“It was donated to the town decades ago. Unfortunately, they just never did anything with it.”
The flowers were in full bloom. They were close enough to the shoreline to see little dots of color among the greenery. “You want to stop and have breakfast there?”
She laughed. “I don’t think so. I don’t like sharing my space with the local snakes and other wildlife.”
“Then why would tourists want to come?”
“Because it’s so beautiful. Look at it.”
He did. Cypress trees looming in the background looked almost mystical.
Melanie kissed him. He turned and raked his fingers through her hair. She rubbed his chest and got his blood pumping. He sighed at the wave of pleasure that washed over him. Much too quickly, she left his side and sat nearby.
“Do you fish?” she asked.
“Not really. We fished years ago on summer vacations. Grandma caught more than any of us, even Grandpa. She loved it, but hated to clean them. She always left that to Grandpa and me. Saying it wasn’t fair having to clean and cook.”
“I like that.”
His gaze slid over her. She was relaxed, not rushed as she usually was. “Do you fish?”
“Never been. Courtney goes with Uncle Milton and her cousins. They love to boat.”
Suddenly the wind began to pick up. Monroe glanced at the skyline. Not a cloud in the sky. It was interesting the way the water had been so calm one minute and had the boat rocking the next. Monroe steered around and headed toward his favorite spot on the lake.
“I’m ready to eat,” he said. “Let’s head to shore.” His grandfather used to talk about fishing in that spot when he was a child. Remnants of the old dock were still in the ground when the workers built the new one.
When they were docking, Melanie asked, “Isn’t this your property?”
He nodded and recognized the two huge rocks he and his granddad used to sit on to fish. This wasn’t rocky land. He often wondered how they ended up there.
“You should see the sunsets from here.”
“Maybe I will one day.”
Monroe stared at her for several seconds. Funny, he’d never had the inclination to bring a woman there before—not even Dorian. Yet he couldn’t wait to see the sunset with Melanie. He moved forward, put one hand under her chin, the other around her waist, and drew her close. He felt a tremor pass through her warm body. “There’s something magical about sunsets.”
“About Summer Lake, too.” The breathless timbre of her voice told him she thought he was special, too.
His hand stroked her cheek and he lowered his head. Her lips automatically parted when he kissed her. The long buried hunger inside him instantly flared to life. And when he felt her hands stroke his back, he knew he wasn’t alone.
Melanie knew the last place she should be was in Monroe’s arms. This whole day had been a huge crazy dream. She knew she should let her mind slide back to reality, but for once she was going to let her body influence her decisions.
She felt his hands run up and down her back and settle on first her hips, then her butt. When he pressed her more tightly against him, she felt the impression of his arousal against her stomach. It seemed a lifetime of pleasure had passed before their mouths parted and he released a deep sigh.
“We missed the sunset,” he whispered into her hair.
At that moment, as Melanie tried to catch her breath, the sunset was the last thing on her mind.
It was late when Melanie and Monroe returned to the house.
Aunt Thelma was hosting a sleepover and had asked if Courtney could spend the night with her cousins. Melanie gave her consent and Monroe eagerly changed their evening plans. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a full day just to relax.
The house was empty. Mrs. Pearl had left hors d’oeuvres in the fridge and dinner on the stove—with candles and a vase of peonies she’d gathered from the garden on the table with a note that said Enjoy. Underneath she’d drawn a crooked smiley face. That woman didn’t know when to quit.
Melanie changed from her jeans and sneakers into a two-piece bathing suit. Then she walked outside on the deck. The pungent odor of chlorine swirled around her.
Monroe had already settled into the hot tub. Wearing nothing but swim trunks, his body hair feathered over his skin with the motion of the jetting water. A bottle of wine chilled in an ice bucket and two filled glasses were placed on a tray behind him.
Monroe leaned forward. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders, her breasts and steadily traveled her entire body, sucking the air out of her lungs.
