Unintended Love: A contemporary romantic novella

by O'Riley, Harley

  “I’m fine for now,” he said in voice that was even rougher than usual. “But I’ll want you later. When it’s safe. ”

  CHAPTER 7

  The sun was hot and Melanie was getting tired. She stopped under a tree and pulled off the backpack that had begun to feel like it weighed a hundred pounds. The choice had been between the heavier backpack that would be more comfortable, and the lighter one made from parachute material tied together that didn’t have structure, or padded straps. Because either one had its drawbacks, they had worked out a system of trading off every hour or so.

  “How many miles do you think we’ve come?” she asked.

  She reached into her pack and pulled out a bottle of water for them to share.

  “I think about ten miles. Are you ready to switch?”

  She was ready to stop for the day, but she didn’t want to tell him that. She wiped the top off the bottle with her shirt and handed it to him.

  “No, that’s ok. I just needed a short break.”

  His shadow was long and the sun was well on its way down. Alex put his hands on her shoulders and began a gentle massage.

  “Let’s stop for the day. We have plenty of supplies. I don’t feel like I’m in a hurry. What do you think?”

  She looked at him gratefully. “Okay, I’m ready if you are.”

  They set up camp without speaking. Melanie noticed that they seemed to be in tune. When he needed her to hold a branch down so he could more easily break it apart, she saw and went to him. He was aware of her struggle to move a log to use as a seat and came to help. They did what they each could think of to make the campsite as comfortable as possible.

  Soon she was searching through the supplies for something to make for a meal. She longed for fresh food, but all they had were a few cans of beans and tuna fish and a lot of powdered nutritional shakes.

  “I don’t think I can even get creative with this,” she said under her breath.

  Alex looked over. “Anything will taste good. I’m hungry.”

  While Melanie was searching for firewood, she spotted some low bushes filled with ripe raspberries. She dropped the dry branches she was dragging back to their campsite, and popped a few in her mouth, relishing the sweet sour burst of flavor. Then she gathered as many as she could hold in her shirt before returning.

  When Alex saw her, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

  “I see you found a lot of firewood.”

  “I found something better. Close your eyes,” she commanded.

  “What?”

  “Just close them. Trust me.”

  His smile broadened, but he closed his eyes. “Okay. I think I do trust you. Should I?”

  Melanie considered for a second. No, a little voice whispered; he really shouldn’t trust her and neither should Martin. She hadn’t thought of Martin in hours, and she shrugged off the thought of him now.

  “Well, in this case, yes,” she said. She placed a berry in his mouth and watched as his face lit up. He opened his eyes.

  “More please.”

  Melanie laughed. “I don’t know. I worked hard gathering all of these. What are you going to give me?”

  His eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. “I know what I want to give you.” He reached for her, but she spun away.

  “Oh no you don’t.” She wrinkled her brow in a mock frown. “You must give me something that I want before you have my sweet, delicious berries.”

  He came close, bent down and whispered in her ear. The sound of his voice and his warm breath felt like a soft touch.

  “Tell me what it is that you want. I’d very much like to make you happy and I really want your berries.”

  “A kiss for a berry. Nothing more, nothing less,” she said.

  “One berry for one kiss? That doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”

  “For you? Or for me?”

  “For you, as my kisses would be given for free.”

  But before Melanie could trade many berries, pushing them gently into his mouth after each soft kiss, they were interrupted by a loud crack of thunder that made them both jump in surprise, and a bright flash that lit up the late afternoon sky.

  Clouds had gathered in the sky while they weren’t paying attention. They hung low, ominous and purple, nearly blotting out the mountain views surrounding them.

  The first large droplets began to fall before they could haul everything under the parachute, and her clothing was soaked when she and Alex finally settled in the small space.

  “I hope this doesn’t last long. It will be an uncomfortable night if things get too wet,” he said.

  The sound of the driving rain and the way the wind tore at their makeshift tent made Melanie nervous. And within minutes, wet spots were forming depressions in the material directly over their heads that soon after began to drip steadily. They moved to one side as far away from the wettest spot as they could and huddled together.

  She brought out the rest of the raspberries and poured half of them into his hand. When he reached for her with the other, she stopped him.

  The moment was over, she longed to be home curled up on her couch with her cat and a good book.

  “You can pay me later,” she said.

  Alex lifted a strand of her hair and let it drop back over her shoulder.

  “I will, too.”

  It was really just a summer storm, over quickly and leaving cooler, fresher air behind. By the time it blew over though, Melanie was damp and hungry. She no longer felt playful and happy, and judging by the serious expression on his face, neither did Alex.

  He was successful at building a fire, but all of the available wood was freshly soaked and it wasn’t long before they ran out of fuel for the small flames.

  Melanie made them raspberry shakes, and they shared a lukewarm can of baked beans.

  Afterwards, as they watched the sun go down over the mountains in a glorious sunset, he took her hand and she began to feel a quiet peace.

