by Hope Paris
Melanie
Jason leads me upstairs and into a room to the left. He switches on the light and I see that it’s a bedroom. A huge four-poster bed is against the opposite wall, covered in a white coverlet and sky blue duvet. Sky blue? I was not expecting that of him. In fact, the room isn’t what I was expecting at all. The decor is of various shades of blue, simple furniture with a huge curtained window at the end of the room.
“Mel?” Jason is looking at me. “You okay?”
“I . . . Yes.” I feel my cheeks going red. “Sorry, this isn’t what I was expecting.”
“Oh?” Jason arches an eyebrow. “What were you expecting?”
“Not this.” I look at the floor. “Sorry.”
His fingers tuck under my chin and I am made to look up. Jason is now smiling at me. The tension seems to be easing in his expression. The tone is soft in his eyes.
“You need to stop saying sorry. I’m not going to be mad.” He rubs his thumb over my lips. “All I want is just to have you with me. Make me feel better about this evening.”
“I can do that.”
I want to do that. I want Jason to forget the impromptu meeting with Miguel Salazar. He needs a distraction, and I want to be there for him. I cup his jaw.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jason.”
“Good.” Jason turns his head and kisses my palm. “This might be the first time I’ve actually made love to you in a bed.”
I find myself giggling.
“You call what we’ve done making love?”
“What would you call it?”
“Something a lot more animalistic than that.”
“I can’t argue with that.” He takes my hands and places them on his chest. “Let’s see what we can do about making love for the first time. I’ll let you undress me.”
Making love for the first time. This has my heart stuttering, making me bite back a gasp. I focus on unbuttoning his shirt, taking my time sliding the buttons out and brushing my fingers against his bare skin. Jason inhales sharply, but he doesn’t pull away. I untuck his shirt and finish the rest of the buttons, helping him push it off and onto the floor. Then I spread my hands over his chest, exploring every inch with my fingers. Jason shudders, allowing me to move my hands over his body.
I slide my hands over his arms, tracing his tattoos. Up close, they are beautiful. Such intricate Celtic designs in black, navy and dark green. I love how they look. Tattoos on Jason’s skin just look incredibly sexy.
“Mel . . .” Jason groans. “I’m trying not to rush you, but I will if you keep doing this to me.”
“Then you’d better get undressed yourself.” I smile and step back, reaching for my blouse. “I think that might be the smarter option.”
Jason’s nostrils flare as I start to undress, dropping my clothes into a pile at my feet. He licks his lips as I strip down to my underwear, and then slowly peel my panties off. I’m not normally comfortable showing my naked body, but with Jason that is changing. I feel sexy and beautiful. He makes me confident, comfortable. Wanted.
Needed.
“Get on the bed.”
I do as he tells me, lying on the coverlet as he strips with jerking motions. His cock springs free as he shoves his pants and boxers down his thighs, kicking off his shoes before yanking off his clothes. He almost falls onto the bed as he divests himself of his clothing. Then he’s crawling onto the bed, looking like a prowling animal. The heat in his eyes has my pussy tightening so much that I gasp.
“Fuck, Mel, you look so beautiful like that.” Jason grasps my ankle and nudges my legs apart, pressing kisses up the inside of my thigh. “I’ve just realized that I haven't tasted you properly, either. Maybe I need to rectify that.”
“Maybe you should.” I pant.
“I plan to.”
His first lick across my clit has me gasping. Then he presses kisses to my pussy lips, seeming to savor me as he laps at my sweetness. He is so delicate that it has me shivering. I never expected such gentleness from this man. He’s always so firm and fierce, so sure of himself. This feels like he’s taking tentative steps, testing the waters. So attentive. I fall back onto the bed and moan as he cups my backside, drawing me closer as his licking becomes more insistent.
Dear God, his tongue. It is doing things to my insides.
He stabs his tongue inside me, making me gasp. Now he’s eating my pussy like a starving man, swiping a lick over my clit before going back to devouring me. He does this a few times, drawing me close to an orgasm before pulling away and leaving me teetering on the edge. I’m soon writhing underneath him, grabbing his head and digging my fingers into his hair.
“Jason, please! I need . . .”
Then he sucks on my clit, his teeth scraping against the swollen flesh. And I scream as my orgasm tears through my body, slamming into me so hard I can’t catch my breath. Jason draws it out, barely letting me come down from the first climax before orchestrating the second. I gasp his name, trying to twist out from under him. I want him to stop, but I want him to do it again. And again.
I need this. I need him.
I’m shivering from my second orgasm when Jason starts kissing his way up my body, pressing his firm form against me as he kisses me. I taste myself on him, on his tongue, as his cock presses against my pussy.
“God, Mel,” Jason growls against my mouth. “I can’t get enough of you.”
He pushes inside me, taking it slowly. I moan and arch my hips towards him, my body shifting to take him in. Fuck, he’s big. As slow as we are, I’m fully aware of his size, and I can feel my body changing to take more of him in. Jason wraps my legs around his waist and groans.
“Yes, just like that.” Then he takes my hands, linking my fingers with his, and presses them to the bed. “Fuck, Mel. You feel so good.”
