Dalton stood in the middle of the path watching Melody run away, then took off after her, feeling a little silly but oddly happy. By the time they reached the barn, she was only a foot or so in front of him, but far enough ahead that she’d get there first, so he reached out and grabbed her arm.
He spun her around until she was firmly in his arms, then leaned against the barn. “I win,” he said, grinning down at her.
Melody was staring up at him, her mouth slightly open, and he was almost sure he could see her eyes through the dark lenses of her glasses. She pushed against him, and said, “You cheated.”
“You didn’t tell me that there were rules,” he said, still grinning at her, doing his best to hide the fact that he was filled with desire.
Melody scowled up at him. “You still cheated,” she said, again trying to get away from him.
But he held her tight, loving the feel of her body pressed against his: a body that fit perfectly with his and was just as soft as he’d expected. “Nope, there were no rules. So, what do I win?”
“You don’t win anything; you cheated,” Melody insisted.
He could feel her heart hammering in her chest, see the pulse at her neck beating furiously, and before he could stop himself, he leaned down and kissed her. At first, it was a gentle kiss, just a brush of his lips across hers, but when she didn’t push him away, he got braver.
Parting her lips with his tongue, he tasted her, exploring her mouth until she moaned and relaxed against him. When she slid her arms around his neck, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue deeper into her mouth, then nipping and biting at her lips.
He felt her trembling in his arms, but then she became stiff and pushed him away. Panting, she said, “You did not win that race,” then stomped off into the barn.
Dalton watched her go, a huge smile on his face; that kiss had sealed his fate and he knew it. Now nothing was going to make him happy until he knew that Melody was his; deep down he knew that she was the woman for him, and it should have scared him, but he wasn’t the least bit afraid.
Chapter 11
***Melody***
Melody headed straight for the tack room, her legs so shaky she could barely walk. She’d just done the one thing she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do, but when Dalton’s lips came down on hers, it had been impossible to pull away. The storm of pleasure that little kiss had created had taken over her brain and left her vulnerable to the passion between them.
It hadn’t mattered that the passion was artificial, her body wanted what it wanted. She could still feel his lips on hers, a tingling feeling that spread through her when she thought about the kiss. Brushing her fingers across her lips, she wondered what it would be like to do more than kiss Dalton, then pushed that thought away.
She had to think of something else, had to distract herself because reliving the kiss wasn’t helping, was only making things worse. Grabbing a saddle from the wall, she headed back out into the barn, hoping that a ride would calm her thoughts and get her back on track.
Dalton was standing at the front of the barn looking at a chart on the wall, a thoughtful look on his face. When he heard her come out of the tack room, he asked, “What’s this?”
Melody set down the saddle and walked over to where he was standing. “It’s a family tree of sorts. Steven breeds our horses and he keeps track of family lines with that chart. We do the same thing for the cattle, but it’s a bit more complicated since there’s so many of them, so it’s kept in a book.”
Dalton turned to her, his face full of excitement. “I should have thought about this before,” he said, then gestured to the chart. “We need a flowchart, a way to trace those shell companies until we find the source.”
Melody understood immediately what he was suggesting. “I guess we’re not going riding,” she said, picking up the saddle and heading back to the tack room.
It took them hours to go through the files one by one and assign them a place on the chart Dalton created. Several times, things had to be shifted around, but by dinner, they had a pretty good idea what Demetri was up to.
“Most of these companies don’t do anything, don’t show a profit or a loss, they just sit there,” Melody said.
“But money is coming in and going out,” Dalton said. “This guy is up to something, but I’m not sure what; maybe money laundering.”
“I think it’s time to do a bit more digging. Put some of these companies into my program and see what comes up,” Melody said.
“He can’t be running this all by himself; I’d like to know who else is involved. There’s a connection between Demetri and Deacon, and I think we might find it here,” Dalton said, pointing to the wipe-off board they’d used.
“Remind me about Deacon; I missed a lot of what happened last year,” Melody said, walking around the desk and sitting down behind it.
Dalton sighed and sat down across from her. “I’ll try to keep it short, but Deacon was supposed to marry my sister Annabelle; when she married Justin, he decided that Joslin would do instead. We think his goal was to take over the coven and all its wealth. Recently we discovered that Charlie is his daughter; he killed her mother but evidently couldn’t kill her. We think Demetri was the one who stashed her with the shifters in Florida.”
Melody stared at him in shock. “I didn’t know all this,” she said, then thought about what she’d just learned. “So, Charlie is in a lot of danger, not just because she and Steven have control of the talisman.”
Dalton nodded, “That’s why she’s in Simons’ Cove and won’t be leaving any time soon. Hopefully, we can get the talisman back before the spell on it wears off and they can use it again. Deacon has been missing for about six months, but I bet you the talisman belongs to him. Charlie said that Demetri told her that when they first talked.”
“All right then, I guess we’d better get this figured out. There has to be something in here we can use to get Demetri to come to us, to turn over that talisman before the spell is broken. Let me start doing some digging; maybe I can find a connection between Deacon and Demetri,” Melody said, feeling more pressure than ever before.
