28. Luke
CHAPTER 28
Luke
I woke to the sudden feeling that I was about to fall off the bed.
My back was right up against the edge, and one foot dangled off the side. Blinking my eyes, I started scooting closer to the middle when I realized why I was about to roll off. Melanie took up most of the bed.
She was on her back, her hair a mess all over the pillow. One leg was jutted out toward me, and I worried that if I startled her awake, she’d punch me in the face again.
She was out—sound asleep—and I was pretty sure she’d slept all night. I’d woken up a few times when she moved, and she’d definitely been asleep. She hadn’t even stirred when I’d softly kissed her temple.
I gazed at her for a long moment. Waking up with her felt good. Really good. She knew how to drive me crazy, but there was so much more than that. She was like the high of a race, without the crash.
I was falling hard and fast for Melanie Andolini. Again. I’d been a goner for her the first time around and it hadn’t ended well. But this time would be different. I was all in. I didn’t know how else to be. I wasn’t a guy who did things halfway, so like I’d told her, she was mine.
It was possible I was making a huge mistake. But I had to take the risk.
She was worth it.
I decided to let her sleep. She needed it. Besides, I didn’t want to risk another face punch.
Carefully, I rolled out of bed. With a soft noise in her throat, she turned onto her side, squishing her cheek against the pillow. I couldn’t help but smile. Such a beautiful mess.
She didn’t stir as I tugged my T-shirt and jeans back on. I slipped out and shut the door softly behind me.
It was a Saturday, and I didn’t have anywhere to be, so I went to her kitchen and made some coffee. I hung out for a while, scrolling through random stuff on my phone, until I heard her stirring in her bedroom.
A few minutes later, she came out, still blinking sleep from her eyes. She’d pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and still had on the tank top and pajama pants she’d slept in.
“Sorry,” she said. “Have you been up for a long time?”
“Not long. Did you get some rest?”
Reaching out, I took her hand and drew her onto my lap, straddling me.
“Mm hmm. Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
That made me smile. I rubbed her thighs. “Good.”
She hesitated for a moment and when she spoke, her voice was quiet. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How’s your dad?”
“He’s good. He’s been working on redoing the pantry for my mom.”
“Are your ribs okay?” She ran a hand along my midsection.
“Yeah. There wasn’t much lifting involved. He mostly just needed an extra set of hands. ”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re healing.”
“Me too. Pain sucks.”
“Do you need to go back up there to help again today?”
“Nope. We got him all taken care of. What about you? Any plans?”
“Not a one.”
“That’s good news for me.”
“Why? Do you think I want to hang out with you all day?”
“I think that’s exactly what you want,” I said. “And then you want me to sleep over again so you can almost push me off the bed.”
“I didn’t almost push you off the bed.”
“Yes, you did,” I said with a soft laugh. “I woke up on the verge of rolling off.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s all right.”
“Fine, you’re right. I want you to myself all day.”
“Done. You know what we should do?”
“What?”
“Go to the lake.”
“That does sound fun. Especially if it’s going to be hot again.”
Her lips were irresistible. With a gentle hand on her chin, I pulled her in for a kiss, enjoying the warm softness of her mouth and the velvety brush of her tongue.
“You should come back to bed first,” she said between kisses and rolled her hips against me. “So I can thank you properly.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I know. But I want to. I want you.” She pushed herself off my lap and stood.
With a grin—I definitely wasn’t saying no—I got up and followed her to the bedroom.
And it was everything.
Melanie Andolini dressed in nothing but a pair of denim shorts over her bright red bikini, sitting in the passenger side of my Chevelle, was seriously hot.
Hot girl. Hot car. In that moment, I had it all.
I pulled out a cassette tape and pushed it into the player.
“You still have cassettes?” she asked.
“Hell yeah, I still have cassettes. Best way to make a mixtape.”
“What one is this?”
I hit play, and classic rock filled the car. “Luke Haven’s make-out mixtape.”
She turned to look at me, her lips parted in surprise. “Did you have this… back then?”
I gave her a crooked grin. “Haven’t listened to it since. This one was all yours.”
With a slight shake of her head, she smiled.
We grooved to the music as we drove out to a spot on my family’s land, near a trail that led to the lake. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, and there wouldn’t be a bunch of out-of-towners to get in the way. We’d brought drinks and a few snacks, along with towels and a blanket. I grabbed most of it, she took the rest, and we made our way down the trail.
The roar of a waterfall grew as we got closer. We emerged from the trees on a secluded beach not far from the falls. The water sparkled in the sun, and the mountains surrounded us.
“I haven’t been out here in so long,” Melanie said as we set our things down on a flat spot near the water’s edge. “It’s so pretty.”
We laid the blanket on the ground and put our towels aside. I peeled off my shirt and Melanie slid her shorts down her toned legs and kicked them off. The air was still, the temperature rising, and the sun baked down on us. The cold water was going to feel great .
I eyed my girl. She was going to feel great, too.
“Ready to get in?” she asked.
“Let’s do it.”
She took a few slow steps into the icy water, gasping at the cold.
“You gotta jump in and get it over with,” I said.
“I can’t. It’s freezing.”
I grinned at her, then jogged a few steps into the water, and dove in.
She was right, it was freezing. The cold hit me like a truck as I glided beneath the surface. But the rush felt good. Letting my feet drop, I found the bottom and stood. Taking a big breath, I shook the water off my face and ran my hands over my hair.
Melanie was still only ankle deep.
“Come on, beautiful. You’ll feel better once you’re in.”
She took a tiny step.
“You big baby.”
Pushing my body through the water, I marched up the bank, dripping wet, and picked her up. She shrieked for me to put her down, but there was laughter behind it. I walked her into the deeper water and paused.
