“Are you hungry?”
“Actually, yes.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
Tucker wrapped his towel around his waist and headed into the house to get the cheese and biscuits. A little space was what was needed.
Her phone was ringing on the kitchen counter, so he took it out to her. “Your mom.”
“Do you mind if I call her back?”
“Of course not.”
He went inside and took his time getting the cheese plate.
When he went out, she was sitting on the side of the pool, dangling her feet, talking to her mother. Sadly, she hadn’t gotten any less attractive in his absence.
She smiled at him, and Tucker’s heart flipped. He was, he was well aware, officially ridiculous. All the blood left his brain and headed to another part of his anatomy. Ridiculous. She was just a girl.
“Sure, Mum, I’ll tell him.” She turned toward him. “My mum says you should visit again. She loved seeing you last year.”
She raised her eyebrows at him as if to say “What?” “No, I didn’t know he designed the new town library. Okay, I’ll tell him. Bye, Mum.”
“How’s your mum, then?”
“How come you didn’t tell me about the library?”
“It didn’t come up. I told you I was an architect. You didn’t ask me what I’d designed.”
“Well, Mum says it is beautiful and the envy of all the other towns on the coast.”
“She’s very kind.”
“She adores you. Always did. You were so polite compared to her own feral sons.”
He couldn’t really argue with that. Her brothers were like wild animals. Even now.
“She’s a nice woman.”
Mel leaned in and surveyed the cheese and fruit plate. He wished she wouldn’t because there was way too much cleavage on display when she did that.
“Are you checking me out, Tuck?” she teased.
“It’s kind of hard not to in that bikini, Mel.”
“True.”
“You had a bikini on the day I left town.”
She smiled at him. “The day you kissed me.”
“That day.”
She looked at him very thoughtfully. “Did you regret that?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I was glad I did it. I didn’t want to die wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“What it would be like.”
“You’d spent a lot of time wondering, huh?”
“Oh yeah, you were my boyhood crush, so what do you think?”
She laughed. “Well, I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”
“Impossible.” He felt himself smile.
“You were my first kiss, you know.”
“Was I? I thought Brandon might have beat me to it.”
“Nah, he talked a good fight, but he didn’t kiss me for another year.” Tucker kind of didn’t want to know that. The thought of that guy touching her did not make him happy.
“Wimp.”
“Exactly. And he didn’t tell me he wanted to marry me.”
“You remember that, huh?”
“You know you’re still the only guy who has ever proposed to me.”
“First kiss, first proposal. I got a couple of firsts in.”
“Pity you weren’t my first, first, if you know what I mean. I’m sure it would have been better.”
He nearly choked on his drink. “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m sure I would have tried very hard to make it a good experience for you.”
“Who was your first?”
“Really, you want to do this?”
Did she? Mel wasn’t sure. What she did want to do was get to know Tucker. Maybe this wasn’t the way.
“Sure.”
“Her name was Sabrina. She was my high school girlfriend. It was prom, and it was kind of a cliché.”
“Just like the movies.”
“Exactly.” He’d let her believe that. It hadn’t really been all that magical, but that was okay. He was seventeen at the time and magic hadn’t exactly been the prime objective, though he had tried.
“Beach, back of a car, also Brandon, also a cliché. Girl sleeps with boy, boy tells whole town.”
“Nice guy, huh?” he said sarcastically.
“The first in a line.” Why had she said that? “At least, in his case, Henry beat the crap out of him.”
“Well, that was something.”
Yeah, her brothers weren’t all bad. “Yeah, plus I’m thrilled to report Brandon is not aging well.”
“Justice of a sort,” Tucker said, popping a grape into his mouth.
“Yeah. Unlike you. You look really good, Tuck, like way better than I expected you would.”
“Well, is that a compliment or an insult, Mel? I can’t quite tell.” He looked a bit sad.
“You were kind of nerdy back in the day, Tuck. You’re not so nerdy now. It’s a compliment.”
“Actually, I’m still very nerdy. I just know how to hide it better,” he replied. “I’m fine with being a nerd. People can take it or leave it; it’s who I am.”
She drew her eyebrows together and stared at him. “Okay. Good for you. What sort of nerdy stuff are you into, then? Are we talking comic books and cosplay?”
“Well, I don’t mind dressing up, but not for cosplay.” He gave her a saucy wink. Okay, she had not seen that coming. “I’m also in an astronomy club. I play chess, and I do like my science fiction.”
That was pretty nerdy. On the other hand, he had interests and hobbies that stretched beyond the gym and steroids. “Interesting.”
“Actually, it is, well, to me anyway.” He smiled. “What are your non-nerdy hobbies?”
“Well, apart from the yoga . . .” She realized she didn’t have many. She was not going to say that hot boyfriends had been her hobbies lately. “I like to go dancing.”
“Dancing is good.” He smiled. “I like dancing.”
While they had been talking, they’d almost polished off the cheese plate and they had completely polished off the bottle of wine. Dark clouds were rolling over. There would be a summer thunderstorm any time now, and the temperature would hopefully plummet. Still, things were heating up around here.