“Come here,” he whispered, his voice thick and unsteady.
He held out his hand and she grasped it as she stepped into the hot tub. Sinking to the seat, her insides jangled with excitement. She leaned her head back and enjoyed the feel of the jets lapping water around her. Monroe handed her a glass of wine. She sipped it slowly. The very air around them seemed electrified.
“Enjoy your day?”
“It was the best.”
“It’s not over yet.” Her eyes jerked to his. “Not by a long shot,” he whispered.
He took her glass out of her numb fingers and placed both glasses on the deck. Slowly he leaned toward her, giving her a chance to reject him. When she didn’t, a featherlight kiss touched her lips. And her already overstimulated body burst into flames. Melanie sighed and wrapped her hands around his neck. He pulled her body close to his until her breasts brushed his chest. Heat rippled under her skin as she recognized the flush of sexual desire she hadn’t felt for years. She couldn’t disguise her body’s reaction.
His hands moved leisurely over her curves and stoked a gently glowing fire. His touch was like a drug, enticing her to give herself to him completely.
Her body ached for his touch.
“I feel…” Her breath caught on a sigh.
“What do you feel?”
Melanie’s eyes flew open. “I feel like I’ve fallen into something I can’t control.”
“Good. Because I lost all control the moment I met you.”
Melanie moaned. She yielded to the searing need that had been building for weeks. His hands came around her, massaging her back, her side. He lifted his body away from her enough to caress her breast. A sigh of desperate need poured from Melanie’s lips.
Monroe sat back on the seat and pulled Melanie with him. In a bold move, she straddled his lap.
The feel of her silky skin and tender curves knocked the breath right out of him. Tugging her skimpy top aside, he kissed a waiting brown nipple, arousing a melting sweetness within her. He sucked on it, feeling her fingers clutch his head, guiding him to please her more.
Monroe’s mouth on her breasts shot desire through Melanie. Her hands roamed over his back, feeling the texture of the corded muscles beneath her fingers. He took her hand, encouraging her to explore him more intimately. She gathered his fullness in her hand.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
Melanie’s breath caught in her throat. “I want you,” she whispered and lowered her mouth to his, sinking her tongue into his mouth, tasting him, suckling on him.
He tore his mouth from her. “I can’t wait another moment.” Frantically, he reached behind him for the foil packet.
“Came prepared, didn’t you?”
“Had to drive two towns away to buy these. Wouldn’t dare show up at a counter at the downtown drugstore with this.”
Melanie’s laugh was full of painful desire. Taking the packet from him, she ripped it open, tossing the foil on the wooden deck and stroked his length as she slid the condom on his magnificence.
And when he slid into her, his tormented groan matched her own. His hands cupped her butt. Skin to skin, they were one. Their bodies were in exquisite harmony with one another. He tangled his hand into her hair, guiding her head down to his for a long unrestrained kiss, until she felt like liquid fire.
Her desire for him overrode anything else as she moved
frantically, her pleasure escalating, mounting. He gripped her so hard, she felt as if he were going to plunge through her. But she wanted every centimeter of him inside her. Her breath hitched in her throat; his fingers gripped into her buttocks. She clenched her knees around his waist, and he pushed them farther apart, leaving her more open, more vulnerable. He wanted to imprint his mark on her. He wanted her to surrender to his control. But without conscious knowledge, he realized he was taking as much as he gave. In love there was no control, there was only them; there was only need. And as the blinding flood tide of pleasure consumed him, Melanie cried out as her orgasm shook them both. His mind blanked of everything except the exquisite release that liberated his mind and body. Breathless, they clung to each other.
He was holding his very own sweet southern comfort close to his heart.
Contentment and peace flowed between them. Melanie moved beside Monroe and he gathered her in his arms.
He kissed her shoulder. “Have dinner with me Friday night.”
“Can’t. I have children’s hour at the bookstore and a tenants’ meeting following that.”
