by Clarissa Yip
They went into the kitchen. His mother and Aunt Gloria stood by the stove. He spotted his sister at the table, picking at the generous buffet laid out. All the women loved to cook around here.
“Hey, Mom. Aunt Glo.” James pressed a kiss on each of their cheeks.
His mom frowned at him. “Where did you go last night? Did you just get home?”
“I ran into a few friends and we were catching up,” he said smoothly.
“Did you give James a ride?” He heard his sister ask Melissa.
He turned around and saw Melissa’s face tinge pink.
“Yeah. I was close by when he called,” she answered as she sat down next to Liv.
Liv frowned. “I didn’t think James knew you didn’t live at home anymore.”
“She told me yesterday,” said James, walking to the table and taking the seat next to Melissa.
His sister shrugged as she placed a bagel on her plate. “You should have at least told me you were going off with your friends. We were looking for you last night.”
“Sorry, Sis. Did you guys get home okay?” James took an empty plate and piled on eggs and bacon.
“Yeah. It was all right.” Liv turned to Melissa. “I looked for you too, but the girls at the bar said you went home early with some guy.”
Melissa’s blush deepened. James calmly poured her a cup of coffee from the carafe and set the cup in front of her. “I-I ran into a friend and we just talked a little bit before I went home. I didn’t see you guys. It was so crowded in there.”
Liv nodded. “I thought for a second you went off with James or something.”
Melissa threw him a nervous glare. “What do you mean? Why would I go off with James?”
He smiled, watching her squirm in her seat.
His sister eyed the both of them suspiciously, then reached across the table for knife. “I don’t know. I figured, especially if James saw you working there.”
“No. I didn’t see James,” Melissa said in a rush. “I didn’t even know he was there until he called me this morning.”
“Good thing. Otherwise James would probably have a heart attack if he saw your uniform.” Liv slathered cream cheese on her bagel.
“I would, wouldn’t I?” James grinned at Melissa.
Her eyes narrowed at him, even though she spoke to Liv. “He’s not my brother, so I think I’m okay.”
James caught the challenge. “No, I’m not your brother and I never will be. But then nothing is going to stop me from burning your uniform if I see it.”
Melissa glared and kicked him under the table. He wasn’t deterred. Sliding his hand under the table, James laid his palm on her thigh. Her mouth fell open as he lifted his fork with his other hand and took a bite of his eggs.
“You’re not going to see it, so I think we’ll be fine. You’ll be back to the city before you know it.” She pinched his thumb when he refused to move.
“Oh, there’s time. I’m here for the whole week, remember? A lot could change.” He wanted her to look at him, but she refused. If only they had the day to themselves, then he would have kept her in bed and made her admit that she felt more. The pang in his heart when he looked at her wasn’t exactly new. No. He’d learned to ignore the emotions that Melissa stirred in him all these years. Now that he knew what the ache was from, he needed to act before it was too late. If only she’d stop fighting him.
Melissa tried prying his fingers off her leg, but he held on until his mother spoke.
“James, honey. Kathy and her daughter are going to come over today. Maybe you and Ellie can go see a movie or something tonight.”
James dropped his hand from Melissa’s lap and stared over at his mother. “Mom, you have got to stop this. I really don’t need you introducing me to anyone. I can find my own dates.”
“Don’t be silly. You need to make some more friends. And you’re not getting any younger. Ellie is nice, I told you. You’ll like her.”
“Yeah, you’ll like her,” Melissa retorted in her brat voice.
His jaw clenched. Melissa was stubborn. He nodded, annoyed she wanted to blow the night off as if it hadn’t actually happened. She looked at him with the brat stare that he didn’t miss. Fine. If that was the way she wanted it, then so be it. “All right, Mom. What time is Ellie coming over?”
Melissa’s mouth dropped open and he ignored it. She wanted to play. He’d play. Then she’d be the one who came crawling back. If she could look at the night as if it didn’t mean anything, then he could too.
His mother clapped her hands together. He couldn’t mirror his mother’s excitement, but he was determined to show Melissa that he wasn’t going to let her get to him. “I knew you’d agree, James. You’ll like her a lot. Better than Sarah.”
He couldn’t remember who Sarah was and he didn’t care. “Great. I can’t wait.”
The mothers hugged each other in elation, and he shifted his chair farther away from Melissa.
He pretended she wasn’t there next to him, even though his insides were churning with contempt and maybe…hurt.
Chapter 5
“Liv, how many times are you going to try on your dress?”
Melissa sat on the edge of her best friend’s bed, watching Liv twirl around in her gorgeous strapless gown. The dress fitted her to perfection, and ended with a shimmery beaded train. Jealousy and envy rumbled through her every time she saw her friend in the gown. She couldn’t help it, knowing that she’d never get married. The days of imagining her and James would one day be together had died when she was younger.
Her father’s infidelity to her mother had been the last straw. Melissa didn’t want to go through the same pain her mother went through. It was just easier to never let a guy close.
But then why did she miss James so much more? Why did it bother her whenever he went out with that Ellie person? They’ve been out on three dates in the past five days and Melissa hated the jealousy that consumed her. But she wasn’t going to do anything.
