Roping Melanie by Melissa Ellen

21

Melanie

I checked the clock. Only one more hour to go before last call. Lately, I found myself checking the time at work more often. Before, nights at work had flown by. Now, they seemed to drag. I tried to pretend I didn’t know what had caused the change in my mindset, but there was only one obvious catalyst. Nash Evans.

“The taps should be fixed,” Tim said, pulling me from my thoughts as he strolled out of the walk-in cooler and into the backbar. “You want to give one a pull to test it out?”

“Sure.” I grabbed an empty pint glass and pulled down the first lever. It sputtered a little as the air in the line worked its way out, then a steady stream of foam flowed into the glass.

“You’ll just want to drain the lines before you pour anyone a glass,” Tim said, passing me a pitcher to do just that.

I set the pint glass aside and began filling the pitcher until the foam cleared and it was a steady stream of golden liquid. “Thanks for coming out tonight to fix it,” I said as I dumped the foam and moved onto the next tap. “If it weren’t for all of them not working, I would’ve just said we were out for the night. But you know how folks around here get. I was afraid I’d have anarchy on my hands.”

Tim chuckled as he cleaned his hands in the small wash sink. “Don’t mention it. I still own the place. You should never feel bad about calling me when you need something.”

I nodded.

He shut off the water and dried his hands with some paper towels. “I’m going to make rounds to a few of the tables before I go. Do you need help with filling any of the orders?”

“No I’ve got it,” I assured him while dumping the pitcher in the three-compartment sink once again, preparing to move onto the third tap. It was a good thing it was a Sunday night and not one of our busier nights.

He took me for my word and walked out from behind the bar, heading for the main floor to greet some of the regulars and friends of his.

After clearing the lines of the last two taps, I got busy making the drinks that had backed up while Tim had been trying to fix everything. One by one, I filled the pints of beer and set them on the bar mat with their tickets for the servers to pick up and deliver. After a few minutes, I was out of the weeds. I took the opportunity to start on the closing duties.

It wasn’t long before Tim was back at my side behind the bar, nudging my shoulder to get my attention.

“Looks like you got a visitor,” he said, discreetly signaling across the room toward the front door. My gaze followed his gesture, spotting Nash as he strolled through the room, turning a number of female heads. He hadn’t noticed a single one of them. His minty green eyes were solely on me.

“It’s not what you think,” I quickly told Tim.

“It’s none of my business. But if he starts to be an issue for you, you let me know.”

“He’s Avery’s father,” I blurted. It wasn’t how I planned to share the news with Tim, but it did feel good to get it out there.

“Wow. Okay. Shit. Really?” he said, pausing briefly between each single word response.

I nodded and bit my bottom lip. Besides Ms. Debbie, Tim was the only other person I’d told the truth since Nash had shown up in Billingsley. I hadn’t quite learned the finesse of telling people.

“Is that why he’s moving here? He wants to be in her life now?” His tone had changed from shock to protective in an instant.

“No. It’s not like that,” I tried to placate him. “It’s a long story, and I promise to tell you it all later.” His reaction was exactly what I’d been afraid of. I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about Nash. They could judge me all they wanted. I was used to it, anyway.

Tim’s body relaxed, his eyes flashing to Nash and then back to me. “You want me to stick around?”

“No. I’m good. We’re good. We’re just figuring things out right now,” I added quickly before Nash got within earshot.

Tim nodded at me as Nash approached the bar.

“Hey,” Nash said with a smooth smile on his face, taking a seat on one of the stools in front of us.

“Hey.” I blushed at the way his eyes fell over me. “Are the girls okay?” I immediately asked, suddenly wondering what would have brought him here.

“The girls are fine. Already sound asleep,” he assured me and turned his attention to Tim, offering him a handshake. “Tim, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight.”

Tim shook his hand. “That makes two of us. But Melanie had called earlier, needing some help. Our beer taps weren’t working.”