Dalton walked around the desk and put his hand over hers where they rested on the keyboard. “Dinner first and then we can work some more,” he said, giving her a look that said don’t argue.
Melody looked up at him, her heart pounding at just that simple touch of his hands. “Okay, but I’m working after dinner,” she said, getting up from the desk.
***Dalton***
After dinner, they locked themselves in the computer room and began to dig into each company on the board. One by one, they traced ownership, hacked into financial documents until they had a pretty good idea what all of them did.
Dalton was standing in front of the wipe-off board with a red marker in one hand and a green one in the other. “So, we’ve got background on all of these companies; now let’s see which are real and which might be a front for something else.”
Melody gave him a questioning glance. “Just go with me on this,” he said, “Start at the top, look at the financials and see what you find.”
“Okay,” Melody said doubtfully. “The restaurants are first; let’s see what’s in here. They make a small profit every year; the taxes are paid on time and…” she paused, typing rapidly into the computer. “There are no debts for the land or the buildings; there was a loan originally, but it’s been paid off.”
“So, we can consider those legitimate businesses,” Dalton said, circling them in green and stepping back. “Demetri started out with the restaurants, right? Opened five or six of them within a year of coming to Florida.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Made a name for himself in the hospitality business, then he started buying up properties, all of which eventually made him a bundle of money,” Melody said, repeating what they already knew.
“But where did he get that first loan? According to his biography, he came here with nothing, barely mana
ged to escape with his life. So, who gave him a loan to open those restaurants? It costs a bundle to open a restaurant, and he opened six in less than a year,” Dalton said, knowing he was close to something. “Someone took a chance on him, and I want to know who.”
“Hmm, let me see if I can find the original loan papers,” Melody said. “It might take a little while.”
Dalton began to pace the room, feeling that tingling feeling he always got when he was close to a breakthrough with a book. Every time he passed the board, he stopped and looked at it, feeling like he was missing something, something that would give them the answer.
Melody’s furious tapping suddenly stopped and he heard her sigh. When he turned around, she was holding her head. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get the loan papers; the only copy is in Demetri’s personal files, and I can’t get in,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Dalton asked, disappointed.
“I’ve tried everything I can think of,” Melody said, then sat up straight again. “Except...”
She went back to typing, her fingers moving so fast across the keys Dalton had to shake his head and look away. A few minutes later, the typing stopped, and she said, “Now we wait.”
“How long?” he asked, beginning to pace the room again.
Melody shrugged her shoulders, put her head back, and got comfortable; clearly it might be a while. Dalton paced and watched the clock as five, ten, then thirty minutes went by. When it had been an hour, he stopped pacing and stood in front of the desk.
Melody sat up in her chair and looked at the computer, then said, “It takes time for the program I wrote to work, and I’m still not sure it’s going to; maybe you should go home.”
“I’m fine,” Dalton said, then began pacing around the room again.
He was beginning to think that the program wasn’t going to work when the computer began to beep. Melody sat up and began typing, then she let out a whoop and said, “I’m in, we’re in Demetri’s personal files.”
Dalton ran around the desk and pulled her into his arms and swung her around, so relieved he didn’t realize what he was doing. When he set her down on her feet, she looked up at him but didn’t pull away, so he bent his head down and covered her mouth with his.
Melody opened her mouth to him with a sigh, and his body responded, waves of pleasure that rushed through him taking his breath away. Sure that she’d pull away at any moment, he deepened the kiss, pulling her more tightly against him, determined to enjoy every second of the kiss.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against his chest, he could feel her hard nipples through the fabric of her tee-shirt, and he couldn’t stop his hands from reaching between them to cup her breasts in his hands. Still kissing her, he ran his thumbs across her nipples, making her gasp into his mouth and hold on to him tighter.
But then he felt her stiffen, felt the passion between them fade. When she pushed him away, he reluctantly let her go. She stared at him for a minute, her chest rising and falling with the passion that was still heavy in the room.
“We can’t do this Dalton; it’s not real,” she finally managed to say, then walked around the desk.
Dalton looked at her for a second trying to figure out what she meant. “Of course, this is real; don’t tell me you don’t feel what I do.”
Melody sighed, then smiled sadly at him. “I do right now, but it won’t last,” she said. “I think we should just go to bed and pretend this didn’t happen.”
When she turned to leave the room, he caught up to her and pulled her to a stop. “How do you know it won’t last? I’ve never felt like this before, Melody; I feel something special when I’m with you.”
“I know you do, but a week or a month from now, you’ll wake up one morning, look at me and wonder what you’re doing with me; it’s happened before, and you’ll be no different,” Melody said, her voice full of pain.
Dalton gathered her into his arms, “I’m sorry you’ve been hurt in the past, but I’m not going to hurt you. I can’t get you out of my mind; you’re all I think about, Melody.”
