by Lucy Clark
‘Oh,’ she gasped as he raised his hands and placed them on the wall on either side of her head. Her breathing was now so utterly out of control there was no hiding just how much this man affected her. She’d been attracted to other men in the past but never had it been this intense.
She looked up into his eyes, noting the mounting desire in him as George slowly leaned closer. His clean, fresh scent only heightened her awareness of him.
‘You were saying?’ His deep voice washed over her and Melody’s eyelids fluttered closed, savouring the moment. She opened them again and looked longingly at his lips.
‘Huh?’
‘Didn’t you want to…ask me something?’
Did she? She had no idea. Her brain failed her, her only conscious thought being that if George didn’t kiss her, she’d go insane. The effect he had on her senses was sending them spiralling out of control. Her body was in tune with his as she silently urged him to come even closer.
How much longer was he going to torture them? If she could get her arms to move, she’d reach out and bring his lips to hers. She was paralysed, no, hypnotised and there was nothing she could do about it, such was the effect George had on her.
‘Captivating,’ he whispered. Never before had he felt like this. It had to be right—but even if it was wrong there was no denying that the only thing he wanted to do right at this very second was to claim Melody’s luscious lips in a mind-shattering kiss. A kiss that would satisfy them both—of that he was absolutely sure.
Closer and closer he came until his breath was mixing with hers. Melody closed her eyes, unable to summon the strength to keep them open. She waited—waited impatiently for his mouth to touch hers while still enjoying the sensations he was evoking throughout her body.
The click of a door being opened, together with Andy’s voice saying, ‘I’ll check with Melody,’ penetrated the sensual haze with a jolt.
Melody’s eyes snapped open, her limbs came to life and she quickly ducked under George’s arm, trying to compose herself. Her legs were like jelly and as she took a step away she stumbled.
‘Hey, Melody,’ Andy said as he spotted her and then quickly held out a steadying hand. ‘You all right?’
Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.
‘George?’ Andy looked past her and Melody risked a glance over her shoulder. He was casually leaning against the wall, his hands in his jeans pockets.
‘Andy.’
‘Are you staying on this floor?’
‘Yes, a few doors down.’ He kept his gaze away from Melody’s, although the way she’d looked a few seconds ago would now be burned in his memory for ever. Her face had been turned expectantly up towards his, her lips parted, her eyes closed, her skin tinged with a faint pink glow. Beautiful! ‘I hear Rudy Carlew’s one of my neighbours.’ He forced himself to ease away from the wall.
He was determined to ensure Andy didn’t pick up on the sexual tension that existed between Melody and himself. He needed to protect her as best he could and if that meant not looking at her then he wouldn’t.
‘Yeah, and Melody and I are his doctors,’ Andy said excitedly. ‘Come and say g’day,’ he urged, and knocked on the closed hotel door. It was opened by one of the bodyguards and Andy headed in.
Melody hung back, anxious for a look, a word, something from George to reassure her. Instead, he gave her a wide berth and for the first time since she’d met him he went through the door before her.
She felt hurt. Didn’t he realise she needed some reassurance? Had Andy not interrupted them, George would have kissed her and there was no way she would have fought him. She’d wanted it just as desperately as he had.
Feeling suddenly cold and bereft, Melody rubbed her arms as the first spark of anger ignited deep within. Why was it she felt as though she’d done something wrong when she knew she hadn’t? She surmised it was because both Ian and Emir, whenever things had gone wrong or hadn’t gone the way they’d wanted, had always shunned her, shutting her out, making her feel as though everything had been her fault.
Didn’t George want her? Was he just playing with her? She shook her head, not wanting to believe it. Her old neuroses were rising to the surface. Emir had told her he hadn’t wanted children but his decision to follow his pregnant mistress to Germany had helped Melody realise the truth—namely that Emir hadn’t wanted to have children with her. He hadn’t wanted to marry her. Now George was acting the same. Now that he had her dangling from his hook, he wasn’t interested in more. Was that the case? Was he only interested in the chase?