Nash’s eyes flicked to me and then back to Tim. “You get it all worked out?”

“Yeah. Everything should be flowing now. Do you need a beer or something to drink?”

“No, I’m good. Just came by to keep Melanie company until she closed.”

“Tell you what,” Tim said and turned to me, “I’m here anyway, why don’t I shut things down. You haven’t had a night off since Monday. You head out.”

“You don’t need to do that. We had a deal. You closed for me Monday,” I argued.

Tim waved me off. “Don’t make me fire you. You may be running things on occasion, but I still own the place.”

Nash’s body stiffened, and I laughed. “He’s only kidding,” I assured Nash as I smacked Tim on the arm.

They both chuckled.

“Are you sure?” I asked Tim.

“Yes. Now go on. I’ll text Con to let her know I’ll be home a little later. She’s probably already dead asleep, anyway.”

I nodded and turned to Nash as Tim walked away, pulling out his phone. “Sorry, you wasted the trip out here.”

“It wasn’t a waste. I’m thinking things just took a turn for the better. Do you have any plans now that you’re a free woman?”

“You mean other than a hot shower and a date with my bed?”

“Yeah. I was hoping you might want some company.”

“It will be pretty lonely at the house without Avery there.”

“Is that a yes?”

I fought against a smile and lost as I nodded my head. “I’ll get my things.”

The drive to my house had my stomach in knots. Something had changed. The air had always been charged between Nash and me, but now it felt like it was going to explode. Like it was too strong for either of us to fight against any longer.

I parked in my driveway. The loud rumble of Nash’s truck pulled in behind me and died as he shut off the ignition. I forced myself to take a calming breath before opening my car door to get out.

Nash met me at the side of my vehicle, immediately placing his hand at the small of my back to escort me inside. His touches had become more frequent, more familiar, more expected. So much so, I felt the loss of them whenever he wasn’t around.

He held the screen door open as I unlocked the front door. The house was dark and quiet as we stepped inside, only magnifying the pounding of my heart.

I put my purse on the hook as Nash closed and locked the deadbolt.

“What now?” I asked, shoving my hands in my back pockets as I faced him.

Nash’s gaze instinctively slid down my body. The heat in his eyes turned my mouth dry. “I have some ideas. But not sure how you’d feel about them.”

“Try me.” The words were a dare as much for me as him.

He rubbed a hand over his mouth, debating whether to just spit it out. “I want you, Melanie. Right here. Right now.”

My body tingled and lit on fire at the rawness of his words. The heat built between my legs. The gravelly roughness in his voice ignited every fantasy I’d had of him in the last few weeks. I wanted him too. And I was tired of fighting it. I was seconds away from telling him that but then my eyes caught the picture of Avery just over his shoulder.

Nash followed my line of sight, seeing what I’d momentarily been distracted with. He took a hesitant step toward me and gripped my hips. “Let’s just take it one day at a time. We don’t have to rush it. Avery doesn’t even have to know.”

I hated the thought of keeping another secret from her. But I was also willing to hear him out.

“If things don’t work out, she’ll never need to know,” he said, convincingly. “And if they do, we’ll tell her when the time is right . . . what do you say?”

My eyes locked onto his, and I gave him my silent answer. Lifting to my toes, I pressed my lips to his.

One of his hands dove into my hair while his other tightened its grip on my hips, pulling me flush to him. The way he pulled me close was like nobody else. I wrapped my arms at the back of his neck and the next thing I knew I was in his arms being carried down the hall toward my bedroom.

Nash lowered my feet to the floor and fisted the hem of my shirt. I raised my arms as he stripped me and dropped it on the ground. My jeans were the next to go. Then my bra.

He gave me another appreciative smile while he ran his gaze over my body. I sat on the edge of the bed and scooted backward onto the mattress. The sheet was cool and smooth against my skin, sending goosebumps all over my body and hardening my nipples.

