by Jaymin Eve
“Who owns this place now?” she asked.
“It's mine,” he replied.
He reached out, and before she could protest he took her hand. Her self-preservative instincts roared to life and she was just about to wrench it free when she realized there was no pressure. His grip was warm and firm, but he wasn’t holding tightly, he was letting her have the control. If someone had told her last week that she’d sleep in a mansion and have its gorgeous owner hold her hand and lead her around, she’d have called them insane. And yet here she was. Life was funny like that.
Upstairs was just as opulent as down, with plush carpets, high ceilings and more bedrooms and bathrooms than anyone could need. Nathan opened the door at the very end of the wide-set hallway.
“This is my room,” he warned, before moving out of the doorway. “I know the generator is still hooked to the main bedroom in the house, so this is our only outlet for hot water.”
Melodee’s first impression as she stepped inside was huge and masculine. Dark colors, and a four-post bed that was the biggest she had ever seen. They moved through and she tried not to stare at the bed. All she could think about was Nathan sleeping in it, probably naked. The bathroom was about the size of her entire apartment in Syracuse. There was a huge Whirlpool and Melodee was amazed to see it was already half full.
Nathan grinned, “I started it when we got the mattress. It’s a big tub and takes a while to fill. I figured the jets might ease some of your muscle aches.”
Damn him, why was he so thoughtful? Melodee knew she was already obsessing way too much over the bazillionaire with the aqua eyes and rock hard body. He was one of those unobtainable things in life, and she didn’t need to want for any more shit that she couldn’t have.
“Thank you,” she finally said.
He showed her the cabinet which was stocked with clean towels, toiletries, even spare clothes.
“Help yourself to anything,” Nathan said as he left the room.
Melodee was a little nervous as she unzipped her hooded long-sleeved shirt. She hoped Jewel was alright downstairs. Her muscles ached as she attempted to lift her arms up to remove her undershirts. She groaned out loud when her shoulder joint shifted above her head. She hadn't noticed downstairs, or even while fighting with Charles, but she definitely had an injury that was a bit more severe than bruises.
“Are you okay?” Nathan burst through the door. He froze when he saw her standing there half naked. “Shit, sorry, I heard you cry out and worried that you’d hurt yourself.”
“Well, since you’re here, I could use a hand with this shirt.” Melodee wasn’t precious about her body and she had a black-silk bra on. It covered as much as a swimsuit.
Nathan was silent as he stepped closer, his warmth flooding the room, and Melodee’s body responded immediately. When he was next to her, he seemed so much larger. He filled the room and Melodee could not breathe.
“What’s wrong?” he said as he reached out and took her shirt into his hands. “Why did you cry out?”
Melodee gritted her teeth as he helped her lift off the shirt. “I must have mildly dislocated my shoulder, popped it in and out, and didn’t realize. I couldn’t get my arm high enough to get my top off.”
Nathan stared down at her for a heartbeat, his features hardened. “You were wrestling with Charles?” He bit out. “Did he do this? I’ll kick his ass.”
Melodee laughed. “I kicked his ass just fine on my own. But no, I think it was from the accident and I just didn’t notice until now.”
Melodee had always been like that with injuries. She’d sustained enough in her life; she had gotten really good at ignoring them.
“Thanks for your help, I’m fine now.” She waved him off. Nathan crossed his arms for a moment before nodding.
“I’ll wait in the room. Call if you need me.”
He turned to leave. Melodee halted him with one soft word.
“Why?”
He didn’t pretend not to understand as he turned back his head to face her.
“Because you deserve to be cared for. I’m not sure I’m capable anymore, but I’m going to give it my best shot.” And he left the room again, leaving the door just slightly ajar.
Melodee was stunned, and before she could check the emotions flooding her, a single tear escaped her eye. She had not cried for ten years, and today wasn’t about to be her undoing. Drawing on her strength, she finished undressing. Flicking off the running water, she stepped into the hot tub. It was deep, she sank to her shoulders, and leaning her head back on the padded rest, reached out and hit the button. The powerful jets whirled to life, and for the first time in hours her tense muscles relaxed.
