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There she was, standing in front of Brynlee in a sundress that showed off those irresistible legs. Her hair was piled atop her head, accentuating her long, delicate neck. She laughed at something Brynlee said, and I found myself wishing I’d been the one to make her laugh. I wanted to be the cause of that infectious smile curving her delectable mouth. But she didn’t want me. The ball was in her court, and instead of playing, she’d laid it down and never looked back.
As though she could feel me watching, she turned her head and our eyes connected. Her smile faltered for only a brief second before she returned her focus to Brynlee. I turned back toward my cousins who were engaged in a heated discussion about who they thought would go to the Super Bowl this year. Every now and then, I let my eyes wonder. Each time they landed on Melody. It was like a compulsion. I couldn’t help myself.
I finally decided to man up and go talk to her. This was stupid and immature. We were both adults. We had sex. Mind-blowing, toe-curling, earth-shattering sex. But that was in the past. I should be able to hold a conversation with her and it not be awkward, especially since we were now running with the same social circle.
I turned to find her, but she was gone. I searched the back yard, but she was nowhere to be found. Damn, she didn’t stay long. Excusing myself, I headed inside to use the restroom. Cool air blasted mercifully through the vents when I entered the house. I walked past the kitchen and turned down the hallway leading to the powder room. As I approached, the door opened. I stopped in my tracks when Melody stepped out and nearly ran into me.
“Oh!” she cried, bringing up her hands to shield herself. Her palms flattened against my chest, and my fists curled at my sides, the need to touch her almost too much to resist. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.
“No problem,” I replied.
“Gavin.” My name spilling from her lips was a sweet melody, one I wanted to hear on repeat. She took a step back and smoothed her hands over her dress. “I’m glad I ran into you.” I shot her a questioning look. “I actually wanted to talk to you. To clear the air,” she clarified.
“About?” I questioned, wondering if she was about to address the elephant in the room. Or more accurately, the dark, narrow hallway.
“About why I didn’t call,” she answered, voice tinged with regret.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” I said, jaw clenching as I remembered the disappointment I felt for those few weeks following our tryst. “You weren’t interested. End of story.” I went to move past her, but her hand on my chest stopped me. My pulse sped up beneath her touch, and I prayed she couldn’t feel how my heart raced around her.
“That’s not true,” she said, and my eyes snapped to hers, searching for answers. “If I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t have ended up in your bed. It’s just that…” she began, searching for the right words. “My life is complicated. I just moved to town. I’m trying to revamp my grandparents' bed and breakfast while co-parenting with someone who’s nearly two and a half hours away. It’s not that I wasn’t interested or didn’t want to see you again. I just didn’t have room in my life for anything else.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I feel like there’s tension between us, and it’s my fault. I should’ve been up front with you that day. I never wanted to lead you on.”
“You didn’t,” I lied, taking a step toward her. She tried to retreat, but there was nowhere for her to go in the small space. Her back pressed against the wall as I drew closer. I looked down into her eyes and lowered my voice. “It was just a one time thing, right?” I asked, flicking my gaze down to her mouth. She sucked in a breath, and her chest rose causing her breasts to graze against my ribs.
“Gavin,” she breathed, and the sound went straight to my cock. It grew hard and thick behind my zipper. I wanted to press into her, to show her what she’d been missing.
Chapter 10
Melody
My body arched toward Gavin as he leaned forward, his masculine scent filling my nose. I yearned for him to close the short distance that remained between us, to lift my arms above my head and pin them to the wall behind me. I wanted his lips on mine and his hands in my hair. I was certain he wanted it too, but he held strong as he kept mere centimeters separating us. Maybe he was waiting for me to make the first move. I lifted a shaky hand to his chest, and his eyes fell closed as I slid it up toward his neck.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to the John,” a voice called out as a tall silhouette filled the other end of the hallway. I immediately dropped my hand, and Gavin took a step back. “Oh, hey guys,” Macon said, his gaze bouncing back and forth between us as he approached.
“Excuse me,” I said, scurrying away as heat crept into my cheeks.
“What was that all about?” I heard Macon say, but I didn’t stick around for Gavin’s response. I was about to kiss him and let him do whatever he pleased with me in my friend’s hallway. It was the first time I’d been to their house, and I’d nearly defiled it with my son’s assistant principal.
Shit, I’d let myself forget that little detail. I didn’t know what the rules were in this situation, but I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize Gavin’s career or my son’s education. Or become the hottest topic in this small town because folks would surely be interested in the new assistant principal hooking up with a student’s mom. I didn’t know Macon well enough to know if he would say anything about what he saw, but he was Gavin’s family. Surely, he wouldn’t go around spreading gossip about him. One thing was certain, though. He’d definitely tell his wife, and there was no way she’d let it go until I spilled the beans.
I pulled out my phone to check the time and saw that it was almost time to leave to meet up with Jason. Elijah had been with his father since Friday evening, and I missed him like crazy. I searched for Brynlee in the crowd that had only grown thicker since my arrival. Her back yard was full of kids running around and chasing each other with super soakers and balloons full of water. There were clusters of adults talking and eating while a few teenagers huddled together at the patio table ignoring each other with their noses stuck in their phones.
“There you are,” a familiar voice called from behind me, and I spun around to face my new friend.
“Hey, I was just coming to find you. I have to head out so I can pick up Eli.”
“Oh, bummer. You’re going to miss the fireworks.”
“Fireworks?” I asked.
Brynlee chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Macon found some fireworks he forgot about buying for Fourth of July, so he’s going to set them off later once it gets dark.”
“Maybe if we make it back in time, I’ll bring Elijah over to watch them.”
“You should! Harper would love to see him.”
