Destiny Revealed (There's Always Tomorrow Book 2) (17 page)

“So it's okay to be with a younger girl if she's a slut?” Melina asks, confused.

“Why are you guys arguing with me? I'm trying to do the right thing,” Mike says in exasperation.

“I'm not arguing, just trying to figure it out. I've never seen you turn down a girl who comes onto you.” Vance shrugs.

“Right, because I'm a player and a manwhore. Fuck you, dude,” Mike sneers, pushing off the fridge to leave.

Vance frowns and moves into his path. “Mike, I didn't mean it like that.”

“Whatever, man,” Mike mutters and shoulders past him then heads upstairs to his room.

Mike shuts his door a little harder than usual then locks it, not in the mood to be bothered by anybody. He doesn't want to think about what it means that he isn't going after Scarlett. She made it pretty obvious that she’s attracted to him. And usually if a chick shows interest in him, he takes her up on her offer. But with Scarlett, she’s a romantic - loving wedding photos and all - and most likely doesn’t have a very realistic view of relationships. She probably thinks that it’s all candle lit dinners and declarations of love. Mike doesn't have the heart to be the one to kill her fantasy. The way she talks about weddings, Mike can tell that she's never been in a real relationship.

None of the relationships that Mike has ever been in were really happy or carefree. They all required work, which was why he pretty much just sleeps around now. When he looks at Vance and Melina, and how happy they are now that Vance let go of his hesitations – whatever those crazy thoughts may have been; he should ask him about that one day – Mike’s jealous at how easily they get along. Mike wants that. He wants to mesh with a woman, and be in a relationship that doesn't feel like work, even though he knows every good relationship requires work. But Vance and Melina are not normal. They have something special that only happens between two people who are meant to be together. Mike sighs and drags his drunk ass into his personal bathroom to take a shower.  He’s covered in sand and salt and can't go to bed with his skin feeling gritty.

After a long hot shower, he crawls into bed naked. Sprawling out on his stomach, he shifts around to try to get comfortable. His mind wanders, and Scarlett's beautiful face fills his mind. Her big brown eyes and the way she looks at him, all sexually curious and shit. He thinks about the way her lips felt against his. They were silky soft and warm, and they fit perfectly against his. He thought about the tentative touch of her hands on his chest and the pretty blush that crept up her cheeks every time she looked at him.

Mike groans, his cock now achingly hard. Rolling his hips in, his erection scrapes against the cotton sheets. Dammit, he’s gonna have to take care of that if he wants to get any sleep. Flipping onto his back, Mike kicks off the covers and fists his hard shaft. He throws his free arm over his eyes and pulls a knee up.

Mike strokes slowly, pictures of Scarlett scrolling through his mind. Mike sees her watching him with wide eyes, having never seen a guy naked and pleasuring himself before. She’s flushed, her body responding all on its own. She wants to touch him, but she doesn't know what to do. Mike beckons her forward.  At first, she hesitates, but then she complies. Kneeling between his legs, Mike takes her hand and wraps her thin fingers around his cock then covers her hand with his own. Mike shows her how he likes it then lets her take over.

It only takes a few minutes for Mike to finish with a fantasy like that. It was so real. He’s so screwed. After wiping off his stomach, he settles back down to try to fall asleep. It shouldn't be so hard with all of the alcohol running through his veins, but his mind is having a hard time quieting down. Finally, he falls asleep with Scarlett as the last conscious thought he has.

Chapter 14

Melina wakes up to the sound of someone screaming. She can hear Vance's voice calling her name but she can't figure out where it’s coming from. Melina opens her eyes when strong hands grab her shoulders and shake her. She’s met with Vance's frightened face. That's when she realizes that she’s the one screaming.

Melina gets control over herself and stops screaming. She pants heavily and brings a shaky hand to her throat. Vance hovers over her, one hand moving from her shoulder to smooth her hair back from her face. He is frowning, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

The bedroom door bursts open and Mike and Tripp come barreling in, wearing just their underwear, guns drawn. They quickly take in the situation and slowly lower their weapons, still standing at the end of the bed, chests heaving.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Melina. You scared the shit out of us!” Mike grumbles, rubbing a hand over his broad bare chest.

“We thought you were being attacked,” Tripp pants, shoving his free hand on his hip, hunching over a bit, trying to catch his breath.

Melina pushes up into a sitting position, remembering that she’s naked, and clutches the sheet to her chest. “God, I'm sorry. My dream was so vivid,” she whispers, looking over at the clock to see that it’s four in the morning.