  Under the parachute felt damp and clammy, so they pulled the blanket and sleeping bag out. They lay down and held hands, watching the stars come out until the sky was a canopy of tiny lights.

  Melanie listened to the night noises and Alex’s soft breathing and fell into a deep sleep within minutes. She didn’t wake until morning when the heat from the rising sun promised that it would be a very hot day.

  ***

  By ten o’clock it felt like it was in the nineties. Melanie felt sweaty, smelly, tired and grumpy. Alex seemed quiet and a bit impatient, and Melanie was ready to be found, to be back in civilization.

  “Oh food glorious food...”

  She sang as they walked to cheer herself up.

  “The first thing I want, after a hot shower, is a corned-beef sandwich. What about you?”

  “You haven’t stopped talking about food all morning. Can we give it a rest?” said Alex.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Melanie felt a little stung by his irritation, but it was the fact that he had the power to hurt her now, that made her grow quiet. The last few days had been a roller-coaster ride of emotions, and much of it had been actually quite fun. But what had these experiences with Alex done to her? And what had they done to the plans she’d made for her life?

  “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m getting hungry too. And I’m really tired of nutrition shakes and trail mix.”

  “I think we have a few granola bars left.”

  She laughed when he rolled his eyes and then slipped his hand into hers.

  It was mid-afternoon when Alex informed her he thought it was only another mile or so before they would get to the road.

  “Oh, good,” she said.

  “Then we should be able to flag down a car.”

  Melanie smiled, but she wasn’t feeling as happy as she thought she should be. Obviously they’d survived, and that was good, but their adventure, and their isolation together, was coming to an end. As much as she wanted some good food, a soft bed and a long hot bath, she wasn�
��t ready to let go of Alex. And real life was sure to make that happen.

  When they came to it, Melanie knelt down and pretended to kiss the gravel of the wide, empty road. There were no cars, but it had to lead somewhere.

  She was relieved, but with a bittersweet note. Alex helped her up and they kept walking.

  She was searching for some lip balm in her pack when her cell phone went off. The sound was jarring and loud and seemed out of place. She and Alex looked at each other in surprise.

  When she pulled it out she looked at the screen before answering. It was Martins’ number.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Frantic, I’ve been frantic. I’ve called so many times, hoping...”

  His voice crackled loudly in Melanie’s ear.

  “My battery is low. We are on a road making our way to a campground,” she said.

  “Which one? They want to send someone to meet you and they have helicopters searching. They found the plane a few hours ago. Oh my God, what a relief when they said it looked like you had walked out.”

  It was awkward with Alex standing right next to her listening intently. The reception was poor, her battery was on one bar, and Martin wanted her to try to pin down exactly where they were.

  Finally and with a sinking heart, she gave the phone to Alex as he knew better how to give those directions.

  She watched his face closely as he spoke calmly to Martin, and twice he looked at her hard and frowned.

  She couldn’t help feeling a mounting sense of guilt and doom. Then, without a word, he handed her the phone. When she put it to her ear, Martin had already disconnected.

  “What did he say?” she asked, not really wanting to know.

  “He said that he thinks from the map he has, that we are about a half mile from a campground. We just need to keep on the road the direction we’re headed, walking due east. He said that he would have someone meet us there, and begin searching if we’re not there within thirty or forty minutes. He said to tell you he’ll call your mother, and let her know that you are ok.”

  Alex searched Melanie’s face, his expression clouded with pain. “He also thanked me for taking care of his fiancé.”

  She cringed. “Oh.”

  Her mind raced as she tried to think of the best way to explain things to him, but nothing came to mind. She knew this was probably because there was no good way to explain why she, who was obviously somehow seriously involved with Martin had...well. Everything they’d done together and a very clear memory of his head between her legs came to mind.

  The best she could come up with was that she thought that they might die, and she wanted to make the best of the situation. She began to speak, but stopped. It wasn’t true; that wasn’t the reason. She’d always known that somehow they would be okay.

  “Oh,” he repeated. “That’s the best you’ve got?”

  “I’m sorry. But he’s not technically my fiancé,” she said weakly.

  The disgusted look he gave her made her feel even more ashamed, and she decided that for now she would keep her mouth shut.

  They walked on in a miserable silence. Alex moved so fast that he was soon far ahead of her, and Melanie struggled to keep him in sight. When he got to the path that led to the rustic campground, he stopped and waited for her.

  As she got closer she could see that the pain was now erased from his features. However, the warmth was gone from his eyes when he looked at her.

  “We should talk because we may not get another chance,” he said.

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  “I want it to be clear that I would never have been with you like that, if I had known you were engaged, or even involved with another man.” He looked at her evenly. “That’s not the way I fly.”

  “That’s not the way I fly, either,” she said miserably.

  “Clearly, that’s not the case.”

  “But, Alex, he just proposed right before my trip, not more than a week ago. And I don’t even know why...and I don’t know him that well...” Melanie trailed off, realizing as she spoke that her words were only making things worse. “I’m so sorry Alex; I’m not really the awful person this makes me sound like.”

