Wasted Summer

by Cathryn Fox

  She repeated the process and as she leaned over him her hair fell into his face. All thoughts of his cut fled as he breathed deep. Mmm, strawberry.

  Her back stiffened and she eyed him. “Did you smell my hair?”

  “Yeah.” He gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry. You just smell so good.”

  “I’m pretty sure I smell like puddle water.”

  He scoffed. “Believe me, that won’t happen again.”

  She squeezed ointment on her finger and dabbed it on his cut. He winced again, and when he curled his fingers around the arms of the chair harder, she cast him a chastising look. “Come on.”

  “What? It hurts,” he said, laughing.

  “You’re not a very good patient.”

  “And you’re not a very good nurse.”

  “It’s not my calling.”

  “No? What is?”

  Instead of answering she said, “Speaking of puddle water, I never thanked you for replacing my…” She paused like it embarrassed her to say it. “Well, you know.”

  “Your tampons,” he said, very little embarrassing him. That’s what happened to a kid with leukemia. He’d been poked and prodded by hundreds of people, and if he wanted to become a doctor, he couldn’t let a girl’s period ick him out.

  But all thoughts of that evaporated when her hand brushed his hair back, her fingers lingering a moment longer. He shifted his legs and drew them up until they were pressed against her outer thighs, wondering if she could see the saliva pooling at the corners of his mouth. Damn, he wanted a taste. Wanted one so bad his hands started shaking.

  “Yeah.” Her warm breath washed over him when she added, “I’ll pay you back.”

  He swallowed. “Okay, but I get to set the terms of payment.”

  She narrowed her eyes and ripped open a bandage. “Oh do you?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You were right, you know.”

  “I know,” he said, working to keep his voice even.

  She arched a brow, and her mouth twisted like she’d sucked a lemon. Although he wished he hadn’t thought about sucking, not when she was standing so close to him and his cock was so goddamn hard.

  “Don’t you want to know what you were right about?”

  Desire twisted inside him as she planted one hand on her waist and stuck her hip out. His throat tightened. “You mean not everything.”

  “No, you were right when you said there’d be a lot of other things I’d want to call you.”

  “Oh, and what might they be.”

  “You’re kind of wimpy.”

  He laughed. “Okay, let’s do a tally. You think I’m infuriating, wimpy, and…adorable.”

  “I never said adorable.”

  He shifted closer, craving the heat of her body. “I know, but you’re thinking it.”

  “Am not.”

  His heart beat faster, and he wet his mouth as she carefully applied the bandage. “Want to know what I’m thinking?” he asked.

  “No.” She inched back, but it didn’t break the tension between them. In fact, it only amplified it. “All done,” she murmured.

  Jesus, he didn’t want this night to end. “Melody…ah, I mean Mel.”

  She lowered herself onto her bed and his mind raced, envisioning her sprawled out on the mattress, his body on top of hers. Kissing her…oh Christ what he’d do to kiss her. His eyes dropped to her mouth just as she wet her lips and he stifled a groan.

  “Why is it you want to call me Melody?” she asked quietly.

  He inched a little closer. “Because it’s pretty, like you.”

  Her voice thinned to a whisper. “Ryeland, I told you. I can’t—”

  “Sorry.” He pressed his hands to either side of his head. “I meant to say it’s ugly, such an ugly name, I have to say it out loud because I can’t keep it in my head anymore.”

  She stared at him for a moment then laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that.”

  Jesus, she was so gorgeous and exciting, completely different from the other girls he knew. No makeup, no expensive haircut, yet she was more beautiful than all those girls put together.

  He raked his hand through her soft hair, expecting her to shove him off at any second. “Infuriating, wimpy, adorable, crazy…and the list continues.”

  “I like your name too,” she said, her voice a breathless whisper. She let him touch her a moment longer, then pulled away.

  “Why do you shorten yours?” He turned the conversation back to her.

  “Because I’m not that girl anymore.”

