by Aliyah Burke
Heat flushed her at Toby’s bedroom voice. Glaring at Ruby, who sat across from her and hadn’t felt it necessary to warn her, Melinda spun the bottle in her fingers.
“No. I thought you would be gone by now.”
He sank his fingers into her hair and teased the nape of her neck. “You know all those rumors?”
“Yes.”
“I like them.”
He tugged her head back and kissed her like she was the air he needed to breathe. She lost herself over to his touch until the whistles of her friends and others broke into her small bubble.
“What did you do that for?” she demanded, doing her best to ignore the catcalls.
They remained nose to nose. “You know I’m staking my claim on you. I have to head back to New York for a while, but I wanted to tell you I was leaving, and I will be back.” He kissed her again. “I’ll see you soon.”
He walked away, and she closed her eyes when she could no longer see him. I can’t believe he just kissed me in public and left to go back to New York, so I’m here to deal with questions about it alone.
Her friends watched her with a look of astonishment on their faces. All she could do was shrug, for she had no answers.
***
Melinda’s mood hadn’t improved a month later. She hated the fact she craved a word from Toby but had received nothing. Her father wasn’t doing all that well either, and she worked from sunup until her head hit the pillow at night.
She washed her dishes as Hermione sat on the sofa. “Are you serious?” she asked her friend.
“Yes. He walked in today like nothing had happened between us. Then dared approach me in the parking lot and act all surprised when I said I had a date tonight.”
Melinda put down the rag and went to sit beside her at the distressed tone. “Are you okay?”
“No. I wanted to punch him in the face. How dare he?” she seethed. “Stroll back into town and my life after leaving me as he did. If I never saw Brody Paget again, it would have been too soon.”
Melinda caught her gaze and opened her arms. Hermione sagged against her, crying. “He was my fiancé, damn it. He’s not supposed to be doing well when he was the ass who walked out.”
“What a mess we both are.” Melinda got back to the sink and finished the last few dishes. “I say we need a girls’ night in. Junk food, movies, and the like.”
Her friend curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow to her gut, looking more lost than she’d ever seen her. Is this what happens when you pine after someone? I don’t want to be like this.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and walked to her room. Digging on her dresser, she found the business card for one Tobias Latner. She called the work number and waited for the time to leave her voicemail.
“Mr. Latner, it’s Dr. Glazer. Whatever we may have had is over. Good luck in your life.” She hung up, tossed the phone on the bed, and left the room before the reality of what she’d done could hit her and she understood how horrible it was. Right now, she could be there for Hermione.
Chapter Five
“Did you get your message, Mr. Latner?” Sherliyn, his secretary, asked him as he strode by into his office.
“I did, thank you.” The reply, while polite, hid the rage simmering unchecked inside him. He dropped his briefcase and flopped down in his chair, spinning around to take in the New York skyline. It had changed so much since 9/11, but he was growing accustomed to the way it was now. He whirled back to the desk.
“I don’t think so, Mellie. You don’t get to break up with me over a message.” He pushed a button on his computer, and the screen jumped to life. Everything was in order on this end.
A knock on the door drew his attention from the words he read. “Enter.”
His partner, Jacques Perrot. He swaggered in and lounged in the chair across from Toby. “Are you sure about this?”
“I am. Look, there’s minimal risk to you in this venture, but it’s something I want to see through.”
He shrugged easily. “I’m not condemning your decision, Toby. I’m on board with you. I was talking about this”—he waved a hand about—“heading back to Cottonwood Falls.”
“Trust me, I’m sure.”
“This woman, she means so much?”
Toby rocked back in his chair. “She’s special; there’s no denying that. I feel things for her I didn’t think I would for any woman. I have no desire to be with another. I’m not promising there’s wedding bells on line for next month, but I’m in love with her.”
“And, this is the woman, you say, told you there is nothing left between you?” Jacques gave him a pointed look.
“To a machine. She didn’t tell me to my face.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No, I’m relentless when I want something. And, I want her.”
Jacques leaned forward, dark eyes glittering. “So, wedding in two months?”
“If it is, you’ll be my first call.”
“I hope so. Let me walk you out.”
The men left, and Toby gave Sherliyn a hug, along with a present. “Open it when you get home,” he said with a wink.
“Good luck with your doctor,” Jacques said, standing by the car door.
“Thanks. I’ll call when I get there and let you know progress reports.”
His friend sobered. “I hope this works out for you, Toby.”
“Don’t worry; the money will be earned back.”
A brief smile. “I was talking about you and Mellie.”
Toby grinned, slid behind the wheel, and shut the door. He had a two-day drive ahead of him and wanted to get started. With a wave, he backed out and drove away. Grateful he’d thought ahead, he left New York City before rush hour truly began. It was NYC, after all; there was always traffic.