She followed him into Rudy’s room. How dared he pretend nothing had almost happened between them? Why hadn’t he given her a little smile or a yearning look to let her know that they were still in sync, that they could still have these unspoken conversations even when other people were around?
She hated feeling like this, having her thoughts all jumbled when she needed to have clear, calm and collected thoughts. More to the point, why was she allowing him to have such power over her, to affect her in such a way? Her anger grew and it encompassed herself as well as George.
Perhaps she should thank Andy for interrupting them. Perhaps she should consider this a lucky escape. After all, if they had kissed, then she would have had more physical sensations to fight. Perhaps she was better off.
‘Would that be right, Melody?’ Andy was asking her, and she realised that everyone in the room was looking at her expectantly—except George.
‘Uh—well—um…’ she stumbled, not at all sure what Andy had asked.
‘I think you’re spot on, Andy,’ George answered. ‘Good work.’
‘Ah—absolutely,’ Melody responded, finally finding her voice. Her hostility towards George diminished a bit as she acknowledged that he’d just rescued her. She needed to get out of there, to sort out her emotions before she made a fool of herself. ‘If that’s all you need…’ she glanced at Rudy and then at Andy, her gaze eluding George’s ‘… I think I’ll head home. It’s been a very hectic day and tomorrow promises to be no less so. Call me if you need me,’ she told Andy as she turned and headed to the door, the burgundy dress swishing around her ankles.
‘I’d better be going too,’ George announced to the room.
‘Aw—come on,’ Astrid purred, and Melody watched as the other woman crossed to George’s side and linked her arm through his. ‘Surely you don’t have to go just yet? Now that we’ve got Rudy settled, we can all relax and have some fun.’
‘Ugh,’ Melody groaned softly, and continued to the door one of the bodyguards held open for her. ‘Relax and have some fun,’ she mimicked softly as she stormed over to the lifts. ‘That man doesn’t know his own charm and probably has every woman he meets falling in love with him.’ She assaulted the down button, pressing it repeatedly.
‘Mumbling to yourself?’ George asked from behind her, and although Melody’s body shivered in excitement at the sound of his voice, she didn’t turn around. Instead, she pressed the down button again.
‘I’ll walk you out.’
‘There’s no need,’ she replied between clenched teeth.
George watched as she pressed the button again, muttering something about slow hotel lifts. He frowned, unsure why she was so angry. ‘It’s no trouble,’ he told her.
Melody spun to glare at him. ‘I don’t care if it’s an imposition to you or not, the fact is that I don’t want you to walk me out. I’m a big girl, George, and I’m more than capable of riding in the lift, walking to the valet desk and waiting for my car.’ She pressed the button. ‘That’s if this lift ever gets here.’
‘Why are you angry with me again?’ He spread his arms wide.
‘Oh, this is all my fault?’ Her temper was at boiling point. She was cross with him, cross with herself and cross with the lift. She glanced around for an exit sign and stormed over to the door marked ‘Stairs’.
‘Melody!’ George charged after her, completely baffled as to why she was upset. The concr
ete stairs were cold beneath his feet but that was the least of his worries. ‘Talk to me,’ he demanded, his voice echoing. The clip-clop of Melody’s shoes reverberated around the stairwell and he was pleased to note she was holding onto the railing. The last thing she needed was a twisted ankle.
‘There’s nothing to say.’ She rounded the bend and started on the next flight. She was grateful that Rudy’s suite hadn’t been on the twentieth floor but given the way she was feeling she wouldn’t have cared how many flights of stairs she had to walk down. All she wanted was to get out of the hotel and away from George.
‘Nothing to say? You’re being stubborn and irrational.’
Melody stopped and whirled around to look up at him. He stopped too. ‘Stubborn? Irrational?’
‘Yes.’ There were only two steps between them and George slowly moved down one, hoping she wouldn’t move. It didn’t work.
She whirled around again and started clopping her way down the noisy stairwell. ‘So what if I am being irrational? I’ve got good reason.’
