He placed several soft kisses on her lips, not pressuring for anything more. She pressed her hand against his where it rested on her cheek. His touch was soft. Caring. This was the first kiss she’d experienced that she’d wanted.
His hand let go of hers, and he slid is arm around her waist, drawing her into his side. His embrace brought a sense of security, and she felt the tension in her chest ease. She moved her hand to his neck, sliding her fingers into his silky curls and returning his kisses as the rightness of being in his arms flooded her.
When Tyler finally left one last kiss on her lips and moved back a bit, Melanie rested her head on his shoulder. Both his arms went around her and held her tight to his side. She’d never thought that being close to another person would make her feel safe, but she did feel safe with Tyler. She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his neck, inhaling the scent she would always associate with him.
The waterfall kept the silence from being awkward. Closing her eyes, Melanie let herself relax and enjoy the sensations of being physically close to someone for the first time. She thought it might be too overwhelming. That the closeness would trigger something in her, but she was secure in knowing this was Tyler. He’d been part of her life for so long that there was no fear in being close to him. She realized that was just one of the reasons this thing between them felt right.
“You falling asleep?” Tyler’s voice rumbled under her cheek.
“No.” Melanie shifted a bit. “Just enjoying…us.”
His arms tightened briefly. “Me, too, but I should probably go.”
This time, she tightened her arms. She didn’t want their evening to end, but they both still had to work the next day. Tyler turned his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Slowly, they disentangled themselves and got up from the seat. They kept their arms around each other as they wandered out of the pool area and through the house to the front door. Melanie was glad that no one was around. She didn’t need her siblings interrupting what had been a perfect evening so far.
“Don’t come out. It’s cold,” Tyler said as he opened the door. “Thanks again for sharing your spot with me.”
Melanie leaned against the edge of the open door. “Thanks for a beautiful evening.”
Tyler bent down and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “See you tomorrow.”
As she watched him walk down the steps to his car, Melanie again found herself filled with hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was love in her future. She gave a wave when his car started to pull away then closed the door. After seeing his car pass through the gates on the monitor, she pressed the button to close them, realizing as she did that they hadn’t closed the gates earlier. No doubt she’d get an earful from Alex later if he reviewed the security activity for the evening.
Smiling as she walked up to her room, Melanie couldn’t find it in herself to really care. Nothing could spoil the evening she’d just shared with Tyler.
The next afternoon, Melanie was standing in front of Heather’s desk talking about her weekend plans when Tyler appeared in the doorway. A rush of warmth flooded her at the smile he had just for her. Before she had a chance to say anything, he stepped to her side and slid his arm around her waist. In one quick movement, he brought them close and bent his head to press a quick kiss to her lips.
Melanie heard Heather’s sigh but ignored it as she went up on her toes to give him a kiss of her own then smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi.” The emotion in his eyes and the feel of his arm once again filled Melanie with the sense of rightness. “I’m here to meet with Simon but had to see you first.”
“I’m glad you stopped by.”
“Me, too,” Heather chimed in. “You guys are just too cute.”
Tyler grinned at her words. “I’ll stop by again after I’m done with Simon.”
“I’ll be here.”
He gave her one last kiss before walking back into the hallway. Melanie stood staring at the empty doorway. Was this really her life?
“Seriously, you guys seem so right for each other.”
Melanie agreed, but there were still some rough waters ahead. She knew she had to tell him about her past.
“Okay, back to work.” With a quick smile for Heather and her dreamy expression, Melanie went to her desk.
She picked up her pen, but her thoughts were still on when would be the best time to tell him. There would never be a perfectly good time for him to hear what she had to say, but maybe if she waited a bit longer. Until things between them weren’t so new. Hopefully, by then their emotional connection would be strong enough to withstand the impact of her past.
~*~*~
As Tyler watched Simon and his fiancée, he was somewhat surprised that his first thought wasn’t that he wished that Kelly had been like that for him. Instead, he found himself hoping that at some point, that would be him and Melanie. His focus was definitely on the future. It was time to leave the past in the past.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Tanya,” Tyler said as he shook her hand. “Now I’ll leave you two to spend some time together.”
Tanya grasped his hand in both of hers. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for Simon. He’s told me how you’ve stuck by him even when he was being difficult.”
“It has been my pleasure.” Even as he said the words, Tyler recognized the truth in them. He would now count Simon as one of his friends and looked forward to continuing to keep in contact with him even after he left the Center. And from the strides the man had made in the past week, it appeared he was well on his way to that.
After a promise to see Simon the next week, Tyler headed up to Melanie’s office again. He really needed to get back to work, but he wanted to see her one more time. Because of his weekend schedule, he wouldn’t get a chance to see her until Sunday at church. He’d offered to bail on the Saturday night basketball game with his friends, but she’d insisted that he still hang out with them.
