He began to nibble on her neck, letting his hands roam over her body, her little moans of pleasure only enticing him more. Sliding his hands under her tee-shirt, he found her ample breasts and began to massage them until he felt her nipples stiffen. Melody threw her head back, taking in gulping breaths as he explored, trembling in his arms. When he grazed her nipples with his thumbs, she sucked in a breath and clung to him, whispering his name.
Desperate to touch her bare skin, he started to pull her shirt over her head, but she stopped him. “We have to go inside.”
They both looked at the house, shrouded in darkness, then he picked her up in his arms and said, “Hold on.”
***Melody***
Melody heard Dalton mumbling under his breath and closed her eyes. She felt a whoosh of air around her then nothing, and when she opened her eyes, they were standing in her room. “That was…” but she couldn’t finish her sentence because Dalton set her on her feet, pulled her shirt over her head and clamped his mouth down on one of her nipples.
Instantly, she felt a throbbing deep inside her as pleasure washed over her. Letting out a little cry, she grabbed onto him, afraid she’d fall. His hands were braced against her back, holding her to him as he nipped and bit at her nipple through the fabric of her bra.
When his mouth left her breasts and began tracing a path up her chest to her neck, she quickly pulled Dalton’s shirt over his head. His chest was muscular, covered in wiry hair that sprang back when she smoothed it with her hand. Dalton found her mouth with his, groaning in his throat, then reached for the buttons on her pants. He kissed her until she was dizzy, then slid her jeans to the floor, quickly stripping out of his own.
“I don’t think I could handle you taking them off,” he said, throwing them on the floor on top of hers.
Melody stepped up to him, her heart pounding in her chest, every nerve in her body alive with need and caressed him through his boxer shorts, making him jump and moan. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, sighing when it fell to the floor to reveal her swollen breasts and stiff nipples.
Reaching out with one hand, he used one finger to trace a pattern on one breast, then the other, before bending down and sucking one of her nipples into his mouth. Melody felt her knees weaken and grabbed his shoulders, digging in her fingernails when he began to nip and bite at the nipple. Just when she was sure she couldn’t take any more, he slid her panties down and helped her step out of them.
He slid his hand between her legs and slowly slid it up until he was cupping her, making her moan with anticipation. Nothing could have prepared her for the moment his finger parted her folds and found her swollen nib, and it only took a few gentle strokes of his finger to bring her to the height of passion.
But instead of taking her all the way, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, stripped off his boxers and laid down next to her. He found her mouth with his, then slid his hand between her legs again, but this time he plunged one finger deep inside her, making her hips come up off the bed.
He released her mouth and whispered in her ear, “You’re hot and wet, and I can’t wait to make you writhe with pleasure.”
Then he began to gently stroke her, his thumb rubbing her as his finger filled her, each motion of his hand driving her closer and closer to the brink. When she finally tumbled over the edge, Dalton caught her cries of pleasure with a kiss, then gently brought her back down.
Melody was stunned and shocked by her response, but her body was far from satisfied, so she reached down and took him in her hand, finding his groan of pleasure just as stimulating as what he’d just done to her. Using both hands, she stroked him as he had her, until he grabbed her hands and held them still.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” he said, then rolled between her legs, parting her thighs with his hands.
He leaned back and looked down at her, and she knew that she should have been embarrassed spread before him as she was, but he said, “You're beautiful inside and out and I can’t wait to bury myself in you.”
She held out her hands to him, her eyes locked on his and said, “I want you, Dalton.”
“Those are the most beautiful words I think I’ve ever heard,” he said, then slid up between her legs and buried himself deep inside her.
She wrapped her legs around him, pleasure rippling through her as he withdrew and filled her again over and over, each time his thrust a little harder and a little deeper. The pleasure built inside her, a tight knot deep inside that grew with each thrust until she was whimpering and clutching his shoulders, desperate for fulfillment.
He took her over the edge with one final thrust, his pleasure and hers rushing through her, until, trembling and shaking, the world was reduced to only that one second in time. Dalton collapsed on top of her, his weight a welcome reminder that she wasn’t spinning uncontrolled through space.
As their bodies began to calm, Melody felt a wave of contentment wash over her; this was unlike anything she’d experienced before, this feeling of being exactly where she was supposed to be. Sighing, she snuggled into Dalton’s arms and closed her eyes, suddenly so tired she couldn’t keep them open.
Chapter 13
***Dalton***
Dalton woke to the sound of a rooster crowing and for a moment thought that he was back home, but the feel of Melody curled up in his arms reminded him where he was. His heart soared at the memory of the night before; it had been everything he’d known it would be and more.
Melody had been just as passionate last night with him as she was about the other things in her life that she cared about and he knew that pushing her had been a good idea. It had been a risk, but one that had paid off in the end, and he was tempted to wake her, but he’d done that in the night and she needed her sleep.
