Melt With Me: A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel

by Melissa Brown

  “Even your mom?” he asked, and I could tell he was genuinely interested. His eyes looked pained, like he was bracing himself for the inevitable answer.

  “Sometimes. But we don’t count on it.”

  “So, Christmas, huh? That must be a busy time with the shop.”

  “It is, but I’m always closed from Christmas Eve until January second. That way I can spend time with my sisters. And I don’t have to deal with returns until January.”

  “So, where are you headed for Christmas this year?”

  “My sisters are coming to Seattle. We’ll probably have it here at the shop, to be honest. More room. When you see my apartment, you’ll understand.” I paused. “It’s coming up here at the corner.”

  Cabs rushed by and drunken college kids yelled to one another as they hurried to and from the crowded bars. One group of people, who looked like they were about our age, was huddled in front of my apartment building, wearing matching T-shirts over their jackets. “Marcus Made Partner Pub Crawl” their T-shirts said, and one of them turned to face me. His smile brightened when he saw me.

  “Maren!”

  “Um…hi.” I said, remembering Marcus from the party I’d attended with Lyra. The Marcus I totally forgot to email back. Suddenly, my brain remembered an email with “Pub Crawl” in the subject line.

  Nice job, Maren.

  “You came!” he shouted, not noticing that Peter and I were holding hands. He crashed into me, wrapping his arms around my back and pulling on my hair, which he brought to his nose. “Mmm, you smell good.”

  He reeked of bourbon, and not in a good way. I put one hand on his chest and gently pressed him away. Marcus was definitely hammered.

  “Actually, we were—”

  Marcus paused, looking Peter up and down. “Marcus.”

  Peter stood tall and extended his hand, raising one sexy eyebrow. “Peter.”

  Marcus shook it but didn’t let go. Neither did Peter. “How do you know Maren?”

  Peter blinked slowly, clearly feeling the tension. “We’re on a date.”

  “Oh.” Marcus looked dazed, and let go of Peter’s hand, stepping back. His legs wobbled beneath him. He licked his lips and nodded. “I won’t step on your toes, bro. I mean, I only met her once.” He turned back to me. “Kinda messed up that you brought a date to my pub crawl, but hey. Whatever. Let’s hit this bitch! Any T-shirts left for these two?”

  “Heads-up,” a girl yelled from the other side of their huddle, tossing a T-shirt into the air. Peter snagged it and offered it to me. When I shook my head, he shrugged and with an impish grin, he pulled it down over his wool overcoat.

  “How do I look?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

  “You’ve never looked better.”

  “Well, thanks,” he said, raising one eyebrow flirtatiously. “In the mood for a drink? Or maybe five?”

  “I was kinda thinking you might want to come upstairs instead,” I said, placing my hand on the banister and cocking my head to the side, pulling my lower lip into my mouth and biting down with my teeth.

  I didn’t want to hang out with drunken strangers. I wanted alone time with Peter. Spending the evening with his parents was definitely an unorthodox date, but it seemed appropriate given our circumstances. But this bar crawl? I’d hit my limit. I was also still buzzing a little from the wine at dinner.

  And Peter and I still hadn’t kissed.

  I was dying to kiss him.

  “Oh,” Peter said, running his fingers through his hair. “Well, that sounds…way better than hanging with this crew.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  He ripped off the T-shirt and threw it into the air. “Heads-up.”

  He looked back at me as I laughed. “Let’s go.”

  By the time we’d reached my apartment door, the anticipation of kissing Peter was beyond palpable. Placing the key in the lock, Peter swept my hair to the side, exposing my neck. Gently, he placed his lips against my cold skin, goosebumps forming from head to toe at the feel of his soft, warm kiss.

  Turning the key, I opened the door and Peter followed me inside. I’d barely closed the door when he placed his hands on my hips and pushed me into the wood. Adrenaline shot through me as he lowered his mouth to mine. His lips pressed gently to mine, and I could feel him holding back. He wanted to kiss me harder, and so I placed my hands in his hair and urged him forward. Reading me perfectly, he deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with mine as I ran my fingers through his soft hair, moaning when his hands slid down to cup my ass.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to kiss you, to touch you like this,” he whispered.

