Chapter 11
Brody
I’ve slept in a bed with a woman fewer times than I can count on one hand. It’s probably been more than twenty years since I last inadvertently spent the night with someone I’d fucked. I’m pretty sure I extricated myself from her bed and her house before the sun came up.
There will be a lot of firsts with Melody in the coming days. I know she’s almost twenty years younger than me and is experiencing far more new things than I am, but I’m so fucking in love with her I can’t stand myself.
Yes, love. Instalove is a thing. I know because I’m living it.
I won’t say that word out loud for fear she might run from the house and never look back, but it’s running through my head as we brush our teeth, check the alarm, and turn out the lights.
Luckily, my woman keeps spare toothbrushes in her medicine cabinet.
She’s nervous as I hold the covers back for her to climb in. She’s only wearing a long T-shirt. I considered vetoing the shirt and making her sleep naked, but I figured the temptation to me was almost worse than what she’s feeling.
I’ve stripped down to my boxer briefs. I’m covered, but my cock is still furious with me for taking it out, stroking it, and tucking it back into my jeans.
Melody sits in the middle of the bed and stares at me. “You’re on my side.”
I chuckle. “Not in this house, I’m not.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Baby, if you want to rearrange the furniture in our room at the mansion so that this side of the bed is the more protected side, be my guest. But this room is kind of small, and I think we’re both too tired to start moving the bed, the dresser, and the nightstand tonight.
” I give her a shove to scoot her sexy body over a few more inches.
She cocks her head. “What the hell are you talking about? None of that makes any sense.”
I turn out the light, slide under the covers, and pull her next to me so she’s nestled in my arms. I sigh like a contented cat. She purrs like a cat. Maybe I’m more of a leopard.
I kiss her neck. “Baby, wherever we sleep, I’m closest to the door.”
“Why?”
“In case there’s an intruder or an emergency. You’re always on the protected side.”
“Mmm.” She snuggles in closer to me. I think she likes my explanation. “That’s kind of sweet.”
“I’m like sugar,” I joke.
Long, silent minutes tick by. I know she’s not sleeping. I’m not either. I’m inhaling her scent and thinking about how fucking lucky I am. But I also know any second now she’s going to start firing questions at me.
Melody is thoughtful and curious. She’s never going to accept things without question. And I wouldn’t want her to. I love the sound of her voice. She can talk to me all night if she wants.
“What the hell are we doing?” she suddenly whispers.
“Lying in bed not sleeping,” I murmur back.
She elbows me playfully. “I’m serious.”
I buckle and give a dramatic oomph as if she’s injured me. Then I kiss her neck again and say the word I thought minutes ago was too soon. “Falling in love, baby.”
Her breath hitches. “It’s so fast.”
“Like a freight train,” I agree.
“Maybe we should slow down.”
“How would you suggest we do that, little pixie?” I’m serious. I don’t see it as an option. I doubt she does either. She’s scared. I can understand that. I’d be concerned if she wasn’t.
“Maybe we should go on a date? Like Tuesday or something.”
I smile against her. “We discussed that option tonight, and neither of us wanted to leave the house. We steamrolled past dating and straight into being boyfriend and girlfriend. And did you pull Tuesday out of a hat?”
“Yes. People meet and then one of them asks the other out for a few days later.”
“So you think we can put the toothpaste back in the tube? I should just go back to the mansion and pick you up on Tuesday night? Maybe we could go to a movie? Hold hands? Stop at a food truck on the way back to your place? I could kiss you goodnight at the door.”
She giggles. “When you put it that way…”
“For the next week, you’re my serious girlfriend. The kind that sleeps over every night because we’re so deep into this relationship that we can’t stand to be apart.”
“And then next week? I’m not your girlfriend anymore?”
“Next week, you’re my fiancée. I don’t want to waste time, little pixie. In two weeks, you’re my wife. And that’s the end of the road.”
“You’re so certain.”
“I am, baby.”
“Did you know this before you came to the library today?”
I think about her question for a few heartbeats.
“Probably. I was in denial. I’m pretty sure I knew you were mine the moment I saw your tiny frame in the library.
You were cussing with such confidence, and my heart jumped out of my chest. I’ve lied to myself and my family about how you affected me for the past two weeks, but yes. You were mine.”
She lets out a long, slow breath. “I knew, too.”
I hold her tighter. I wasn’t expecting that.
“I thought about you every night.”
“Thought about me? Or used up all the batteries in your house fucking your sweet cunt, using me as masturbation material?” I tease.
“Yeah,” she admits. “That.” She squirms as if the mention makes her horny all over again.
