23. Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter twenty-three
M elody squeezed Fox’s hand as they sat in yet another chauffeured car driving down the busy streets of Boston. Dean sat up front. She gaped at all the sights out the window. Tall buildings, busy streets, tons of people walking on the sidewalks. They passed a pretty park. It was the only open space she’d seen in blocks. Still, the city fascinated her.
So many people.
She’d never traveled outside Wyoming, so this was all new and overwhelming to her. There was so much packed together in the city. Buildings, people, noise. Traffic like she’d never seen.
Where was everyone going?
They stopped outside one of the many tall buildings. A doorman came forward and opened the door. “Welcome home, Mr. Bridges, Mr. Reynolds.”
She had no idea that was Dean’s last name.
“It’s good to be home.” Fox turned on the sidewalk and held his hand out to her. “Come on, sweet Dee.”
She slid across the seat, took his hand, and stepped out into the noisy city.
Fox tugged her close to his side and put his arm around her. “Mike, this is Melody Wilde. She’ll be staying with me. Anything she wants or needs, make it happen.”
Melody held her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Mike.”
“Miss Wilde.”
“Melody will do just fine.”
“As you wish. May I take your bag?”
“I’ve got it.” Fox took it by the strap and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
Mike opened the door for them.
Dean led the way, passing one bank of elevators on both sides of the hallway and heading to the one at the end.
“Why this one, and not one of those?”
Dean pulled out a key card and held it to the scanner. “And here’s where things get weird.”
“Why?” She glanced up at Fox.
“Because this elevator goes only to the penthouse floor.”
She stepped into the elevator with him. “I see.”
“You will,” Dean said, leaning back against the mirrored wall.
Fox turned to her. “There are four penthouses on the top floor. Dean, Max, and I have three of them.”
“And the fourth?”
“We haven’t met him yet. He’s an older gentleman. Been living here a long time.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing a rich gray carpet and wood-paneled walls with a console table holding two large bouquets of freshly cut flowers. Their sweet scent filled the wide hallway. Their colors matched the beautiful painting of a garden pond, lily pads and water lilies floating on the surface, bright koi fish swimming beneath the surface.
Dean headed to the left.
Fox followed, bringing her along with him since they held hands.
Dean stopped at PH2. “Meeting’s at eleven. Meet you at ten-thirty.” With that, he used his key card to open his door. Before he closed it, he turned back. “I’ll give you the tour later. Fox is anxious for you to see your place. I’m glad you came.” He held his door wide, giving her a glimpse of a massive living room and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. “This can be overwhelming at times. But then I remember it’s just stuff. A big empty place. Except when Fox and Max are over. Then it feels like home.”
She understood what he was telling her. “I’ll see what I can do about making our place home.”
Dean nodded.
“For all of us,” she added. “Because family is always welcome.” She wanted him to know that she considered him a brother, too. Just like Fox did.
“I wasn’t sure about you at first. I thought you’d be dazzled by all this.”
“I am a little bit.”
“I get that. But on the plane, I heard you and Fox talking. You appreciated that he got you breakfast more than you gushed over the private plane and gourmet food.”
“I appreciated both, especially that Fox took the time to think about getting me breakfast and finding out what I’d like…you can’t put a price on that.”
“That’s what we all keep trying to remember. It’s the little things that matter the most sometimes.”
“They aren’t little if they mean something.”
Dean looked past her at Fox. “If you don’t marry her, I will.” With that, he closed the door.
Fox just stood there staring at her.
“What?”
“If I hadn’t fallen in love with you already, I would have just now based on that conversation.”
“All I did was say the truth.”
He tugged her hand to get her to follow him down to PH1. “Dean and Max think things will change because we’re together.”
“I’m sure each of you at one time or another have had girlfriends and paid more attention to them instead of each other. For a while, anyway.”
“Yes. But you’re different. You’re not just some woman. You’re the one. And I am going to marry you. We’re going to build a life. And that means things will change between me and Max and Dean.”
“It doesn’t have to. I like them. I don’t mind that you guys are so close. In fact, I’m used to being around family all the time, so them coming and going from our place…not a big deal.”
Fox tapped his key card to the scanner, then opened the door and pushed it wide. “Welcome to our place.”
Melody stepped into the apartment and took in the massive expanse of the place. “My whole apartment would fit in your kitchen.” That was past the office on her left. Natural wood cabinets, white countertops, stainless steel appliances, and black accents in the pendent lights over the breakfast bar and chairs. While the office looked well used with a massive desk holding three monitors and tons of folders and papers, the living space looked only partially furnished with two facing leather sofas, a massive wood coffee table between them, and three mismatched chairs that complemented each other with their green, blue, and purple fabrics that matched the light blue throw pillows on the couches. The massive gas fireplace on the right wall boasted a thick natural-wood mantle that had nothing on it. Two black lights were mounted on either side of the huge black, white, and dark blue abstract painting.