  She touched his arm lightly.

  He didn’t pull away, but when she saw the muscles in his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth, she let go.

  “I don’t think that you’re a bad person,” he said, looking at some point beyond her shoulder. “You have a great spirit. You are brave, and smart, and really sexy. I honestly have never met a woman I’ve enjoyed jumping out of a plane with more.”

  Melanie couldn’t help smiling at his words, and he met her eyes.

  “You aren’t a bad person, but I think that you are confused. You were wrong though, and I don’t feel like I can trust you. I think that whether you know it or not, you were using me.”

  She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t. Yes, I am confused, but no, I wasn’t using you.”

  Right then, a helicopter flew low over them heading to the campground. The loud rhythmic beating of its engine and rotor stopped Melanie from saying anything else and reminded her that in part, what Alex had said might true. She did feel confused and there was lot to consider.

  Even though she had found him too irresistible to deny while they were lost in the mountains together, the last few days had done nothing to change her mind about being involved with a man in a dangerous profession.

  If anything, it only made sense that her close call with death should strengthen that resolve.

  Alex put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the path. “Come on, I think that’s our ride.”

  “Alex, I...” She didn’t want to leave things like this between them, but she didn’t know what to say. Alex bent down and kissed her cheek. He looked at her sadly.

  “No worries,” he said. “Let’s just move on.”

  Melanie, still at a loss for words, simply nodded.

  When they arrived at the airport, he grabbed up the makeshift backpack and turned to her.

  “I guess this is it,” he said flatly and held out his hand for her to shake.

  Melanie took his hand marveling how even now, his touch was so pleasurable.

  “Thank you, Alex. For saving my life, and...well for everything.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry.”

  For a split second, she saw the warmth come back to his eyes. Those deep, brown eyes had really been the start of her powerful attraction to him. But the warmth faded again.

  “Don’t worry about it, Melanie,” he said.

  Then he walked away.

  CHAPTER 9

  Once she got beyond restricted area, Martin spotted her right away and ran over. He took her pack then gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

  “I’ll bet you really want a shower, then a hot meal,” he said.

  Melanie turned her head and sniffed her shoulder. “I guess I could use a bath.”

  “Yes, and then I’ll give you a proper welcome.” Martin grinned at her.

  She knew that look. It was his version of a leer.

  She grabbed him and pulled him to her and kissed him long and hard. She felt him tense and he was the first to break away.

  “Melanie, I missed you too. Let’s go take a shower together.”

  She didn’t want to take a shower with Martin. From that moment she knew that it would never work out between them. She was going to have to break it off, but this wasn’t the right time.

  He drove her the few miles to her house, and his expression reminded her of a sad puppy when she claimed exhaustion as a reason why he shouldn’t come in.

  “Tomorrow, then,” he insisted. “I’ll call you in the morning. Not too early, and we’ll have brunch.”

  Then he kissed her, and she felt very little. If she’d had any doubts before, she knew then that it was over. Suddenly she was more tired than she could ever remember being.

  After he pulled away, she went across the street to pick up Ange
l, her cat, from the family who was watching her.

  When she got back she took a long shower, threw a frozen dinner in her microwave, and after eating collapsed on her bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

  It seemed like only minutes had passed when Melanie awoke to her land line ringing from the phone on her nightstand. For a moment, her heart leapt thinking that maybe it was Alex, but then she remembered Martin’s invitation to brunch.

  It had been a rough week so far, and apparently this day was going to be difficult as well. Still, for both their sakes, the kindest thing was to be honest and to end it with Martin as soon as possible.

  She dressed casually, throwing on an old favorite pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt, and only accenting her outfit with small, gold hoop earrings. She pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and rubbed on a bit of light pink lip gloss.

  On her way out, she glanced in the mirror which hung on the wall by her front door and was surprised. The woman reflected back at her was glowing with health and good looks. She supposed the shaky sadness she was feeling on the inside, hadn’t yet caught up with all the good that walking, along with having lovely sexual experiences in the wilderness had done for her.

  Martin had wanted to pick her up, and had sounded disappointed when she’d insisted on meeting him at the small, casual diner where they’d had several meals together in the past few months. He was waiting at a table when she arrived.

  “Hi, I told the waitress to bring you coffee.”

  “Oh, good, thanks,” she said.

  On the drive there she had thought about how to approach the subject. She hadn’t broken up with anyone since she was a teen, and she had never said no to a proposal. Sam was the only man who’d ever asked her to marry him and that had been right out of high school. What was she supposed to say?

  “Martin...”

  “Are you ready to order?”

  Melanie was interrupted by a cheerful young waitress who poured her out a cup of hot coffee and topped off Martin’s. She hadn’t planned to stay, but she was hungry.

  “I’ll have blueberry pancakes, orange juice and a side of bacon, please.”