He eases back and pushes forward, so gently, so slowly. And the ache starts building inside me again. Jason keeps the dance slow, going at his pace. I lift my hips to him, feeling pinned down with his hands keeping my arms still and my legs tight around his waist with my heels digging into the small of his back. I can hardly move, and this feels more erotic than I thought possible.
I can feel my orgasm building again, a gentle increase of pressure with shivers going up my spine. I pant as Jason shifts and slightly changes the angle of his thrusts. Holy fuck, that feels even better. I moan, which Jason silences as he kisses me.
“Your pussy is so tight.” He buries his face in my neck. “I can’t get enough of you, Melanie.”
He mumbles something else, but my climax is starting to ring in my ears so that I can’t hear him. It washes over me, leaving me crying out as Jason sucks on my earlobe, dragging his teeth over my skin. Then he growls, the sound vibrating over my body as his orgasm breaks through, his whole body shuddering as he buries himself deep inside me.
We lie still for a few moments, the only sounds being of us breathing. I can feel my heart racing, sweat trickling down my forehead. Jason raises his head and he kisses me softly. I don’t know if it’s him trembling or me. He releases my hands and cradles my head.
“Mel,” he whispers against my mouth. “I can’t get enough of you.”
His kiss is so sweet, so delicate. This doesn’t feel like the same man who took me in his car only a few nights ago. This feels like . . .
One word floats up but I push it away. I will not think about how right this feels. Not now.
“Stay with me.” Jason raises his head, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “Stay the night. Be with me.”
I should get back to my family. Mom has got to be worried and I have no idea where Claire is. But then I see the pleading look in Jason’s eyes. He really wants me to stay. I can’t tell him no.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
Relief floods Jason’s face and he kisses me as if he was expecting me to turn him down.
“Thank you.”
Jason
I stand at the end of the bed and watch Melanie sleep. She likes to
spread out in her bed, her knee in my back or an elbow in my stomach for most of the night. She likes to cuddle for a moment before rolling away. I haven’t slept in a bed with a woman in years, and I forgot how much space another person takes up, even when the bed is huge.
Melanie is uninhibited in her sleep. I find it quite endearing. And lying as she is now, taking up most of the bed with the duvet tangled around her waist, revealing the gorgeous slope of her back as she sleeps on her belly hugging a pillow. Her hair is mussed up on the pillow and down her back, a gentle snore coming from her.
She’s so beautiful. I could get used to this.
I pause. I should not be thinking about that right now. But somehow, whenever Melanie is around me, I find myself thinking about the possibilities. She’s just a remarkable woman who refuses to back down. She stands with me when she doesn’t need to. And she’s there for comfort. She knows how to make me feel better.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt like this with a woman.
Right now, though, I need to figure out what’s going on with Miguel. I’ve been awake since just before six, and I’ve tried to think about who could possibly have a grudge against me. I have fired people in the past for misconduct at work or abusing their jobs, but I don’t think any of them would try to defame my character. What would they get out of it, anyway? It wasn’t making any sense.
Maybe if I get Melanie’s perspective, I might get closer to an answer. Melanie would be more objective than I am. And she’s proven to be smarter than I give her credit for. Perhaps she knows what’s going on.
I do have a suspicion . . . but, of course, I can’t prove that Claire is the one sabotaging me. How would she have gotten into contact with Miguel, anyway? That didn’t make any sense. She’s already done some damage by posting about her sister all over social media. I can’t put it all on Claire.
Melanie doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. And I won’t let her be.
Having awoken so early, I’d decided to go for a walk to the coffee shop around the corner to get breakfast. I ate walking back to my brownstone. Melanie’s breakfast is still in the brown paper bag, which I now place on the bedside table, along with a coffee.
I settle on the bed and touch my hand to her back. She feels so soft and warm. Melanie stirs as I kiss her shoulder.
“Melanie.”
Melanie sighs and opens her eyes. Then she rolls onto her back, and I get to see her full breasts on display. I did spend a lot of time before we went to sleep devouring those breasts and seeing how responsive Melanie is when I lavish attention on her sensitive body. She certainly knows what she likes. So do I.
Melanie’s eyes focus on me and she smiles. She doesn’t seem to notice or care that she’s baring her body.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” I hold out her coffee cup. “I’ve got you breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Melanie sits up, tugging the duvet up to cover her breasts and leaning against the headboard. She takes the cup. “I never thought a man of your stature would be serving me breakfast in bed.”
“It’s only a croissant, but it’s better than nothing.”
“You don’t do cooking, then?”
“I can cook.” I protest. “I just don’t do it very often.”
“Of course you don’t.” Melanie giggles. “You have a personal chef to do all that for you.”
I pretend to be offended.
“I may have a personal chauffeur that I use on occasion, but I don’t have a chef.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“My housekeeper prepares most of the meals, anyway.”
Melanie bursts out laughing, and I feel a tightening in my chest. God, she’s even more beautiful when she’s laughing like that.
“I hope your housekeeper’s not going to get a surprise when she finds me here. Or is she used to strange houseguests?”