  He glimpsed a moment of vulnerability in her eyes before she quickly blinked it away, and it made him want to know about her demons. One thing was for certain, as long as he was around, no one would ever hurt her again. “Now you’re ‘don’t-mess-with-me-Mel’ tough girl. That’s one of the reasons I stepped in tonight. I didn’t want you to get in trouble for giving Trevor the proper beating he deserved.” That pulled a small smile from her and Ryeland’s gaze moved to her mouth once again. “My folks never let anyone shorten my name for some reason. It was always Ryeland. Unless of course they were mad at me. Then it was Ryeland Arthur Montgomery.” He shifted his chair closer, until their knees were touching, and a jolt of heat arched between them. Melody sucked in a tight breath and he knew she felt it every bit as much as he did. He placed his elbows on his legs and leaned forward, brushing his thumb over her knee. “But if you want to call me Rye, you can. In fact, I’d like it.”

  A loud noise sounded in the hall, followed by laughter and a door slamming. Melody blinked and straightened, the moment broken. “You should probably go, Ryeland. It’s late and I have to work tomorrow.”

  Okay, so she wasn’t quite ready to give him a nickname. He could live with that, but it certainly wasn’t going to deter him. “I’ll drive you.”

  “It’s a two minute walk from here.”

  “Faster by Jeep.”

  “I don’t—”

  “It’s on my way.”

  She exhaled slowly. “You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?”

  “Nope. You might be a tough girl, but this time you’re fighting a losing battle.”

  Exasperated, she threw her hands up in the air. “Fine, you can drive me.” She went quiet for a moment, then in a low voice she said, “I’m too tired to argue anyway.”

  They both stood at the same time, and in the small room their bodies collided. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her. A tremor moved through her and it took all his effort not to press his mouth to hers. Christ, she was sweet and funny and so damn gorgeous he had a hard time being near her without wanting more.

  The sound of her indrawn breath filled the room and her body tightened. “Whatever you think is going to happen here, isn’t,” she said, her voice as shaky as the look she was giving him.

  “I’m not asking for anything to happen.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and when she didn’t flinch right away, he let his fingers rest against her flushed cheek.

  She shook him off and he dropped his hand as her hair fell back over her ear again. “Every guy wants something to happen.”

  “Okay, I’m not going to lie. I’m a typical guy, so yeah, I’d like for something to happen. I like you, Mel, but I’m not going to push you to do anything you’re not ready for.”

  “And if I told you I may never be ready for anything between us?”

  “I’d say okay.”

  “Then I’d say you’re not a typical guy.”

  “Just like you’re not a typical girl,” he countered.

  Silence hung for a moment as they exchanged a long look, her dark eyes moving over his face like she couldn’t figure him out. She finally broke the quiet and stepped back, putting a good measure of distance between them. “Good night, Ryeland.”

  He grinned, and even though she was kicking him out, he felt like he’d finally won a round with her. “See you in the morning, Mel.”

  Chapter Seven

  A flock
of birds chirped outside her window and Mel blinked her eyes open to watch the early morning sun cut through the crack in her curtains and slowly climbed up her wall.

  She stretched her legs, her mind going back to yesterday…to Ryeland. Okay, so why was he the first thing to pop into her thoughts upon waking? Damn him. Sure, she might be attracted to him, but she was determined to keep her resolve and stay on track. Could she do that and become his friend like he wanted and keep things platonic between them? Honestly, to even consider a relationship with him was a disaster waiting to happen.

  She grabbed her pillow and pulled it under her head as she turned. Her glance landed on the stack of unfinished manuscripts on her desk and she gave a humorless laugh. When it came to romance stories, the two of them might as well be the Montagues and Capulets, and look how that love affair had ended.

  The noise of the others rising on her floor sounded in the hall as the staff milled about, getting ready for their workday. She threw the covers off, turned on her clock radio and jumped in the shower as the announcer told her it was going to be a scorcher. Twenty minutes later when she was pulling on her clothes a knock sounded on her door.

