Chapter Six
Zane
Melina stormed out of Java Junction, and uneasiness crawled under my skin as I watched her go.
I’d fucked up. Again.
Only this time, I had no idea what the hell I’d done wrong.
I hadn’t expected to run into her at my favorite coffee shop, but I’d sucked up my nerves and talked to her anyway. And until the apology left my mouth, I’d actually thought things were going okay.
She’d been cautious, sure, but she’d been breathing harder than normal, and she’d leaned into me before catching herself. Even when she mentioned running late for work, she’d looked reluctant to leave.
Then I apologized, and everything went sideways.
One second she’d been flushed and breathless. The next, she was furious, running out of the café like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
The whole exchange left me hard as a fucking rock and feeling like a complete asshole.
She’d said something about being a charity case, and even though I didn’t fully understand what she meant, I couldn’t just let it go.
I couldn’t let her go.
So, when the barista called out her coffee order, I grabbed it without hesitation. The woman shouldn’t have to go all day without her latte—she’d ordered it, she should at least get to drink it—and I couldn’t go all day without trying to fix whatever the fuck I’d broken.
The plan was simple. Bring her coffee. Clear things up. Maybe convince her I wasn’t the complete degenerate she currently thought I was.
What I hadn’t planned to do was kiss her.
The second I walked into the office and overheard the obvious lies and straight-up cruelty pouring from Becky, something inside me snapped. Maybe I should’ve done something more appropriate than ambushing Melina with my mouth.
But it was hard to feel bad about it when she was kissing me back.
And kissing her…fuck, it was like jumping off a cliff. No hesitation. No brakes. Just free fall.
I plunged headfirst, hoping she’d catch me, and when our lips crashed together in a rush of sensation, I prayed it would never end.
Her lips parted beneath mine with a soft gasp, welcoming me in.
My tongue slid against hers, and she melted against me with this tiny whimper that damn near stopped my heart.
Fuck. That sound.
Sexiest thing ever.
It tore through me, burning from my mouth straight down to my toes. My pulse hammered. My knees felt weak. My cock ached so hard it bordered on painful.
One little sound and I was fucking ruined. Nothing had ever felt like this. No party. No hookup. No adrenaline rush or reckless dare.
How had I gone a whole year pretending I didn’t want this? Pretending I wanted anything other than her?
“Do you mind?” A sharp voice sliced through the haze.
Stunned, I eased back from Melina to find Becky glaring at us from a few feet away, arms crossed and lips curled in disgust.
Right. She was still here. Honestly, with my body humming the way it was, I couldn’t really say I gave a shit.
But Melina did.
She jerked backward with a startled sound, fingers flying to her lips while her wide eyes stayed locked on my mouth like she couldn’t believe what had just happened, either.
“Whatever,” Becky snapped. “Good luck, Melina. With Noma and with him. You need it if you think he wants anything more than what’s up your skirt.”
She shoved past us, slamming her shoulder into me as she squeezed out the crowded doorway.
“Damn,” Melina murmured, her fingers still grazing her lips. “That was…”
“Even fucking better than I remembered,” I growled, edging her backward into the room and closing the door behind me.
Her breath hitched. “What are you doing?”
“Giving us some privacy, since we haven’t had any in over a year.”
“Zane.” She shook her head, backing farther away from me. “We don’t need privacy. I have work to do.”
When her hip hit the edge of the desk, she leaned into it like she needed the support to stay upright and placed her latte on top of the mess of papers.
“Can we at least talk? I promise to make it short and to keep my lips to myself.” That promise might kill me, but it was one I intended to keep. My sanity depended on it.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Really?” I smirked. “You want to act like that didn’t just happen? Because I don’t think I’ll be able to forget it. Ever.”
Her mouth fell open.
But I rushed on before she could argue. “What about earlier, at the coffee shop? You going to brush that off, too?”
She winced. It was just a quick narrowing of her eyes and press of her lips between her teeth, but I caught it. I caught every damn thing about her.
“Melina, I was trying to tell you I was sor—”
“Don’t you dare say it.” She cut me off with a hiss. “Don’t say that stupid fucking word.”
“Okay.” I held up my hands in surrender. Her vehemence caught me off guard, but pushing my luck seemed like a bad idea. Especially when she looked so damn delectable with her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen mouth.
I eased closer and took her hand, lacing our fingers together. “You don’t want me to apologize?”
“No.” Her voice was tight. “I don’t need you to feel bad for me.”