Knowing that he’d never get back to sleep, not the way he was feeling, he slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. He’d let Melody sleep and surprise her with breakfast when she got up: a romantic breakfast on the porch. They still had work to do, but a leisurely breakfast wasn’t going to hurt anything.
He was relieved to see Daniel’s door open when he came down the hallway; he’d discovered that he liked his brother-in-law over the last week, but this morning he wanted to be alone with Melody. If he’d had his way, they’d lock themselves in the bedroom all day and only come out to eat, but that was never going to happen, so he’d have to be happy with breakfast.
After he’d started the coffee, he dug around in the refrigerator and cabinets, finally coming up with a loaf of French bread, eggs, and some sausage. Remembering a casserole his mother used to make, he started chopping and beating, then dumped everything into a dish and put it in the oven.
He set the timer and poured himself a cup of coffee, then took it to the living room and sat down. He’d only been sitting there for a few minutes when his phone rang; frowning, he pulled it from his pocket wondering who would be calling so early.
When he saw that it was his assistant, he sighed; she was a good kid, but much too young to be working with him. She wouldn’t have been his first choice, but there wasn’t anyone else in the coven who wanted to be stuck in the library with him all day. It wasn’t her fault that she was a bit freaked out to be working alone; that had never been part of the plan.
But when she wasn’t worrying about making a mistake, Marilynn was a good assistant; she had good hands and treated the books and manuscripts as they should be treated. In a few years, she’d be ready for much more, but for now, he’d assigned her the job of clearing out a closet they’d found in an upper room of the library.
She’d been calling and leaving him messages for days, messages he’d been ignoring, but now might be a good time to talk to her he decided and picked up the call. “You’re up early this morning,” he said, when he clicked on the call, bracing himself for what he was sure would be a tedious conversation.
***Melody***
Melody woke and rolled over, noticing immediately that Dalton
was gone. Her heart sank; it wasn’t the first time a man had snuck out of her bed in the night, but this time she’d have to face him. It had taken far less time than she thought it would for him to tire of her, she thought, holding back tears.
But then she smelled coffee and sausage, and all her fears vanished. Dalton was cooking for her again, and she couldn’t help but smile, wondering what he’d think if he knew that he was a better cook than she was.
She got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom and took a quick shower. When she was dressed and ready for the day, she looked in the mirror, picked up her sunglasses, then set them down. It would be silly to wear them now; in fact, if she stuck to the house, she wouldn’t have to wear them at all.
Leaving them behind in the bathroom, she headed downstairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she could hear Dalton talking and assumed Daniel was still home. But when she came around the corner, she saw that he was talking on the phone. Not wanting to disturb him, she went into the kitchen and quietly got a cup of coffee.
She was coming out of the kitchen when she heard Dalton say, “I know it’s hard without me there, Marilynn, but I can’t be there now. I have to take care of things here.”
Stopping so fast her coffee sloshed out of the cup, she waited, then heard him say, “I don’t know how long it will take; you’ll have to manage on your own.”
There was another pause, then his voice gentle, Dalton said, “I wish I could be there too, but that’s just not possible. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
This time the pause was longer, and then he said, “Sweetheart, you know how to take care of them on your own; it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve had to. You know I love them as much as you do, and I’d never let you do this if I didn’t think you could. I’ll be home as soon as I can, but I have to go now.”
There was a brief pause, then he said, “I do too, but I really have to go,” then he hung up the phone with a sigh.
Melody wasn’t sure what to think about the conversation she’d just overheard. It sounded like he was talking to a woman, a woman named Marilynn, a woman he was involved with. Shocked, her hands shaking, she headed for the computer room, Dalton’s words echoing in her mind.
She was shaking so badly by the time she shut the door, half of her coffee had spilled. Locking the door, she went behind the desk and sat down and stared at the empty screen, willing what she’d heard to disappear from her mind. But it wouldn’t. Dalton’s words played over and over in her mind; the truth was there but she was avoiding it.
Finally, though, she had no choice but to look at the facts: Dalton was clearly involved with someone else, and on top of that, they had children. The jerk was probably married; she’d never thought to ask, hadn’t even considered the possibility, and should have.
Horrified, she put her head down on the keyboard and took several deep breaths. The worst part was that there was a small part of her that didn’t care, a part of her that wouldn’t have given up last night for anything in the world.
But then the rational part of her brain kicked in, and she realized that she’d made a huge mistake, that she’d done the one thing she’d promised herself she’d never do and slept with a married man. Not only that, she’d fallen for him, believed all his pretty words.
Groaning, she sat back up and took several deep breaths; he’d tricked her once, but it wouldn’t happen again, she decided. Pushing away her hurt and anger, she turned on the computer, then the lights, feeling just a little pang when she saw the chart they’d made together the day before.
But she ignored it and set to work, the only thing that would take her mind off Dalton and her crushing disappointment that the only man who seemed immune to her eyes belonged to someone else. By the time she had the computer up and running, Dalton was pushed to the back of her mind, her determination to keep him there the only thing saving her from a total breakdown.
