The Love Series Complete Box Set (87 page)

She bounces in her seat and laughs with such giddiness that it’s contagious. I chuckle and ask, “What’s so funny, Emmie?” I smile and make a silly side-eyed face as I stare into the screen of Bryan’s smartphone. I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, but there was something so bright and alive in her laughter that I couldn’t help but be playful in my question.

“You’re a kitty cat, Melanie!” She laughs again as she points up at my headband. I reach up to touch the ears that are sticking up at the top of my head. I kind of forgot about them. She’s still lost in her innocent laughter so I “meow” at her and she laughs even harder.

When her chuckles subside, she proudly holds up a pretty pink princess costume. Placing the sparkly crown on her head, I gasp and sigh. “Oh, Emmie, you are the prettiest princess ever.”

“Really?” I can hear the disbelief in her voice and I just want to climb through the phone and hug her tightly.

“Of course, you are! You’re a beautiful little princess and don’t ever let anyone tell you any differently.” Now, if only I could apply my own words to myself–that would be progress.

Emmie shrugs her shoulders and tucks her chin shyly into her chest. “I think you’re beautiful too, Melanie.” Her soft words force a ball of emotion to rise in my throat. It’s the first time in my life that I truly believe a compliment for what it is. It’s her innocence, her shyness and playfully attitude that help me see myself through different eyes.

Instinctively, I lace my fingers with Bryan’s and squeeze tightly. I lean into his shoulder and feel the heat rolling of his body. He lightly places his lips to the top of my head and whispers, “Thank you” so that only I can hear him.

Turning my attention back to Emmie, I let her know that I’m going to go now so that she can finish talking to Bryan. I stand to his side once again and I’m close enough to hear him say, “I know, Emmie. I think she’s beautiful too.” His eyes travel the length of my body and the air no longer feels chilly. “Yes, I like her too,
very much.
” His soft lips break into an adorable lopsided smile on his last words and it makes my insides turn to goo.

Through my hazy visions of what those lips are capable of, I hear Bryan say, “Okay, Emmie. You go read your book now. Put Mom on the phone, please.” He pushes a few buttons to change his phone out of video mode.

Placing the phone up next to his ear, I see his back straighten. He’s bracing himself for something.

Keeping my voice low so that his mom can’t hear me, I ask, “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

The question garners a “don’t be ridiculous” glare and a tight squeeze of the hand. So I stay by his side and listen to him talk his mom about the fight she just had with his dad. While Bryan’s calming her down about his dad having to leave abruptly for another surprise business trip, I consider saying something to him about the weird vibe I got from his dad while he was at the game. I consider it, but it just doesn’t feel like the right time.

So what I do instead is decide to conceal my reservations. Besides, “I have my suspicions about your dad” doesn’t exactly seem like it would have a calming effect on him right now. I don’t mention anything to him about the weird looks from his dad at the game, or the fact that I’m pretty sure that he wasn’t on the phone with a business partner at all. I don’t say anything about Courtney and her snide remarks. I bite back my concerns about her and Liam plotting against us.

I keep all of those concerns buried deep inside and just nuzzle closer to him. I try to calm him, and when he’s done on the phone, rather than going back into the party, I offer to take him back to my empty suite to distract him further.

I’d rather not go back in there anyway.

“Are you sure you want to do that? What about your friends? Weren’t we supposed to be hanging out with them?” he questions, but I can tell that he really wants to get out of here as well. My heart swells more than a little at knowing that, even when he’s dealing with some serious shit, he’s still thinking about me and my friends.

“I’ll text them on the way. I think they’ll be just fine spending the night here.” I arch my eyebrow and shoot him a knowing look. “Besides, we have plans tomorrow to go hiking with them. They’ll understand.”

He nods and mumbles, “Okay.” Then he pulls me into his arms and kisses me with the sole purpose of forgetting. I’m not sure exactly what he’s trying to forget, but I’m more than willing to help him get lost.