  “I think I have an idea,” I said, breathing heavily. “Should we go to the bedroom?”

  Peter stopped and pressed his forehead to mine. “No. Not tonight.”

  “Oh.” I was a little taken aback. Did I misread our chemistry? I really thought we were on the same page.

  Peter licked his lips and cradled my face with his hands. “Believe me, I want to. You have no idea how much I want to.”

  “Yeah, I think I do,” I said, pulling on his leather belt.

  “But we should wait.”

  “Why? We’re two consenting adults.”

  “We had a lot of wine tonight, Maren, and I don’t feel right about doing anything more than kissing you.”

  “I have a very high tolerance,” I said. And just then a hiccup escaped my throat. I covered my mouth and giggled.

  “I think you just proved my point.”

  “Okay, okay, fine. No sex.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I want to go. We can watch a movie, cuddle up on the couch? The night is still young. And I had to share you all evening, with my parents no less. I’d like to spend some time with you.” He kissed my forehead. “Just you.”

  The butterflies returned once again as I gazed into his gorgeous eyes.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Three hours later, I woke up in a bit of a haze, my head resting on Peter’s chest as he softly breathed in and out, passed out on my couch. We’d both fallen asleep watching The Princess Bride.

  Inconceivable.

  I laughed, then covered my mouth, not wanting to wake the handsome man beneath me. But it was too late. He took in a deep breath and whispered, “Maren?”

  “Yeah,” I whispered back.

  “I guess we missed the movie.”

  “Guess so,” I said, caressing his knee with my hand. “Guess what.”

  He shifted beneath me, and I could tell he was getting hard beneath his pants. “I’m not tipsy anymore.”

  “You’re not, huh?”

  I raised my head and pulled myself up, straddling him on the couch. “Nope.”

  “You have no idea how tempting you are.” He moved his hands to my back, stroking my skin beneath my shirt. A delicious shiver ran down my spine at his touch.

  I hovered above him, placing both hands on his cheeks. I kissed him deeply and he moaned beneath me, pulling me closer. He pushed himself to the edge of the couch and stood. I gasped and wrapped my legs around his waist.

  “Where’s your bedroom?”

  I looked up briefly, pointing down the hall. “That way.”

  He carried me down the hall as I kissed and sucked on his neck. When we reached the bed, he lowered us both onto the mattress, hovering above me. He stopped and tucked my bangs behind my ear.

  “I’ll never get over how stunning you are.”

  It felt like the air in my lungs abandoned my body and my heart felt full, so very full. He smiled. “I knew the day I met you that I was in trouble.”

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “I thought maybe it was the circumstances, you know? The adrenaline or whatever. But it wasn’t. It was you.”

  “Peter.”

  “I’m in so much trouble, Maren,” he said with a laugh, his blue eyes soft, vulnerable. “I can’t see straight when I’m around you.”r />
  I raised both eyebrows. “Well, that doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it is. It really is.” He kissed me again. “No one’s ever done this to me before. I feel so alive, like anything is possible, like anything can happen.”

  “It can,” I whispered. My heart was beating so fast. I tried to slow my breathing as I took in everything that Peter was saying. I was overflowing with emotion, with desire. “I want you, Peter. So badly.”

  There was nothing else to say. Peter kissed me deeply, his hands roaming underneath my shirt as he inched it off my body. I pulled at his red tie, the one I’d helped select that morning, releasing the knot and tossing it to the floor. He kissed and nibbled and sucked on my neck as I popped the buttons of his Oxford shirt, smelling his earthy-yet-minty cologne.

  He smelled amazing.