“So, any nice girls in the astronomy club, Tuck?”
A large clap of thunder shook the city. “I think we should head inside.”
Maybe there were.
Tucker wasn’t sure if Mel was flirting with him, teasing him, or a little of both. She was definitely trying to figure him out, he knew that much.
He liked her, but he wasn’t a puzzle to solve or an experiment. He wasn’t planning on being used for Mel to work out who she was and what she wanted. He knew if he made a move today, she’d probably sleep with him, and that idea was immensely appealing. On the other hand, Tucker wasn’t sure one night with Mel was what he wanted.
It sounded sort of pathetic even in his own head, but the truth was if he couldn’t have the whole package, maybe he’d be better off living with the fantasy. And she was on the rebound anyway. He knew he definitely didn’t want to be the rebound guy, not with Mel and not ever again.
“You know where the bathroom is if you want to change,” Tucker said as he headed to the kitchen.
“I’m fine like this,” she said as she slid on a barstool. Okay, now she was messing with him.
“Cool. Do you want pizza? I can order some. Or I can make you a sandwich.” He was pretty sure she wasn’t a big carb loader, but that wasn’t his problem.
“I’m okay for now,” she said, smiling sweetly, flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder.
“Sure. So what time is your flight tomorrow?”
“Six.”
“Early start.” It was only seven thirty. She wasn’t leaving now.
“I’m used to it.”
He pulled another bottle of wine from the fridge and a jug of water. She needed to hydrate. He handed her the water and refilled her glass. She leaned
forward on the island and rested her chin in her hands. It did amazing things to her breasts, and he was sure she knew that.
“I’m trying to figure you out, Tuck.”
“I know, I can see the wheels turning,” he said, mirroring her pose across the island.
“If you didn’t already know me, would you be hitting on me now?”
“If I didn’t already know you, you wouldn’t be here.”
“But let’s say I was . . .”
“Then no, I wouldn’t.”
She furrowed her brow, and it was adorable. “Why not?”
“Well, several reasons, but mainly because you’re not into me, and I’m not really into girls, however beautiful, who aren’t into me.”
“Oh.” That stopped her short. But she didn’t correct him.
“Yeah, no one likes being used.”
“I’m not using you, Tuck.”
“Yeah, but if you slept with me, you would be.”
“What?”
“You want to know what it would be like with me, you’re curious. Also, you want to be wanted because you had a bad breakup.”
“Ouch. You don’t think much of me.”
He reached up and grabbed her hand. “I think the world of you, which is why I’m not sleeping with you. Of course, I want to, I’m not a eunuch, but it’s not what you really want and it’s not the right way to do it.”
“Right way?”
“Mel, if I was going to sleep with you, it would be part of something more, part of a relationship. It would be slow and sexy and beautiful, and you would not be racing out the door to leave me as soon as it was over. That would be the right way.”
Her nipples beaded, and her eyes dilated.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, it would be wow.” He dropped her hand. “I’m calling for pizza. What flavor? Have you moved on from ham and pineapple?”
3
Mel came out of her yoga class feeling more centered than she had in the four days since she’d visited Tucker. He’d set her off-kilter, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about anything now. Yoga, though, was always her go-to place, and she felt calm and back on an even keel.
Miles was waiting for her after class as was a text from Tuck.
“Hey, beautiful,” Miles said.
“Hey yourself, nice pants.” Miles was nothing if not a snappy dresser.
“Thanks, I’ve got a date later.”
Mel looked down at her phone again. Tuck had sent her a picture of the sunrise at the beach he’d gone to for a surf.
“Who is texting you?”
“Tucker.”
“Who is Tucker? New boyfriend already?”
“He’s just a friend.”
“You don’t have male friends,” Miles stated.
“What are you?”
“Sorry, you don’t have straight male friends.”
“Don’t I?”
“Nope, boyfriends, gay friends, girlfriends, but not male friends. Have you got a picture of your friend?”
She pulled up a pic of Tucker on his work website. “Seriously, he’s hot!”
“He is. But it’s not like that. We grew up together, and we’re just hanging out.”
“So, your hot, male ‘just friend’ is sending you photos of the sunrise, and there’s nothing to it?”
“That’s about the sum of it,” Mel said as they reached their favorite cafe and slid into their regular table.
“Wow. That Greg really did do a number on you.”
That he surely had, but it was Tucker who had her in knots now. He’d said she wasn’t interested in him but maybe she was. There was attraction, there was interest, but now maybe she only wanted him because he had said no. Well, she hadn’t asked, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t having a fling with her, and damn it if that wasn’t the sexiest thing she’d ever heard.
Miles ordered his coffee, and Mel had a green smoothie. It made her feel virtuous.
“So why aren’t you hot for Tucker?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am. Maybe he doesn’t like me that way?”
“First of all, come on, girl. Look at you! Second, he’s texting you the sunrise; of course he likes you.”
“Well, I’m on a man-ban. So it is a moot point.”
“Why are you on a man-ban, crazy girl?”
