“Okay, what happened? Your whole demeanor just changed,” Melina says, breaking through his thoughts.
“Huh? Oh nothing,” Vance responds, shaking the thought from his head.
“Alright, well come lay with me then.” She smiles and pulls the covers back.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks and rubs the back of his neck as he starts toward the bed.
“Yes, it's fine, come on.” She sighs in agitation.
Vance climbs into the bed and settles down next to Melina, careful not to bother her leg. She snuggles up against his side, so he tucks his arm under her head and pulls her closer. She sighs and rests her head on his shoulder, her face tilting up toward his. Her eyes are closed and her lips slightly parted. Her hand is smoothing up his chest, over his shoulder, and back to his chest. Then she pokes his chest with her finger.
“You're really built aren't you?” she asks reverently.
“I take care of myself,” he replies nonchalantly.
Her hand roams over his chest again then starts down his abs. His eyes slide closed as she travels lower and lower. Shit, it's been too long. He’s already hard from the innocent touch. Melina gets to the waistband of his jeans and he feels her hand brush the very top of his thigh, then her bare hand makes contact with his bare stomach.
Vance hisses at the same time Melina makes a pleased noise low in her throat. Her hand slowly makes its way over each ripple of his abs to his chest, where her fingers brush over his nipple. Vance sucks in a sharp breath and looks down at her. She has a sexy little grin on her face as she watches his reactions to her touching him. The look in her eyes is that of a woman who finds something that she wants and is going to have it.
Her eyes lower to look at his lips and she licks her own. Oh, fuck it, he can’t stand it anymore. Vance shoves his fingers into her dark hair as his mouth crushes hers. He thinks he’s going to come in his jeans like a friggin’ teenage virgin. Her lips are so soft and silky. Melina's nails bite into his side and the pain that it causes feels so fucking good. He tightens his grip on her head and her mouth opens for him. Vance takes what she is offering and thrusts his tongue into her mouth. Goddamn, she tastes good.
Vance shifts onto his side to face her and deepens the kisses. He pulls her body up against his and slides his hand down her back to cup her perfectly rounded rump. Melina lifts her bandaged leg and slowly hooks it over his hip, forcing his thigh between her legs, which in turn presses his achingly hard erection against her lower belly. They both moan into each other's mouth.
His hips have a mind of their own, tilting forward and back, causing a delicious friction for his cock, which is ready to explode. Her hand travels slowly from his lower back and follows the waistband of his jeans toward the front. Her fingers brush the slick tip of his cock, which is poking out the top of his jeans, since he didn’t bother putting on any underwear. He grabs her wrist in a flash and tears his mouth away from hers.
“You touch me and I'm gonna lose it,” Vance pants against her lips.
“That’s the idea,” Melina breathes and nips at his bottom lip.
“Fuck, are you sure?” He hisses and lets her wrist go.
Melina answers him by kissing him softly on the lips as her fingers do a quick unbutton job of his jeans, her hand sliding right down the underside of his shaft to cup his balls.
“Oh...fuck...me,” Vance breathes, his eyes rolling back into his head as it falls back onto the pillow.
Melina lets out a husky laugh that has Vance's balls pulling tight, the first tingle of his orgasm building up at the base of his spine. As her hand comes up, it wraps around his shaft and squeezes slightly when she reaches the head. She sweeps her hand over the tip again and uses the pre-come to slick her path back down over the head.
He lets out a guttural groan and thrusts forward into her hand causing her to smile against his neck.
“Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?” Melina purrs then licks a line from the hollow of his throat, over his Adam’s apple, to the tip of his chin.
Vance can't think straight let alone answer her. All he can feel is her soft hand moving over the swollen head of his rock hard dick. His breathing becomes shallow and the tingling at the base of his spine grows more intense.
“You gonna come for me, Vance?” she asks, her voice husky from lust and desire.
“Fuck...yes,” he moans then attacks her mouth as he comes, his cries muffled by their mouths.