“That’s the problem,” she said, “you like me too much; it’s not normal. It’s my eyes, Dalton, not me that you’re infatuated with; it’ll pass. Just let it go; it’ll be better for both of us if we just ignore how we feel, you’ll see.”
When she pulled out of his arms, he let her go, trying to figure out what she meant. He heard the kitchen door slam and her footsteps on the porch, then the sound of the rocking chair squeaking as she sat down. Confused, but unwilling to let things end that way, he followed her, determined to make her talk to him.
Chapter 12
***Melody***
She knew that Dalton would follow her, but she had to get out of that little room, away from the electricity between them. When he stepped out onto the porch, she sat there quietly in the dark, trying to get control of her body before she had to face him again.
There was no moon that night, but the stars were so bright that she could see him easily and her heart gave a little lurch when he turned and walked toward her. Jumping out of the rocking chair, which was pushed up into one corner of the porch, she walked over to the railing and looked out into the forest.
Dalton came and stood beside her, and she had to hold her breath for a second, the smell of his cologne so intoxicating it made her insides begin to throb. “I’m not going to let this go, Melody. What do you mean it’s your eyes?”
She sighed, and crossed the porch, then sat down on a little bench pushed up against the wall. “I didn’t mean to say that,” she said. “But just believe me that this feeling won’t last, and you’ll end up feeling slightly shocked that you were so infatuated with me.”
Dalton sat down next to her, “You’re not getting out of this that easily. Do you think I haven’t noticed that you never take those sunglasses off, that you purposely dress like a sloppy teenager?”
Melody shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t have any choice.”
Dalton reached up and cupped her chin, then turned her head so she was looking at him. “Talk to me, Melody. I’ll understand.”
She pulled away from him and walked over to the railing again, “I was hoping you’d just go away, but I can see that’s not going to happen. I’ll tell you, but I’m warning you, you won’t believe me; they never do.”
“Try me,” Dalton said, getting up and walking over to her.
Melody took a deep breath then spoke, “There’s something about my eyes that makes men want me, makes them think that I’m the woman for them. But after a little while it wears off, and they suddenly don’t want anything to do with me.”
“And you think that’s why I like you?” Dalton asked.
Melody nodded her head. “I feel your desire, Dalton; somehow it’s mirrored back onto me and I feel it as if it was my own. It’s happened before.”
Dalton sucked in a deep breath. “So what you’re telling me is that your eyes put me under a spell, a spell that spills back on you, but will only last a little while?” he asked.
Melody took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, ready for the usual denial. “Yes, that about explains it,” she said. “You saw my eyes at the airport and then again on the plane; both times I felt… well, I felt it too.”
Dalton laughed. “Sweetheart, any man would have felt what I did when you landed in my lap. I felt it before you looked at me. On the plane, our eyes did meet, but the first thing I saw was your breasts; I am a man after all, and those were genuine feelings.”
“You believe me?” she asked, shocked.
“Well, I believe you about your eyes, but I don’t believe that they had any effect on me,” Dalton said, pulling her into his arms. “I’ve wanted you since you fell into my lap in the terminal, and your eyes had nothing to do with that; it was your generous body that did that.”
She pushed against him. “That’s supposed to make me feel better? Now you know why I keep it covered
up. There’s more to me than my body.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Dalton asked. “I’m not under a spell, Melody. I know you’re not perfect, you’re stubborn and headstrong, you hate to lose, and sometimes you work too much. And you are way too independent for a woman,” he said, grinning at her. “But I like you the way you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Melody wanted to believe him, was desperate to believe his words, but unsure if she was ready to take that kind of risk. “I want to believe you, Dalton, but I’m scared. I’ve been hurt so many times, had what seemed so perfect disappear overnight and I’m always the one hurt and disillusioned. I can’t do that anymore; I have to be sure.”
“Take off your sunglasses, Melody; let me see your eyes. You’ll see nothing will change. You’ll still be stubborn and opinionated, and I’ll still be a stuffy academic who’s falling for you,” Dalton said, reaching for her sunglasses.
She let him take them off, her heart pounding in her chest, desire rising in her when their eyes met. When he sucked in a deep breath, she knew what was coming, but he said, “Your eyes are beautiful, but I don’t want you any more than I wanted you a few seconds ago.”
“I’m scared, Dalton, scared to take a risk that might leave me broken.”
***Dalton***
When the tears began streaming down Melody’s face, he gathered her in his arms and held her. “I think we’re meant for each other, Melody; don’t fight it. The only way we’ll ever know is to take a risk. I’ll be right there with you, and I promise what I’m feeling has nothing to do with your eyes.”
She looked into his eyes, her golden ones full of tears, “I haven’t taken a risk in a long time,” she said, then stretched up on her tip-toes and kissed him.
As soon as her lips touched his, a fire erupted inside him unlike anything he’d felt before; it spread through his body until he was desperate for her. He let her kiss him, feeling the passion between them building, until he had to take control. He ravished her mouth, glorying in her response, kissing her until neither had breath left in their lungs.
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