The ache in my chest finally started to ease.
“Good.” I moved even closer, inhaling the soft scent of pumpkin spice that seemed to pour off her. “Because right now, I’m not sorry at all.”
“You’re not?” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and I almost groaned out loud. Fuck, she had no idea the gravity of how she affected me.
“No,” I murmured, running my free hand up her arm and over her slender shoulder. I stopped short of running my fingers over the bare skin of her neck because once I started, there was no fucking way I’d be able to quit.
And if I could keep myself in check long enough, I had a point to make. “The way I tried to ask you out the other day was all wrong, and I shouldn’t have kissed you at work without permission. Still, I’m not sorry.” I hesitated, searching her face for signs I was pushing too hard.
But her fingers tightened around mine, and something inside me clicked.
“I want you. It’s taken me a year to admit it, but it’s true.
” My throat tried to close around the words, but I pushed through.
“In case you can’t tell, I like you, Melina.
A lot. Especially your mouth—the way you kiss is hot as hell.
I even like the way you look at me when you’re pissed off. Honestly, I like everything about you.”
Her eyes widened.
“So no,” I said. “This has nothing to do with pity. Or charity.”
“Damn you.” Her ragged breath heated the space between us. “You can’t just say things like that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
She sighed, her head tilting back and eyes closing.
“Fuck.” That tiny movement almost finished me.
My body was already strung tight, all my loose edges frayed. Any more of her unintentional seduction and I might break.
Why had I promised not to kiss her?
I needed to stop touching her. I’d called Colin a sadist, but right now, I was the one inflicting the torture. Reluctantly, I dropped her hand, released her shoulder, and forced myself backward until my ass hit the office door.
Her eyes popped open. “That’s it?”
“Yeah, firecracker, that’s it.” I shoved both hands into my pockets. “I thought you should know my intentions, because despite what Becky had to say about me, I’m not a bad guy.”
“I know you’re not. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re my coworker.”
“So?”
“So, this job is important to me. I’m trying to get promoted. You might be above the rules, but I’m not, and I can’t risk going against policy for you. Or anyone. It also means I don’t have time for a relationship.”
My gut coiled tight. “I’m not asking for a relationship.”
“Then what are you asking for?”
“A date.” Two words. Five letters. The simplest thing in the world for most people, and it nearly choked me. “And maybe if it doesn’t end in total disaster, a kiss at the end of the night. That’s it.”
“Even if I wanted to say yes—which I’m not sure I really do—I’ve got too much on my plate. I just learned our biggest client is unhappy with the event I’m planning. I need to focus on that.”
“I can help you with it.”
“How? Are you going to find me the extra catering staff I need or keep Becky from messing up my stuff?”
The knot in my gut slowly untwisted. “Not sure what I can do about Becky, but I can absolutely find you some catering staff. Just give me the details, and I’ll work it out.”
“Sure.” She laughed. “I’ve contacted every catering company in a fifty-kilometer radius and come up short, but you’re going to secure me the extra staff to serve two hundred people, and you’re going to do it in less than a day?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ve got connections.”
“Do I even want to know how you made these connections?”
“Probably not.” I smirked.
“Zane, this is serious.” She sighed again. “My career is riding on this event. I can’t just take your word for it.”
After everything—or maybe because of everything—she still didn’t trust me. And even though it made perfect sense, it still fucking gutted me.
“Look, I know you don’t think much of me, and I’m not sure your opinion is too far off base, but I wouldn’t screw you over. Believe it or not, I care about this resort and the people who work here. More than you probably know. I’d never put any of it at risk.”
My words hung heavy, but the honesty didn’t make me want to crawl out of my skin this time. Fun-time guy might not do emotional grand gestures, but a little bit of truth from time to time didn’t seem to hurt.
Not yet anyway.
Melina studied me for a long moment, her brow pinching as she bit at the inside of her lower lip while I slowly lost my mind waiting for an answer.
“Okay.” She pushed away from the desk—chin up, shoulders straight, and Lord fucking help me, her perfect tits right there, daring me not to look.
“Okay?” I croaked, hoping like hell she’d say let’s get naked.
“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.”
Somehow, those words were even better. “Really?”
“Yes, but only one. And only if you can help me fix this catering mess and promise to keep this whole thing discreet. The show we just gave Becky was bad enough, but at least I can deny it. Or claim temporary insanity.”
“Temporary insanity, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost my damn mind.”
I laughed, high on a rush of endorphins. “I think that might make two of us.”