Dayne and Ryder poke their heads into the room. “Everything okay?” Ryder asks, his dark hair, completely disheveled.

“Melina had a nightmare,” Vance says as he rubs circles around her bare back.

“Shit, that must’ve been some nightmare for you to scream bloody murder like that.” Dayne snorts, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Melina nods. “It was,” she breathes, swallowing hard.

“Alright, we'll leave you two alone,” Tripp says and shoos everyone out of the room.

Melina and Vance say their thank yous and wait until the door is shut before they look at each other. Vance studies her face in silence for a moment. “You okay?” Vance asks, laying a tender kiss on her shoulder.

“It was so real Vance,” Melina murmurs, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

Vance wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. “But it wasn't, it was just a bad dream.”

Melina pulls in a shaky breath. “I don't know how to get it out of my head.”

Vance turns, pushing her back down onto her back then gets on top of her. “I can help you forget,” he murmurs, his eyes heavy-lidded with desire, captures her mouth with his.

Melina slides her hands around to his back as he kisses her, her hips cradling his. Vance uses one hand to cup her face while he uses the other to skim down her side then curve around her hip to cup her ass. A low growl from Vance vibrates her chest. Melina can feel him growing hard between her legs.

Vance makes love to Melina, slowly, tenderly, and lovingly. Even though he hasn't told her that he loves her yet, he shows her with his body. Melina has to fight back the tears. She’s already emotional from that dream, and now Vance's tenderness is tugging at her heart. She loves him. She can't deny it and doesn't want to. She loves him with her whole heart and soul, and wants to be with him for the rest of her life. After they both come down from their climaxes, they snuggle together and go back to sleep.

Melina smiles at her little sister. Scarlett called this morning and asked if she could come over so they can talk. Melina just saw Scarlett last week at the party. They usually see each other once a week or so, depending on Melina's schedule, but Scarlett said that she needed to talk to someone, and Melina always makes time for her sister when she needs her.

“So, what's up?” Melina asks, watching Scarlett, who is sitting across the table from her in Vance's kitchen.

Scarlett glances around. “Are you sure none of the guys are here?” Scarlett asks softly.

“They're all at work,” Melina assures her, not telling her that Mike and Vance will be home in half an hour.

Mike hasn't said a word to her about Scarlett, but she knows that he thinks about her. She caught him checking out Scarlett's Facebook page a few nights ago. Mike quickly clicked off her profile and turned bright red. He denied it was Scarlett's page, but he wasn’t quick enough because Melina saw Scarlett's picture. Melina didn't fight with him, though, she just let it go.

Scarlett sighs. “I can't stop thinking about Mike,” she admits, “And it’s really annoying.”

Melina chuckles. “Yeah, I can see how that can be irritating.”

“I want to see him again, but I just don't know if he wants to see me.” Scarlett frowns, her big brown eyes looking sad.

“He’s a bit hesitant because of your age,” Melina agrees.

“But he even said that I'm mature for my age. So what if I'm 19? It’s not like I’m a little girl,” she mutters. Scarlett slouches in her chair, folds her arms across her chest, and pouts with her bottom lip coming out.

Melina fights not to laugh. “Letty, you look like a toddler right now, ready to throw a temper tantrum.”

Scarlett immediately uncrosses her arms and sits up straight, her pout turning into a scowl. Melina laughs.

“It's not funny,” Scarlett mumbles. “Mike will never want me if I act like that.”

“Listen, I know Mike is attracted to you, but I'm not sure that he wants a relationship.” Melina sighs.

Scarlett opens and closes her mouth a couple of times before she’s able to find her words. “I want my first time to be with someone that I care about; I don't want a one night stand.”

“Then forget about Mike. I don't think that you're going to get the relationship you crave with him. And honestly, Letty, I don't think you're ever going to find the kind of relationship you want,” Melina says softly, hating to burst her sister's bubble. Scarlett is a romantic and has a skewed picture of what a relationship should be like.

“How would you know?” Scarlett says defensively.

“Because, it's not realistic. Relationships are not lovey-dovey 24/7. Men are difficult and can be hard to understand sometimes. That shit you read about in your romance novels is fantasy, not real life,” Melina says, watching her sister's reaction.

Scarlett sighs and runs her hand through her long dark hair. “I know that.”

“Do you?” Melina asks, eyebrow raised in question.

Scarlett nods. “A girl can dream, can't she? I know it isn’t realistic, no matter how much I want it to be.”

