by Dena Blake
The light on the clock glared six a.m. She’d have to go to work soon, but she didn’t budge. There was no other place she’d rather be. She nuzzled into the crook of Mel’s shoulder and took a deep breath. The spicy scent of her skin sent a rush of warmth through her body.
“Last night was amazing…” Mel’s voice was low and groggy.
“Spectacular…” Izzy smiled and kissed the top of her head.
“Mmm, earthshattering…”
“Uh-huh.” Izzy stroked Mel’s back lightly and nuzzled closer. “Sorry I didn’t let you sleep much.” She felt Mel smile against her chest.
“It was a good trade.”
“Do you have to work today?”
Mel nodded. “I wish I didn’t.”
“Can you work from here?”
“I have a meeting at ten about Rick’s website.”
“Rick again.” She let out a groan and pinched her lips together. “Have you noticed the way he looks at you?”
“Stop that.” Mel pressed her lips against the soft skin of Izzy’s breast. “You know you’re the only one I want.”
“Mmm. Do that again.”
“And he certainly doesn’t have any of these beauties.” Mel smiled and obliged before trailing her lips up Izzy’s neck to her mouth.
Izzy rolled Mel onto her back, pinning her to the bed. “So if I hire you to do my website, will you give me the same personalized attention?”
“I’ll give you a much different kind of personalized attention, and I promise to do you for free.” Mel’s eyes darkened with desire.
“You’ll do me?” Izzy chuckled. “I like the sound of that.”
Mel glanced at the clock. “I need to shower.”
Izzy pressed her face into the crook of Mel’s neck and took in another deep breath. “You smell wonderful.”
“I smell like sex.” Mel’s lip hitched.
“Uh-huh.” She nibbled at her lip. “I like it.” She slipped her hand between Mel’s legs, felt the wetness, and had to taste her again. She lowered herself down Mel’s body and reveled in the cry that tore from Mel’s throat when she buried herself in Mel’s center. After she crawled back up her body to kiss her, Izzy was surprised when Mel flipped her onto her back and plunged her fingers inside her with such bold determination she came fast and hard. Twice.
Izzy felt Mel move out of her arms and groaned. “Don’t go.”
“I really do have to shower.”
“You’re gonna just wash me off you?” She gave her a pouty grin.
“Uh-uh.” Mel planted one last heated kiss on her lips. “You’ll be all over me forever.”
Izzy liked the sound of that too.
*
When Mel finished putting on her makeup and stepped out of the bathroom, she could hear Izzy’s cell phone buzzing again. The damn thing had been buzzing all morning. Thinking it was someone from the restaurant, she shouted to Izzy as she picked it up. The name Dana glared brightly on the screen. She held it until the phone stopped buzzing, and the message on the screen said six missed calls. What the fuck? Is this woman never going to go away?
“You miss me already?” Izzy’s voice flowed down the hallway.
Mel quickly set the phone down on the bedside table, flipping the screen down. “I do.” She rounded the bed to meet her in the doorway and gave her a scorching kiss that made her want to strip her clothes off and pull her back into bed. “You have got to stop looking so damn sexy, or I’ll never get out of here.” She trailed her finger from the hollow of her throat down to the valley of her breasts.
“Never.” Izzy shot her a sexy smile.
You have no idea how natural it is for me to want to melt into you right now. Mel let out a low grumble and tugged her in for another long, heated kiss that left her breathless when she pulled away. “I do have to leave.”
“If you say so.” Izzy moved to the side and motioned for Mel to go in front of her.
Mel opened the car door and tossed her purse across to the passenger seat. The leather seat was cool on her legs as she slid into the driver’s seat. She tapped the hideaway compartment above her head and plucked her sunglasses from the holder before starting the engine. After looking over her shoulder to back out of the driveway, she turned briefly to give Izzy a wave good-bye. The grin overtook her face. There she stood in the doorway dressed in a light-blue tank top, navy-plaid pajama bottoms, and pink, big-bear-feet slippers. Beautiful face, long, slender body, and big-ass feet. And she’s all mine.
Chapter Twenty-three
The barista handed Mel her triple-shot latte, and she sat down across the table from Nancy. She’d been after her all morning to get out of the office. She was having a hard time keeping the grin off her face and knew Nancy would want to know why it was there.
“You’ve been holed up in there all morning. I was getting worried about you,” Nancy said in between blowing short airbursts into her steaming coffee.
“No need to worry. I’m fine.” She glanced out the window at a woman passing by with her cocker spaniel as she took a sip of her nonfat latte. If she made eye contact with Nancy, she wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement.
“Did you work all weekend again?”
“No.”
“Just no?” She reached over, took Mel’s chin, and pulled her head back to face her. “Your cheeks are flushed. Are you sick?” She felt her forehead.
“Stop.” She pushed her hand away. “I’m not sick.” She raised her cup in an attempt to cover the grin spreading across her face.
“Wait a minute.” Nancy’s eyes squeezed into slits as she studied her. “You got laid.”
