CHAPTER THIRTEEN #3
“You’re probably right.” Melanie leaned her head back against the cushion.
“Oh, I almost forgot. He asked me to prom junior year. I turned him down. He seemed okay about it but that afternoon he was in an awful fight with another boy. Broke the kid’s nose.
The football coach got Chase out of any punishment. I don’t know if that’s connected.”
He gave her a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. “Hell yeah, it’s connected. It shows you had his attention and his use of violence when he’s thwarted.”
“I thought he was a jerk but didn’t see it as a pattern.”
“Crushing on you is motive, so we’ll be looking hard at him. You were the girl he couldn’t get any other way. That said, I don’t want tunnel vision and miss clues that might lead us to someone else, so we’ll keep our scope broad.”
“It makes me sick to my stomach to think he could have done that to me.”
Gage caught her hand and brought it to his lips, where he pressed a kiss to her palm.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured. Their gazes caught and held. “I should get going.” He didn’t move, and neither did she. “And you need something for that headache.”
Her hand tightened around his. “I’ll take something before I go to bed. I’m glad you came over.”
The tension, energy, whatever it was that heated the air between them flared and all she could think was how much she wanted to lead him to her bedroom and dive into something deeper.
Despite the temptation, she couldn’t violate her hard and fast no-sex-when-Addy-is-home rule.
Until now, a rule she’d never been tempted to break.
Gage cleared his throat and nudged his dog with his toe. “C’mon, Pancake. We need to go home.”
Pancake opened an eye, yawned, then closed it again.
Melanie laughed. Letting go of Gage, she swung her feet off the couch and gave the dog her own nudge with a stockinged foot. “Pancake, where do I put my feet? You’re taking up all the space.”
Pancake didn’t even twitch.
“She’s fake sleeping. She thinks if she’s asleep I can’t make her leave. You and Addy are the cool kids and she likes it here.”
“Addy asked if she could invite Olivia and Pancake for a sleepover. She has it all planned, including pancakes for breakfast.”
“That kid kills me. She knows Pancake’s a dog, right?”
Melanie smiled. “She does, but the line between dog and human isn’t so clearly defined for her. She measures a good day by how many dogs she gets to pet. Pancake has upped her good day count exponentially.”
Gage stared at her. “Do you ever feel like you created a perfect human? How do you live with yourself knowing that?”
Take a guy who was already appealing on so many levels and add that he thought her child was perfect? Melanie was falling for him and it terrified her. She desperately needed a parachute to slow her descent.
“Addy’s done nothing but make the world a better place since she was born. I’m lucky to be her mom.”
“That kid Liam needs to leave her the hell alone. We’re going to the farm tomorrow, but we’ll wrap up our discussion in time for you to make the meeting with the principal.”
He pushed back the coffee table to make room and got to his feet. Melanie took his extended hand, his grip firm as he helped her step over the fake-snoozing dog.
Instead of letting go, he pulled her closer, the air between them thickening.
She knew when a man wanted to kiss her. She put a hand on his chest, only barely restraining herself from rubbing the solid muscle under his shirt.
“Gage, I’m not looking for a relationship.
Or a hookup.” She ignored the voice in her head telling her that was a big fat lie.
“I’m good with it being just me and Addy. ”
“Yeah, me either. Wasn’t looking for a relationship. Got plenty on my plate without having to consider another person, and you’re not one person, you’re two.”
Her brow winged up at that even as he cupped a warm hand behind her neck, his fingers sliding into her hair.
“I’m two people?”
“A relationship with you means a relationship with Addy. It makes me cautious.”
“I see.”
“Cautious because I won’t be reckless around that little girl. She matters. But that doesn’t quell this craving I have for you.” He dipped his head, gaze heated, his lips a breath from hers. “You feel it, Melanie? This thing between us? Scares the shit out of me.”
She did and it scared her too. She tried to remember her reasons for not wanting to get involved when he made everything inside her come alive.
“You guys are kissing.”
Swelling anticipation burst like a popped balloon. She rested her forehead against Gage’s chest for the briefest moment before taking a deep breath and straightening, his hand still warm on her neck.
Pancake scrabbled to her feet. Addy stood in her unicorn pajamas clutching her stuffed mermaid. “And Pancake’s here. You invited Pancake when I was in bed?” Addy’s expression reflected utter betrayal. She dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around the dog.
Gage pressed his lips to Melanie’s temple before releasing her.
He crouched down next to Addy. “Hey, sunshine. Pancake and I dropped by uninvited. Not your mom’s fault.” He rubbed Pancake’s neck. “Do you have a problem if I sometimes kiss your mom?”
“Gage.”
He shot Melanie a frank look. “I like direct, remember? Addy saw what she saw. I want to be up front with her.”
“You can only kiss her if she wants to be kissed. That’s what Mom always says.”
“She’s right about that. I promise to only kiss her if she wants me to.” He rose to his feet. “Pancake and I need to get back home and I think you’re supposed to be in bed.”
Addy angled her face up to Gage. “Will you tuck me in?”
Melanie nodded slowly when he sent her a questioning look.
He turned back to Addy. “Sure. Lead the way, sunshine.”
She took his hand to lead him to her room. Melanie followed, watching from the doorway. Gage tucked the blankets around her little girl and dropped a kiss on her forehead. After Addy blew Pancake kisses, he shooed the dog and walked out, Melanie quietly closing the door.
In the entryway, he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m fucked.”
Melanie crossed her arms over her chest. “Dammit, Gage. This is why I don’t do relationships. I won’t have Addy getting attached to men who won’t be around long term. It’s bad enough her father is in and out of her life. I don’t want her thinking that’s how relationships are.”
He bent to pull on his boots. “I know. I don’t want to hurt her either.” He straightened and said flatly, “It would help if you two weren’t so damn appealing. See you in the morning.”
Gage and his dog stepped through the door. Melanie found herself once again watching them retreat until they were swallowed by the dark.