Melanie sat in thebooth while she waited for Kyle and a couple of waitresses tofinish cleaning. At first, his boss protested against her stayingafter hours, but Kyle talked him into letting her stay. Since then,she’d been trying not to pass out on the table.
When he finally finished, he came over andheld his hand out to her. Melanie clasped it and slid out from thebooth. She hid her yawn behind her hand, but he didn’t miss it.
“I ordered us an Uber already,” he said. “Ihope that’s okay.”
“That’s fine,” she said.
Not only was it too far to walk, but shewasn’t in the mood to wait for a taxi. The waitresses exited thebuilding in front of them as Kyle led her outside. He released herhand to lock the door behind them. As he was doing that, a carpulled up to the sidewalk and idled there.
“I think our ride’s here,” she said.
Kyle checked his phone. “That’s it.”
He held her hand as they walked over to thecar. He opened the door for her, and she climbed into the back ofthe Honda. Kyle slid inside as she confirmed her address with thedriver.
When the driver pulled away from the curb,Kyle sat back to watch the sleepy city roll past. People stillroamed the streets, cars traversed the roads, and light spilledacross the sidewalk, but the hustle and bustle of the day and nightwere winding down as most of the city went to sleep. He loved ithere, but sometimes he missed the tranquility of Maine.
He missed waking up in the morning, going tothe ocean, and casting out his fishing pole. He missed sailing inthe bay, the saltwater spray on his face, and his family. He coulddo those things here, but not with the same serenity that greetedhim on those mornings.
One day, he’d grow tired of spreading hiswings and return home, but he wasn’t in a rush.
For now, Boston was the best place for him.Those quiet Maine mornings and nights didn’t help ease the demandsof the demon part of him. He required the city's hustle and bustle,the numerous women, and the freedom such a big place gave him tohunt.
From the corner of his eye, he watchedMelanie as the lights flashed past. Beneath their glow, she wasstriking and ethereal. He almost couldn’t believe she was real, butthere was no denying the incredible scent she emitted.
He wouldn’t have found her in Maine.
In a move as natural to him as breathing, heclasped her hand. She glanced down at their joined hands beforelifting her eyes to his. In their tawny depths, he saw hersurprise. Then she smiled, and her fingers tightened aroundhis.
Melanie was glad he couldn’t hear how fasther heart was racing, and she hoped her palms weren’t as sweaty asthey suddenly felt. She resisted wiping her free palm on the leg ofher jeans as her gaze fell to their joined hands.
Melanie was so caught up in him andthemthat she didn’t realize they were pulling up outside ofher apartment until the car stopped. Then, the real panic setin.
Her heart lodging in her throat made itdifficult to breathe. She barely managed to save herself frommaking an embarrassing, choking sound. What did she do now? If sheinvited him up, would he expect something more?
But she wasn’t ready to spend the night withhim, and she didn’t know how to handle a situation like this. Thiswas, yet again, something she’d never experienced before.
Kyle wasn’t sure what to do about thedeer-in-the-headlights look on Melanie’s face. When he took a girlhome, he always knew what they expected from him, but it wasn’t thesame with her.
She wasn’t some casual hookup from the bar,and he could tell she wasn’t entirely sure what to do now.
“I’ll walk you upstairs,” he offered. “Tomake sure you get home safely. Can you wait?” he asked thedriver.
“No,” the man said. “I have another pickup,and I’m already late.”
“Okay, thanks,” Kyle said. “I’ll catchanother ride.”
Kyle helped Melanie from the vehicle and hadbarely shut the door before the driver pulled away. She stood andgazed from him to the building and back again.
“I’ll just walk you to the door,” he assuredher.
Melanie felt like an idiot. She wasn’t achild, and she wasn’t a virgin. She liked him, he liked her, andthat was what mattered. Freaking out about things beyond hercontrol was foolish.
They walked to the door together, and hewaited while she unlocked it. She turned to him and spewed thewords on the tip of her tongue before she could overthink them.
“Would you like to come up for a drink?”
Kyle hesitated; it was obvious she wasnervous, but if she didn’t want him to go up, then she wouldn’thave asked. “Yes,” he said.