Melina chews on her bottom lip for a few seconds before speaking. “I’d really rather you wait until you’re in love, or even married, before you have sex,” she tries to say seriously, but has to fight back a smile.

“Now who’s not being realistic?” Scarlett crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.

“Come on, sis.  I jumped in head first with Damien and look where that got me. Now, with Vance, I waited, and it was worth every minute. I’m not saying it was easy, but it made it so much more special. What do want from Mike exactly?” Melina asks curiously, her smile winning out and appearing brightly at her sister’s smart comeback.

Scarlett looks at her and shrugs. “I don't know. He’s gorgeous, and I'm dying to kiss him again. Oh, and I'm curious to see what he looks like naked,” Scarlett whispers, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Have you ever seen a guy naked?” Melina asks, fighting not to smile.

“Not in person,” Scarlett says quietly, avoiding Melina's gaze.

“I'm sure Mike would let you see him naked if you ask, he's not shy.” Melina chuckles.

Scarlett's eyes fly to hers, her mouth open in shock. “Melina! I can't just ask to see him naked!”

Melina throws her head back and laughs. “Sure you can. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to show you what a real man looks like naked.”

Just then, the door that leads to the garage opens and in walks Mike and Vance. They are talking and haven't yet noticed Scarlett and Melina sitting at the table. Mike is half-turned to look back at Vance as he speaks.

“For real, dude. I need to get laid; my hand just ain't the same,” Mike grunts then turns and freezes when he sees Melina and Scarlett.

Melina smiles. “Hey, guys.”

Vance smiles wide and walks over to her, giving her a kiss on the lips. “Hey, baby.”

Melina glances at Scarlett to find her staring at Mike, her eyes roaming up and down his uniform-clad body. A flush creeps up her cheeks and her breathing quickens. She is totally thinking about what Melina told her. She doubts that Scarlett has the balls to ask Mike to see him naked. Melina might just have to speak for her.

“Mike, you remember my sister, Scarlett,” Melina says, hoping to unfreeze the both of them.

Mike swallows hard then clears his throat. “Uh, yeah, I remember Scarlett...hey,” he mumbles in her direction, raising his hand in greeting.

Vance snickers. Melina gives the back of his thigh a pinch. “Ow!” he shouts and jumps away from her. Melina smiles sweetly while he glares at her.

Scarlett blushes harder and gives Mike a wave in return. Melina stands and pushes Vance toward the stairs. “Let me help you out of your uniform,” she purrs, giving his ass a squeeze.

“Mmm, baby, that's what I'm talking about,” Vance rasps, biting his bottom lip.

Melina gives Scarlett a pointed look then disappears with Vance up the stairs.

**Mike**

Mike cannot believe that Melina just did that. He gapes at the stairs in shock. She just left him with her sister...alone! His body is already responding to just the sight of her. Her big brown eyes are glaring at the stairs in shock also. Mike doesn't know what to do. He wants to run upstairs and lock himself in his room until she disappears, but then he'd feel bad for leaving her alone while Melina and Vance get it on upstairs.

Scarlett's beautiful face turns to look at him, her eyes once again roaming down his body. He feels his cock twitch at her obvious appraisal. Her eyes lift back up to his face and she blushes hard when she realizes that he caught her checking him out. She quickly glances away to look down at her hands, which are in her lap.

Mike takes the opportunity to look her over. She is in a pretty, floral sundress and flip-flops. The top of it dips down to show off her ample cleavage. Her long dark hair is cascading down her back and over her shoulders. Mike would love to wrap all of that hair around his fist and hold onto it while he fucks her from...Oh god, shut up! He does not need to get a hard on in his work pants; there would be no hiding it, they fit too snugly.

“So, Scarlett...” Mike starts, but is cut off by Scarlett.

“Can I see you naked?” Scarlett blurts then slaps her hands over her mouth. Her eyes are wide and horrified.

Mike's mouth drops open and he stares at her in utter shock. Did she really just ask to see him naked? How does he respond to that? She has obviously been thinking about this.

“Excuse me?” he replies softly when he’s able to get past the shock.

Scarlett’s hands are now covering her whole face. She closes her eyes, probably unwilling to see his expression for fear of rejection. “I keep thinking about you and I'm curious,” she whispers from behind her hands, obviously mortified.

Mike walks closer then sits down next to her. He puts his hand on her bare knee, making her jump. Her eyes snap open to look at him. A small smile curves his lips. “You've never seen a guy naked before?”

Scarlett shakes her head. “Never in person,” she admits quietly.