Chapter Twenty-Four
Zane
My phone rang from the bedside table, and I rolled to grab it before it woke Melina.
“Hello?” I croaked, snagging my boxers from the floor where they’d landed sometime late last night.
“Hey, man,” Reid greeted as I stood and put them on. “Hope it’s not too early.”
As quietly as possible, I slipped out of the room, checking over my shoulder to make sure she didn’t wake. “Nah, it’s okay. What’s going on?”
“Melina’s car is ready. Still looks like a piece of shit, but she runs like new. Just like you asked.”
“Oh.” My empty stomach dipped as I leaned against the kitchen counter, swiping a hand over my face. “That was fast.”
It really hadn’t been fast at all. It had taken over two weeks. But even though I’d spent every free moment I could with Melina, it still didn’t feel like enough.
Two weeks of falling asleep with her in my arms and waking up to the scent of her hair on my pillow. Two weeks of learning how she took her coffee, what made her laugh, what made her go quiet. Two weeks that had ruined me for anything less.
“Thanks, Reid.”
“No, thank you for the business.” He paused before adding, “I mean that, man. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I’d have made it through my first year.” His genuine appreciation was obvious, but as we said goodbye, I still didn’t feel any better.
With her wheels back and no need for a ride, would Melina even need me at all?
The thought sat heavy in my chest. We’d spent the past fifteen days getting to know each other in every way possible, and fuck, it was amazing. Not just the sex, either.
Everything about her was perfect to me. And even though I’d never deny her, it wasn’t the physical I craved most. It was the rest of it.
Sharing a meal. A moment of silence. Our favorite things. My bed every night. Even confessing all my dark secrets. I craved her company constantly, even if just to shop for her sister or hear about her day.
Going back to living without it—without her—wasn’t something I could do. Not anymore.
“Is there coffee?” Her sleepy voice washed over me as she padded into the kitchen moments later, her thick thighs peeking out from under the hem of my shirt.
“You’re practically living at my house. You think I don’t know by now that you’re intolerable without a morning cup?”
Her bare feet carried her toward me, bringing us toe to toe. “Intolerable or not, you know you want me right here.” Her flirty smile burned through me as she leaned her weight against mine.
And fuck, something inside me cracked. All I could think, all that I wanted, was to have her here like this forever.
Forever.
Now there was a big scary fucking thought. Yet, despite the swirl of my gut, there was no denying what was brewing inside me. No point in pretending otherwise.
I was in love with her. I wanted her forever.
If only I could convince her to have me.
I bent to kiss her, and before she could fully wrap her arms around my waist, I hoisted her into my arms. Then, turning with her, I sat her on the counter so she could encircle me with her legs instead.
“I always want you.” It was the closest version of the truth I could manage.
She moaned as I kissed her again, my fingers winding into her hair.
But after only a moment, she pulled away on a heavy sigh. “I’m going to be busy for the next week. The Noma event kicks off tomorrow evening, and I’ve got a lot of last-minute prep to get through to make sure it all goes right.”
“After all your hard work, I’m sure it’s going to be perfect.”
“I hope so. Otherwise, I can probably kiss that promotion goodbye.”
My fingers clenched around a fistful of her hair. “Who told you that?”
“What?” Her question was more like a gasp, her eyes searching mine. “No one did. Not exactly. But Wyatt said the event had to be a success before they’d put the promotion in writing.”
“Goddamn Wyatt.” My jaw tightened. “He shouldn’t have said that.”
“Zane?” Her brows drew together, and her hands pushed hard at my chest. “What’s going on?”
Shit. I was slipping. The frustration had nothing to do with Wyatt and everything to do with the fact that Melina was killing herself for a promotion she’d already earned, and I was the one person who could make it happen with a single conversation.
One call to Uncle Glenn, and it would be done.
But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to earn it on her own terms. And I respected that, even when it was fucking agonizing to watch.
I released her hair and cupped her face in my hands, ignoring the pressure of her palms against my chest and the distance she was trying to create.
“Nothing,” I said. “I just don’t think they should dangle a job in your face like that. It’s not fair to add pressure you didn’t need.”
She gave me an unconvincing half smile, her hands moving up to grasp my arms. “I can handle it. I’m the fire, remember?”
Fuck, this woman. My woman.
“Damn right you are.”
My lips crashed to hers, and with my tongue stroking eagerly into her mouth, I poured everything I couldn’t say into a kiss.
And fuck…it still felt like I was falling. Deeper and deeper.
When she returned my enthusiasm, I tugged her closer, kneading the flesh of her thighs and delectable ass. Then, with little finesse and much impatience, I stripped her panties off.
Her moan was enough to drive me mad, but I held tight to what was left of my composure as I slicked my fingers through her wetness, relishing the way she spread her thighs for me. “Do you want me to fuck you now?”
“God, yes.”
I smirked. “I’m not sure I’m convinced.”
“Please, Zane.”
Those two words—my name and a whimpered, begging plea—was all it took. I brought my soaked fingers to my mouth, sucking on them greedily, savoring her taste.
She moaned as she watched, and when I pulled my hand away, she replaced it with her tongue, tasting herself on my lips.