Sitting in Bryan’s car on the short drive back to my suite, I dial Maddy. I’m not all that surprised that she picks up on the first ring.

“Mel? Where are you? I walked away for like a minute and you were gone!” Her voice is frantic. We kind of have this “no girl left behind” mantra.

I roll my eyes and look over at Bryan who has just heard Maddy yell at me over the phone. “Calm down, Maddy. I’m fine. I’m with Bryan . . . something . . . umm . . . came up.”

She chuckles and I hear Reid in the background. “Sure.” She draws out the word insinuating what any best friend would insinuate.

I clear my throat in the hope that it will stop her laughter. “Would you stop it? Listen, we’re heading back to the suite. I know we were all supposed to hang out tonight, but something did really come up.” Her laughter subsides and she sobers when she hears the seriousness in my voice.

“Is everything okay, Mel? Do you guys need anything?” Maddy’s concern is evident and I even hear Reid chime in behind her making sure that I’m okay.

“Yes, Maddy. I promise everything is okay. I just wanted to call you and let you know. That’s all.” Bryan reaches across the console and squeezes my hand. “I know Bryan was supposed to drive, but will you girls be okay there for the night?”

“Don’t worry about that at all.” Maddy dismisses me. I’m pretty sure Reid won’t kick her out of his bed.

“I’ll call you in the morning. Maybe we’ll get together for breakfast before we go hiking or something like that.”

“Of course. And Mel, if you guys need anything, call us. We’ll be right there. We’ll see you guys in the morning.”

“Thanks, Maddy.”

“Oh one last thing, Mel.”

“Yeah.”

“Have fun.” Again, she draws out the word.

I eye Bryan as he pulls into a parking spot noticing the way his bicep flexes as he shifts the car into park. “I definitely will.” I end the call and lean over to Bryan and trace my finger down his right arm. He turns toward me and his face looks sad and distant.

“Are you okay?” I tangle my fingers into the soft hair that curls slightly at the nape of his neck.

He swipes a strand of hair out of my eyes and smiles a sad little smile. “I’ve just never heard my mom so upset before. I don’t know what’s really going on, though. It sounded like she was covering something up.” I tenderly run my fingers across his cheek. His hand softly cups mine and he brings the pads of my fingers to his lips for a sweet kiss.

“And I hate hearing Emmie upset. She doesn’t know how to cope, and being here, well, I just feel a little helpless. That’s all.” Shrugging his shoulders, he tries to dismiss the sadness I know he’s feeling. But his eyes, they scream of his unease.

Pulling his face into mine, I trace my thumb across his bottom lip. He darts his tongue out to lick my thumb and it makes me shiver. I softly trace every line of his face in an attempt to ease some of his tension. Arriving at his tightly furrowed brow, I say, “Let’s just relax tonight, Bry. We’ll deal with it all tomorrow. Okay?” I let my hand fall to his cheek once more and he nuzzles into my touch. He doesn’t say anything, but when he opens the door and walks around to mine to open it for me, I know that he likes my plan.

When we get into my suite, I take off my cat-ear headband and pull the elastic from my hair. Bryan steps behind me and sweeps my hair to one side. Exposing my neck to his warm breath sends thrill bumps racing across my skin. I relax my shoulders into the warmth of his solid chest and enjoy the feel of his lips as they dance across my neck. As he kisses the tender spot where my headband sat all night, a soft moan of pleasure escapes my lips.

I arch my neck and turn my head to the side to grant him more access. Bryan tenderly wraps his strong fingers around the front of my neck as he runs his nose from my shoulder up to my hairline. He coos softly into my ear, “I want you, Melanie.”

I mentally lack the capacity to say what those words do to me. Honestly, I just never thought I would ever hear them. Wrapped in the strength of his warm embrace, I know I’ll do everything within my power to hear them again and again and again.