No, James didn’t want her.
“I love my dress. I’m only going to be able to wear it the day of the wedding.” Liv twirled around once more in front of the tall mirror, then turned to Melissa. “What’s going on between you and my brother?”
Melissa’s eyes jerked up. “What are you talking about?”
“You guys haven’t exchanged a word in five days since you drove him home. And when you guys do talk, it’s to taunt each other.”
“We’re always taunting each other. You know that.” Her heart squeezed. He made her so angry and miserable at the same time…when he wasn’t making her happy or burning up in passionate flames. She thought of him every waking second, even worse than before, and now that she knew his touch, she craved it.
“No, it’s not the same. It’s like you’re mad at each other, and James never holds onto his anger. Usually when he finishes lecturing you or arguing with you, he does something cute to make you laugh.” Liv sat down next to her.
Melissa shrugged. “What do I know? He’s busy with Ellie.”
“Melissa,” Liv warned.
They knew each other too well, but she refused to talk about James to her best friend. “Stop overanalyzing. There’s nothing wrong.”
Melissa flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Everything was wrong. She couldn’t walk into a room and pretend he didn’t exist or hear his laughter and feel her insides melt. It wasn’t a new feeling.
James had once again ruined her for everyone else.
“You’ll talk when you’re ready,” Liv said, standing up. “I can’t wait until you get married, then I’ll help plan your wedding.”
Melissa chuckled. “You’ll be waiting forever, considering I don’t ever plan on getting married.”
“Oh, stop, Mel. Not every guy is like your father.”
Melissa scoffed.
“You know all guys aren’t like that.”
“James is,” she said, before she could hold the words back.
> “No, he’s not.” Liv glared at Melissa, her hands settling on her hips. “You know that. James would never cheat on anyone.”
Melissa raised herself on her elbows to stare at her friend. Liv was right. James wasn’t the type to cheat, even though he came off as a womanizer. Was she trying to mold James into her father? Was she purposely trying to believe the worst of James? She didn’t know. “Okay, so he wouldn’t cheat on anyone, but I don’t think he’d ever settle down.”
“He will when he finds the right girl.”
“Like Ellie.” She couldn’t keep the contempt out of her voice. Melissa didn’t like the bubbly blonde model, but she was perfect for James--skinny, beautiful, and a guy magnet, unlike her. The brat.
“Oh, stop. It hasn’t been easy for James to take care of both of our families since our father passed away and your jerk of a father left you guys without a word. James probably just feels as if he’s been outnumbered all these years, that’s why he doesn’t want to settle down. I’m hoping now that Alan and I are getting married, James will see that married life isn’t that bad. And he won’t have to worry as much about me.” Liv smiled. “You’ll know when you find the right one.”
Melissa sighed. She knew Liv was right, but the right one didn’t love her or see her as anything else but an annoying sister. He was too busy with ooh-I’m-a-pretty-supermodel Ellie. They hadn’t talked since brunch that afternoon and when they did, it was to snipe at each other.
Melissa stood up. “I’m going to go home and get ready for the rehearsal dinner. I’ll see you at church later.”
“Don’t be late,” Liv called after her as she left the room.
Sighing, Melissa made her way downstairs. As much as she missed James and hated him at the moment, she wondered what he was doing with Ellie. Liv had told her that they went out to dinner the first two times and today was their third date. Dread kept her up at night. She hadn’t had a decent night of sleep since having a taste of what it was like to sleep in James’ arms. What if he decided to settle down and actually marry Ellie? How was she going to live here and see them together? What about when they had kids? She couldn’t see herself entering any relationship, but she didn’t want him to have one, either.
Melissa sighed when a woman’s laugh erupted as she paused at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced into the sitting room and felt her heart shatter.
James was smiling down at Ellie. In his arms.
* * * *
James looked up and jumped away from Ellie. He tried to imagine what she’d just seen. If he’d caught her in the same position, all hell would break loose. “Mel, listen…”
Melissa just nodded, and without another word, she opened the front door and walked out.
Shit. Without a thought to Ellie, James ran after Melissa. He caught her in the driveway. “Wait, Mel. It wasn’t what it looked like.”
She whirled around and glared at him. “What?”
His gaze strayed to her heaving breasts before zeroing in on her face. Her lips were set in a tight line. She was beautiful even when she was angry. “Ellie and I just got back from playing golf.”
Melissa shook off his hand. “I don’t care. Why are you telling me?”
His fists clenched at his sides. Rage he’d suppressed for the past week boiled to the surface. He shot forward and grabbed her upper arms, pressing her into the side of the car. “Don’t lie. When are you going to give in and admit that there’s more to what happened between us, dammit?”
She tried to break away, but he tightened his hold around her. Her breasts flattened against his chest, his legs brushed against hers. Heat shot down his spine. God, how he missed her. He hated the coldness between them, and pretending that neither was in the room was impossible. His little dates with Ellie barely took his mind off Melissa, although they pleased his mother. Waiting for the vixen to come to him was taking forever. How could she not feel anything for him?