‘Then tell me what it is so I can apologise.’
‘It’s the fact that you don’t know you’ve done anything wrong that’s made me angry.’ That and her own uncontrollable reaction to him. She had to become stronger. She had to fight the attraction between them with every ounce of her strength.
‘Wanting to kiss you was wrong?’
‘Oh, you know it was,’ she growled. ‘And then you want to pretend it didn’t happen.’
‘But it didn’t happen,’ he returned.
‘Not the kiss, that’s not what I’m talking about.’
‘Then what are you talking about? I’m completely perplexed about why I’m suddenly in the doghouse when, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve done nothing wrong.’
‘Isn’t that always the way with you men?’ She threw over her shoulder as she continued her descent. ‘And then there’s Astrid and goodness knows how many other women throwing themselves at you, day and night.’
‘That’s hardly my fault—and I’m not with Astrid, I’m with you.’
‘Because you’re hoping to pick up where we left off?’ she queried. ‘You didn’t get to kiss me, so now you’ll chase after me in the hope that you’ll get what you want in the end?’ She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. ‘You men really are all the same.’
‘You keep saying that,’ George argued back. ‘Are you really comparing me to the dead-heads you’ve dated in the past?’
‘Dead-heads? They were both qualified doctors and you don’t even know them.’
‘They broke your heart. That means they were not only stupid but idiotic, and I don’t care how many university degrees they held. A qualification doesn’t give you licence to treat people badly.’ His words were harsh and filled with annoyance. Was he annoyed at her or at the dead-heads she’d dated?
‘At any rate, it’s none of your business.’ She rounded the corner for the final flight of stairs.
‘It is my business if you’re going to tar me with the same brush as them.’
‘How can I? I hardly know you, George. You tell me you’re attracted to me, that no other woman has made you feel this way since—’ She stopped and sighed, not wanting to have a discussion about his wife because she really only knew what George had told her and therefore had no authority to speak about it.
‘My wife,’ he finished for her. ‘Yes, that’s true.’
‘That’s what you tell me. You’ve been travelling for so long, you’re bound to get—well—lonely and…’
‘So you just think I try and kiss any woman who shows an interest in me, eh?’
‘How do I know? You might.’ The last thing Melody wanted to think about now was George kissing other women. Jealousy reared its ugly head.
‘Even though we’ve spent such a short time together, Melody, I thought the answer to that question might have been obvious. For all I know, you might be the type of woman who gives in to every guy who makes a pass at you.’
‘What?’ She stopped walking long enough to turn and glare at him. ‘How dare you?’
‘Ah, so you don’t like either. It’s all right for you to accuse me of awful behaviour but not vice-versa.’ He came to stand beside her on the step, both of them staring at each other, their emotions rioting. Melody was still annoyed with him for withdrawing from her the way he had, for pretending that almost-kiss hadn’t happened and that she—she—He’d made her feel unworthy but she wasn’t sure how to voice such a thing given she really had no idea where or if this attraction between them was going anywhere.
Melody looked down at the stairs, trying to control her emotions and her thoughts. Finally, she raised her head to look into his eyes, eyes that had the ability to make her forget all rational thought. ‘Look, all I was saying is that you’re a very handsome man and I’m sure you’ve met plenty of women during the VOS who would have been more than willing to indulge in a brief affair while you were in town.’
‘And what if there were?’
Melody’s eyes widened in surprise. Was he admitting to it? Was he a womaniser? ‘Were there?’ she asked quietly, trying hard to control her disappointment.
‘Yes.’
She felt as though he’d hit her. Her mouth opened in disbelief. She’d been hoping against hope that he wasn’t that way and now he was admitting as much. Turning, she started walking down the stairs again, thankful she was almost at the lobby. George, however, was clearly fed up with everything and took the stairs two at a time, passing her and barring her way just before she reached the door that led to the lobby.