Vance's whole body convulses like nothing he's ever felt before. He feels as if his orgasm is never going to stop. It is definitely the biggest one he's ever had. Melina keeps going until his trembling stops. His head falls back again and he feels like he weighs a million pounds. His breathing is labored and he can barely open his eyes.
“You're an amazing woman, you know that?” Vance mumbles, a stupid smirk on his face.
“Thank you,” Melina says, a little embarrassed.
Vance uses whatever strength he has to grab some tissues off the side table. He wipes her hands first then cleans himself up, fixes his jeans, and pulls down his t-shirt. Melina slides back into her place by his side and snuggles up against him with her back so they’re spooning. Vance wraps his arm around her and holds her close.
“Thank you,” Vance whispers into the back of her neck.
“Believe me; I enjoyed that just as much as you did.” Melina giggles.
“I will return the favor when I'm more alive, I swear,” he promises.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She laughs.
“I love the way you kiss. I think I could kiss you all day and night,” Vance rasps, nuzzling his face into the back of her neck.
“Ditto,” Melina replies sweetly and pulls his palm up to her mouth so she can kiss it.
Vance smiles against her soft skin and drifts off to sleep fairly quickly. This time, though, there are no nightmares, only dreams of making love to the most gorgeous and incredible woman he knows.
Chapter 5
Melina is released from the hospital a little over two weeks after the accident. Her leg is doing much better, but she is still limping a little. The doctor told her that since she is an athlete, her body is healing quicker than expected. Her best friend, Harper, is picking her up from the hospital and bringing her home, where she can take a nice long shower and get dressed in something other than a nightshirt or hospital gown. She flips through her closet a few times until she makes her final decision - black palazzo pants, black tank top, black and white loose blouse, and sandals. She still has to modify her outfits around her bandaged thigh, but she can make anything look cute with her lithe, dancer’s figure. She blow-dries her hair so that it lays in soft waves, puts on some make-up, and checks herself out in the mirror before heading downstairs. Surprisingly, the stairs aren’t as much of a hurdle as the doctors anticipated, she just has to take them slowly and hold on to the railing for extra support.
Melina didn't tell Vance that she was getting released today because she wanted to go to his house and surprise him. The past few weeks have been great for them; they talked a lot and did some other stuff, too. Vance returned the favor like he promised he would, and boy did he ever. That man knows how to use his tongue, that's for sure. He also put his phone number and address in her phone, which she plans to use today.
Melina's dad drops off a car that he has for her to borrow while she looks for a new one. She’s hesitant to get behind the wheel again, but she knows that if she doesn’t do it now, she never will. So she locks up and heads for the white VW Jetta sitting in her driveway. She bought her house about three years ago after her studio really took off. She loves her house, absolutely loves it. It’s everything she's ever wanted in a house. And she finally has it completely decorated the way she wants it. She pretty much did everything herself, one room at a time, so it took a while to get it perfect.
Once in the Jetta, Melina types Vance's address into the GPS and heads out. It only takes her twenty minutes to get t
here. She pulls into the driveway of a gorgeous three-story house on the beach. There is a three-car garage at the top of the driveway, and a large overhang, which is protecting two perfectly maintained Harleys from the sun. She carefully parks behind them.
She gets out of the car and starts slowly up the walkway that leads from the driveway to the front door. Melina brushes her hair over her shoulder and adjusts her clothes, then rings the doorbell. A minute later, the door opens to reveal a hot guy with no shirt. He is a couple of inches shorter than Vance and a little smaller muscle wise, but he is still cut and toned and very good looking. He has dark blond hair, blue eyes, and a sexy smile.
“Please tell me you are here for me,” the guy says.
Melina laughs. “Sorry, I'm here for Vance.”
The hottie's eyes widened slightly. “You’re Melina?” he asks and looks her over from head to toe.
Melina gives him a curious smile. “I am.”