“It was just sex, James. Get over it. I’m sure Ellie is ready for you,” she taunted.
His eyes narrowed and he pushed his arousal into her stomach and heard her gasp. “This is not just sex. You know that.”
“Leave me alone. I don’t care what you do or who you do it with. I just don’t care.”
“Then why are you running?” His heart had squeezed bitterly at her earlier expression before she ran out. Ellie had hugged him, and he knew it was wrong of him to lead her on, but Melissa drove him crazy. She had to care. If only she’d admit that their one night together was more than a one-night stand, he’d throw his pride down and grovel at her feet. But she wouldn’t.
“I’m not.” She pushed at him again. “I need to go change for the rehearsal dinner.”
His hand rose and cupped her cheek. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“James, let me go.”
He ignored her and brushed his lips against hers only intending to taste her. He groaned when she started to kiss him back. “Mel…”
Before he knew it, the brat had jerked her knee up toward his crotch and he jumped back before she could do any serious damage.
“Save your damn kisses for Ellie!” Melissa got into her car before he could catch her. He watched her reverse out of the driveway and drive off.
He stared down the road even after the car had disappeared.
Hell, he needed a new game plan.
* * * *
The wedding rehearsal took forever.
Liv was turning into Bridezilla at the last minute. The bridesmaids were having a hard time walking down the aisle at the speed the bride wanted, the guys were too busy joking around to pay attention, and the pastor was rushing everyone to get moving. Her best friend had gone from calm and excited to irritated and controlling in a matter of seconds. Melissa wasn’t going to argue. Even after Liv rearranged for her to pair up with James, because Alan’s friend looked too short standing next to Melissa. She’d just have to deal.
They all waited in the back for the piano music to start. Melissa stood with her hand tucked into the crease of James’ arm. She tried to ignore the flex of his muscles underneath her palm and focused on the pastor for his cue. Dressed in a dark suit, James drew the attention of all the females in the room, and Melissa should have been used it by now, but she couldn’t help the pangs of jealousy beating in her heart at the sight of him. She wished he was ugly and short.
“You can’t avoid me forever,” James murmured.
Melissa continued to stare straight ahead.
“Mel, don’t be a brat.”
Her eyes jerked to his face. She saw the spark of amusement in his gaze. “Don’t call me that.”
“But you are a brat. You’re my brat.”
His words came as a caress. Heat rushed over her. After she’d left him in the driveway of his mom’s house, she’d pulled over and finally let the tears spill. Seeing James holding another woman hurt. It was worse than a blade gutting her heart.
She didn’t know what she wanted anymore. Sleeping with him had been a mistake, but a mistake she’d never regret. Now their relationship was never going to go back to normal. What if he lost all respect for her and started seeing her as another conquest?
Pretending that nothing went on between them was slowly eating her away. If she hadn’t witnessed his arms around another woman, she may have been able to continue her facade, but he wasn’t willing to let the matter drop. When she said it was just sex, she’d been lying, and he knew it. She wanted him more than anything. Could she continue to ignore the situation? Would it be wrong to give in and deal with the pain after he returned to the city?
“Just leave me alone,” she said softly. The ache in her chest wouldn’t go away. Even if James wanted anything with her, it’d be out of responsibility and guilt. She didn’t want any of it.
“I’m coming over tonight.”
“No, you’re not.”
The music started and the first couple started their walk.
“I am, and you’re not going to fight me
. We’re going to talk this out.”
Eyes trained on the couple ahead, she allowed James to lead her.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t think Ellie would like you coming over.” She refused to look at him.
“If you weren’t so stubborn, it’d make it easy on the both of us. Are you jealous?” His voice held a steel thread.
“Why would I be? I’m used to seeing you with other women. I think I’ve heard all your sordid stories.” She stumbled on the carpet just as they reached the end of the walk. James’ hands shot out to steady her. Her gaze met his, and her chest constricted at the concern across his features. He’d completely destroyed her for anyone else, and it’d been easy to blame everything on him. Now she knew why.
She loved him. Still did. But she wasn’t anything more than a nuisance to him.
“Mel, those women don’t mean anything,” he said, in a harsh whisper.
“Go tell someone who cares,” she said, as they parted ways to their designated spot.
Melissa kept her eyes on the aisle. She could feel James’ gaze burning through her. She’d known all along she’d loved him, but had made excuses to push him away. She’d convinced herself that if she slept with him, she would be able to get over him. But her plan had backfired.
Could she face the heartbreak?
There was no stopping James if he wanted something. If he wanted to talk tonight, then she didn’t have a choice. She knew. Growing up with him, she’d learned the hard way what would happen if she didn’t obey. She’d gotten away with a lot, but with James, she could never win.
She wanted him with every breath in her body, but could she allow him to hurt her? Or leave her?
Chapter 6
After the rehearsal dinner, Melissa stood outside her car, waiting.
She wanted to get this over with. Throughout dinner, she’d pretended James didn’t exist, but the more she thought about their situation, the more she realized it was better to clear the air before Liv’s wedding. They needed--no, she needed them to return to normal. So she’d convinced herself after watching all the other bridesmaids flirting with James.