  He left a trail of kisses from my neck to my belly button, squeezing my breasts beneath my lacy black bra. Slowly, he pulled at my skintight jeans, sliding them down my legs and off my body. He did the same with my panties and resumed his kisses until I was left gasping as he focused all his energy at the apex of my thighs. I reached beneath me to grip the sheets of my bed as I moaned.

  “Oh God,” I said, clenching my eyes tightly as his soft tongue teased the most sensitive part of my body. “Oh Peter!”

  My orgasm ripped through me, and my eyes widened as every muscle in my body stiffened before relaxing into the mattress.

  “Holy shit,” I said, my breath ragged. “There are no words.”

  He laughed quietly, kissing my inner thigh before crawling back above me, running his fingers through my hair. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “You have no idea how sexy you are.”

  “I could say the same about you.” I placed my hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble beneath my fingertips. “And this beard. Holy hell.”

  “You like it, huh?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I was instantly attracted to you when we met. But when you came into my shop with this beard…” I shook my head. “Let me just say you took sexiness to another level.”

  He smiled and his cheeks flushed. “Did I embarrass you?”

  “Not at all. I’m just appreciating the moment. Appreciating you. I just keep thinking about how disappointed I was when I called that wrong number. And how hard it was to see you at your store.”

  “I’m so glad you came back again.”

  “Me too. Best decision I ever made.”

  My cheeks grew hot, and I pulled Peter in for a deep kiss, wrapping my arms around the firm muscles of his back.

  “I want you,” I whispered. “Now.”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” he said with a cocky grin. With a giggle, I pulled at his pants, pushing them down as best I could. He pulled away, removing them and tossing them to the floor. It was then that I took in the sight of him.

  “You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” I said in awe. Peter was tall and lean with taut muscles and obvious six-pack abs. His skin was tan, especially for a man living in Seattle. And his cock, well, that was more than ample.

  He returned to me, kissing me hard before turning us both over so that I laid on top of him. “I want to watch you,” he said.

  His hands gripped my breasts as I eased myself down. We sighed in unison as he entered me. I placed my hands on his pecs and ever so slowly I rocked above him, enjoying the moans of pleasure that escaped his mouth. He moved his hands to grip my hips as I increased the tempo, feeling pleasure rise within me all over again. No one had ever fit me so completely. Our rhythms matched one another, thrust for thrust as I rolled my hips above him.

  Peter tensed beneath me as he came, moaning loudly and closing his eyes tight. Watching him come unglued was all I needed for my own release. Pleasure pulsed through me again and again as I collapsed on top of his chest, my lungs heaving.

  “That was…” he said, his breath hot on my forehead.

  “Wow.” I finished his thought.

  “Yeah,” he said and kissed my forehead. “Wow.”

  He enveloped me with his arms and we embraced one another, our breathing slowly returning to normal and our bodies eventually growing cold from the chill of my apartment. Instinctively, Peter pulled my covers on top of us, tucking it over each of my shoulders.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “The best,” I answered before slowing drifting off to sleep, wrapped in Peter’s arms.

  Chapter 8

  PETER

  I used to think it was creepy when guys in the movies would watch a girl sleep after they had sex. I just didn’t get it.

  That is, until this morning.

  I woke up a few minutes before Maren and all I could do was stare at her as she continued to doze, breathing softly from her nose, her mouth only slightly open. Her wavy hair was tousled from the night before. Long eyelashes, porcelain skin, and thin pink lips—she was perfect.

  And I was mesmerized.

  I sighed, trying to remember the last time I felt like this but I came up short. Maren was a game changer, and it scared the absolute hell out of me. Being with her was like riding to the top of an exciting roller coaster, terrified of the inevitable drop. Because they always drop, don’t they?

  “Morning,” she said with lazy eyelids and an even lazier smile. Her brown eyes gazed into mine.

  God, she’s sexy.

  “How’d you sleep? This mattress is shit, isn’t it? I’ve had it since college,” she said, gritting her teeth.

  I chuckled, relieved she’d addressed the hard-as-a-rock mattress I’d happily slept on all night.