Two days later, he drove into the drive of what used to be the Felton house. Now, it was his. He climbed out and dug for the key he’d gotten from the realtor before coming here. A large two-story home with ample yard. His things would be arriving within the week.
He unlocked the door and let himself inside. After a tour and a rest, he got back in his car and drove to Mellie’s place. Her SUV in the drive had him parking beside it and walking to the door.
He tested the knob, not shocked at all to find it unlocked, and pushed in. “Mellie?” he called out, shutting himself inside.
Unlike his last time here, there were no more boxes cluttering the floor. The place was spotless.
“Mellie?”
“What are you doing in my house, Mr. Latner?” she demanded, appearing at the end of the short hall.
“Looking for you.”
He raked his gaze up and down her body. She just didn’t know her effect on him. Ripped sweat shorts and an older t-shirt, and the way he reacted one would think she was in something from Fredericks or Victoria’s.
She crossed her arms over her breasts. “Why?”
He stalked toward her, loving the way her pupils dilated and her nose flared. “Did you really think I would let that go as a break-up?”
“Breaking up implies going out. If you recall, we were fucking.”
“Trust me, baby. I recall all of that fucking, as you put it. Having you stretched out beneath me as I moved in you slow, ignoring your pleas to go faster. Holding your gaze as I came deep inside of that pussy. All our times together. Fast, slow, and in-between. Your place, my bed, the barn. Even under the waterfall.”
A tremor overtook her body, and he held his smirk back.
“Either way,” she said, as if their times together were inconsequential. “It’s done.”
He prowled around her, predator stalking prey. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“So you’ve moved on, then?”
She lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“I haven’t. I still wake up in the morning with your name on my lips as I fist my cock, wishing it was your hand, your pussy, or your mouth around it.” She whimpered and shifted her stance
. He stopped in front of her. “Ours was an odd discovery of one another, I’ll give you that. But, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you felt nothing during our time together and want absolutely nothing to do with me, I’ll walk out that door right now.”
“And leave me alone?”
“God no, I will work on courting you and changing your mind.”
She licked her lips and his pants grew tighter. “And, if I don’t say it?”
“If you don’t utter those words, I take you in my arms and kiss you like I’ve wanted to do since I saw you standing here.” He stepped closer. “Then, after I make love to you for a good few hours, I will tell you about what’s going to happen here in Cottonwood Falls with the backing of L&P Global Funding.”
“I’ve heard the rumors.”
“I searched, and I found the beat I’d been unable to hear.”
Her smile was sad. “I’m glad. But, what does all of this have to do with me?”
“I want you to share it with me.”
“In what fashion? I’m not moving to New York City. I’ve done a large place, and I prefer it here. I’m not into long-distance relationships either. So, how is this going to work?”
He cupped her upper arms and smoothed his hands along her skin. “I would like you to move in with me.”
Her brows rose below her hair. “In your parents’ place? I don’t think so.”
“God, no. That was just where I stayed the first time I was back. I have a house here. I bought the old Felton place.” Her shocked expression had him chuckling. “Glad to know not all secrets are spilled in this town.”
“You bought a house.”
“Yes. Somewhere, in all this craziness we’ve been going through, Mellie, I fell in love with you. Yes, we started with nothing but passion, but out of those flames grew something more. I want you to give me, us, a chance.”
Her fingers trailed along the collar of his suit jacket as she mouthed the words he’d just said to her. One day, she’d say them back; he had utter confidence in that belief.
“So, you’re staying here, then.”
“Yes, woman. I’m staying. Would you tell me if I can kiss you now or if I have to leave?”
She bestowed upon him a crooked grin. “Well, I’m dirty and sweaty while you’re in this nice suit.”
“Fuck the suit.”
“Rather fuck you, instead,” she mumbled before covering his lips with hers.
“You’re the doctor,” he replied, lifting her in his arms and making his way back to her bedroom.
He didn’t have a crystal ball for their future, but given his gut reaction to this woman, the visceral and newfound emotional one, he was doing the right thing. It had taken him years to find his way back home, and he had no intention of leaving again.
“Tell me again,” she said as he slid into her welcoming heat.
“I love you, Mellie.”
“I figure I must love you, as well, for you’re the only one I allow to call me that dreadful name.”
He stared into her eyes. “I think the name fits you. Sexy.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist. “You had an agenda of what to do, and I believe this was down for a few hours. Get to it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her and began moving within her.
***
Epilogue
Melinda wiped the tears from her eyes as she listened to the preacher speak over her father’s casket. He’d never fully recovered from his cancer and hadn’t made it past the New Year. At her left, her mother sat rigid, face devoid of emotion. Melinda reached over and cupped her hand. There was no response, nothing back.