Fuck, this was perfect. She was perfect. And I was certain I would never get enough. The word forever chanted in the back of my mind as I released my aching cock from the confines of my boxer-briefs and pushed into her.
If all I had to offer was myself, I’d give her every single bit. Even if we only had a few minutes to spare. Even if our time together was coming to an end.
I pulled out of her tight heat, only to slide back in, and the sound she made—that desperate, pleading cry for more—made me feel like a goddamn superhero. With each thrust, her core clenched and fluttered around me, but it wasn’t enough.
“Touch yourself.” My words were ragged, my need intense.
“Wha—?”
“I need you to come. I’m not going to last much longer, so do it. Touch yourself and help me get you off.”
Without protest, her hand snaked down between us, moving in a way that nearly ended me on the spot.
“That’s right,” I urged, desperation thick in my voice. “Do it, firecracker. Come on my cock.”
She let out a strangled cry, and then, thank fuck, she was coming…and so was I. And it was the best goddamn feeling in the world.
I stayed inside her for a long moment after, my forehead pressed to hers, our breathing ragged and tangled together.
Her fingers traced lazy patterns on the back of my neck, and I wanted to freeze time right here.
Standing in my kitchen, still buried in this woman, the morning light catching the curve of her smile.
This was everything. She was everything.
And I had no idea how to keep it.
After such an incredible start to the day, the ride to her house felt cold. The sky full of snow didn’t help.
“Be careful on your drive in to work,” I told her as I pulled into the driveway behind her car.
I got out of the truck with her, taking a moment to inspect her beat-up-looking old Honda. At least I knew the thing would be reliable for her now, even if it didn’t look it.
“Wow,” she said, running her finger over the hood. “I can’t believe your friend actually fixed it. How much do I owe him?”
“Nothing.”
Her eyes narrowed on me.
I bent to look in the window, unable to meet her gaze. “He owed me a favor.”
The lie tasted bitter, but the truth would’ve been worse. She’d never accept what I’d actually paid. And telling her would only make her feel like the charity case she’d accused me of treating her as. Some things were better left unsaid. Even if the dishonesty gnawed at me.
The front door of the house opened, saving me from further explanation. Olivia stepped out, shivering without a coat, and skipped down the porch stairs toward us.
“Hey!” she called, dancing around from the cold. “Dad wanted me to ask you if you’ll be coming to Sunday dinner.”
“Why aren’t you wearing a coat?” Melina reprimanded. “The last thing we need to worry about is you getting sick.”
“Relax, I don’t need you to be my mother.” But the minute the words left her mouth, Olivia’s expression fell. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t mean it.”
I braced for Melina’s reaction. For her to flinch, get angry, or shut down. Instead, she gave her sister a hug.
“I know you didn’t.” She squeezed her tight before letting her go. “But why is he sending you out in the cold to invite me to Sunday dinner? Of course I’ll be there. I never miss it.”
“I think the invitation was meant more for Zane.” Olivia’s gaze met mine, her mouth quirking up in a smirk.
“Oh.” Melina looked to me, her eyes searching mine. “Do you want to?”
“Of course,” I said, reaching for her hand. “I’d love to be there, if you want me to be.”
Her smile was instant and sexy as hell, and I couldn’t help but pull her in for a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
“If she doesn’t, I do,” Olivia interrupted.
I chuckled as Melina turned on her sister with a growl. “Find your own boyfriend.”
Raising her hands in surrender, Olivia backed away with a playful grin. “I do believe I was the one who suggested you find a boyfriend in the first place. Although, Zane?” Her smile turned wicked. “You might want to step up your game. She still seems kind of cranky…”
It was hard not to laugh, but I pressed my lips together and held my humor back. The last thing I wanted was to embarrass Melina. Her younger sister was a handful, and I had empathy for anyone who ever fell for her. Olivia would not make it easy.
“Go inside and let Vic know I’ll see him on Sunday,” I said through a light chuckle.
“You don’t have to,” Melina said to me as her sister ran back to the warmth of the house.
“Did you miss the part where I said I’d love to be there?”
“No.” Her smile was almost shy. “But I thought maybe you were just being polite.”
I pulled her to me, wrapping her tightly in my arms, never wanting to let her go. “Like I said, firecracker, wherever you want me, whenever you want me, I’m there.”
What I didn’t say was that standing in her driveway, with snow falling around us and her family waiting inside and her body warm against mine, I felt more at home than anywhere. Maybe even the resort. A fucking hell of a lot more than anywhere the Alexander name had ever gotten me.
And the thought of losing it, of losing her, was the only thing in my life that truly terrified me.
I pulled out of her driveway and headed for the main road, but my mind kept circling back to what she’d said in the kitchen. The promotion. Wyatt holding it back until the event was done. The unnecessary pressure piled on top of a woman who was already carrying more than anyone should.
It wasn’t right. And the more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off.
I wasn’t going to call Glenn. I wasn’t going to pull rank or cash in favors. But there was nothing wrong with stopping by Wyatt’s office and asking a simple question. Just one conversation. Man to man, coworker to coworker. Nothing more.
I turned the truck toward the resort.