  “I was prepared to lie,” I said, tucking her hair behind her shoulder and lightly rubbing her arm.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I was sleeping next to you,” I said. “So I slept just fine.”

  “Liar.” She laughed. “I promise I’ll buy a new one. It’s on the list.”

  “The list?”

  She inched closer and nodded. “List of things I’m going to buy after the holiday season. I’m going to get one of those memory foam dream machines. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.”

  “I know.” I raised my eyebrows. “I have one.”

  She propped up on her elbow. “Seriously? Damn it! We should’ve stayed at your place.”

  I laughed. “Sorry.”

  “Dayum.” She shook her head with a sly smile. “Holding out on me, huh?”

  I kissed her softly. “You know it.”

  “Hungry?”

  “Not yet, but I need coffee. Desperately.”

  “There’s a Starbucks less than a block from here.”

  “Oh God, I could never live that close. I’d be broke.”

  Maren gave me a wicked grin. “Hence the crappy mattress. But coffee trumps mattress every time.”

  I pulled her in for a kiss.

  “Ahh,” she said, pulling away and covering her mouth. “Morning breath.”

  “I don’t care.”

  And I didn’t.

  “Two seconds,” she said, jumping out of bed and grabbing her robe from a nearby armchair. “I’ll brush my teeth and get some clothes on. We can grab a coffee.”

  I climbed out of bed and grabbed my boxers and pants from the floor. “Sounds good.”

  Less a minute later, Maren emerged from her bathroom looking as stunning as she did the night before. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her makeup was flawless.

  “How the hell did you do that?”

  She looked behind her, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s been, like, five seconds.”

  “Damn, I said two, didn’t I? Sorry?” She winked. “You’re looking good.”

  I glanced down at my bare chest and charcoal-gray pants as Maren walked to me and pulled on the loops of my pants. “You should have worn that to your meeting. She’d be offering you a signing bonus.”

  I smiled, and she leaned in for a kiss. Imitating her movements earlier, I covered my mouth. “Morning breath.”


  “Oh Jesus, is that how I sound?” She rolled her eyes.

  “Nah.” I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. “But you’re all minty now. It’s not fair. You’ll think I’m disgusting.”

  “Impossible,” she said and planted a peck on my nose.

  I am in so much trouble.

  “Karen?” the barista called, and I was puzzled when Maren walked to the counter and retrieved her coffee. She shrugged.

  “Happens all the time.”

  After the barista handed my coffee to me, Maren and I found a table by the windows. “How long have you lived in this neighborhood?” I asked, blowing on my steaming dark roast. Its aroma was already waking me up.

  “A little less than a year.”

  “Not long.”

  “I needed a change of pace.” Maren’s expression turned tense. Two lines formed above her nose, and her eyebrows crinkled together.

  “Bad breakup?” I asked. She simply nodded.

  “I’m sorry.” She smiled. I paused for a second and corrected myself. “Actually, I’m not.”

  “Wow, thanks a lot.”

  “I mean, his loss is my gain, right?” I asked before taking a sip. “I mean, I hope it is.”

  She bit down on her lower lip and her eyes brightened. That angry crease ran away as quickly as it came. “When you put it that way, I guess it is.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really. Seems like more of a third-date conversation.”

  “Got it,” I said, wanting to respect her comfort zone. “I’m a good listener, though.”

  “Noted.” Her smile was warm before she blew on her coffee. “What about you?”

  “I’ve been kinda married to my career the last couple of years,” I said with a shrug. “I had a serious girlfriend in college, but we split after graduation, and neither of us looked back. I guess you could say I’m a free agent.”

  “Well, that’s good news.”

  “Is it?” I pressed, leaning forward a bit.

  Maren’s cheeks reddened, and a sense of pride washed over me. I loved making her blush.

  “Definitely,” she said softly before taking a sip of her coffee.

  We sat quietly, both drinking from our steaming cups. Maren glanced down at her phone. “I wish it wasn’t so late. I have to meet Lyra for yoga before opening the store.”