‘Yes, there have been women who’ve made passes at me during the VOS, but I didn’t take any of them up on their offers. Melody, I’ve been working through a lot of emotions during this tour and the last thing I needed was…entanglements.’ He held out his hand to her. ‘Until you.’ His tone was soft and endearing, urging her to trust him.
She looked at his hand but didn’t take it. He dropped it back to his side and nodded. ‘You’re the first woman I’ve wanted to kiss since Veronique. Is it so wrong that I’d follow through on that instinct?’
‘Perhaps not, but it was what you did afterwards.’
‘What? Protecting you against gossip? Trying not to let Andy see that he’d almost caught us together?’ His words were earnest. ‘I don’t want to leave you with more to deal with after I leave.’
Melody closed her eyes. He’d been trying to protect her? Was that just a line? An excuse for his behaviour? She’d heard so many excuses from Ian and Emir in the past that it was difficult to know whether George was speaking the truth. Opening her eyes, she sidestepped him and stalked through the door into the lobby.
‘And as far as the almost-kiss goes,’ he continued as he went after her, ‘you were quite willing for it to happen, too.’
Melody stopped and turned to face him, glad that, except for the bare minimum of staff, the lobby was deserted. ‘I am not having this discussion with you here.’
‘Then come back up to my room and we’ll discuss it there.’
‘Ha. Come back to your room? That should be the last thing I do.’
‘Why?’
Melody opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t. She wanted to tell him that if she went up to his room, there was no way she’d be able to resist him. He would kiss her and she would willingly let him. She knew it was because she wanted it, more than she wanted anything else right now, but she’d also given in to her wants before and it had ended in heartbreak.
‘I’ll tell you why,’ he continued. ‘You don’t want to come back to my room because you can’t trust yourself.’ He lowered his voice and took a step closer. As he did so, he stubbed his toe on a nearby table and grunted in pain.
Melody reached out and steadied the vase of flowers on the table before glancing down at his foot. He’d flexed his ankle to hold the toes upwards and was hobbling towards a chair. She looked into his eyes and saw the pain there.
‘Let me look at i
t,’ she said, and reached for his foot.
‘No. It’s fine. I can take care of it.’
‘Stop being such a martyr and let me look at it.’ Melody grabbed his heel and lifted it up.
‘Is everything all right?’ one of the staff asked.
‘It’s fine.’ George glared at Melody as she tweaked his sore toe.
‘Sorry.’ She continued checking the range of motion. ‘Not broken,’ she announced, and turned to face the staff member. ‘He’ll be fine,’ she said. ‘My prescription is two paracetamol and bed rest. Perhaps you might help Professor Wilmont to the lift so he can get back up to his room?’ Melody smiled sweetly, enjoying George’s disadvantage.
‘I’m fine,’ he repeated, and stood to prove it.
‘Well, if that’s all, I’ll be on my way.’ Melody handed the staff member her valet ticket and after a brief nod he left them alone again. ‘No charge for the examination,’ she told George.
‘How generous of you.’ He frowned and she realised that she’d better not try to push him any further as his mood had changed drastically. Previously, he’d been willing to reason, to discuss things calmly. Now he wasn’t in such a good mood and she didn’t blame him—stubbed toes were painful.
Melody decided to take pity on him. ‘Go and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said, and turned away from him. It was either that or throw herself into his arms. He looked so gorgeous, standing there in his faded denims, his brown eyes telling of his exhaustion. It had been hard to resist but with every step she took away from him, she grew more proud of her success.
‘Melody,’ he called softly, and she turned around, gazing at him expectantly.
‘Thanks.’
‘For what?’
‘For talking to me.’
Was he trying to make her feel guilty? Emir had often used that tactic and she’d fallen for it every time. His next words, however, made her rethink.
‘I know it wasn’t easy for you and I appreciate it.’ His gaze bored into hers and she felt that familiar stirring sensation in her stomach. ‘Drive carefully.’ With that, he turned and hobbled over to the lift. Melody watched him, torn between amusement at the sight he made and the urge to assist him.