“Wow, come in. How’re you doing? How’s your leg?” he says and moves to the side.
“Much better,” she answers with a smile.
She steps into the house and he shuts the door behind her. Melina immediately hears music playing from somewhere in the house. She looks around the very masculine decorated living room: black leather couches with matching armchairs, a humongous flat screen LCD TV hanging on the wall above a stone fireplace, hardwood floors, and no area rug. She has to smile. Nobody can walk in here and not know that men live here.
“Vance is upstairs in the jam room.” The guy smiles and starts for the stairs.
“The jam room?” she asks.
“Oh, it's our music room. We all play instruments and like to have jam sessions,” he says, “I'm Tripp, by the way.”
Melina shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, believe me,” Tripp says as he starts up the stairs with her in tow. She takes the stairs slower than Tripp’s two at a time, making sure to hold the railing. “I really have to say, these past weeks that Vance has been spending with you has really changed him. I haven't seen him smile so much since he became a detective, and that's been years.”
Tripp glances over his shoulder at her to make sure she’s still behind him. Melina smiles. “Really?” she asks.
“Yeah, and I haven't been woken up in the middle of the night by his nightmares, either.”
“Does that happen a lot?” Melina frowns.
Tripp stops at the top of the stairs and turns toward her. “It was every night. Vance tries to say that he closes himself off to things that go on at work, but he doesn't, and it's slowly killing him.” Tripp looks grim as he shakes his head. “I wish he’d go back to being a street cop.” He gives her a sad smile then starts for the next flight of stairs.
Melina follows him, her gait now even slower. The music gets louder and she can hear someone singing also. The song finishes and another one starts right before she and Tripp get to the top of the steps. The song they start is Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails; one of Melina's favorites, unexpectedly, since it really isn't the kind of music she listens to.
The third floor of the house is more like a finished attic or bonus room. It is one big open space. The walls are covered with posters of bands and framed pictures of different rock stars, and the shelves are covered with music paraphernalia. One-half of the room has a desk and computer set up, and the other half is where the instruments are.
In the corner, Vance is shirtless behind the drum set. In front of him are two other shirtless men, who are both covered in ink. Vance has a couple of tattoos, but nothing close to the other two. The one with the shorter hair and the nipple piercings is standing behind the microphone stand, both hands gasping it. The other one with the long hair and goatee has an electric guitar slung over his shoulder.
Melina can tell that Vance is thoroughly enjoying himself by the huge smile on his face. She hasn't even seen him smile that big yet. It’s beautiful to see, making her heart swell with pride. Tripp says that he’s smiling like that because of her, and she has to admit that even she can tell that he's changed from that first day they talked in the hospital.
The guy singing is amazing. He is like a mix of Adam Levine and Chris Daughtry, and Melina can't help but notice how gorgeous they all are. And they all have great bodies, too; not an ounce of fat between them.
Vance is so into drumming that he doesn't even notice her standing by the stairs. Tripp crosses his arms and smiles as he watches his friends play. Melina is mesmerized by Vance - the way all of his muscles from his waist up work as he drums, his knees bouncing as he hits the foot pedals, his head bobbing in time with the beat, and the way he bites his bottom lip at some of the more intense spots of the song. He even sings during the chorus, not that she can hear him specifically, but his and the guitarist's voices definitely blend well with the lead singer.
Melina leans toward Tripp. “Do you play something?”
“Keyboard,” Tripp replies without taking his eyes off his friends. The song ends and Tripp clears his throat, getting the attention of the three guys in front of them.
Vance's whole face lights up when he sees her, and it’s so completely obvious. Melina's heart races at the thought that she actually means something to him. That he actually cares about her. She has always wanted a man to fawn over her like she’s the most important person in the world, and she’s starting to realize that she might have found him.
Vance jumps out from behind the drums and makes his way over to her, drumsticks still in his right hand. He is all smiles when he reaches her.
