His Melody (26 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Austin gritted his teeth, looking down into her deep brown eyes. Holding back was proving difficult, but he was determined to make sure she wasn’t cheated out of one moment of pleasure that night.

She lifted her head from the pillow and he dipped his, meeting her for a soft slow kiss that quickly became hungry and urgent. He sucked gently at her lips between kisses. Her nails grazed the skin over his hips, lower back, butt, the backs and sides of his thighs. Shifting his weight to one elbow, he reached down for the soft, firm mounds of her breasts, fondling her nipples. He needed to make her come. He wasn’t going to be able to hold back much longer.

She gasped, grinding her hips into his even more urgently. He flipped her over to have better access to her body. He entered her wet, soft body from behind. She whimpered with pleasure while one of his hands stayed on her breasts and one went to the bud right above where he was inside of her, pinching, squeezing, and rubbing gently yet insistently until her breaths were short gasps and her hips trembled and writhed against him with every move up and down. She cried out for him over and over as the soft, wet vault of skin clenched and released around his penis. Knowing it was almost over, he groaned, giving into his own need for release.

She collapsed against the bed. He lay next to her and pulled her into his arms. Holding her close, he stroked her shoulder.

“Again,” she said.

He laughed and said into her hair, “Give me a minute.”

“That was amazing.” She peered up at him, and he kissed her chin.

He felt so good with her in his arms. It felt right, natural. There was no way he could describe it other than to say he felt that he could relax for the first time in his life. Running his fingers from her collar bone to the tops of her breasts and back again, he almost told her how she made him feel.

He caught himself just in time and compromised with what he’d been about to confess. He said, “I was thinking I might go back with you. For a few days.”

Her eyes lit up, and she snuggled closer. “Really?”

“Yeah. Donnie and Avery would get a kick out of being in charge for once—especially Donnie,” he said. “And I’d get to spend a few more days with you.” He kissed the corner of her mouth.

“I’d love that,” she said, giving him a look that warmed every inch of him right down to his soul.

“I’m not making any promises about that showcase or anything else having to do with music,” he said.

“I don’t care about that. I just want you.” She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him softly.

“I’m not making any promises about anything at all,” he said for his own benefit as much as hers.

“I know,” she said between kisses. “I know.” She threw a leg across his hips. “I’m just glad for every moment I get with you.”

He felt the same way, but he wasn’t about to say that either. Instead, he turned off all thought and focused on holding and kissing her and the way that felt.

#

Tuesday morning, Austin dropped Melody off at Regan’s as promised. She was lost in a fog of thought about the incredible night they’d spent together. Earlier that morning had been good, too.
Really good.
They’d barely made it out by the eleven o’clock
check-out
time. She couldn’t concentrate on much besides her memories of being in Austin’s arms. Regan had to keep repeating herself. Finally, Melody apologized for her distracted state.

“It’s fine.” Regan gave her a knowing smile. “I understand completely.”

Regan led her out to a paddock where a giant brown horse with a white streak down his nose stood. They were so much bigger up close. The thing was a giant. He stood there quiet and patient as if he’d been waiting for them.

“This is Thorn,” Regan said, patting the horse’s side. “He’s a Palomino.”

“How am I supposed to get up there?” Suddenly, the saddle looked imposing.

Regan nuzzled the horse’s nose and fed him some bits of carrot she’d pulled from her pocket. “Don’t worry. He’s the gentlest horse I have, and all my horses are
sweet-natured
. Aren’t you, boy?” Regan lapsed into baby talk, and the horse snorted softly, obviously eating up the attention.

“O-okay. But that doesn’t solve the mystery of how I get up there,” Melody said.

“You could use that.” Regan pointed to what looked like a small, white footstool nearby. “Or I could give you a leg up.”

Melody looked between Regan and the stool.

“C’mon, you can’t be that heavy, and I’m a pretty strong gal. Get over here.” Regan waved her over.

Melody took a few tentative steps toward Regan. Regan pulled her the rest of the way and gave her a good-natured pat on the back. She showed Melody where to hold on to the saddle. Then she bent down and braced her hands for Melody to step into. Melody followed Regan’s instructions. With a little struggling, and no grace at all, she finally made it into the saddle.

I have to tell Jen about this. She’ll get such a kick out of it
, Melody thought. She really missed her friend. She couldn’t wait to see her mom and Jen. She was still sad to leave Sweet Neck, though. At least she’d have Austin with her. She wasn’t going to allow herself to think about the fact that him coming back with her was only temporary.

While Regan helped guide Thorn around the paddock—Melody refused to let the woman out of her sight even though Regan insisted she was doing really well for a first timer—they talked about Sweet Neck. Somehow, it came out that Austin was going back to Atlanta with Melody for a while.

“Good,” Regan said. “This is what he needs.”

She sounded so sure of it. “I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t want to talk about this. I know you two…”

“We what? We’re friends. Whatever happened between us is in the past.”

Melody shifted in the saddle, trying to get more comfortable. She was already a little sore from last night—and that morning. The horse riding was only going to add to that. “You sure?”

“Yes. You’re good for him, and he needs to move on. He needs to put himself out there again when it comes to being in a relationship. He hasn’t in so long.” She sighed sadly. “I’m tired of watching him just sit around here brooding, wasting away.”

“It’s gonna be quite a long-distance relationship. If we try to have one, I mean.” Melody hadn’t even thought that far ahead.

Regan looked up and gave her a mysterious smile. “Maybe, maybe not.”

What was it with everybody? “He’s never going to leave Sweet Neck, and my job—my career—is in Atlanta.” There was nothing in Sweet Neck for a music exec even if the place was charming, bucolic, and seductive even.

