always be here
.
The statement hung in the air unspoken. And for once Melanie let herself believe it.
She turned to face him. He was breathing just as unsteadily as she. His eyes swirled with desire, roaming over her body, and she felt their touch like a physical caress.
She reached out to touch his chest. She could feel his heart beneath her palm, and for a moment she let herself marvel in the strength of its beating.
She stepped into him and his arms went around her like it was second nature. It felt right. It felt good. But not as good as when his lips came down on hers.
They stole the breath from her lungs and lit her nerve endings on fire. She pushed closer against him and twined her arms around his neck. Her breasts pressed against his chest; one of his hands moved from around her waist to cup her bottom, drawing her hips flush with his.
They both groaned at the contact.
His erection pressed hard into her hip and she untwined one arm from around him to stroke him through his shorts.
He cursed under his breath and took hold of her wrist to bring her arm back around his neck. “I’m not going to last if you keep touching me like that.”
She nipped his bottom lip. “Maybe I don’t want you to last.”
Joel closed his eyes as if trying to draw strength from within. “Jesus, Melanie,” was all he said. “You slay me.”
His words made her feel powerful and sexy, and she loved every minute of it. “You make me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a very long time,” she confessed.
Those midnight eyes opened and fixed on her. He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb across her skin. “I know the feeling.”
This time his kiss was painfully slow, creating a gentle warmth in the pit of her stomach that radiated out. Joel was a man who could make a woman melt. She was halfway gone when the handle on the door jiggled.
They both looked up.
The door shook, but Joel’s Lock stayed intact. Muttered cursing came from the other side and Melanie grinned. Joel mirrored her grin. His eyes glittered with mischief, like a little kid getting away with a prank, and she wanted to kiss him all the more.
“What do you say? Want to stick around and see how far they go to get the door open or blow this Popsicle stand?”
Melanie arched a brow as a wicked idea came to her. “Want to see how far they’d go if we pretended to be locked inside and freaking out?”
Joel laughed. “You’re a little rebel, aren’t you?”
She looked meaningfully at his Darth Vader shirt. “Just call me Princess Leia.”
She grabbed his ass.
Chapter 12
Joel couldn’t get the image of Melanie in a Princess Leia slave costume out of his head. All that creamy skin exposed, her silver-blonde hair shining, those crystal-blue eyes flaring with heat.
They’d driven down to the beach after making a break from the community center. Melanie had cracked. She didn’t want the community center staff to break anything unnecessarily and she didn’t want to get banned from the establishment for any reason, so they’d Unlocked the door and made a run for it.
They stood on the boardwalk, Melanie slipping her shoes off to walk in the sand. They’d just missed the sunset, but the lingering light still hung in the air. The wind carried the salty scent of the ocean, and Joel breathed it in deeply. He’d never tire of that smell.
He followed Melanie as she made her way to the water.
They passed an empty, boarded lifeguard tower and Joel nudged her. “Hey, want to sit up there?”
“Sure.”
They situated themselves on the tower, legs dangling over the edge. Joel glanced at Melanie out of the corner of his eye. She seemed better than when he’d first seen her walk into yoga that evening. There had been something in the air around her, a sadness that had pulled at Joel, but the class had started before he could get any information out of her.
He could make out the lingering sadness coming back. It was in every step she took, the slight hunch
.
The statement hung in the air unspoken. And for once Melanie let herself believe it.
She turned to face him. He was breathing just as unsteadily as she. His eyes swirled with desire, roaming over her body, and she felt their touch like a physical caress.
She reached out to touch his chest. She could feel his heart beneath her palm, and for a moment she let herself marvel in the strength of its beating.
She stepped into him and his arms went around her like it was second nature. It felt right. It felt good. But not as good as when his lips came down on hers.
They stole the breath from her lungs and lit her nerve endings on fire. She pushed closer against him and twined her arms around his neck. Her breasts pressed against his chest; one of his hands moved from around her waist to cup her bottom, drawing her hips flush with his.
They both groaned at the contact.
His erection pressed hard into her hip and she untwined one arm from around him to stroke him through his shorts.
He cursed under his breath and took hold of her wrist to bring her arm back around his neck. “I’m not going to last if you keep touching me like that.”
She nipped his bottom lip. “Maybe I don’t want you to last.”
Joel closed his eyes as if trying to draw strength from within. “Jesus, Melanie,” was all he said. “You slay me.”
His words made her feel powerful and sexy, and she loved every minute of it. “You make me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a very long time,” she confessed.
Those midnight eyes opened and fixed on her. He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb across her skin. “I know the feeling.”
This time his kiss was painfully slow, creating a gentle warmth in the pit of her stomach that radiated out. Joel was a man who could make a woman melt. She was halfway gone when the handle on the door jiggled.
They both looked up.
The door shook, but Joel’s Lock stayed intact. Muttered cursing came from the other side and Melanie grinned. Joel mirrored her grin. His eyes glittered with mischief, like a little kid getting away with a prank, and she wanted to kiss him all the more.
“What do you say? Want to stick around and see how far they go to get the door open or blow this Popsicle stand?”
Melanie arched a brow as a wicked idea came to her. “Want to see how far they’d go if we pretended to be locked inside and freaking out?”
Joel laughed. “You’re a little rebel, aren’t you?”
She looked meaningfully at his Darth Vader shirt. “Just call me Princess Leia.”
She grabbed his ass.
Chapter 12
Joel couldn’t get the image of Melanie in a Princess Leia slave costume out of his head. All that creamy skin exposed, her silver-blonde hair shining, those crystal-blue eyes flaring with heat.
They’d driven down to the beach after making a break from the community center. Melanie had cracked. She didn’t want the community center staff to break anything unnecessarily and she didn’t want to get banned from the establishment for any reason, so they’d Unlocked the door and made a run for it.
They stood on the boardwalk, Melanie slipping her shoes off to walk in the sand. They’d just missed the sunset, but the lingering light still hung in the air. The wind carried the salty scent of the ocean, and Joel breathed it in deeply. He’d never tire of that smell.
He followed Melanie as she made her way to the water.
They passed an empty, boarded lifeguard tower and Joel nudged her. “Hey, want to sit up there?”
“Sure.”
They situated themselves on the tower, legs dangling over the edge. Joel glanced at Melanie out of the corner of his eye. She seemed better than when he’d first seen her walk into yoga that evening. There had been something in the air around her, a sadness that had pulled at Joel, but the class had started before he could get any information out of her.
He could make out the lingering sadness coming back. It was in every step she took, the slight hunch
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