She must have drifted off, because when she opened her eyes the water had cooled and her fingers were starting to wrinkle. Time to get out. She stepped onto the mat, and using one of the thick towels started to dry herself. Grimacing, she pulled on her old underwear. They were only from this morning, but she was a bit pedantic about clean clothes. Stepping over to the cabinet, she found an oversized Syracuse College sweater. She had to roll up the sleeves a half-a-dozen times, but it was soft and warm and would be heaps more comfortable to sleep in. It hung to her knees, so she just slipped on her socks. Thankfully, her shoulder was much more maneuverable after the bath. Gathering up her clothes, she wiped down the vanity and stepped out into the carpeted master room.
Nathan was sprawled out on the bed, his long arms resting behind his head. At first Melodee thought he was asleep, but then she noticed his eyes lazily assessing her.
“I’m pretty sure you were sent here to tempt every sense of restraint I possess,” Nathan drawled, pulling himself up to sit. “Seeing you standing there in my shirt is doing all kinds of shit to my caveman instincts.”
Melodee laughed; she couldn’t believe it, she was never usually this cheery. But she’d had a crazy image of Nathan trying to club her over the head and drag her off.
“Who asked you to be restrained?” she finally said. There was no use denying the attraction between them. It was there, it was real, and it was filling the room like a beating drum. And while she hadn’t forgotten the accident and those poor victims, the strength of her emotions were an added reminder that life was short. They needed to seize every second.
Nathan stood, moving like a sleek panther toward her, so smooth and graceful. “Trust me, there’s nothing I want more than to strip you bare and put my mouth and my hands on every section of your beautiful body.” He lowered his head to meet her eyes. “The need I have to taste you is strangling my ability to think clearly. But you deserve better.”
He pulled back and Melodee almost cried again. “I’ll do everything in my power to help you and Jewel, but I’m not the man for you.”
Melodee lifted her head, defiance defining her features. “You don’t have to protect me, I’m a big girl and I’ve been on my own since I was thirteen.” She paused. “No, in all honesty I’ve been on my own since I was born, if you don’t count two brief years where I had a sister.” She growled out her last words. “But you’re right, we are from two very different worlds, and this could only end in disaster.”
She turned then and left the room.
Nathan wanted to punch himself in the face as he watched her march out. She was strong, but he’d seen the hurt in her eyes. Why the hell was he being such a good guy now? He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath, but his track record at sticking around was not the best. And for some reason he never wanted to be the reason those sapphire eyes filled with pain. Better to not get involved. The Sinclairs were really good at breaking things, and he could already tell that Melodee had already had enough people try to break her.
Chapter 5
The night was uneventful. Miguel checked in a few times, the last to announce the arrival of the foal. ‘A prize winning colt’, he’d said proudly. Melodee stayed quiet after her embarrassing episode of flirting upstairs. Jewel kept her busy, she was unsettled through the night, a
nd Melodee was getting the distinct impression that she had a pacifier normally. She was trying to suck on anything that came near her little rosebud lips.
In the early hours of the morning, when the storm sounded like it was dying down, Melodee had just finished feeding Jewel and was walking slowly up and down the fire-lit room, patting her back.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” she murmured against Jewel’s whimpering. It was too cold to leave the warmth and she was trying not to wake the men. They’d been up and down with the foal and were exhausted. “Do you have a sore belly, sweet?”
Her voice seemed to soothe her, along with the rhythm of walking. Jewel hiccupped a few times, her blue eyes wet with unshed tears. Melodee couldn’t stop herself from pulling her close and hugging her tight. Something about children got to Melodee in a way nothing else ever could. Truly the only time humans were allowed to be innocent. Well, not all children, but it should be the time for innocence.