Heather wasn’t at her desk when Tyler got there, but he found Melanie at hers. She looked up as soon as he walked into the office. The smile that spread across her face was different from what he’d seen from her before. It took a second for him to realize what it was, but then it struck him that this one went right into her eyes. The reserved smile she usually gave people was gone when she smiled at him. He’d always thought she was pretty, but in that moment, she took his breath away.
“How did your visit go?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang. Frowning, he pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “Marcus. Hang on a second.”
“Tyler, I’ve sent you a new file I need you to review. One of the calls made from a number we’ve been keeping an eye on was to a Minnesota area code.”
Knowing that Marcus had been concerned about another attack, Tyler understood the man’s concern. “Okay. I’m just out at the Wellness Center, but I’ll have a look at the file now before I head back to the office.”
“Thank you.”
The call ended abruptly before he could respond. Tyler let out a breath as he slid the phone into his pocket. “Is there a computer I can use for a few minutes?”
Melanie pushed back from her desk. “You can use mine.”
“Thanks.” As they passed each other to change seats, Tyler slid an arm around her waist and gave her another quick kiss. He knew it wasn’t the most appropriate place for public displays of affection, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Something happening?” Melanie asked as she sat down across from him.
“Marcus had something pop up that he’s concerned about.” It only took a few moments for him to click into his computer through the BlackThorpe network and pull up the file Marcus had sent him. “I go back and forth between wondering if Marcus is overreacting or not.”
“I suppose considering the fact that he’s still limping from the last run-in, it makes sense he’ll err on the side of caution.”
Tyler nodded. “And that�
��s why I jump when he needs something from me on this.”
“Melanie?”
Tyler glanced over at the door and saw one of the counselors standing there, her gaze going back and forth between them. Melanie stood up and went with them into Heather’s office.
He took a deep breath and focused on the information on the screen. It was probably a good thing that he and Melanie worked in two different buildings. She was definitely a distraction when she was around even more than she used to be. Truth was, she’d always been a bit of a distraction to him, he just hadn’t understood why. Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to consider why.
Once the program had started to run the numbers Marcus had given him, Tyler logged out of his computer and stood up. He would have liked to hang around and chat with Melanie some more, but the program wouldn’t take too long to finish the process.
“You gotta go?” Melanie asked when she came back into the room.
“Yep. I want to be back by the time this finishes. Marcus will be waiting for the results.”
He smiled when she came to him and slid her arms around his waist. For some reason, her initiating the contact between them made him happy. It told him that she was comfortable with him. With them as a couple. Yes, that definitely made him happy.
They kissed a couple of times before she released her hold on him. “Hope the rest of your day isn’t too stressful.”
“Me, too. I’ll give you a call later after I get home from youth group.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Her smile lingered with him as he left the Center and headed back to the office. His thoughts as he drove were filled with Melanie and the time they’d spent together over the past couple of weeks. When his mom called on Sunday, he was going to tell her about what had developed between him and Melanie. He knew she’d be thrilled, and it felt like it was the right time.
Melanie’s confidence in their relationship was a turning point for him because now he could envision a real solid future for them. That meant it was time to share it with his mom.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THAT CALL WENT to a hotel in Rochester,” Tyler told Marcus as he sat across from the man. “I looked at a few of the previous long distance calls made recently and several were made to someone in Florida. The name isn’t one I’ve run across before though, so I’m not sure if it’s relevant or not.”
“What’s the hotel?” Marcus asked.
Tyler gave him the information he’d uncovered, figuring as he did so that Marcus was going to be sending someone down there to check it out.
“And the name of the person in Florida?”
“Craig Ellis.”
“And that name hasn’t popped up in any of our previous searches?”
“Nope. I did a cross-reference with it, and there is no previous connection.”
Marcus sighed. “Okay. We’ll let that go for now and see what the Rochester link turns up.”
“Let me know if you need me to do something more.”
As he put his phone down on the desk, Tyler let his mind flip through possible options for an attack. The first one had been directed at a person—Marcus, except that Eric had taken his place on that trip—but since then, the attacks had been aimed at the organization, not an individual. Would whoever was behind the attacks move back to an individual attack? And if so, would that be focused on Marcus and Alex or was any employee fair game?
Tyler could understand Marcus’s obsession with the safety of his company and employees, but without a clearly defined threat, it was hard not to wonder if they were grasping at straws and being paranoid for no reason.
~*~*~
Melanie flopped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. What a long day! It almost took more energy than she had left to get under the covers and turn out the light. She’d sent Tyler a text to let him know she was heading to bed early. It was rare she was in bed before ten, but when her day had started at four with an anxiety-ridden phone call from Jenni, an early bedtime was in order. Especially if she planned to go to church the next morning.
She’d taken her prescribed sleeping pills because she was sure that if she didn’t, her mind wouldn’t stop racing with thoughts of Jenni. And that was the worst when she was already so tired. Everything was worse when the control of her emotions was worn thin by exhaustion. All she wanted was about ten or eleven hours of solid sleep.