  Ryeland…

  At first her heart leapt, but then she gave herself a good hard lecture. Not only was it far too early for him to be here, getting excited to see him again was not part of the friendship plan.

  She pulled her door open to find a sleepy Jaelyn standing on the other side, still dressed in last night’s clothes as she held a cup of coffee out to Mel. “Happy Monday.”

  “Thanks.” Mel took the ceramic cup and gave her friend a once-over. “Tell me you’re not just getting in.”

  The stairwell door banged open and Mel glanced around the doorframe to see the two boys Jaelyn was with last night sneaking out.

  “Nope.” Jaelyn grinned. “But I didn’t get much sleep.”

  Mel glanced at her watch. “You can come in but I have to be to work in thirty minutes.”

  She pushed past Mel and plunked herself on the bed. “Go ahead and get ready, I won’t bother you. I’ll sit here quietly.”

  Mel shut the door and reached for her brush, but from the curious way Jaelyn was looking at her, she knew that was a lie. Jaelyn had never sat quietly in her life. Mel ran the bristles through her hair and shifted uncomfortably as her friend continued to study her. While she wanted to ignore Jaelyn, she couldn’t take her stare-down for one more minute.

  “What?” Mel finally asked.

  “You know what.”

  She held her hands out at her sides. “He took me home, that’s all.”

  “Do you like him?” she asked.

  She took a sip of her coffee to buy herself some time then answered with, “He’s nice enough.”

  “And hot enough. Don’t forget that.”

  Oh she hadn’t…

  Mel turned the hair dryer on to drown out her friend. Jaelyn stood and walked to the window. She stared out for a second then turned around, that all-knowing grin back on her face as she leaned against the window ledge.

  “Now what?” Mel asked over the loud fan.

  Jaelyn wagged her finger over the unmade bed. “Something must have happened here last night.”

  “I bandaged him up and sent him home. That’s it.”

  “Then why is lover boy parked outside?”

  Once again Mel’s heart did that weird little flip. She worked to keep her face expressionless, despite the storm going on inside her. “He’s driving me to work.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Uh-huh, nothing. We decided to be friends.”

  “Let me guess.” Jaelyn pointed a finger at her. “You decided to keep things in the friend zone, but he wants more.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “’Cause no guy gets up this early to drive someone to work when all they’re looking for is friendship.”

  Mel turned off the dryer and sat on the bed. “Even if I wanted more, which I don’t,” she added quickly, “there can’t be anything between us. You saw the way his parents acted. I’m sure his mom would have a fit if she knew he was here now. We’re different people from different worlds.”

  Jaelyn sat next to her and frowned. She studied Mel for a moment, then nodded. “You know what, you’re probably right.”

  Mel ran her hands along the bristles on her comb. “I am right.”

  “A summer fling is one thing, but a guy like that could really break a girl’s heart when he leaves come fall.”

  “It’s not going to be mine,” she added quietly.

  “So you know what you’re getting yourself into then?”

  “Yes.” Hell no! But she couldn’t seem to stop herself from thinking about him, from wanting to be around him. Oh God…

  Jaelyn’s perfectly manicured brow furrowed when she narrowed her eyes. “Be careful with him then, okay?”

  Mel snapped the elastic around her wrist, then tied her hair back with it. “You know me.”

  “I do, that’s why I’m telling you to be careful.” Jaelyn yawned, then jumped up. “Okay, now it’s time for bed.”

  Mel arched a brow, happy Jaelyn was changing the subject. “Didn’t you just get out of bed?”

  “Okay, let me rephrase that. It’s time for sleep.” She walked to the door. “I’ll catch up with you tonight.”

  “I have class.”

  “Oh right, I forgot. Did you want me to ride the shuttle to town with you?”