“You really want to keep her, Dee?” Nathan’s husky tones startled her. He’d taken to calling her Dee and she couldn’t get him to stop. At least it wasn’t Mel; that had been her mother’s pet name for her, and when she’d used it bad things would happen.
“It’s impossible,” Melodee sighed. “They would never let me. Plus, I’m sure she has family somewhere.”
“And if she doesn’t?” He repeated her words from earlier as he sat up on the couch. Melodee’s eyes were drawn to the way his broad shoulders filled out the light gray sweatshirt he wore. “They will take her into the foster system.”
Melodee’s features tightened as fear and fury simultaneously flooded her. “We can’t let that happen, Nathan.”
His eyes sought hers until they clashed. “Trust me,” Melodee said, “there are too many bad foster families.”
“What happened to you?” Nathan said. He pulled himself from the couch and moved to tower over the two of them.
Melodee shrugged. “Selfish women with perverted husbands.” Her tone was light, throwaway. “I know it’s not always like that. Others from the home said they found wonderful families. But my experience was worlds from that.”
“Are you telling me that you were … abused?” He choked a little on the last word.
Melodee smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Let’s just call it attempted abuse. I should be grateful that my useless parents at least gave me the skills to defend myself. Even at thirteen.”
Nathan reached out and captured her free hand. “We will not let that happen to Jewel.”
When Jewel was finally asleep, Melodee sat on the couch, keeping the little girl against her shoulder. Nathan sank in next to her. He was pressed against her side, and everywhere he touched was warm and tingly. She felt so safe and comfortable, and then for the first time in Melodee’s life she fell asleep in a room with strangers.
Nathan knew he was being a creepy asshole, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from Melodee. As she slept, he couldn’t believe how sweet and innocent she looked. Awake, there was no mistaking the depths of hell that Melodee had traversed in her life, but asleep, the long dark lashes folded down, hiding her eyes and her pain. Reaching over, he grabbed one of the wool throws and draped it over the cuddled pair. He figured he’d just close his eyes for a minute. He was sure it wouldn’t be long until Melodee woke and realized where she had fallen asleep. And probably kick him in the nuts for drooling all over her. He shrugged. Worth it for sure.
It took him quite a while to lose himself to sleep. He couldn’t understand why he felt such a need to protect the two females sleeping soundly next to him. Maybe it was how alone they seemed. He knew he was lucky. Despite the fact his parents were absent and selfish assholes, he had awesome brothers, and until the helicopter accident a few years ago, grandparents who gave freely of their love. Melodee seemed to have no one, and yet she seemed tough and independent and not completely fucked up. Her strength touched something deep inside of him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from helping her, and as he relaxed and let the first drowsiness of sleep wash over him, he had one last hope that this would all have a happy ending.
A loud clanging noise woke Melodee from the deepest sleep she’d ever had. Her face felt cold, but the rest of her was warm. Her right cheek was numb and she realized it was pressed against something hard. She opened her eyes, all drowsiness fading, and she was immediately alert. Jewel was still snuggled into the hollow between her breasts, her rosy mouth open slightly, her baby smell so sweet. And then Melodee realized why her pillow had been hard, it was a muscular chest. Holy shit balls, she’d fallen asleep on Nathan Sinclair, the damn star of Syracuse basketball team and all around golden boy of this town. And why the hell did he smell so good? He could at least do her a favor and be less attractive, both physically and scent-wise. She must have suffered some type of damage in that car crash, somewhere in the vicinity of her common sense and survival instincts.
The front door slammed open, and by the time the figure had dashed into their room, Melodee had already slid Jewel onto the couch and moved in front of the vulnerable sleeping forms of the others. She let out a relieved breath when she realized it was only Miguel.
“The snowplow has been through. They found the crashed cars, and the police are here to talk with you.” He spoke quickly, but quiet enough not to disturb anyone else. Or so Melodee thought until Nathan shifted.
