Page 57 of Road to Rosalee

‘Thank you,’ she said, blinking back tears.

A lengthy silence followed, the lingering of words unspoken weighing heavily on the rain-scented air. If only the time could stop ticking, and the world stop spinning, for just a little while, so they could be in a biosphere of their own where nothing and nobody else mattered.

‘The water tanks and dams are going to be overflowing before we know it.’ Zai leapt to his feet and grabbed her by the hand. ‘Come on, let’s have ourselves some fun.’

‘What are you doing?’ she asked as she was tugged to her feet.

He hauled her towards the steps. ‘What does it look like?’

Planting her feet squarely, Melody put the brakes on just before they descended the steps. ‘From where I am, it looks like you’ve lost your mind, Mister Wellstone.’

‘Oh, come on.’ He sighed lightheartedly, rolling his dreamy eyes. ‘Haven’t you ever run around in the rain?’

She couldn’t help but laugh at the childlike wonder on his oh-so-manly face. ‘No.’

‘Well, now’s your chance.’ He held out his hand. ‘May I have this dance?’

She almost stopped herself, but then thought, what the hell. In the city, rain was something she, and everyone else, absconded from. And she was tired of turning her back on the simple pleasures of life. She only lived once, as Zai often reminded her, so to hell with it. She was going to dance like nobody was watching and get drenched through to the skin while doing so.

‘Okay then, you’ve twisted my arm.’ Once again, Zai was flipping everything she’d ever known on its head, and she loved every single second of it.

If she was being honest with herself, she also loved every single inch of him, inside and out. Because for the very first time in her life, she felt as if a man truly saw her, and adored all that made her, her. That was authentic love. A love worth risking all for.

Chapter

16

Spinning Melody around in the rain, seeing her face aglow and hearing her unadulterated laughter was music to Zai’s ears, and a sweet symphony to his stormy soul. All of her calmed all of him. There was so much light in her, overflowing and filling the darkest parts of him, parts he’d believed would never see the light of day. Up until crossing paths with her, he’d truly believed he wasn’t relationship material, had told himself he didn’t need love, that it was too much of a complication, and all because he assumed he wasn’t worthy of being unconditionally loved. Year after year, he’d owned his Casanova reputation, but now he wanted it gone. Forever. He wanted Melody to trust him when he finally found the courage to tell her exactly how he felt about her, and about the possibility of a beautiful future together. Just thinking about it now made his stomach somersault, then backflip. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if she knocked him back, and it ruined the wonderful friendship they had? What if … no, he had to stop this. For once, he had to believe in himself, and his self-worth.

He had enough friends, and when it came to her, he wanted, needed, more than friendship. But how was he meant to tell her?

He knew it had been his choice to armour up his heart, and build a fort for good measure, but it was also conditioning from his hard-hearted, hard-headed father. Just being around Melody had helped him to see this clearly. He’d never wanted to be the same as his dad, had actually believed he was nothing like him, but unwillingly, he’d become a little hard-hearted and a little hard-headed too – until the mesmerising Miss Melody Harrison-Walsh had pirouetted into his life and shown him what real adoration and companionship felt like. Somehow, someway, he had to make her his. He wanted to love her like no other. He wanted to see her smiling face each and every day for the rest of his life. He wanted to have a family with her. The certainty of this both terrified and electrified him beyond comprehension. So, for now, all he could do was run with it, allowing each and every passing second with her to haul him towards where they were meant to go. He had to just be, with her.

And in this very moment, he was having the time of his life, swept up by this majestic woman. Whirling her into his arms, he continued to sway her around the yard to a silent tune of their own, their feet squelching and their clothes wet through to the skin – sweet, soft skin he was dying to kiss from head to toe. Their harmless, playful flirting quickly turned into something deeper, and more meaningful … she was everything he hadn’t been aware he was searching for, and more, so much more. As she rested her head against the place his heart raced, he felt a very big part of himself slip into perfect position. He’d been trying to find his niche in this world for as long as he could remember, had ached to discover his home – never had he believed it would be found in a woman. Yet, here he was, certain of exactly that.

He ran his hand up her back, and down her arm. Goosebumps rose beneath his touch as she lifted her face from his chest. Dark lashes swept her cheekbones before her heavy-lidded gaze met his, the depth within telling him everything he needed to know. He’d never found himself as lost for words as he was right now. Her slightly parted lips tempted him to savour the sweetness of them. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. What if he never got another poignant moment like this to make his feelings known?

Desire exploded in his chest. Restraint was instantly beyond him. They’d stopped moving, yet so much moved between them. He needed her. Now. Reaching out, he slipped strands of wet hair behind her ears, then trailed his fingers down her cheeks. So much was said in that silent, breathless moment. He was close enough to kiss her. She clasped her bottom lip between her teeth, driving the last of his breath out of his lungs. A blush broke out along her cheeks when the curves of her body met with the hard planes of his, in every sense – he couldn’t hide his attraction to her any longer. It was completely out of his control.

They remained like this for a heartbeat, and then another, their inhalations and exhalations mingling, their eyes locked to one another’s, their hearts beating against each other’s. Then time stood still, and the entirety of the world faded away, leaving just her, and him, here, now – there was never a better moment to grab hold of. So he jumped off the proverbial cliff he’d been balancing on. Leaning in, he tenderly kissed the droplets of rain from her lips, slowly, softly, carefully, savouring her, and also allowing her the time to pull away, to stop him, before he gave in to her, wholly and solely.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she urged him to kiss her harder, deeper, tugging his belt loops and drawing his waist even closer to her. But he still held back, just that little bit. He wanted her to really want him. He needed her to be sure. Because once they crossed this line, there’d be no going back for him and, hopefully, for her. Then, when she laced her fingers around the back of his neck, and whispered how much she wanted him, that was the exact moment he irrevocably, for the very first time in his life, let go of any inhibitions. When he felt her smile against his lips, he finally threw caution to the wind and pulled her closer, making sure as hell she knew he was about to tear his armour off, lay her down, and make love to her.

And it was then that she pulled back, just a little, to look up at him. Her gaze was uncertain, and a little wary. ‘What are you doing to me, Zai?’ she whispered between panting breaths.

Panic fuelled his already racing pulse into a wild gallop. Hell. What was he doing? He almost went to retreat – his usual defence mechanism – but he wasn’t about to make her feel discarded in a moment as intense at this. But he couldn’t find the words he’d rehearsed, over and over, for this very moment. His head spun. His mouth went dry.

‘Just hanging out with a really awesome chick who’s also taking my breath away.’ He instantly wanted to slap himself for saying something so blasé when he sought to state the polar opposite.

‘Really?’ She tipped her head just a little but enough to make it known she was contemplating this. ‘Because in my experience, when guys hang out, they’re usually only chasing one thing.’ She inched away from him.

Zai pulled her back, tight. ‘Melody, please believe me, I’m not chasing anything.’ His words were desperate and he didn’t care. He had to make this right. ‘I’m just going with what feels natural, and right, and real … and that’s all of you.’

She went to say something, but then her words seemed to jam in her throat. She looked at him intently, like she was searching for something more specific. But right now, as much as he ached to, he just couldn’t give any more to her – this was all new to him, this sensation of falling in love, and he was terrified of being rejected, of ruining what could be so magical between them, of his heart being shattered if he couldn’t love her like he burned to because she didn’t want to let him into her big, beautiful heart.

God help him if that were to be the case.