“I think about how much I wanted this job and how I thought it was my dream. But then I realized, it’snot. I don’t want this anymore. All I want—all I want for the rest of mylife, is you, Ronin.”
My cheeks are wet with the tears I hadn’t even realized wereleaking out until I lean down to brush my lips against Mellie’s, the droplets mixing together with hers. She kisses me back, her arms wrapping around my neck and gripping me tightly against her.
She pulls away first, and it’s her turn to swipe away the moisture on my face. “A life with you. That’s my dream.”
“Shit, Mel,” I choke out, resting my chin on the top of her head as I pull her close. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“I don’t care where we are. A life with you is all I want as well.” I tip her chin up so her watery gaze meets mine. “You’re really sure about this? About coming back to Blue Fields?”
Mel nods. “Believe it or not, I miss the place.” She chuckles. “I miss Bree and Brooklyn making out everywhere we go. Syd being the Gemini to my Leo that I didn’t know I needed.” She runs a hand down my face, tracing my lips with a fingertip. “I miss the smell of the diner and the sight of you bringing me coffee every afternoon when you know how tired I am.” She brings her lips to flutter against mine. “Who would have thought I’d even miss thegazebo?”
We laugh, our foreheads touching and breath mingling.
“Thirteen-year old Mel is feeling so betrayed by you right now, I just know it,” I whisper, grinning against her lips. I lose track of time as we stand embracing in the middle of the empty hall. Eventually we pull apart, but I keep Mellie’s hand gripped firmly in my own. “What were you doing out here, anyway? Were you leaving?”
Mel laughs, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Oh, um yeah, I was. I actually just quit right before running into you. Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect, because ten minutes later and I would have been long gone.”
I shake my head, laughing. “Fate, you sly lady.”
Chapter Forty-Six
MELLIE
I’ve barely gotten the key into the lock before Ronin forces the door wide open, ushering me inside my tiny apartment before kicking the door closed and spinning us around. His body crowds me and he pins me against the wall, his chest flush against mine.
“I’m sure you’ve got a ton of things to do, like packing and shit. But right now, I am about to give you multiple of your so-calledearth-shattering orgasms.” His lips find my neck, his mouth liquid fire against my heated skin.
“Mmmhmm.Packing can wait. More about those orgasms, please.” My eyes flutter shut as he licks up my throat, and he nips at my jaw before capturing my mouth with his.
Fucking hell. My boyfriend is so hot.
Ronin’s touch sets me on absolute fire, but somehow at the same time, he also makes me feel like the most cherished and treasured thing on the planet. His hands are gentle even as his mouth ravages mine.
He pulls away from our kiss, grazing his heated mouth down the side of my neck until he reaches my collarbone. There, Ronin steps back, yanking my T-shirt up over my head andtossing it somewhere behind him. He drops to his knees before me and my entire body turns liquid molten.
I love this man so damn much. The sight of him kneeling in front of me will be seared into my brain for the rest of my life.
Gently, Ronin pulls down the waistband of my leggings, tugging them over my hips and slowly peeling them off each leg. He handles me with such care, like I’m breakable and precious. My breath catches in my throat as he tosses the leggings aside and places a kiss on each of my hipbones. The low-slung panties I have on are next to go, and as he pulls them down he lowers a kiss right on my center.
My hands find his hair and I grip hard, forcing his gaze to meet mine. “I love you so fucking much.”
His pupils dilate, eyes darkening as he lifts one of my legs over his shoulder. “I love you too, baby.”
His tongue thrusts into me and my head falls back against the wall, eyes shut. All of my sensations are on high alert, and the way Ronin’s tongue slides in and out of me has my remaining knee buckling and my pulse pounding in my ears. My skin feels tight but in the absolute best, mind-numbing way. He works me with his tongue before sliding a finger inside, and a tiny whimper escapes my throat.
I’ve missed him so much, missedthisso much. Feeling close to him, being intimate and sharing my body with him—all of it. When he slides a second finger into me, it doesn’t take long before my orgasm rocks through my body, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I come hard, gasping for breath.
Then Ronin’s lips are on mine again and I can taste the saltiness of his tears on my tongue as he kisses me, murmuring soft praises and sweet sayings in between breaths. “I love you,” “I’m yours,” and “you’re so fucking beautiful,” tumble from him one after the other.
He sweeps me up into his arms and carries me into my dark bedroom, sitting me on my bed. My head falls back against my pillow as he kicks off his shoes, tracking his movements as heshucks off his jeans. He rips his shirt over his head and climbs over me. “Mel,” he murmurs against my skin as he rests his forehead on my chest. “You make me feel like the luckiest man alive. Iamthe luckiest man alive.”
My hands run up his bare back and he shivers under my touch.
“I think maybe we can call it even on the lucky scale,” I whisper.
“Deal.”