“Have I lived up to your imagination?”
“So far. I mean you haven’t filled me with your cock like you did all the other nights.” She wiggles her sweet ass against my erection until I grab her hip to stop her.
“Did I spank your naughty bottom in any of these scenarios?”
Her breath hitches. “Most of them.”
My turn to inhale sharply. She’s serious. She thought about me fucking and spanking her.
“What about you? Did you fist your cock when thinking of me?”
My girl has the boldest vocabulary for such a sweet-looking little pixie. “More than once a day, baby.”
“We can’t just get married and have babies, Brody.” Her voice is higher as she changes the subject.
“Sure, we can. People do it all the time.”
“We hardly know each other.”
“I disagree. We probably know each other better after one afternoon and evening than a lot of people do in a year. What matters is that we’re open and discuss everything. No secrets. No lies. No glossing over things by saying what we think the other person wants to hear.”
“You don’t have any secrets?”
I ponder her question. “No. You can ask me anything, Melody.”
After a pause, she whispers, “I have secrets.”
I set my lips on her ear. “I know you do, baby. I’m not worried. I’ve thrown a lot at you tonight. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Another few seconds pass. “You know how Arianna was hiding out in Wilde so no one would know who she is?”
“Yes, baby.” I suspect my girl is also hiding, but I won’t pressure her.
“I’m sort of doing the same thing.”
“I know, little pixie.”
She sighs. Her body relaxes marginally in my arms. “It’s not as big a deal as what happened to Arianna. My parents aren’t famous and dead. No one is hunting me down for the sensational story.”
“But… You’re a well-known author, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you had bad experiences with fans?”
“When I first got big, I was stunned and didn’t know how to handle it.
I was twenty-four. Really young for that kind of notoriety.
I didn’t have my parents around to help me.
I hired a publicist, and she hooked me up with a virtual assistant, Kelly.
Kelly has saved my sanity. She manages everything behind the scenes for me.
She also protects me from the public. When I realized I didn’t want to be famous, I deleted all my social media under my real name and started searching for someplace I could live without being hounded.
For a while, no one in Wilde knew what I did, so with the advice of Thomas—my attorney in town—I decided it would be better to be partially open.
So I make light of the fact that I’m a quiet author.
People have been kind about it. They seem to enjoy the mystery.
Some people assume I’m just an egomaniac who’s written one book.
Others believe I’m a huge star and try to guess my pen name. ”
“That must be stressful. Always keeping up this persona.”
“That’s just it. It’s not a persona. The Melody people know is who I am. That’s my real name. I just don’t share my pen.”
“Baby, as far as I’m concerned, you can keep your anonymity. Unless there’s some particular reason you think I need to know, I won’t bug you to tell me.”
“Really?” She turns in my arms to look at my face. There’s barely enough light to make out her features, but she’s shocked.
I shrug. “Imagine if one of us worked for the FBI or CIA. We wouldn’t be able to share about our jobs. So you’re an author. It doesn’t seem to me like anything about what you do is going to put me in danger.”
She turns fully around in my embrace and presses her small body against me. “I can’t believe you’re real.”
I kiss the top of her head and hug her tight. “I can’t believe you’re real either.” I rub her back. “Keep that secret, baby. As long as you want.”
“You’re making me fall in love with you, Brody Wilde.”
“Thank goodness. I’d hate to be alone with that emotion.”
“There’s something else you should know.”
“Something you’re worrying about that’s going to keep you awake, little pixie?”
She tips her face back. “Something that is the reason I am awake.” She draws in a long breath. “I suffer from some amount of paranoia.”
“Ah. You’re worried about people finding you.”
“Yes. Irrationally. It’s not necessary. No one has ever threatened me. I made the decision to disappear and stay out of the public eye. But I worry anyway. Especially at night. Sometimes I think I hear a car outside. I’m pretty sure I imagine it. Maybe I even dream it.”
I stroke her hair. I hate that she’s been alone and afraid. “It’s not irrational, Melody. Not at all. And you’re not alone now. Never again. No one will ever bother you because I’m on the side of the bed that puts me between them and you, remember?” I try to sound light, but I’m serious, too.
She giggles. “My hero.”
“I want to be your hero, baby. Every day.” I can’t get close enough to her. I want to tuck her into me and never let her go. “We should sleep, little pixie. Tomorrow is a busy day.”
She tips her head back again and gives me another giggle. “Tomorrow is Sunday. I don’t have anything scheduled. Which means you have railroaded my life and already made mental plans for me.”
“Tomorrow, we go to the mansion.”
I smile against her as she sighs and murmurs, “Of course we do.”