EPILOGUE
Nine months after launching Vox Libris, Melody found herself exactly where this whole adventure had started—in a writing group, defending her unconventional approach to romance.
Except this time, her harshest critic was sprawled in the chair next to her, wearing that infuriatingly sexy smirk that still made her knees weak.
"I'm just saying," Nate drawled, his blue eyes twinkling with trouble, "there might be health code violations involved in that particular scene."
Melody resisted the urge to throw her manuscript at his head. "It's a cheese shop romance, darling. There's going to be some creative use of the storage room."
Their writing group—a mix of Vox Libris authors and local aspiring writers—erupted in laughter.
They were gathered in the back room of Caffeinated Dreams, where the owner Cassie kept a special table reserved for them every Thursday night.
The familiar scent of coffee and fresh pastries mingled with the creative energy buzzing through the room.
"I have to side with Melody on this one," Jessie, their resident mystery writer, chimed in. "If you can have murder in a cheese shop—which I've written, by the way—you can definitely have sex in one."
"Thank you!" Melody gestured triumphantly at Jessie. "See? She gets it."
Sporting a five o’clock shadow on his chiseled jaw, Nate leaned back in his chair, loosening his tie.
He had come straight from the office and somehow managed to look even more devastating than usual in his slightly rumpled state.
"I'm not arguing against the sex. I'm just concerned about food safety regulations. "
"Only you would worry about FDA compliance in a romance novel," Melody teased, nudging his foot under the table.
He caught her ankle between his, sending a jolt of heat up her leg. "Someone has to maintain standards around here. I mean, you did already tell those independent movie producers for Olivia and Jake’s story that the title ‘Fast and Furious Fornication’ wasn’t a bad idea."
“Correction: I told them it wasn’t ‘awful.’ Two different words. And I had to throw them a bone! No, uh, pun intended.”
The rest of the group launched into a spirited debate about the logistics of book-to-movie adaptations and various workplace romances. Melody tried to focus on taking notes, but it was hard with Nate's foot slowly traveling up her calf.
Two could play at that game.
She shifted in her chair, deliberately letting her skirt ride up just enough to give him a glimpse of thigh. His stare lowered, and she bit back a grin.
Even after all these months, they still couldn't keep their hands off each other. Mom would have found it hilarious—her once overly-cautious daughter, living out her own romance novel.
"Alright, folks," Jessie announced, checking her watch. "As much as I'd love to continue discussing the proper temperature for storing both cheese and passion, it's getting late."
The group started packing up, trading friendly barbs and promises to read each other's latest chapters. Nate's hand found the small of Melody's back as they said their goodbyes, his touch burning through the thin fabric of her blouse.
"Your place or mine?" he murmured in her ear.
"Yours," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I still haven't forgiven my downstairs neighbors for complaining about the noise last time."
His laugh rumbled through her. "I told you we should have bought them earplugs as a peace offering."
They made it to his car somehow, though Melody honestly couldn't say how. The sexual tension built like lightning waiting to strike. Nate drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her thigh, his thumb tracing maddening circles on her skin.
"You're going to make us crash," she warned him, but she was already shifting closer.
"Then stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
He glanced over. "Like you're plotting which surface to debauch first."
"Bold of you to assume I haven't already decided."
They barely made it through his front door before he had her pressed against the wall, his mouth hot and demanding on hers. She moaned into the kiss, her hands already working at his tie.
"God, you drive me crazy," he growled, trailing kisses down her neck. "Sitting there all evening, talking about sex in cheese shops..."
She laughed, the sound turning into a gasp as he found that ticklish spot behind her ear. "If I'd known cheese was such an aphrodisiac, I'd have written this book ages ago."
"It's not the cheese," he said, his hands sliding under her skirt. "It's you. Always you."
Her clever retort died in her throat as his fingers found exactly where she needed them. Instead, she pulled him closer, kissing him with all the passion that had been building all evening.
They left a trail of clothes from the hallway to his bedroom, stopping several times along the way because they couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough to make it to the bed.
When they finally tumbled onto the mattress, Melody took a moment to admire him fully in the moonlight streaming through the windows. He was beautiful like this—hair mussed from her fingers, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, eyelids heavy with want.
“You doing an analysis on me, Archer? That look in your eyes says yes,” he teased, angling himself up on his elbows.
"Just doing research," she said innocently. "For the book."
His eyes narrowed playfully. "Research, huh? Need a more hands-on demonstration?"
Before she could respond, he was rolling them over, pinning her beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.
"I'm a very thorough researcher," she managed to say before his mouth claimed hers again.
Nate's kisses trailed down her body, lingering on her heavy breasts before moving lower.