Though the seating area took up the center of the space—fireplace on one side, a floating wall on the left that held a giant flat-screen and media cabinet beneath—it left a huge expanse of empty space along the wall of windows and the back of the apartment. On the left side of the fireplace, massive double doors stood open. On the right, a dark hallway led to other rooms, she guessed.
Hardwood floors throughout made everything flow and seem even more expansive.
“What do you think?”
“I like it. It just feels so big.”
“It is. I’ve got the basics, but the place needs more to make it feel warm and welcoming and like people live here.”
She chuckled under her breath. “The only spot that looks lived-in is your office.”
“I spend most of my time in there.” He looked around the space. “What would you add?”
“A dining room table by the windows with lights overhead. A place where our whole family can sit and eat and talk.”
Fox’s eyes went wide. “I actually didn’t think of that. We fit at the bar. Not all the places where I grew up had a place for me at the table.”
“This is your home. You made a place for Dean and Max. Let’s expand that.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “We’ll pick something out together. It will be our first thing we do together here.”
“Can the second be getting rid of that painting?”
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s okay. I’d just rather have something outdoorsy. Something that feels like you could get lost. A forest. A lake. A garden. Something that brings the outdoors in. Especially with all this city around us.”
“Done. What else?”
“I don’t know yet. I just got here. I need to be in the space and figure out what feels right.”
“I love that the first thing you thought about was a place where everyone can gather.”
“If I’m here, I want my family to be able to come and stay with us.”
Fox pointed down the hall. “There are two bedrooms and baths back that way.” He turned back to the office. “The door between the office and kitchen is a half bath. Next to the front door is a big closet.” He turned again. “Master suite is just past the fireplace.”
“I want to see.” She headed that way.
“It’s also kind of bare,” Fox called after her.
She stepped into the room and gaped at the wall of windows on two sides of the room. Heavy black drapes hung to her left, at the corner of the room, and on the far side of the windows. In the center of the wall on her right was a king-size bed with a white fluffy cover over ocean-blue sheets. The base and headboard were more natural wood, making a simple, clean design. The nightstands matched the wood bed and each had two drawers with a cubby charging station. Cut crystal lamps with white shades sat atop them.
“We need some plants. There’s nothing green in here or out there. With all the windows, we could have some really cool foliage. You could put a whole frickin’ tree out there.”
“Sounds awesome. Let’s do it.”
She turned to him. “This place feels so sterile. There’s nothing on the walls. Aside from your change, a watch, and a few receipts on the dresser over there, you’ve added nothing personal here.”
He turned to her, cupped her face. “I added you. That’s all I need.” He followed up that amazingly sweet, heart-melting, emotional declaration with a kiss to match, and she was lost. In him. The moment. The idea that this was the start of something bigger for them. This was the moment they intertwined their lives in a real and meaningful way by simply planning how to make this space their home.
He gave her two more tender kisses, then stared down at her. “As much as I want you in our bed, up against a wall, in the amazing bathtub in the other room, I have limited time here to get some stuff done at the office. I need to get ready for work.” He took her hand and tugged her toward a set of double doors. He pulled one open, revealing a huge walk-in closet. On the left, his clothes took up about a quarter of the space. “Never let it be said that I didn’t give you the majority of the closet.”
“I don’t need this much space.”
“You might. I have a lot of dinner meetings. I don’t expect you to come to all of them, but I’d love it if you came sometimes. You’ll need dressy clothes for that. I’ll set up an account for you, so you can buy whatever you need.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
He squeezed her hand. “I want to do that. My world comes with some expectations and necessary flair. Hence the suits, the watches, the car service. If you look successful, people believe you’re good at what you do. And while I love you in whatever you’re wearing, and especially when you’re wearing nothing at all, sweet Dee, I would love to see you in a dress and heels, knocking the socks off whoever wants to hire me and my company.”
She had no problem dressing up for him. It was a simple request and she wanted to fit in. But… “What if I’m working at night, like I do now?”
He squeezed her hand again. “I’ll understand and I won’t complain. Much,” he added with a grin. Then he pulled off his thermal and tossed it into the laundry hamper. He chose a plain white dress shirt from the bar and pulled it on.
She glanced down at her simple black jeans and bright blue blouse. “Do I need to change to come with you?”
