and I know a better way to enjoy our time." AJ and Molly just exchanged a glance, smiling amused.
"Umm", Nick piped up embarrassed, "we didn't do the nasty in Caroline's house!" The other three just laughed. Changing the subject, he then asked: "Anyone else up for breakfast?"
"Yup", Araysa said, following Nick into the kitchen.
Molly and AJ did the same, when suddenly AJ's hand hit his forehead and he exclaimed: "Oh shit - breakfast!" He turned to Molly, who was raising an eye-brow at him. "I totally forgot to tell you!" he said. "My mom invited us to have breakfast with her this morning. You wanna go?"
Molly shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Sure, why not?!"
"Alright, I'm gonna call her and tell her we'll be there in an hour." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then went to call his mom.
When Molly came into the kitchen, she told Araysa and Nick: "You'll have to have breakfast alone, guys. Denise has invited Alex and me to come over this morning." Before they could reply anything, she smiled, turned and hurried upstairs to get ready.
A little over half an hour later, AJ and Molly were ready to leave. Mandy and Sarah had got up by now as well. Caroline seemed to have left for work very early. Before she left with AJ, Molly told the girls: "Ladies, whatever you do today, make sure you're home this afternoon. Please! We SO gotta catch up on stuff. What do you say? Just us later?"
Araysa put her hands over Nick's ears, then answered: "I'm definitely up to this." She laughed when Nick protested, who had heard her anyway. "Aww, babe, we can go out tonight, alright? Who knows how long you'll be in the studio anyway!"
Mandy and Sarah agreed as well, so it was settled.
Molly nervously played with the rings on her fingers, stealing sideways glances at AJ, who was driving the car and singing along to the radio quietly. Breakfast with Denise... Only a couple of minutes ago that hadn't sounded as intimidating as it did now. Sure, she had already met Denise and they had got along fine, but there was an important difference between being her baby's stupid fan or being her baby's girlfriend. Molly rolled her eyes and silently told herself to get a grip and calm down. The only thing she had to be afraid of were her own silly thoughts.
She pondered whether or not she should tell AJ that she had already met his mom. She didn't see any importance in it though, especially because she didn't expect Denise to still remember her. It would probably just be embarrassing if she told AJ how nice it had been meeting Denise and then not be recognized by her. So Molly shrugged that train of thoughts off as well.
"Why so silent?" AJ asked, grinning. "My mom won't rip your head off, don't worry."
"Great", Molly answered sarcastically, "give me more of those nice mental images."
AJ laughed. "Don't tell me you're nervous?!"
Molly raised an eyebrow at him, but refused to reply. Instead she asked curiously: "Isn't this the way to your house?"
"Yep", AJ replied. "My mom doesn't live far from me."
"Awww", Molly grinned. "I've got myself a mama's boy!"
"Damn right", he grinned back. "So you never answered me - are you nervous?"
Molly shook her head. "Not really. Not more than I should be, I guess. Wouldn't you be nervous about meeting my dad?"
He seemed to think about it for a moment, before he nodded and laughed. "Would I have a reason to be?" he then asked.
"Nervous? No", Molly said, before she joked: "But be afraid!"
"Well, as far as my mom's concerned - just be yourself and she'll love you. Simple as that."
Molly shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "I guess I can do that."
It wasn't long until they had reached Denise' home. AJ honked the horn once to let his mom know they had arrived, and soon she came out to greet them at the door. Denise and AJ immediately hugged, while Molly watched somewhat shyly and smiled at the sight.
"Mom, this is the one I wanted you to meet", AJ then said, wrapping an arm around Molly's waist. "Molly, this is my mom!"
The two women shook hands and introduced themselves. Denise told Molly right away that it was ok to just call her by her name. Molly accepted the offer happily and noticed that no sign of recognition crossed Denise' face. She had been right that Denise wouldn't remember her. After all she met so many fans all the time, she'd have to be a genius to remember each one.
Denise had prepared everything for breakfast at a table in her garden, which was full in bloom and beautiful. Molly sat down opposite from AJ and Denise sat at the head of the garden table. They started off with some chit-chat about this and that. Mainly AJ and Denise were catching up on some things, but Molly already had fun. Just like the first time, she and AJ's mom got along fine. The only thing Molly found strange though was the way that Denise would look at her from time to time, as if giving her the once over. She guessed mothers did that with their son's girlfriends.
After a while, Denise turned to Molly. "So", she grinned, "whenever my son started speaking of you these days, he confused me more than that I understood anything."
"Mom", AJ interrupted, but the two women just laughed.
Denise smiled at Molly: "He seems so enchanted by you that he just stumbled over his own words, when talking about you. So maybe you can tell me how exactly you met. It sounded like some complicated kinda story."
Molly smiled. "It isn't that complicated actually. We met when the Boys were in Minnesota. I knew Brian and the others from before, all except Alex that is, so we've been introduced to each other and...well..." She wiggled her eyebrows grinning.
AJ had been chuckling ever since she had started talking, but now he laughed out loud. "Ok, now how about all the main parts you left out", he said.
"Ok, ok, but then it does get complicated." Molly turned to Denise and began again: "I met the Boys last year in Cologne, in November to-"
At that Denise snapped her fingers at both hands and exclaimed: "Now I got it!" Molly began laughing, more than surprised but already guessing what Denise was aiming at. AJ though only looked confused.
"First your face didn't tell me much, but combined with your name I just had the feeling I knew you. I couldn't place you anywhere though, not if my life had depended on it. But now..."
Both women laughed and Molly said: "Wow, I didn't think you'd remember me."
"What?" AJ spoke up, but was being ignored.
"Well, after all we did spend some time together", Denise said. "Why didn't you say a word, hun? Now I clearly remember!" She laughed again. "We had breakfast then, too, right?"
Molly nodded and grinned, when suddenly AJ called out: "Hellooooo!"
"What?" Denise asked.
"He doesn't know", Molly told her.
Denise looked surprised. "No?" she asked for confirmation. Molly shook her head and chuckled.
"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" AJ asked Molly. She kept silent, trying to keep her smile from spreading and looked at him innocently. After Denise and Molly cleared things up, he exclaimed: "You even met my mom before you met me?"
"Yep", Molly replied. When he kept looking at her with raised eyebrows, Molly smirked and said: "Umm... SURPRISE!" Denise and her laughed again. Soon AJ couldn't help but chuckle along, especially because he was glad that his mom and his girlfriend had bonded already.
"How's your friend?" Denise asked, after they had calmed down again. "The one that was with you in Cologne."
"Actually, Sarah's here with me again. She's fine!"
"Oh, that's great. You gotta come back before you fly back home", Denise invited, "and bring her with you."
"I will", Molly smiled. "She'll love meeting you again."
Denise looked deep in thought suddenly, before she looked at AJ saying: "Didn't you say you met her in Cologne?" Then she turned to Molly again. "And you said you met in Minnesota. Now I'm confused again. Who's right and who's wrong?"
AJ chuckled. "Well, when I said that I met her, I meant that I saw her in Cologne. You...do you remember the girl I've been telling you about? The one Howie called the mysterious lady?" Molly blushed, hearing that again.
"You mean to tell me..." Denise asked, looking from her son to Molly. "Wow, that's what I call a romantic story", she grinned, which didn't help Molly to get her natural color back. She laid her hand on Molly's and both smiled.
AJ knew Molly had just found a new friend for life.
On to chapter 27
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