He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her cotton panties and slowly pulled them down, his eyes never leaving hers.
She lifted her hips to help him, and he tossed the panties aside, a wicked grin on his face.
He settled between her legs, his breath hot against her inner thighs.
She could feel the anticipation building, her body aching for his touch.
He didn't make her wait long. She gasped, her hands gripping the sheets as Nate took his time, his tongue and lips exploring every sensitive spot, driving her wild beyond belief.
"Nate," she moaned, her hips bucking against his mouth.
He looked up at her, his irises turned near-black with lust, and the sight of him—gorgeous and dark-haired—between her legs pushed her over the edge.
She came hard, pleasure electrifying her every limb as he continued to lick and suck, until she was a shaking, quivering mess on the mattress.
He moved up her body, his lips finding hers and stroking every inch of her mouth. She reached down, wrapping her hand around his hard, magnificent length, guiding him to her entrance.
And when he entered her slowly, inch by inch, she was completely undone. She gasped as they began to move together, their bodies falling into a rhythm that was as natural as breathing. Each swivel of his tight hips sent shockwaves of ecstasy rocketing from her toes to her fingertips.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, and their lovemaking took a turn.
It was everything the two of them were together.
Intense. Passionate. Messy.
Beautiful.
Nate's hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, making her insane.
He rolled them over, pulling her on top of him, and immediately, she rode him hard, her hips moving in a frenzied rhythm as she chased another orgasm. His hands sank into her hips, rocking them back and forth, his ocean-blue eyes locked on hers.
"You're so gorgeous,” he growled, his voice thick with desire.
She leaned down, kissing him deeply as she continued to move against him. She could feel another orgasm building, her body tensing as her incoming orgasm threatened to hit its peak…and then spill over.
They came together, their bodies salt-slicked and bucking as they rode out the waves of nirvana. Sated and near-boneless, Melody collapsed on top of the beautiful man she belonged to, her body heated, skin reddened—her heart pounding in her chest.
Afterward, they lay tangled in the sheets, her head on his chest as he played with her hair.
The city lights twinkled through the window, and she was struck by how perfectly this moment encapsulated everything she tried to capture in her writing—the raw, real, gorgeous mess of loving someone so deeply it aches.
“I can hear you thinking from here, sweetheart. Care to share those thoughts with the class?” Nate asked, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"Just thinking about how life sometimes writes better stories than we do."
"Says the woman who's currently writing about illicit affairs in cheese storage."
She propped herself up on an elbow to look at him properly. "Hey, that cheese shop romance is going to be a bestseller, thank you very much."
"Of course it is." His smile softened. "Everything you write is amazing. Even if it does occasionally violate health codes."
She leaned down to kiss him, soft and sweet. “You’re lucky I love you. If this were any other editor, I’d fire you for being a corporate stickler about fictional food safety."
“Good. Fired editors have better sex, anyway, from what I hear. And I love you too," he murmured against her lips. "Even when you're trying to scandalize the FDA."
They drifted into comfortable silence, their breathing synchronizing as it always did. Melody's mind wandered to the manuscript waiting on her laptop—the story of two people finding love in unexpected places, taking chances on each other despite the risks.
Not unlike their own story, really.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, "Mom would have loved this."
"The lovemaking in inappropriate places?"
"No, smartass. This. Us. The whole crazy concoction.” She smoothed her hand along his chest and down his tight abdomen. "She always said the best stories come from living boldly."
Nate's arms tightened around her. “I always said she sounds like a wise woman. Just like her headstrong daughter.” He hesitated. “You don’t know how much I wish I could have met her."
"Me too." She smiled, remembering her last piece of advice about living the stories she wrote. "Though I have a feeling she knew exactly what she was doing, pushing me to be braver."
"Definitely wise. And definitely where you get your troublemaking tendencies from."
“Hey, I do not make trouble! I simply... create opportunities for interesting plot developments."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Without warning, he spun them on the bed, pinning her naked body to the mattress. "Should I create some interesting plot developments of my own?"
"Mmm," she pretended to consider it, even as her body curled into his. "I suppose I could use some more research material..."
Later, much later, Melody lay awake watching the city lights paint shadows on the ceiling. Nate slept beside her, one arm draped possessively across her waist.
In the morning, they would go back to their respective offices at Vox Libris, where they would probably spend half the day sending each other inappropriate emails about cheese shop storage rooms.
But for now, she savored this moment—this imperfect, real-life love story that no publisher would have believed if she had written it.
Mom was right, as usual. Sometimes you have to live the story to understand it. And sometimes, if you're very lucky, the story turns out better than anything you could have written.
Even if it does occasionally violate FDA regulations.