The majority of Cottonwood Falls had turned out for the funeral. The cold winter day had thick clouds skimming the sky overhead. The man at her right squeezed her hand in his show of silent support.
She slanted her gaze toward Toby, grateful he was here. He’d been at her side since she’d gotten the call about her father. He’d assisted in the preparations and doing what he could to lighten the load on her shoulders.
She rose with her mother, taking the rose from her lap to lay it across the casket. Then they gathered in the limo to ride back to her mom’s house where they would have the wake.
Toby slid his arm around her in the back of the car. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m on automatic right now. I’ll be strong until this is over then I’m going to be the one who’s a wreck.”
“You have every right to be, Mellie.” He brushed his lips along her cheek. “I know people will want to be around you at the house but if you need me, I will be there for you, okay?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t say how she would have managed to do all this without him beside her, offering support. “Thank you.”
With the passing of each hour, her own grief grew. Only after the last person left and she’d finally gotten her mother to take to her bed, did Melinda make her way to the couch and sink to the cushion.
Hands over her eyes she allowed more tears to fall. The light touch at her ankles had her looking through her fingers. Toby was there, suit shirt unbuttoned at the top, his tie loosened.
He removed her shoes for her and set them aside before he rose to pour her a drink. She took the tumbler and drank some whiskey, the burn welcome as it slid down her throat.
“Thank you for everything, Toby,” she mumbled.
“You don’t have to thank me for being there for you, Mellie. I love you. It’s what couples do for one another. I’m just sorry you had to go through it at all.” He sat beside her on the couch.
She curled up against him, head on his shoulder, and arm over his torso. “I miss him so much.”
The tears began again. He kissed her forehead and allowed to cry it all out. When she woke later, she noticed the kitchen light was on. She pushed up from where she lay on the couch. Toby wasn’t with her. Sliding to her feet, she padded into the kitchen. He was doing dishes and cleaning up.
He’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and had completely discarded his jacket and tie.
“What are you doing?” she asked, walking to his side.
“Dishes.” A brief kiss for her. “What are you doing awake?”
“Just woke up.”
“Are you hungry? I think there’s some leftover casserole from Ms. Candace that I haven’t put away yet.”
She wrapped her arms around him and just held him. “Eat something with me?”
“Let me just finish this up.”
Tears threatened. “I’m going to miss him so much. His smile. His laugh. His hugs.”
He rinsed off one hand and tipped her chin up. “It will get easier, Mellie. It’ll take time, but eventually, it will get easier.”
“I love you, Toby.”
His smile meant the world to her. “And you, Melinda Glazer, are my everything.”
She believed him. On both fronts. One day it would get easier and until then, she had him at her side to be her support when she needed it.
Additional Books by Aliyah Burke:
Megalodon Team
Kincade’s Rose
Harrier’s Healer
Connelly’s Flame
Greeley’s Spyce
Vittano’s Willow
Dimitri’s Moon
O’Shea’s Love
Chayton’s Tempest
Haikon
A Love for Lera
Denim & Spurs
With This Ring
Cottonwood Falls
Relentless
Fracture
Ravish
Spark
Savor (releasing March 2015)
Intensity (releasing June 2015)
Serial
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 1
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 2
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 3
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 4
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 5
Astral Guardians
Chasing the Storm
&
nbsp; Highlands at Dawn
Interludes
Temporary Home
Alone with You
Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore
In Aeternum
Casanova in Training
Harbour of Refuge
Protected by Shadows
Polar Opposites
Rakes & Rogues
What the Earl Desires
Her Reluctant Viscount
Her Pirate Rogue
Code of Honour
A Marriage of Convenience
The Lieutenant’s Ex-Wife
A Man Like No Other
When Stars Collide
Born to Fly
Landing in Love
You Save Me
Wild as the Wind
Zulu Spectre
Hearth, Holly, & Honor (3 in 1)
Standalone
Preconception
If You Dare
May You Always
Dutch & Lobo (in In the Trenches collection)
His Purrfect Mate
Under the Mask
That Fateful Ride
On the High Seas (in What White Boyz Desire collection)
The Detective’s Lover
Just a Dream
Love Under the Endless African Sky
Add A Little Mistletoe
Something Tangible
Seducing Damian
Through the Fire
Sin is Not a Four Letter Word
Holiday Surprise: Unwrapped
Raw Exposure
Holiday Liaison
The Right to Love
Co-written with Taige Crenshaw
Talios
Devi
Linc
Saffron
Taber
Ashia
Co-written with McKenna Jeffries
All the Wright Moves
The Best Thing Yet
Risky Pleasures
Pure Harmony
Irresistible Forces