With a sigh, she got to her feet and pulled the blankets down far enough to slide under them. She touched the base of the lamp to turn it off and then slid her hand under the pillow next to hers. Making contact with the solid butt of her gun was the last thing she did before sleeping each night. Maybe there would be a time she didn’t sleep with a gun so close at hand, but that night was not tonight.
She took a deep breath and let it out, exhaling the stresses of the day. Dear God, please take care of Jenni.
A hand landed on her shoulder, jerking her from a deep sleep. Reflexes had her grabbing her gun, thumbing off the safety as she hit the base of the lamp to turn it on. Just about the time she registered Alex’s face in the light, his hand gripped her wrist and moved the gun away from him.
“Alex?”
His face was tight with anger. “You have two minutes to get up and get dressed. Justin’s in the hospital. He was attacked and Alana was abducted.” He paused then said, “We will be having a discussion in the near future on why you sleep with a loaded weapon.”
Melanie’s mind was scrambling, sluggish from the sleeping pills still affecting her. But as Alex headed out of the room, he called out, “Two minutes, Melanie. Move it.”
Struggling to make her body work, she put the safety back on and dropped the gun on the bed as she tried to kick free of the blankets. Once she made it to the dresser, Melanie pulled off her pajamas and jerked on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Socks, shoes, her gun and her purse, and she was running out of the room.
Alex and Adrianne were waiting out in Alex’s truck. Melanie scrambled into the back seat, her heart pounding. As soon as she shut the door, the truck jerked into motion.
“Arm the house, Adrianne,” Alex said as he approached the gate that stood open.
The light from Adrianne’s phone illuminated her face as she remotely armed the security system of the house. As the gate closed behind them, Melanie took several deep breaths.
“What happened?”
“Not entirely sure. Daniel—Justin’s brother-in-law—called me a few minutes ago to say Justin had managed to call him for help before passing out. He said they went over and had to call an ambulance for Justin and that Alana was gone.”
Melanie pressed her knees together to try to stop the shaking that had started in her legs. “Did Justin say who did it?”
“He hasn’t regained consciousness. They were doing some scans, but Daniel said it sounded like he’d be going into surgery right away.”
“Justin?” How could it be Justin? If anyone was prepared to deal with an attack, it would have been Justin. They had to be wrong.
“Yes, Justin,” Alex said. “What is wrong with you?”
What’s wrong with me? The trembling had now moved to her core, and there was no way she could stop it from spreading.
This is a bad dream. It has to be.
“Melanie!” Adrianne’s voice was sharp.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have told her. I don’t know what’s going on.”
I need my calm place.
She tried to take a deep breath, but emotion constricted her chest. When she couldn’t get relief that way, Melanie tried again to picture her calm place in her mind.
The cabin. The crackle of the fire in the fireplace as it spreads its warmth into the room. The comfortable chair with a lamp next to it. The soft blanket covering my legs. There’s a storm raging outside but inside I’m safe. It’s peaceful. Secure.
It wasn’t helping. She didn’t feel safe. She didn’t feel secure.
How could this happen to Justin? And Alana… She was t
rying so hard not to think about what she might be going through. Abducted. The past was rising up and overwhelming her with memories and fears she’d thought she’d moved beyond.
Suddenly the interior of the truck was filled with light. Strong hands grasped her arms. “Are you going to be able to handle this, Lanie?”
Alex.
She could do this. She had to do this for Justin. Be there for him.
“Maybe I should take her back home?” Adrianne said.
“No. No. I’ll be okay.” She didn’t want to be alone at home. “Just a shock.”
“Are you sure?” Alex asked.
“Yes.” She tried another deep breath, and this time was able to pull the air into her lungs.
“Let’s go.”
She grabbed her purse—which held her gun—and slid out of the back of the truck. Alex kept his arm around her shoulders as they made their way into the hospital. He didn’t let her go until they reached a waiting room. Justin’s sister was there sitting close to her husband, her face pale and strained. Marcus was also there, pacing the small space with his limping gait.
Alex led Melanie to a chair in the corner. She sank down onto the cushioned surface, sliding her hands under her thighs so no one could see how they were shaking. Staring down at her feet, she realized that her socks didn’t match. How had that happened? She always put her socks away in pairs.
“Are you okay?” Adrianne’s soft question drifted through the fog of her mind.
“What time is it?”
“It’s just after eleven.”
She’d only been asleep for an hour or so. No wonder she was so out of it. That had to be why she was reacting the way she was.
“They said it looked like the person attacked Justin as soon as he opened the door. He was also shot twice.” Daniel’s voice carried to where they were sitting. “And at some point they got Alana.”
And just like that, a sledgehammer hit the walls she carefully erected around herself. Everything she’d told herself over the past fourteen years. Everything she’d done to make sure she’d never again be a victim was for nothing. She would never be safe again. If this could happen to Justin—if he couldn’t protect himself or Alana—what hope did she have?
A Matter of Trust: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 3) Page 23