Chapter 11 #3
“Of course they are,” she spits. Another step forward, another step back.
Her eyes dart to my lips and back up again.
She wets her own. “If you can’t tell the difference, then you’ve got bigger problems than I thought.
” She makes her voice extra breathy and over-the-top.
“Oh God, Traeger, don’t stop, right there, you’re a sex God, you’re the best I’ve ever had, you’re so big.
” She curls her lip in obvious disgust and annoyance. Another step.
“You’ve got to be kidding me with that shit.” She jets her chin but her gaze drops downward again, moving from my lips to my throat, to my chest…lower…
Her back is nearly against the wall now, only one more step to make.
“And you wouldn’t fake it, then?” I ask in a low, silky voice. “To stroke my ego?”
She swallows hard and her eyes blaze.
“And reward you for something you didn’t earn?
Never.” I take another step forward and she hits the wall.
Our bodies are so close I can feel the heat radiating off of her.
Mere inches separate us now and it’s suddenly too hot in the room, too combustible.
One spark and we’re both going up in flames.
I won’t be able to stop it. I won’t want to stop it.
She reaches out and settles her hands on my hips, and I lean forward, bracing my hands on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in.
“Oh, I’d earn it, Melody,” I say in a low, rough voice, my mouth so close to hers that it’s torture to keep that tiny bit of separation. “I’d earn it—All. Fucking. Night.”
She gasps quietly and shifts one hand, curling her fingers into the waistband of my jeans, tugging me forward. I stifle a groan, even this small contact sending sparks of fire through my veins. I lean in and brush my nose against hers, barely keeping myself under control.
“Tell me yes, Melody,” I whisper, and I can feel a shudder roll through her body. “I need you to tell me yes.”
I pull back to look at her again, waiting, desperate. Her lips part and I know she’s going to say the word that will rock me to my core, the one word I want to hear so badly I could fucking scream.
But before she can say it, another knock pounds on the door. I grind my teeth in annoyance.
“Go away!” I bark.
“Sir, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
I want to put a hole through the wall. Wilson has the worst fucking time in the history of the world. But if he says it’s urgent, it must be.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I grumble under my breath, leaning my forehead against Melody’s, and she huffs out a strangled laugh.
I exhale roughly and somehow manage to push myself off the wall and put a few feet between us.
Her chest is rising and falling in quick bursts, and there’s the most intense disappointment in her eyes.
She looks like she wants to say something, and I get the feeling that whatever had just happened here was far more than two people who wanted a good lay.
No, this was something much more than that.
Our gazes hold for a few seconds before Wilson calls, “Sir?” again.
I want to tell him to fuck off. I want to let someone else be in charge and handle whatever is happening that needs my attention.
I want to be done being this fucking guy and finally have a chance to be the real me and explore this thing with Melody.
But I can’t. I know I can’t. Maybe one day, but that day isn’t today.
I run a hand through my hair and accept that we’re effectively putting a pin in whatever this was.
I hope it’s not forever. I hope this doesn’t spook her and she doesn’t chock this up to temporary insanity and talk herself out of trying again.
She glances to the front door and I know that she won’t want to go that way and see Wilson.
I tilt my head towards the door at the side of the living room instead, the one that connects our suites.
She nods and without a word, crosses to the door, flips the lock and throws it open.
She pushes against the second door leading into her room, but it barely moves, like something’s blocking it.
“Fuck,” she grates, throwing her shoulder against the door trying to get it to budge.
“One second!” I yell to Wilson before coming up behind her. I push and meet pretty hefty resistance. She must have put some furniture in front of it. “For fuck’s sake, Melody, did you really think I was going to attack you in your sleep?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“You can’t possibly blame me!” she hisses quietly. “This place was supposed to be Lucifer’s Den-O-Fun, remember??”
I huff out a laugh and shake my head. No, I guess I can’t blame her.
When she blocked that door, she thought I was a sadistic psychopath who probably raped and murdered for shits and giggles.
I nudge her out of the way and take a deep breath before putting my full weight into it.
The door and whatever’s behind it—a chair, I guess—finally give way and she can step through into her room.
She turns to face me and opens her mouth to say something, but seems to have no clue what it might be, so she snaps it closed again.
I won’t lie, I’m in the same fucking boat.
I desperately want to say something, to beg her not to overthink this or change her mind, to wait for me just for a bit, but I don’t.
I sigh and reach for the door handle, holding her gaze for as long as possible as I pull it closed.
I don’t have to wear the full mask here at FOS, not the one that I wear outside in the real world, but I still have to wear a version of it. Only with Melody can I take it off completely. I tell myself that doesn’t mean what I think it means, but I know damn well that’s a fucking lie.
So, I put on the mask and slip back into the role I have to play before opening the door for Wilson and getting to work.