“A tenants’ meeting on Friday?”
“Half the town will be there because of their children and grandchildren. We have the children’s hour once a month on Friday and every other Saturday at noon. Activities are family affairs here.”
“I’ve noticed. The town doesn’t have a movie theater, a skating rink or a Starbucks for the teenagers to hang out at.”
“They have to drive anywhere from a half hour to an hour for those things.”
Monroe chuckled. “I spent summers here, remember? I’m well aware of that.” He curled a strand of Melanie’s silky hair around his finger, stroking it between his thumb and forefinger. Feeling mellow, he didn’t want to move; he wanted to enjoy Melanie’s company longer.
He thought of asking her to spend the night, but some of his workers arrived early and, knowing Mrs. Pearl, the old goat would probably arrive at the crack of dawn to make sure she didn’t miss a thing to report back to his grandmother. Wouldn’t put it past her to open his bedroom door in the morning just to make sure he was alone. He’d have to fire her on the spot.
So he dragged Melanie to him for one last kiss before they got out of the tub to dry off and dress.
“Melanie?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry about losing your store.”
“Have you changed your mind about selling?”
“I will buy the plaza from my grandmother. That way she’ll be out of the loop and you won’t have to worry about providing for Courtney, the others won’t have to worry, either.”
Melanie pulled back from him as if he’d struck her. “Is this the going rate for sex these days?”
“Do you have to twist everything I do and say the wrong way?”
“No, thank you.”
“Okay, maybe my timing was off, but I’ve…”
He quit talking when she sloshed out of the tub, grabbed a towel and disappeared into the house.
Monroe had been going to mention he’d been thinking about a solution, but that was the best he could come up with. He really wasn’t the ogre she thought he was.
So much for trying to do a good deed.
It felt as if a million kids had come for the Friday-night children’s hour. Melanie chose Flossie and the Fox to read to the younger children. Courtney and her cousin bundled nearly twenty children into one cozy corner in the children’s book section. Many of the children were dressed in pajamas, with teddy bears tucked into their arms. Even so, hair was combed neatly and faces were freshly scrubbed.
The scene carried Melanie back to when Courtney was very small herself. From their cozy perch on the floor, innocent faces centered on Melanie.
“Have you ever asked your grandmother or grandfather to tell you about the things they did as children?” Several kids said yes.
“Do your grandparents tell you stories about themselves, their sisters and brothers or their parents? Oftentimes your family stories are as fascinating as the stories you read in books.
“Well, Flossie often sat on her grandfather’s knee on the front porch with family gathered around. They had no televisions or radios for entertainment, so her grandfather made up tales to tell her.”
Melanie began to read the story using gestures and constantly changed the pitch in her voice to reflect different characters. Fascinated, the children’s wide eyes followed her every movement. When she was finished, you could hear a pin drop.
Not one eye had fluttered closed. Melanie enjoyed this part of being a bookstore owner most of all.
The adults began to clap, and the children followed suit. Melanie bowed to her audience. Then she began to ask questions, which the children enthusiastically answered. One of the fathers had gotten so involved, he was sitting on the floor with his son, participating as eagerly as his child.
By the time the children left, Uncle Milton and Elmore had arranged seating and a table for the meeting. Melanie locked the door after the last customer left.
Each tenant contributed a snack, for which Melanie was grateful. It was past dinnertime and she was starving. She’d brought drinks.
“I tell you, Melanie, I enjoy those stories as much as the children do,” Claire said. “Girl, you should have been an actress. I never seen anybody act out those stories the way you do.”
Melanie smiled her thanks, poured herself a glass of soda and piled snacks on her plate.
It was getting late so she quickly started the meeting.
“The way I see it,” Elmore said, “somebody has to tell Mrs. Eudora what’s going on.” He looked directly at Melanie. “She’s the only one who can put a stop to this nonsense.”