“I don’t know. I pick the wrong guy every time. I think I need a break. Time to regroup.”
“Okay, that makes some sense,” he said, admiring his own reflection in the mirror behind her. “But what if this guy isn’t the wrong guy and you let him slip past?”
“Then it isn’t meant to be I guess.” She let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I just worked out that every guy I’ve ever dated was probably only in it for sex and some arm candy, and maybe I was too. I’m a grown-up, but I don’t know how to have a grown-up relationship. Maybe I need to work that out.”
“Maybe Tucker could show you.”
“What makes you think he knows.”
“Does he run a business?” She nodded. “Own a house? Do the dishes?”
She nodded again. “Yeah.”
“Well, he probably actually is a grown-up, so he might have some tips.”
“Unlike you.” She laughed.
“I am not now nor will I ever be a grown-up!”
“Okay.” She laughed. “Enough about me. Tell me about your hot date.”
A few hours later, she found herself sitting in her apartment with her best friend Crystal.
“So how are you holding up post Greg the Dreg?”
“Is that his new name?”
“It is more polite than what I’d like to say.”
“I’m okay. I feel stupid more than heartbroken.”
“Hence the man-ban?”
They’d been texting each other about it. Crystal was all for Mel not diving headfirst into a romance because the heart does need time to heal but not because she felt Mel’s judgment was off.
“Hence the man-ban.”
“Look, the guy played you, but that’s what guys like that do, they’re good at it. They put the work in. It’s not your job to be looking for that crap.”
“Sure, but I still feel there were signs and I missed them. It’s not like he is the first creep I’ve dated.”
“Mel, I don’t want to get all fairy tale on your ass, but as you know, one must kiss a few frogs to find the handsome prince.”
“Yeah, well, I just want to be sure I know which one is which.” She sighed and topped up their cups of tea. It was a ritual they had when they got together. A nice pot of tea. True, they usually moved on to the champagne or the chardonnay, but it was never bad to start with tea.
“So tell me about Tucker, was it weird seeing him again?”
Crystal, being her oldest friend, of course knew that Tucker had proposed to her back at age fourteen. “Not at all, actually. It’s just nice and easy. His house is gorgeous. I told you he’s an architect, right?”
Crystal gave a nod. “But you don’t like him, like him?”
“I’m on a man-ban. I’m not looking, and I’m definitely not touching.” She stirred one sugar cube into her cup.
“But you wouldn’t mind, huh?”
“He’s good-looking, successful, good company . . .”
“So?”
“Nope. I need to do this.”
“And what if you miss this one great guy because you’re on this silly ban.”
“I guess it just isn’t meant to be, then.”
Still, she had wondered the same thing on and off since she left Tucker’s house. What if she missed this one great chance?
Tucker wasn’t sure he should have sent Mel away. He hadn’t been able to get her and her little bikini out of his mind. Maybe he should have taken the opportunity to have sex with her.
Then again, he didn’t imagine he’d be thinking about her any less if that had happened.
He just had a feeling that maybe if he gave her some time, she’d come around. But n
ot if he slept with her. It made no sense, he might end up with no sex and no girl, but if he wanted the girl, it was a risk he had to take. If they spent some time together and he wooed her a little, then maybe. Well, it was worth a shot.
He could make an excuse to go to Sydney this week. He didn’t really need one. He had a board meeting with a group that built affordable sustainable housing, and he could actually go rather than conference call it.
He sent Mel a text. He’d been messaging her, and she’d been replying at least.
Are you in Sydney on Friday?
The five minutes before she replied felt like about a month.
Back in at four.
Want to see a movie?
Sure.
Tucker jumped right online and got two tickets to an outdoor cinema in Centennial Park. It was Alfred Hitchcock night and To Catch a Thief was showing. Perfect.
They were meeting just outside the entrance. Tucker had been to the very swanky Food Hall under the city’s fanciest department store and bought a picnic, which was packed neatly in a cooler bag.
It was another hot summer’s night. Tucker wore cargo shorts and a white shirt. He didn’t want to overdress. Then he saw her. Hot damn that woman was beautiful. She had on a floral halterneck dress, and her hair was flowing down. She was breathtaking, and then she smiled.
“Hey, Tuck.” She gave him a wave on approach. “This is so cool. I’ve always meant to do this, and I never have.”
He bent down to kiss her cheek. She smelled like a bowl of fruit again. Delicious. “I’m glad. And it is a perfect night for it. You look lovely, by the way.”
“You do too. Well, handsome maybe rather than lovely.” She grinned. She had the picnic blanket. “Do you need any help?”
“I’m good.” They showed their tickets and went through the gate to secure their spot. She spread out the blanket.
“Cary Grant. So sexy!” She purred. “And Grace Kelly, well, is there anyone more elegant and frosty? I never could work out how she could be so come here and so go away all at the same time.”
“Why would you want to be like that?”
“I don’t know, it worked for her. She got the prince, didn’t she?”
“I guess she did.”
Be Mine: Valentine Novellas to Warm The Heart Page 4