“Austin isn’t as happy here as he’s trying to convince himself he is. Guilt is keeping him in Sweet Neck more than anything else. That and fear,” Regan said.

“Yeah?”

“Mm hm.
Don’t
tell me you haven’t picked up on that.”

“I guess maybe I have,” Melody said, thinking back to the few times she’d gotten Austin to open up about his past.

Regan smiled. “Okay, I’m going to leave you and Thorn to it.”

“Don’t,” Melody said, but Regan was already backing away.

“You’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

And amazingly, Regan was right. Melody didn’t fall off the horse or do anything else disastrous. She started to think, to hope, Regan was right about other things as well.

#

Tuesday evening, Austin walked into the house with a bunch of flowers in one hand and a C.D. in the other. After saying hello to his mother and finding out that Melody was upstairs in her room, he
tip-toed
up to her room in hopes of surprising her. He stopped right outside the door. From the crack in it, he could see that she was pacing back and forth; he caught a glimpse of her every few seconds. She was also having an intense phone conversation with someone.

“I know, Saeed, I know.”

Saeed.
Her old boss.
His heart sank.

“He’s coming back with me,” she said. “Just let me—would you let me talk please?”

There was silence for a moment.

Melody stopped walking and tapped her foot against the floor. “I know.” Another pause. “I know that, too. You’re not listening to me, though…Yes, I know it’s Saturday. You tell me that every day. I just need you to hear me when I tell you that this is a very delicate situation.”

Austin clenched the cellophane around the flowers, crushing the stems in his hand.

“He doesn’t want to,” Melody said. She was quiet for another long stretch. She shook her head and held the phone away from her ear a little. Holding the phone close to her ear again, she said, “I need more time. That’s all I can tell you.”

As soon as she ended the call and dropped her phone onto the bed, Austin pushed the door wide open.

“So that was Saeed,” Austin said.

Melody turned to him, eyes wide, and put a hand over her chest. “Austin. I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll bet.”

“I was just telling him—”

“I told you I couldn’t make any promises. But you keep pushing. And pushing. And pushing.”

“No, it’s not like that. You don’t understand—”

“You’re right I don’t understand. I thought you were listening when I told you all those things about me, but I don’t see how you could’ve been when you just as good as sold me to your boss.”

“I didn’t,” Melody said, but she wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“Oh yeah?” He raised his eyebrows. “You know, I blame myself. I’m the fool who hoped and thought you might be different. But you’re just like all of the rest of them.” He shook his head in disgust. “All you see is money and power and what I can do for you and your career. You don’t see me. You don’t give a damn about me at all.” Austin dropped the flowers on the floor and snapped the C.D. in half. “I never want to see you again.” He walked out of her room and out of the house without saying a word to anyone. He got into his truck with no idea of where he was headed.

He refused to think about anything at all. He shut down because shutting down was the only way he could be sure he wouldn’t do something stupid like go back to the house before she left for Atlanta.

Chapter Thirty-Four

That night, Melody tried to remain upbeat at her going-away party, but she was miserable. Austin’s absence was notable, but no one said a word about it. She knew they were all ignoring the fact that he wasn’t there for her sake. She appreciated it, but at the same time, it irritated her. It was like they thought she was so fragile, she couldn’t even handle hearing his name.

The party was held in the back dining room that could be reserved for private parties at a local restaurant. Everyone sat at a long table that was covered with dishes such as spare ribs, fried chicken, gravy smothered pork chops, collard greens, fried potatoes, and cornbread. There was food everywhere. It all looked and smelled great. She would have been stuffing herself if she hadn’t completely lost her appetite earlier that evening when Austin stormed out of the house. No one had seen him since.

After everybody ate, they went outside to the patio where there was a table of desserts and music. A few people danced. Most people stood around, watched the dancers, and talked.

Melody spent most of the night talking with Regan, Nina, Avery, and Leigh Anne. She mingled a little, and Donnie would occasionally flit over, but being social was exhausting for her that night. Every time she played the last twenty-four hours back in her mind, they overwhelmed her.

“Melody? Are you listening?” Regan asked.

“Sorry,” Melody said, realizing that Regan must have been trying to get her attention for a while. All conversation in the group had stopped.

“She spaced out again,” Avery said. She gave Melody a sympathetic look.

“And I bet I know where she went,” Nina said. She patted Melody’s shoulder.

“I can’t believe he’s being like this,” Leigh Anne said, her face hard. “I didn’t raise him this way.”

“I know,” Melody said. She stared across the patio at the paper lanterns that hung in a line at the far edge of it. “He wouldn’t even let me explain.” She shook her head. “I keep bringing this up, and I’m sorry.” She looked around. “I’m sure you guys are tired of hearing it.”

“No, Melody, it’s okay. Really,” Nina said, patting her shoulder again.

“I was trying to tell him.” She took a deep breath. “I was telling Saeed that going to the showcase was a decision that Austin had to make for himself, and I couldn’t promise that Austin would be there Saturday night even though I wanted him there. I want him there for himself first and foremost, but he’s never going to believe that now.” She took a long sip from her glass of port. “I know it looks bad now, but I wasn’t trying to trick him. I just wanted him there with me because I
want
him. Not because I want to use him.”

“I know,” Regan said, nodding sympathetically. “He’ll come around.” She wouldn’t look Melody in the eye when she said it, though. Melody couldn’t blame Regan if she had trouble believing her own words. Melody had trouble believing them too. If there was one thing she’d learned about Austin over the past few weeks, it was that he was stubborn as hell.