“Don’t say anything to them without me, Dee,” he said, jumping to his feet and moving to her side.
She felt confused. “Why? I’m not the biggest fan of authority, but there’s no way they can pin the crash on me.”
“We need to present a united front in case they want to take Jewel straight away. I’m not letting that happen until we know she has a decent family to go to.” Nathan started to move forward and Charles was somehow already at his side despite the fact that he had been asleep all of five minutes before.
Pulling on her jeans and black boots, Melodee picked up the still-asleep Jewel and followed the men out of the warm room. The air was like ice away from the fire, so she quickly ducked back and grabbed a blanket to cover the baby. Leaving again, she headed toward the open front door, and all Melodee could see was the blinding sunlight reflecting off the snow. Stepping out onto the wide front deck, there looked to be at least four cars parked around the large circular drive. Further back was a huge Dodge Ram truck with a plow on the front, which she assumed was Charles’. Nathan was a head taller than the uniformed officer he was chatting with. Glancing up, he locked eyes with her, and the brief smile he sent her way was reassuring. Charles was away from the main group, speaking with others in uniform. Emergency services. She recognized the EMT symbol on their shirts.
Stepping carefully along the cleared path, Melodee was glad the ground seemed to be salted; she would hate to slip with Jewel in her arms.
“Hello, ma’am,” the younger of the two officers near Nathan greeted her. “We just have a few questions about the accident.”
Melodee nodded her consent. Might as well get them out of the way.
“So I understand you were in the car of…” He looked down at his note pad. “Douglas Barrant. We found him deceased at the scene. Can you tell me what happened?”
Melodee tried to block out the images that threatened her mind again: lifeless eyes, the stillness of death. Nathan reached out then and took her hand. The warmth and comfort was so foreign that it shocked her back into focus and she was able to regain composure.
“Doug was heading out here to Nathan’s place. He was driving pretty fast, and then suddenly a car was coming at us, out of control and already on its roof. I wrenched the wheel but we still clipped the edge and went over the embankment. I checked the other car, but the driver was deceased. We rescued Jew … the baby from the other car, but the storm was too bad to get the bodies out.”
“The woman is still unidentified at the moment, her car was unregistered and she had no identification,” the officer said. “We will check out the miss
ing people reports back at the station.”
An older woman, thin, with dark brown hair, walked over to the group. She held a clipboard and tablet computer in her hands.
“Hello, my name is Denise Ronin from Child Protective Services.”
Melodee’s heart sank. Nathan pulled her closer to his side, his bulk providing warmth.
“I was called in when the officers realized there was a baby capsule shell in the car.” She smiled brightly at Jewel. “I’m so glad to see that she is doing well after the accident, but we need to have emergency check her over to be sure.”
Nathan drew the woman’s attention. “If you don’t know who the girl is, then you are going to have no idea of the baby’s family. What will happen in the meantime?”
Denise seemed to blush as she caught Nathan’s direct gaze. Melodee was glad to see she wasn’t the only one thrown off by his magnetism and good looks.
“Well, we arrange for temporary care until we find her family,” Denise finally said.
Nathan didn’t hesitate. “Melodee and I would like to look after her until you find her family. She knows us and it’s much better than moving her all around.”
Denise looked surprised, her brows rising as she glanced at the way Nathan held my hand.
“I’m sorry Mr…”
“Sinclair.”
She opened her mouth, closing it again before clearing her throat.
“As in Nathan Sinclair, basketball center and son of Senator Sinclair?” Her voice was breathy.
Nathan sighed. “Yes, that’s my father. I can get him on the line to verify my identity if you require.”
She shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no need to bother your father. I’m sure it’s fine for me to leave the child temporarily in the custody of you and your girlfriend. I’ll just need a copy of your identification, and I will have to make a few phone calls.”
Melodee opened her mouth to correct the woman on the girlfriend comment, but Nathan squeezed her hand and shook his head slightly.