“Hope doesn’t come in on weekends, and I don’t bring girls home.” I find myself realizing that this is true. “You’re the first I’ve allowed into my house.”
Melanie stares at me. Then she smiles.
“Thank you for letting me past the threshold.”
I don’t respond. I don’t know how to respond to that. I’m only just beginning to realize that Melanie has gotten past more of my defences than I anticipated. She didn’t even need to try. She was just . . . Melanie.
Melanie sips her coffee and frowns.
“I need to call Mom.”
I had already checked in with Leah on my way to the coffee house. As usual, she was up and moving around just after six. I am sure that woman never sleeps.
“I’ve already checked in with Leah. Your mother’s fine.” I pause. “Claire didn’t come home at all, though.”
Melanie sighs heavily.
“That shouldn’t really surprise me. Even having a new place to live hasn’t spurred her to being a better person.”
“I think you could give her everything anyone could possibly want and she still won’t be happy.” I stare at Melanie as she looks away. “Just say the word and I’ll have her evicted.”
But Melanie shakes her head, still not looking at me.
“Let me talk to her, Jason. I’ll sort it.”
I’m not surprised to hear her say that. Melanie is very much a person who wants to keep her family business within the family. The fact that she shared with me is something she’s still coming to terms with. The problem is, from my perspective, that Melanie and her mother look like they’re enabling Claire’s behavior. She isn’t getting any better, so whatever they’re trying isn’t working. Claire needs a harsh wake-up call, and her family isn’t giving her that.
Then again, after the way I’ve seen Claire treat her mother and sister, I can see why they’re scared to take her in hand. Claire is unpredictable. It could be due to the drink and drugs, or it could be something undiagnosed. I’m not going to know for sure, and Claire is not likely to tell me. I’m certainly not her favorite person right now.
“You’re far too soft on her, Mel.” I reach for my coffee, sipping the bitter liquid. “She needs a firmer hand.”
“I know. And it’s going to happen.” Melanie lifts her chin and gives me a defiant look. “Have some faith in me, Jason.”
I have faith in her, but not when it comes to her own family. Family is her weakness, and she changes when she’s dealing with them. She’s not the strong, intelligent woman I see at work, or the confident sexy person in my arms and my bed. She appears to be a shadow of her former self when it involves her family. I don’t like seeing her like that, and it makes me want to shake some sense into Claire. She’s causing a rift in the family, and it’s going to damage the three of them more than it already has.
I’m not about to let that happen to my girl.
Your girl. That doesn’t sound as odd as it did before.
“Okay.” I sigh and glug down the rest of my coffee. “I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”
“What are you going to do today?” Melanie frowns. “You’re not going to be at work, are you?”
“No, I’m going to take a few days off.” Saying it sounds pretty good. “I haven’t taken any vacation time in quite a few years, and after what happened last night, I don’t think I would be able to focus properly. I need to get my head sorted first.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Melanie sits forward, resting her hand over mine. “Do you want me to stay with you? I could keep you company. I mean, you say I’m at work when you are and you won’t be at work today.”
“That’s true.” I sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be good company today.”
“I don’t mind. I’m patient.” Melanie shrugs. “Even if you don’t want to talk, just having someone close might make you feel better.”
She does have a point. And having Melanie close does make me feel better. I don’t feel as lost and angry as I would have before. She seems to keep me balanced just by being in the room.
I never knew
a woman could be so valuable to someone just by being present. I had scoffed at it before, but now I appreciate it. I understand.
“You’re determined not to go, aren’t you?”
“I just want to know that you’re okay before I leave you.” Melanie bites her lip. “Call me soft, but I’m reluctant to leave you alone when you’re like this.”
She wasn’t going to budge even if I wanted her to. And I want her with me. I want to keep Melanie at my side and allow her to look after me. Melanie is determined to be there and allow me to rant and rave. Normally, when a woman offers to be around me and I refuse, they listen, for the most part. But with Melanie, I find myself wanting her to stay with me. I want her to be with me.
You want her to be with you a lot more than just a few days. And you know it.
I shove my thoughts to one side and smile at Melanie. I lean over and kiss her, tasting coffee on her lips.
“Why don’t you spend the weekend with me? We can get to know each other better.”
Melanie laughs.
“More than we know each other already?”
“I think I know every part of your body.” I tug the duvet away and cup her breast. Melanie closes her eyes with a sigh. “But I mean in other ways. Maybe we can get away—go to the beach or a cabin hideaway for a bit.”
Melanie moans as I brush my thumb over her nipple. I take her coffee cup before it spills onto the bed, putting it on the bedside cabinet.
“Think you can afford my vacation time?” Melanie asks.
“When I work, so do you.” I push her onto the bed. “When I play, you do, too.”
I trace my tongue around her nipple, which has Melanie gasping. She giggles, her fingers running through my hair.
“Sounds like an idea—just as long as I can get some things first.”
“I’ll take you to do that.” I press kisses up her chest to her mouth. “As long as you take a shower with me first.”
“We’ll never get clean if I do that.”
I kiss her as she laughs.
“Try me.”
Melanie