  “No, I’m good. Let’s do something tomorrow night after work, though. Just us.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Jaelyn disappeared into the hall and Mel hurried to finish getting ready. She pulled on her uniform, adjusted her ponytail and gave herself a once-over. Outwardly she looked like she did every other day, but inwardly, there were a whole lot of other crazy things going on—compliments of Ryeland. Ignoring the sensations in her stomach, she tossed her backpack over her shoulder and took the stairs down to the first floor. She exited her building and walked toward Ryeland, telling herself that the extra zip in her step had nothing to do with Ryeland picking her up. Her steps slowed when she caught a flash of blonde hair in the passenger seat and for a brief moment she thought it was Suzette.

  “Hey,” Ryeland said, climbing from the driver’s seat when he saw her coming. God, he looked so good this morning, all sleepy and sexy like he’d just crawled out of bed. Her glance moved over his jeans and T-shirt, and when he stepped closer she caught the scent of his skin. The storm inside her stomach jumped to category two hurricane.

  “Hey yourself.” She tore her glance away from him and looked at the front seat again. No way would she get in that vehicle if Suzette was with him. Girls like Suzette didn’t mesh well with townies.

  As if sensing her unease, he stepped even closer, once again invading her personal space. He grabbed her backpack and threw it over his shoulder. “I’m dropping Ashley off at the camps.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I didn’t realize.”

  That lopsided grin that weakened her knees returned. “Told you it was on my way.”

  Needing to get her heart back to a regular beat before she hyperventilated, she walked toward the passenger side and Ashley jumped into the backseat. “Hey, Ashley,” she said as she pulled open the door and slid in. “Ryeland tells me you’re going to one of the camps.”

  Ashley nodded. “Yup. Mom signed me up for tennis.”

  “Then you’ll be with Sara Eckhart. She’s a lot of fun.”

  “Which camp do you run?” Ashley asked, dark lashes blinking over those startling blue eyes of hers as she looked at Mel’s work shirt.

  “Adventure Runs. We do a lot of hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, and overnight camping trips. All outdoor stuff. In a couple of weeks we’re camping out at Big Rock.”

  Her eyes lit. “I wanted to do that but Mom is worried about me getting bites or poison ivy.”

  “I can switch you out,” Ryeland said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.<
br />
  “But Mom—”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her.”

  Ashley squealed and gave him a neck hug and Mel couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a good big brother.”

  “Anything to impress my girl,” he teased. “Now buckle up.” He tossed the words over his shoulder to his kid sister, and when she sat back in her seat Mel looked at him, worry gnawing at her. “Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for switching her?”

  “They’re already pissed at me.” He rolled one broad shoulder. “What’s one more thing?”

  Mel wanted to ask what was going on with him and his folks, but it wasn’t her business and even though she’d love to know more about him, the less she knew the better off she’d be when he was gone. You couldn’t miss what wasn’t there, right? She looked out the window as he drove her to the other side of the resort. Camp counselors and kids were already convening outside Beaver Lodge, the log building where registration was taking place. She looked at the big beaver head mounted above the door. God, could they be anymore Canadian? Then again, the resort had a lot of American visitors and they seemed to love it.

  Mel pointed to the building. “You’ll have to check with Beatrice inside to switch her.”

  Ryeland squeezed his Wrangler between two large SUVs, and pulled his seat forward for Ashley.

  Noting the way the other counselors were watching her get out of Ryeland’s vehicle, Mel looked at him over the roof, fully aware of the curious glares aimed her way. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “What time are you off?” He tapped the black roof and watched her.

  Her stomach flipped. “Why?”

  “I’ll pick you up.”

  “Don’t you have anything better to do than drive me around?”

  “Nope.”

  “I’m off at four, but I’m busy tonight.” She wasn’t about to tell him about her creative writing class at the community center two towns over in Copperville. Some things were private, and because he was going to be a lawyer, he’d probably criticize her choices, thinking they were frivolous and impractical. And heck, maybe they were. What did she really know about being a writer—a romance writer at that? Did she really know anything about romance outside of books and movies? No. But she loved getting lost in her stories, creating worlds a million miles away from the one she lived in, where everyone lived happily ever after.