“No. A lot of people at the company dress casually. As the head honcho I tend to dress up to meet with clients. I’m just wearing a dress shirt and slacks, no suit today because I’ll mostly be meeting with my employees.” To prove that point, he ditched his jeans and pulled on a pair of dark gray slacks and tucked the shirt into it. He looked classy and sophisticated.
“I brought a dress and heels. Just in case.” She’d chosen her most conservative dress and basic black heels. She wanted to be prepared for anything.
“You don’t need to wear that to hang out with me today. I know it doesn’t sound fun to tag along with me, but I want you to see the place and what I do. I want you to feel comfortable coming to the office to see me.” He sighed. “Because I spend a lot of time there.”
“Looks like you spend a lot of time in your home office, too.”
“I do. And if you’re here with me, I’ll do my best to put work aside and spend time with you. But truthfully, and I want to be upfront, so you’re not surprised or upset, if there’s a deadline looming…I will spend a lot of hours working. Dean and Max often get on my case about being about all work and no play.”
“I get it. It’s your company. You’re in charge. You want to do your best.”
He shook his head. “The real reason is that I didn’t have anything else worth putting work aside for until you. I know I’m needed in the office, but all I want to do is spend the day with you. I want to take you around Boston and show you my favorite places. I want to find a local nursery and buy some plants. I want to take you to dinner and make love to you all night. I want to convince you that you can be happy here. With me.”
“I am happy with you, Fox. Here. There. Wherever. Am I nervous about moving here? Yes. But I’ll find my way. I always do. It will just take some time. So stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve never wanted anything else this much.”
“Me either,” she confessed, letting him see her vulnerability the way he showed her his. “Now, how much space did you leave me in the bathroom?”
“Ninety percent of it. I’m a dude. I’ve got a bar of soap, a razor, toothbrush, a brush and comb.”
She bet he had a few more things than that, because he always smelled amazing, like lime and the forest after it rained. She bet he had some product for that gorgeous, thick hair, too.
But the change in topic seemed to ease him as he pulled on a nice pair of black shoes with a belt to match.
“You look really handsome.”
The boyish grin and blush surprised her. “Yeah? You like?”
She nodded. “All I want to do is mess you up.”
He held his arms out wide. “Come and get it.”
She went into his arms, up on tiptoe, and kissed him with all the passion he ignited in her every time his lips touched hers. She limited the messing up to sliding her fingers into that wild mass of hair. The silky strands glided through her fingers and he moaned against her mouth and pressed his thick erection to her belly.
“I’m going to be late,” he grumbled against her mouth, then tightened his arms around her and said, “But I don’t care.” And then he picked her up, set her on the island of drawers, knocked off her shoes, undid her jeans, pulled them down her legs, along with her panties, and slid his hand between her legs.
She went for his belt, button, and zipper, then slid her hand over his length, squeezing as she stroked him over his boxer briefs.
Fox slid one finger then two into her.
She moaned.
His cock jerked in her hand. “Fuck, that sound you make drives me mad.”
Just to drive her crazy, he thrust those two fingers deep and brushed his thumb over her clit. Her inner muscles tightened as wild pleasure raced through her.
“Damn, sweet Dee, you’re so fucking beautiful. And I want in.”
She slid to the edge of the counter, shoving his pants and boxer briefs down to his knees as he fumbled for a condom in his wallet. His shirt was in the way, so she undid the buttons and pushed it aside as he stroked his thick shaft. He rolled on the condom, positioned himself at her entrance, and thrust deep, taking her mouth in a searing kiss. Then it was all hands grabbing onto each other, hips pumping, soft moans, and passion flaring to all-out fireworks.
Fox leaned against her, his face in her neck, breath panting out against her damp skin. “I could have done that better.”
“I’ll let you try again later if you really think you can outdo that,” she teased.
He somehow managed to raise his head and brush a kiss on her cheek, while she still had her head pressed to his shoulder. “I love you.” The words were quietly spoken with a depth of emotion that made her heart swell. Then he wrapped her up close and held her so tight she could feel his heart beat against hers and every breath he took. “You have no idea what it means to me that you’re willing to change your whole life to be with me.”
His parents hadn’t done a damn thing to love and care for him. His mother had left him in the system.
She knew exactly what it meant to him that she’d upend her whole life to be with him. Even more, she knew what he wanted most. Someone to hold on. Forever.
So she held him tighter and gave him the vow that would mean the most to him. “I’ll never let you go.”
They stayed like that, arms locked around each other, bodies still one. She let him decide when to pull back. But he barely let any space between them when he looked her in the eye, saw what he needed to see—all her love—and kissed her softly, then stepped back.
“We should get cleaned up. Dean is probably waiting for us.”
“Fox?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you, too.”