“Hey, baby,” he says as he slips his left arm around her waist then gives her a tender kiss on the lips. “What are you doing here?”
Melina smiles up at him. “I got discharged this morning and figured I'd come surprise you,” she says with a shrug.
He leans down and kisses her. “Mmm, I like surprises,” he rumbles against her lips then kisses her again.
She again smiles against his lips, finding that she’s unable to stop when she’s around him. “Vance, your friends are watching us,” she whispers.
Vance groans and straightens up, looking over at his other two friends. “Melina, this is Ryder and Dayne. Guys, this is Melina.”
The two men smile brightly and say, “Hi.”
Melina waves and smiles shyly. “Hey.”
“Let’s, uh...go downstairs so I can get a shirt,” Vance mutters and tosses his drumsticks to Ryder.
“Oh, you really don't have to...really,” Melina says, giving him a pointed look that has them all laughing.
“Okay, no shirt, how about some privacy then?” Vance chuckles.
Melina nods her head emphatically. “I like privacy,” she teases.
They all laugh again as Vance leads Melina down to the second floor and into his room, where he shuts and locks the door behind them. Melina looks around his room, taking it all in. The queen-sized bed is surrounded by a beautiful dark brown leather foot and headboard, and is covered with a navy blue comforter that has a matching dark brown stripe down the center. She is pleasantly surprised that his bed is actually made. The carpet is a neutral tan, and the walls are painted a medium brown color. There are windows on either side of the bed, a walk in closet to the left of the bed that leads in to an en-suite bathroom, French doors leading to a balcony off to the right of the bed, and a desk with a chair and laptop on the wall across from the foot of the bed.
“Wow, this is nice,” Melina compliments.
“Thanks,” he says as he wraps his arms around her waist from behind. Melina sighs as he nuzzles his face into the side of her neck and leaves hot little kisses. His large hands engulf her hips then slowly work their way up her sides and ribs then back down.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers in her ear. “How are you feeling?”
She smiles and reaches up to lace her fingers into the hair at the back of his head. “Much better, thank you…and I’ve missed you, too.”
&n
bsp; “Good.” Vance smiles against her neck, sending shivers down her body.
“This house is incredible,” Melina says.
“Yeah, well, when you have five incomes, you can afford something like this,” Vance replies.
"Five?" Melina asks, eyebrow raising in curiosity.
"Yeah, Mike’s not here right now. He’s overseas on active duty. Army."
“Oh, wow. So all five of you live here?” Melina asks and looks over her shoulder at him.
“Yeah, but there are five bedrooms, plus the loft where we jam. Oh, and we each have our own bathroom. But, essentially, it’s a total bachelor pad.” He chuckles.
She laughs. “Great,” she says, rolling her eyes.
Melina slips out of Vance's arms, walks over to the French doors, and moves the curtain to the side to look out at the view of the beach. “Have you known the other guys a long time?”
“We grew up together; they're my family,” Vance answers, the love for them clear in his tone.
Melina turns to see that he is lying on the bed on his side, head resting in his palm. “Really?”
The smile that crosses Vance's face is warm and caring. “Yeah, we've been through everything together. There’s nothing they don't know about me.”
“So if I ever want any hot gossip on you, I'd just have to ask one of them?” She grins.
He lets out a bark of laughter. “You could try, but they won't give you any dirt.”
Melina tilts her head in curiosity. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely.” He nods.
“There must be some special code guys have cause my friends are horrible at keeping secrets.”
Vance laughs. “Well, I might have to talk to them then.”
Melina shakes her head. “That won't be necessary.”
“No?”
“I have no reason to hide anything from you; I'll tell you whatever you want to know,” Melina says and walks over to the bed. She sits down next to him and leans back on her hands.
“So you're an open, honest, relationship kind of girl?” Vance asks.
Destiny Disrupted (There's Always Tomorrow Book 1) Page 5