Roping Melanie by Melissa Ellen
7
Melanie
As Nash’s eyes did a slow crawl over me, my whole body heated. It felt like a slow caress. One I wouldn’t have minded had I not been so nervous about the conversation we were about to have. A part of me wanted to revel in the moment, commit it to memory the way it felt to have that kind of attention from him. After our conversation tonight, it would likely be the last time he ever looked at me that way again.
“Hey stranger,” Nash said with a grin. He was so damn good-looking. It was unfair.
“Hey,” I replied, the single word sounding breathy as I fought against the nerves and emotions running like wild horses through me. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Sorry to make you wait. That took me a little longer than I expected.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you didn’t change your mind after yesterday. I should be the one apologizing after all that.”
“You already did,” I reminded him, giving him a weak smile.
“Still. I made a real fool of myself.”
“You didn’t. I was just . . . distracted,” I admitted.
“Kids have a way of doing that. Happens to my sister all the time.”
The mention of kids was like a cold bucket of ice water being thrown in my face. I glanced around the bar, hoping nobody was paying us much mind. Thankfully the place had mostly emptied, now that drinks were no longer being served. “So, I was thinking we could go somewhere else to talk. You okay, following me back to my place?”
His eyebrows shot up and the right corner of his mouth lifted into a sexy smirk.
“Oh my gosh!” I squeaked, covering my mouth. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head as he began to chuckle. “That’s not what I—I just meant—”
“It’s okay, Mel,” he said through a laugh. “Tell you what . . . You forget about what I said yesterday, and I won’t think twice about you trying to get into my pants already.”
“That’s not—” I started again, my face heated from embarrassment.
His palms flew up, opened wide. “I’m kidding.” He stood from his stool, grabbing his hat from the bar.
I nearly melted into a puddle as he placed it on his head and flashed me his smile. “I’ll follow you.”
The trip from Dudley’s to my house felt like an eternity despite it being only a fifteen-minute drive. The whole ride I gave myself a reassuring pep talk so I wouldn’t chicken out. This was the right thing. He deserved to know everything. No matter what the consequences, I couldn’t justify keeping this from him any longer. It wasn’t fair to him nor Avery. It was time to put my big girl panties on and do the hardest thing in my life while risking it all.
As soon as I turned in my driveway, I shut off the headlights. It was a habit to keep from waking Avery. Normally, my mother would stay with her at my house until I got home from work. Tonight, I’d asked her to keep Avery overnight at my parent’s place, since I wasn’t sure how the whole conversation would go or how long it would last. It also gave Nash and me somewhere private to talk.
My mom had agreed after I filled her in on the situation with Nash. Much like Olivia, she’d given me a tight hug and told me I was making the right choice. No matter how many times I heard it or how convinced I was, it wasn’t making it any easier.
Nash followed behind me as I walked up the porch steps, his hand resting at the base of my spine. The warm and gentle contact sent a shiver through me.
While I unlocked the front door, he held the screen door open.
“Make yourself at home,” I said over my shoulder as we walked inside and hung my purse on the hook by the door.
Nash did a slow inspection of the living room from where he stood in the doorway before walking deeper inside the house. He didn’t make another move, so I took the lead and sat on the couch. He sat next to me, leaving little space between us. His proximity only made me more nervous. “Do you want anything? A water or a beer?”
“I’m okay,” he said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. He likely sensed my nerves or heard the quake in my voice, having misinterpreted the why.
I glanced down at our connected hands. His hold on me somehow had a calming effect, giving me the strength to do what I had to do.
“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” he asked.
It was the prompt I needed. Might as well rip it off like a Band-Aid. I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to his as I finally said the words I should’ve said years ago.