Mel covered her mouth, sputtering as she choked down the gulp of latte she’d just taken. She wiped the liquid from her mouth and cleared her throat as she scanned the coffee shop to see if anyone had noticed. “I can’t hide anything from you.”
“I knew it.” Nancy’s eyes widened.
“I’ve been with Izzy all weekend.”
“Oh my God, you must be sore.”
Mel chuckled. Nancy’s thought process was always amusing. “Sore, but happy.”
“You told her how you feel?’
Mel nodded.
“Stop making me quiz you and tell me how all this happened.”
She described the events of the weekend. How she’d met with Jack and he’d agreed to the divorce. Izzy’s unexpected outburst of jealousy the next morning. How she’d crawled into Izzy’s bed and waited for her to come home that night and, without going into too much detail, the amazing things that happened after.
“I’ve never felt like this before.” She could see the mixed feelings in Nancy’s eyes and reached over, taking her hand.
“I’m happy for you, Mel. I really am.” She wiped a tear away. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I’ve got my own news to tell.”
Mel raised an eyebrow. “Have you been holding out on me?”
The color in Nancy’s cheeks deepened. “Remember the attorney from LA?”
“Lauren? You’ve been seeing her?”
She nodded. “I’ve been seeing her a lot.”
“How? What? Where?” Mel fired off rapidly.
“Since the week we got back. She actually lives here, in the city.”
Mel flopped back into her chair. “Wow. I’ve been a good friend, haven’t I?”
Nancy chuckled. “It’s okay. I can understand why. You’ve been tiptoeing around your dream girl for too long. I’m glad it finally happened.”
Her lips quirked up into a half-smile. “Yeah, me too.” She sighed. “There’s only one problem. Her ex keeps calling her.”
“The one you thought was still her girlfriend?”
“Yep. Tons of calls and texts all weekend.”
“Did she answer her?”
“No. She kept deleting them. But there were a lot of messages, and it’s getting on my nerves. Is she going to pine after Izzy forever?”
“Maybe you should pay her a visit. Set her straig
ht.”
“Maybe so. I have to go see Mike to wrap up a few things this morning. I’ll stop by her restaurant afterward.”
“Do you want me to come with?”
“No. I want her to know she doesn’t intimidate me.”
“Good girl. I’ll be waiting to hear all the juicy details.”
*
Mel had already been by Mike’s office. Next up was lunch. She found herself at Gustoso for the first time. She pulled open the tall wooden door and felt unexpectedly nervous as she entered. She wasn’t expecting Dana to be right up front at the hostess stand.
“Welcome to Gustoso. How many for lunch today?” Dana said, glancing up. “Oh, hello. Mel, is it?” She smiled slightly.
“Yes.”
“Is Izzy with you?” Dana craned her neck to look around her.
“No. Just me.”
Dana’s smile faded quickly. “Are you here to eat, or talk?”
“Talk.” She glanced around the restaurant. The pictures hadn’t done it justice. The unique style and vibrant, multicolored tile sprinkled throughout the dining area made the eclectic figures sketched on the walls pop.
“Watching your weight?”
“Not really. Just saving my appetite for what I have at home.” Mel couldn’t resist the jab.
Dana’s eyes narrowed before she led her to a small table next to the wall. “I’ll be right back.” Dana pinched her lips together and headed into the kitchen. Mel could see right off what the attraction was. She had a curvy figure and a strut that would make any woman look twice. A few minutes later, Dana came back out carrying two small bowls of pasta and set one in front of her, the other in front of her seat. “Today’s special,” she said before sliding into the chair across the table. “Go ahead. I didn’t poison it.”
The scent wafted up to Mel’s nose, and she had to admit it smelled wonderful. “You have a unique menu here.” She took a small bite. It tasted just as good as it smelled. “What is it? A mixture of Italian and Greek?”
“Yeah. Jess is Greek.” Dana shoveled a forkful of pasta into her mouth.
“It’s also a blend of Izzy’s recipes. She could take you to court for that.” She ate another bite.
“That’s Jess’s problem now. I’m working on selling my share.”
“Oh, really?” She set down her fork and took a drink of water. “To whom?”
“Some corporation.”
“A corporation…that’s too bad.” She let her gaze scan the restaurant. “They’ll probably want to change everything.”
“From the amount of money they’re paying me, they can do whatever they want with it. But you didn’t come here to talk about the menu. What do you want?” Dana pushed her bowl back.
“It appears you still have feelings for Izzy.” She set her fork down and wiped her mouth with the napkin.
“Of course I do. We were together six years.”
“So you’re not seeing Jess any longer?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Are you just going to keep calling her even though she’s moved on?”
“I don’t know what she’s told you, but she hasn’t moved on.” She leaned back into her chair and flipped her blond hair off her shoulders, seeming to gauge Mel’s reaction.
Mel narrowed her eyes and waited for her to continue.
“You know that week last month when you were out of town? In LA, was it?” Dana jerked her lip up into a sideways smile. “Izzy and I were together.”
She felt the slash through the edge of her heart as it pumped wildly. She shook her head, hoping Dana hadn’t noticed her flinch.