Nash’s eyes remained locked on me. He removed his own clothes and joined me on the bed. The soft dig from the pads of his fingertips pressed against my skin as he slid my underwear off.

I closed my eyes, getting lost in the sensation as his mouth dotted kisses across my sensitive flesh. Some soft. Some sucking. Some with the tiniest licks of his tongue as he tasted me. Every kiss, every touch, put me closer to the edge.

When I felt his body over mine and his lips on my stomach, I flicked my eyes open and threaded my fingers through the strands of his hair to pull his mouth to mine.

He groaned into the kiss before pulling back slightly. “I’ve waited so damn long for this.”

“Me too,” I whispered. The emotions overwhelming me made it hard to speak.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to regret this later.”

“I’ve never regretted any moment with you, Nash. I never will.”

As my Gran always said, every moment in life was precious. Even the bad ones. If you looked close enough, you could always find the gold in the gravel.

“Mel?”

I shook my tangent thoughts from my head, refocusing my attention on Nash. “I’m sorry. I’m here. My mind just got carried away a little thinking about my gran.”

Nash cocked an eyebrow, his mouth quirked into a sexy half-grin. “Ouch. Should I be worried that the moment we’re about to finally have sex again, you’re thinking about your gran?”

I laughed. “No,” I said through a giggle. “Really. I should’ve never said anything.”

His smile faded as he stared down at me. His green eyes warmed and darkened. An unexpected seriousness fell over his expression.

“What?” I asked, my laughter dying and suddenly feeling self-conscious.

He shook his head slowly. “You’re just so damn gorgeous. I can’t get over how lucky I am.”

Lifting my head from the pillow, I once again pressed my lips to his. He deepened it as my mouth parted and our tongues collided. The tip of his hardened length pressed at my entrance. I tilted my hips, desperate to feel the fullness inside me. But once again he was pulling away.

“Condom,” he said in answer to my silent question.

“Nightstand drawer,” I directed. “But I’m on the pill. And I’m clean. I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

“Fuck, Mel,” he groaned, burying his face in my neck. “I’m not sure I’m strong enough to tell you no. So you better be sure about this,” he said as he lifted his face to look at me once again.

“Just tell me you’re clean.”

“I’m clean, baby. I promise. But I can still get a condom. We don’t have the best track record.”

I brushed the backs of my fingers along his sharp jaw and cupped his cheek. With the slight lift of my head, I closed the distance between us again. He didn’t argue or pull away this time. He simply slid inside me. The wonderful pain had my back arching from the bed and my nails digging into his biceps. He stilled, giving me time to adjust, before setting a steady pace. His thrusts increased little by little until we were both breathing heavy and grasping to hold on tighter to each other.

Despite wanting to feel the release, I found myself desperately wanting to prolong it all at the same time. The addicting sensations, the feeling of being in his arms and with him like this, was something I never wanted to end. But my body had its own needs and wants. It seized and pulsed beneath Nash as he thrusted inside me a few more times. His muscles went taut beneath my palms before he collapsed beside me. Immediately, he reached for me. Pulling the sheets over me, I rolled to my side until I was tucked under his arm with my cheek to his chest.

After a few beats of silence, he kissed the top of my head and my face tightened with my huge smile. “That was better than I remembered,” I said, still fighting to catch my breath.

“Not sure how to take that,” Nash teased.

I giggled and tilted my head back to look at Nash. “It was a compliment.”

He lifted his head and kissed me on the mouth this time. It was slow and hard and full of intent. I was confident I’d never get enough of his lips.

“Now what?” I asked on a sigh as I nuzzled back into his side.

“Now, we do it again.” He flipped us both, pinning me beneath him on the bed. “And again.” He kissed my neck. “And again.” He took my breast in his mouth and flicked his tongue over my nipple.

I grinned, cupping his head with my fingers sliding through the strands of his hair. He continued to work his way down my body.

“And again,” he said one last time with a gleam in his eye before his head disappeared below the sheets and between my legs.