Now all she wanted to do was figure out how to get the talisman back, get Dalton out of her life, and go back to the way things were. Being alone wasn’t all that bad; she had her family and friends, and enough work at the ranch to keep her busy for the next year.
Plus, if one man was immune to her eyes, there might be another out there, she told herself as she opened her program and lost herself in a different world: one that made sense to her, one that would never hurt her the way Dalton just had.
***Dalton***
Dalton had just hung up the phone when heard the computer room door slam, but just then the timer on the stove buzzed too. He went to the kitchen and pulled the casserole out of the oven, then headed down the hall to find the door shut and locked.
He twisted the knob a few more times just to make sure then asked, “Melody are you in there?”
There was a long silence, then the door opened just a crack and she stuck her head out. “I’m working.”
“I can see that. But why? I made breakfast,” he said, confused.
“I’m going to work alone today,” Melody said, her voice catching a little bit.
Dalton was confused; when he’d woken up this morning with her in his arms, he’d thought that they’d become a team, a couple. “But, I don’t understand.”
Melody stared at him a second, then her face got hard. “Look, last night was a mistake; it never should have happened for a lot of reasons. I’m sorry, but I need some space.”
She shut the door in his face before he could say a word and he heard the lock engage. Stunned, he walked back to the kitchen and stared at the casserole, his visions of a romantic breakfast melting away. Needing some fresh air, he headed out the door and began to walk with no destination in mind, his mind swirling with questions.
Before he knew it, he’d reached the barn and decided to go in. Maybe a little time with the horses would distract him, help his mind calm down enough to figure out where he’d gone wrong. He’d only gone a few steps into the barn when he heard Daniel call out to him.
“Dalton, what are you doing here? I thought you and Melody would…” then he trailed off.
Dalton looked at his brother-in-law and decided that there wasn’t any reason to pretend that last night hadn’t happened. “So did I, but she’s shut herself up in the computer room and refuses to let me in,” he said, shaking his head.
Daniel studied him for a second, “Let me get this right; she pushed you away?”
Dalton nodded his head, “She said it was a mistake, and we should go our separate ways.”
“Wow, what did you say to her?” Daniel asked, clearly surprised.
“Nothing, that’s the problem; everything was fine, and then it wasn’t. It doesn’t make any sense,” Dalton said. “She told me about her eyes. I know that’s not what’s going on here, but maybe she still doesn’t believe me.”
Daniel nodded, “That would make sense, but if I were you I’d give her some space. If it’s not her eyes then she might be scared. I know my cousin well; when she gets scared, she pulls away. Give her some space and some time to believe what’s happening between you two is real. If it is real, then she’ll come around, and if it’s not, you’ll lose interest. I’ve seen it happen often enough.”
Dalton looked at him shocked. “You’ve seen it happen?”
“Several times, and it’s not fun for Melody,” Daniel said, giving Dalton a look that spoke volumes.
“You have nothing to worry about. I like Melody for her, not her eyes. They are beautiful but it’s more than just her eyes that attracts me; she’s nothing like any woman I’ve dated, and I’m not going away,” Dalton said, then grinned at Daniel. “But it looks like I’m going to have some time on my hands; you’d better put me to work.”
Chapter 14
***Melody***
Melody put the cap on the blue marker, set it on the desk then stepped back to look at the chart. After three days of non-stop work and staying up all last night, she’d finished it, all the businesses circled in either red or green and quite a few in blue. S
he’d added the blue as a way of signaling that she’d found a connection to Deacon, and there were more blue circles than she’d expected.
Besides discovering the connection, she’d also uncovered a way to have Demetri banging down their door to return the talisman. She’d figured out the perfect way but wasn’t sure that it would work; the program she’d written so complicated that even one small mistake in the coding would crash it. But if it worked, they’d finally have the advantage they needed.
Now all she had to do was tell Dalton what she’d discovered, and the mere thought of begin close to him again had her knees going weak. Time had done nothing to dampen her desire for him; in fact, had only made her want him more. It didn’t help that he’d left her alone, hadn’t tried to talk to her or see her since she’d locked the door on him.
They saw each other at dinner and always exchanged a few words, but other than that, he’d kept his distance. That should have told her all she needed to know, but several times she’d caught him looking at her, the desire in his eyes so intense it took her breath away. She’d been tempted right then and there to throw her convictions out the window and go to him, fulfill that desire, but stopped herself.
Taking a deep breath, she headed out of the room to search for Dalton; she had no idea what he’d been doing for the last few days, but he shouldn’t be hard to find. When she didn’t find him in his cabin, she headed for the barn, hoping Daniel might know where he’d gone.
It occurred to her that he might have left, might have decided that there was nothing he could do and gone home to his wife. Her stomach dropped when she realized that she might not ever see him again, but then she remembered his phone conversation and hardened her heart.
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 56