Page 52 of Wild Promise

I chuckled, letting out a huge breath and shaking my head as a feeling of lightness took over. “We’re good for tonight. Enjoy your book. I’ll shovel your driveway in the morning.”

I snaked an arm around Melina’s waist as we headed back to my place, and she momentarily leaned into me, only to break away once we’d entered my kitchen.

“I meant to tell you last time how much I like your neighbor. And how nice your home is. Very impressive for a bachelor.”

“Cut the shit.” I grabbed the container of cookies and popped the lid. “Get your sweet ass over here, eat a snickerdoodle, and tell me what the hell’s going on.”

Her gaze flashed to mine, then down to the container in my hand. I waited for her to argue, for the light of fury to fill her, but she padded forward obediently and pulled a cookie from the pile. She held it to her lips, took a tiny bite, and slowly chewed as tears filled her eyes.

My chest hollowed out. But this wasn’t the usual ache. This was worse. She was falling apart in front of me, and all I had was a bunch of fucking cookies.

“Ah, fuck.” I set the container aside, then engulfed her in my arms. “It’s all right. I promise, nothing you say is going to make me turn away. I don’t think I could right now, even if I wanted to.”

She tilted her face up to mine, her lashes wet and lips trembling. “I used you to get back at Becky.”

My stomach dropped. My hold on her loosened.

Melina had used me.

Used me?

There’d been so many things I wanted to say, but now my throat swelled closed, and my mind spun in circles. The words didn’t make sense. Not from her. Not after everything.

“She implied you two had been together. I didn’t believe her, not really, but it still pissed me off.” Melina’s voice was small and raw, nothing like the fierce woman I was used to. “And then she said you were only with me to win a bet. So I kind of rubbed everything we’ve done together in her face, implying there was more to come. I used you in a way that feels…dirty. But not a good kind of dirty.”

The pieces clicked into place, and the knot in my stomach slowly unwound.

She hadn’t used me. Not in any way that mattered. She’d fought back the only way she knew how, and the fact that she felt guilty about it—that she was standing in my kitchen crying over it—confirmed everything I already knew about the kind of woman she was.

My breath let out, and I leaned back against the counter. “Fuck, Melina, you scared the shit out of me. I thought you were going to tell me you were done with me. That you couldn’t see me anymore.”

“You still want to see me?” Her voice cracked on the question, and it damn near broke me.

I reached out, taking the forgotten cookie from her hand, and tossed it back in with the others. “I do. But I think I should let you know, part of what she told you is true. Completely out of context, but still true.”

“Which part?” Her arms crossed over her chest, and the walls went back up.

“Well, I’ve never touched her, so you can get that thought out of your head. Not to say I didn’t flirt the first time I met her, but she came on to me pretty hard, and I could tell she was nothing but drama. Trust me, her kind of drama is not my thing. So, I turned her down and have every time since.”

“So…”

“Yeah,” I said, bracing for her to walk out the door. “My jackass friends dared me to ask you out that day you stumbled into The Summit, looking all serious and beautiful. But they were just trying to get me to make a move, since I’ve been fucking pining for you for the last year.”

“You have not.” Her arms dropped to her sides as her eyes grew wide.

I didn’t blame her for not believing it. I could hardly believe I’d had the guts to say it out loud. “Maybe pining isn’t the right word. But yeah, I knew from the first time I saw you that I wanted you. I just didn’t realize how much.”

The admission hung in the air between us, heavier than anything I’d ever said. A year of pretending I didn’t care, of playing the fun guy who didn’t need anyone, of lying to myself and everyone around me, and it all came down to this. Standing in my kitchen, terrified of telling the truth. And doing it anyway.

She moved toward me, her mouth turning up in a sexy little smile. “How much do you want me, Zane Alexander?” Her hands moved over me as she encircled her arms around my waist, pressing her body close to mine.

I bent to kiss her, my mouth lingering on a whisper-soft touch. “When I say I want you,” I murmured across her lips, “I mean it. Not just for one night or even two. I don’t think I can get enough of you, Melina Marshall. I’d like us to stick together for a while and see where this thing goes.”

“Oh.” The word came out more as a gasp than a statement, and her fingers dug into my back.

“You think you can handle that?” My voice was rough with need. But fuck it. There was no point in hiding anymore.

Her chest expanded with a deep, steady breath, her lush tits pressing against me. “I think it’s going to be hard to hide it from everyone at work.”