As I push the curve of my ass into his groin, I tell him, “I want you too, so much.” A grumble of pure male satisfaction vibrates against my back. It makes my heart melt, and my knees weaken for that matter, to know that I can share this part of me with him. To be honest, I’ve never felt more like myself than when I’m with Bryan. I’m not different or better or skinnier or anything like that. I don’t have to be the perfect version of myself that I present to everyone else. I’m just me, and what’s really crazy is that when I’m with him, I’m happy about who I am.

Without much grace, Bryan and I stumble over to the couch. His hands race across my body with need as his mouth devours mine with a hunger I’ve never felt before. He’s not simply kissing me; he’s trying to become a part of me. I wrap my hands around his neck and pull his mouth closer to mine, if it’s even possible, and kiss him back with all of the need and emotion I can muster.

When his thumb traces over my hardened nipple over my shirt, my entire body shudders in delight. He feels it. He plays my body like an instrument, each stroke deliberate and beautiful. “Bryan . . . I . . . I . . .” I don’t know what it is that I want. I know I just want him. It’s as if his name has become a part of my lips, of my heart.

“What, Melanie? Tell me what you want and I’ll do it for you. You should know that by now.” The words fall from his beautiful mouth and I can feel the truth behind them. I can see the sincerity in his eyes. He would do anything for me, but right now, it’s going to be about what
I
want to do for
him.

Bryan is taken by surprise when I push up from underneath him and switch positions. Straddling his hips, with his hands spanning my waist, I dispose of my top and bra. I push his shirt up to expose his chest and crush my body to his. Basking in the feel of his skin on mine, I torture his neck with soft, wet kisses. The feel of his body writhing beneath mine is sexy as hell, and if I’m being honest, it’s a strange sense of empowerment too.

When he wraps his arms around my waist and sits up with me in his lap, I pull his shirt up and over his head. Gently, I push him back so that, once again, he’s lying down. I continue on my mission of kissing his neck, across his collarbone, down the solid muscles of his chest, into the valleys and ridges of his sculpted abs. I shimmy down the rest of the way and settle in between his legs. I trace my pointer finger down the line of hair that descends beneath his jeans before unsnapping them. As I pull the zipper down, I can feel him bulge and pulse beneath my fingers and it makes me want him even more.

Bryan arches his hips and I take the opportunity to rid him of his pants and boxers entirely. Staring down at his beautiful and completely naked body sends a jolt of pleasure in between my thighs. Tentatively, I touch him, afraid somehow that I’ll hurt him, or do it the wrong way. But, the second my shaking fingers wrap around him, he pushes his hips up and grinds himself into my hand. “Ahhh, fuck. Melanie . . .” His words trail off to the slow rhythm of my hand gliding over his heated skin.

Emboldened by the fact that I am so clearly affecting him, I begin kissing his stomach, licking that sexy-as-sin V muscle as I caress him. An overwhelming urge to taste him, to give him the pleasure I know he’s seeking, consumes me.

When I move my hand away from him, I hear a soft breath pass through his lips. My tongue darts out and softly licks a path from root to tip. His neck arches; his stomach flexes; his chest rises and falls rapidly with ragged breaths.

Licking the same path a few more times has him moaning my name and breathing heavily as if he can’t get enough oxygen to his lungs. I wrap my lips around him and take as much of his length as I can into my throat. Bryan sweeps my hair to the side as he gently cups the back of my head. There’s no force or anything like that. Just a loving reverence as he guides my mouth up and down. “Melanie . . . your mouth . . . so fucking perfect . . .”

When I feel his motion get more frantic and less rhythmic, I give him one last lick and stand next to the couch. I’ve got something that I hope will be even more perfect than my mouth. I step out of the rest of my clothes and pull the condom out of the back pocket of his jeans.

As I tear the foil wrapper of the condom with my teeth, Bryan rolls to his side and supports his body on his elbow. With his other hand, he softly traces a line from between my breasts, down my stomach, which flexes under his touch. When he plunges two fingers into my core, his name falls from lips without warning. Rocking back and forth on his fingers drives me crazy. “Bryan, I need you to be inside of me now. Please, baby.”