“Ready?”
“No!”
She kept one arm around my shoulders and plugged her nose. Bending my knees, I dunked us both, then came up. She gasped as we broke the surface.
“So cold!”
I let go of her legs so she could stand. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
She wiped her face. “Only because it’s probably a hundred degrees out here.”
“Exactly.”
We swam around a bit, enjoying the water, but staying close to the shore. Surrounded by mountains, with the blue sky stretched above us, the lake felt secluded, like the cares of the world couldn’t reach us.
After a while, we moved into waist-deep water to let the sun warm us.
She traced her fingers across my ribs. “It’s still so bruised.”
“It looks worse than it feels.”
“That’s good at least.” She paused. “Do you think you’ll race again?”
“No.” I was surprised at how easily the answer came. But it was true. “I’d say the wreck knocked some sense into me, but it’s more than that. I don’t need it anymore.”
“Why did you need it before?”
I hesitated, considering. “It was like the only time I felt alive was when I was driving fast. I was always chasing something—chasing the high, I guess—only to crash soon after. Being with you is like that, only without the crash. And without the likelihood of dying. Although you do have a mean right hook, so I won’t let my guard down too much.”
“Being with me is like driving a race car?”
I pulled her against me. “Being with you is being alive. Whatever I was chasing, it wasn’t what I needed. You are.”
Our lips met in a soft kiss, and she wound her arms around my neck.
“I only raced that night because I was mad at you,” I said, my mouth turning up in a grin.
“Mad at me for what? Oh. Never mind. That was the night we ran into each other at the restaurant, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
“That’s okay. I was mad at you too.”
I touched my forehead to hers while the water lapped around our waists. “I hated seeing you with someone else. So much.”
“I hated it too. She seemed really nice, which made it so much worse. ”
“She might have been nice, but she wasn’t you. No one is.”
“And the rest of the world is relieved about that. What would life be like if there were two of me?”
“That is a scary thought.”
She laughed. “Hey.”
“You’re a handful, Melanie Andolini. But it’s possible I’m a little bit crazy about you.”
“It’s possible I’m a little bit crazy about you, too. This wasn’t what I expected when I moved back to Tilikum. I was just trying to pick up the pieces. I didn’t think you’d be there to help.”
“We don’t even need to pick up the pieces of your old life. We can just sweep them into a corner and be done with them. Start fresh.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Me too.”
I kissed her again, intoxicated by the feel of her mouth on mine. We enjoyed the cool water for a while, then made our way back to our towels to dry off in the sun.
Eventually, we ran out of snacks. That meant it was time to head back to town. Spending half the day swimming in the sun had left us both hungry, so we stopped at the Zany Zebra for an early dinner.
I held the door open for her, and the scent of fries spilled out into the evening air. Melanie started toward the counter but abruptly stopped in her tracks and spun around.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “Is that who I think it is?”
There were people at most of the tables, but it only took me a second to see who she was talking about. Hank. “Yep, that’s him.”
“Him?” Her forehead creased in confusion. “I was talking about Jenna.”
I looked again. “Holy shit, that is Jenna. She’s here with Hank. ”
Melanie’s eyes widened, and she grabbed my arm. “I want to look. Can I look?”
Hank and Jenna were sitting across from each other, sharing a milkshake. Neither of them cast even the slightest glance in our direction. They were too busy staring into each other’s eyes.
“You can look.”
She slowly spun around to look then turned back to me.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered again, her eyes still wide. “They’re so cute together.”
“Your whisper is louder than you think, secret agent Mel. Let’s go order some food. Everyone else in the restaurant is starting to look concerned.”
“Sorry, my mind is just a little bit blown right now.”
I took her arm and led her to the front counter to order. Hank and Jenna still didn’t seem to notice us despite the way Melanie was openly staring. She was many things, but subtle was not one of them.
The cashier came over and I ordered our dinner. Right as I was paying, Melanie grabbed my arm again.
“They just kissed over the table.”
“Good for them,” I said, my voice low. “Will you be quiet about it?”
“Sorry.”
Once our order was in, I moved her down the counter to wait—away from Hank and Jenna. I tried to block Melanie’s view of them, but she kept leaning over to look.
It was hard not to laugh.
Finally, our food came out. I grabbed the bags and dragged her out of there. We got in the car and my stomach rumbled at the smell of burgers and fries.
“That was crazy,” she said as she fastened her seat belt. “Who would have thought?”
“The only crazy thing in there was you.”
“I wasn’t being crazy. ”
“You were being obvious. They must have been very wrapped up in each other not to notice you staring at them.”
“You know what this means?”
“No, what?”
“I’m basically a matchmaker.”
“How does that make you a matchmaker?”
“If I hadn’t outbid her for you,” she said, gesturing with her hands, “she wouldn’t have bid on Hank.”
I grinned at her. She was so ridiculous. “I don’t think that makes you a matchmaker.”
“Fine, matchmaker isn’t the right word. But it does mean I’m responsible for getting them together. If they get married, they better invite me to the wedding. I wonder if Jenna has any sisters. She might need a bridesmaid.”
“Somehow I don’t think you’re going to be in the wedding.”
“She and I bonded in the bathroom. We’re basically besties now.”
I laughed. “Okay, Mel. Bridesmaid it is. But that’s not the real question.”
“What is the real question?”
“Is she going to be a bridesmaid in yours?”
Her head whipped around to look at me. “I’m not getting married, so I don’t need a bridesmaid.”
I grinned again. “Of course not. Gotta win that bet.”
Pressing her lips in a smile, she narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything.
Maybe I was the one who was being crazy, but I was going to win that bet. She was going to get married in less than a year.
And it was going to be to me.
She just didn’t know it yet.