“I’ve been thinking that maybe we can try to find a buyer who’d be willing to let us keep our space,” Melanie offered.
Uncle Milton rubbed the side of his face. “If the buyer decides to sell, we’ll end up right back where we are now.”
“If only we could afford to buy.” Aunt Thelma had forgotten her glasses again and she squinted her eyes nearly closed.
Melanie wouldn’t dignify Monroe’s offer by telling the tenants, but finding a buyer who would finance them started her mind to think of other possibilities.
“I have a lawyer friend in D.C.,” Melanie said. “I’m going to approach him to see if anyone would give us a loan at a reasonable interest rate. You understand the monthly rent would increase if we did that.”
“If business this summer keeps up like it has for spring break, we should be able to handle it,” Uncle Milton said.
Elmore and Claire nodded their heads in agreement.
“I’ll call him first thing tomorrow.”
Uncle Milton stood. “Well, Monroe called a practice early tomorrow morning. I better get to bed.”
“That man’s got a lot of heart with those kids,” Elmore grumbled, plunking his Can’t Go Wrong with Hicks Hams hat on his head. “Wished he showed that much compassion with us.”
Monroe noticed Dorian the moment she arrived at the game. She was holding her baby. A boy wrapped in a blue blanket. Dorian glowed with happiness. She’d never looked that radiant when they were married. Especially in the later years.
“Monroe.” The mayor approached him with his hand extended. Absently, Monroe shook the man’s hand. “I’ve heard you’re doing great things with our little soccer team.”
Monroe nodded. “They’re great players.”
“You’re modest. The poor things hadn’t won a game until you took over. Morale was as low as it could get. Your arrival was a blessing for the town.”
“They still haven’t won,” Monroe said. “But they’re improving.”
“At least they weren’t massacred. That’s the difference.”
Monroe didn’t argue. He called the girls to line up for stretches.
“Fenwick was very pleased with the building.”
Monroe’s attention was divided between the g
irls, who were taking their time getting in position, and the mayor. “Who?”
“The representative from Fenwick and Baldwin.”
With both hands on his hips, Monroe glanced at him. “Who are they?”
“One of the companies interested in buying the plaza. They came a few days ago to look over the town. I gave them a tour. Unfortunately, the shopkeepers were being ornery, as usual. They refused to let us in the stores. You should talk to them about that.”
A shadow of annoyance crossed Monroe’s face. “Let’s go,” he called out to the girls, then glanced at the mayor. “You understand we can’t promise anything without my grandmother’s permission. The plaza is hers, not mine.”
“But I thought you were taking over.”
“Only up to a point.” Monroe watched Melanie as she glared his way. Great. Now, he was on her list again. He’d been feeling pretty mellow the last few days. “As a matter of fact, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t have anyone else view the property until my grandmother is well enough to make a decision about whether she even wants to sell.”
“But I thought—”
“Excuse me. I have to get the girls ready for the game.”
Melanie kept watching the woman across the way who was sitting with the Hickses. She held a pretty baby on her lap that the other women were clucking over. The woman was beautiful, and looked familiar. Melanie noticed Monroe gazing over there. The jealousy that roared through her like a speeding train competed with her anger at the mayor.
“That’s Dorian, Monroe’s ex,” Gail said in a low vice.
The sidelines were crowded. The townspeople made a family affair of attending the soccer games, whether they had children playing or not. And as far as local entertainment was concerned, the game was the best thing going on a Sunday afternoon.
The mayor’s presence at the game was creating a pall over everything.
“He should have stayed home,” Melanie snapped, gazing at the mayor. Her cousin turned to see whom she was talking about.
“What’s he doing here, anyway?”
“Came to gloat.” He’d clapped Monroe on the back when he’d arrived and spoken with him a couple of minutes before cruising the sideline like someone important. Then Melanie heard a rumble come up the line, starting with the Hickses.
Sweet Southern Comfort Page 10