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Dana spoke in a low, tepid tone, success ringing through. She’d definitely caught her reaction.
“Of course she did.” Her stomach tightened, and the pasta she’d eaten roiled, threatening to come back up.
“Then you should know, Izzy and I were never exclusive. We’ve both slept with other women. You’re no different than the rest of the ones she’s taken to bed. She always comes back.”
The rest of the women? Blood pounded at her temples, and she couldn’t think.
Dana leaned close and raised her brows. “What makes you think you’re better for her than me? Or that you’re the only one?”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about Izzy. Her mother is sick. She doesn’t need the extra stress.”
“Bella is sick?”
“Oh, come on. She’s been dealing with it for months.” Mel didn’t let up, watching her as she shifted in her chair. “You don’t really love her, or you would know that.”
“I do love her.”
“Then either get all in, or get out of her life.”
“Is that all you came here to say?”
Mel nodded. “Yep. That’s it.”
“Then I think we’re finished here.”
Mel pulled out her wallet from her purse and dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table before she pushed back from the table and stood up. “Keep the change.” She turned and strode across the restaurant, doing everything she could to keep it together until she got outside.
She got into her car and flipped the A/C to high. Her pulse raced and her mind spun. The tabloid pictures, the phone, that day in the kitchen. She had no idea Izzy had been with Dana while she was in LA. Izzy had lied to her. She’d told her she hadn’t slept with anyone since she saw her that night behind the restaurant.
*
Izzy spun around at the sound of the restaurant door slapping against the wall. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you until later.” She crossed the kitchen and gave Mel a quick kiss on the mouth. She backed up when she didn’t respond. “What’s up?”
“I went to see Dana today.” She rolled her lips in, pinching them together. “Funny story. She told me you were with her while I was in LA.”
Heat rushed through her and her heartbeat faltered. Her throat constricted, strangling any words she might say. The air was thick, almost solid between them as Mel waited for her to speak. She leaned back against the counter, trying to get her bearings.
“Oh…wow. You were.” Mel fell back against the wall.
Izzy moved toward her. “Mel, let me explain.”
“Hold on.” She put her hand up. “You didn’t think that was something you should tell me?” Mel’s voice cracked. Her eyes were glassy green, moisture filling them.
She closed her eyes. “Things have been so great between us. I didn’t want to—”
“Fuck it up?”
Izzy’s eyes flew open and she snapped her gaze back to Mel’s. She’d never heard her this way. Anger, shock, more anger.
“Well, that’s exactly what you’ve done.” Mel spun around and moved to the door.
Izzy followed her, grabbed her arm, and swung her around.
“I thought I could convince her to leave you alone.” She narrowed her eyes. “I guess I should’ve been trying to convince you to leave her alone.” She shrugged out of Izzy’s grasp. “Just stay away from me.” She grabbed hold of the counter. Izzy watched her take in a deep breath, seeming to steady herself. “How could you fall back into bed with…with her?” Disgust, hatred, sadness, despair—everything Izzy had feared from day one appeared in Mel’s eyes.
“I don’t know what happened.” She rubbed the back of her neck as the heat crawling up it became unbearable. “Mel, wait.” Izzy grabbed her arm again, and Mel pulled loose a second time.
“Did you mean anything you said to me?” The words hissed from Mel’s lungs, and her vulnerability ripped through Izzy’s heart.
“I told you how I felt.” She saw the pain in Mel’s eyes and struggled for words. “And you left.”
“So you went back to her.” She shook her head slowly. “I’ve been an idiot. All this time I thought—” She headed for the back door.
“You thought what?”
“Does it really matter now?”
“Yes, it matters.” She pinched back the tears brimming her
eyes.
“I have to get out of here.” Mel took off out the door.
Her heart thundered as she watched the only woman she’d ever really loved walk out of her life. “Mel, please.” She choked as she chased her in desperation.
She spun around and put up a hand. “No. Don’t.” Her eyes were wet, pleading. Then she was in her car and gone. She’d left her in the parking lot again, only this time, with good reason.
Tony brushed past her and swung back around to look at Izzy. “You can’t just let her leave. You can’t let Dana mess with her like that. Go after her.”
“It could be true.”
“What the hell? You really slept with Dana?”
“When I saw those tabloid pictures of Mel, I just lost it. I went to a bar and got really drunk.”
“Jesus, Izzy.”
“I’m not proud of it, Tony. I don’t even remember it.” She rubbed her face. “When I woke up, I felt like a freight train had hit me.”
“Yeah. A freight train named Dana.”
The past few days with Mel had been like a dream come true. Each night they’d fallen into each other’s arms and made love in wonderful bliss like they were life-long partners. Now because of her stupidity, it was all gone.
The hurt in Mel’s eyes was excruciating. She’d gone from the warm, fun-loving woman she’d seen over the past few weeks to a fragile ball of emotions. It killed Izzy to know she’d been the one to make it happen. She’d torched the only real relationship she’d ever wanted. Wanted? Yes. She wanted everything with Mel.