Vibrant Heart: Book 1 in the Great Plains Romance Series (6 page)

“You’re part of our family now. Get better standards.”

Melanie stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Finally, she collected herself enough to respond. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Jake sneered. “Don’t sleep with the hired help.”

Her hands flew to her hips as she took an angry step forward. “Who I sleep with is none of your damn business!”

“I thought you were different. You seemed to have a brain. Clearly I was wrong.”

“Did you just call me stupid?”

Jake pretended to applaud her. “You were the one hooking up with Raymond at your father’s wedding reception.”

Melanie screamed in frustration, throwing her arms out to emphasize her anger. “We didn’t hook up!”

Jake took two steps toward her until he was standing just inches from her, forcing her to look up at him. “I know what I saw,” he hissed.

“You saw me biting Raymond’s shoulder to get him off me.” She met his cold stare with one of her own, her voice emotionless.

“Wait, what?” He took a step back, his anger replaced first with confusion, then disbelief.

He glanced down at her chest, then back up at her face. This time she saw something else in his eyes: lust.

Melanie glanced down to see that her robe had fallen open, revealing more cleavage than would ever be appropriate. She turned around as she hastily secured the robe once more, although she was really trying to hide her reaction to his obvious desire for her. “You heard me,” she said over her shoulder, willing her heartbeat to slow to normal.

“Did he force himself on you?”

She chewed on her bottom lip until she tasted blood, then chided herself. Why was she so nervous? And why the sudden urge to explain herself to Jake, whom she’d likely see only two or three times a year at best—assuming she came back at all? Surely she could withstand his surly glances at her for those few days. In fact, maybe the timing had been perfect after all. He would think that she still had feelings for Raymond, whom he clearly despised, and would leave her alone. No more unsuspecting kisses or public displays that only served to embarrass her. Melanie told herself this was the best outcome in the long run. So why didn’t she feel happier about it?

“Look, Raymond has his own demons to fight. They’re none of your concern.”

He grabbed her elbow and spun her around, pulling her so close that his lips were just inches from hers. “Did he?” He spoke through a clenched jaw, fighting to control his anger. The pure rage in his eyes scared her, especially as she was in a hotel room, naked under her robe, alone with this man.

“Let go of me.” She sounded more confident than she felt.

The grip on her arms tightened. “Tell me!” he snarled.

Melanie straightened her spine and pulled back her shoulders, standing to her full height to look him squarely in the eye. “Let go or I’ll scream.” She spoke quietly, but she knew he didn’t doubt her for an instant.

He stared at her, his eyes softening as well his grip. His jaw relaxed as his anger disappeared—no, not disappear, not exactly. More like he was tucking it back into place, hidden from the prying eyes of the world.

Realizing that he was fighting his own demons, Melanie’s knees wobbled. She focused on staying upright as she fought an intense urge to pull him close to her and hold onto him, telling him that everything would be all right. She could see in the way he looked at her that he wanted the same thing.

She inhaled a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the power of her desire for the man standing so close to her that she could feel the warmth of his body, smell the hint of beer on his breath. She wanted him, more than she had ever wanted any man. The realization was both exhilarating and terrifying. The only thing she was absolutely certain of was that if she went to bed with Jake Monroe, she’d never find anyone else to measure up to the intensity she felt with him. Her body was screaming for her to rip off her robe and throw herself at him, but she couldn’t move, afraid she might do just that. She looked into his eyes, willing him to understand, begging him to make the decision that she was afraid to.

When he left her standing there and walked out the door, Melanie finally exhaled. She collapsed on the bed, wanting to scream, but she wasn’t sure if it was out of relief or frustration.

Chapter Twelve

Jake stormed down the hallway, barely controlling his emotions, thankful he didn’t encounter any staff members as he slid out the back door and headed for his truck. The last thing he needed right now was for his staff to be terrified of his black rage. And they would be terrified, of that he had no doubt. What he wanted more than anything was to find Raymond and strangle him until the scrawny excuse for a human begged for mercy. Jake would wait until he felt the life leaving Raymond’s body and only then would he drop him to the ground, letting him gasp for breath.

He slammed his truck door. Well, maybe he would let go. Maybe he wouldn’t. No matter what happened, Raymond wouldn’t be touching any women other than his wife, and he certainly wouldn’t be touching Melanie ever again. Jake cranked the ignition and growled. Melanie was his.

Just as quickly as his anger had surged upon hearing Melanie’s explanation, it now drained from him, leaving him shaking in its wake. What did he mean, Melanie was his? He’d just met the woman, and yes he was attracted to her, but he barely knew her. He certainly had no claim over her. Melanie wasn’t the kind of woman to be claimed. She was the one who did the claiming, although he wasn’t sure she realized that herself. His lips curled into a smile. He saw it in her, in the way she stood her ground by the side of the road, on the stairs when she wasn’t worried about how intoxicating her beauty was, in the hotel room when her robe slipped open, revealing soft mounds of flesh that even now made him wish he had pushed the robe open just a little farther, shown just a little more of the heaven that he knew it hid. Such a woman should never be restrained or claimed or possessed.

He leaned back against the seat, exhaling slowly, trying to block out the image of her staring him the eye, her chest heaving in anger, her robe falling open just enough to hint at the pure ecstasy it held. How was it that seeing her fully covered in a robe made her even sexier to him than when he’d seen her in her lacy bra and panties? It didn’t make any sense. None of it made any sense. How had this woman invaded his life so deeply, so completely in just a few hours?

His heart thumped in his chest when he remembered what she’d said. She hadn’t hooked up with Raymond. Jake had assumed he had interrupted them, yet she said she bit his shoulder to get him to stop. So she didn’t want Raymond, despite certainly trying to protect him when Jake confronted her.

Not protect. Excuse his actions, even dismiss them, but not protect.

Jake turned off the ignition and rested his chin on the steering wheel, more confused than ever. He should never have gone to her room, should have just ignored the call from the receptionist and stayed in the bar, nursing his beer while monitoring Bruce Garrison. If only Bruce had acted up in some way, followed his usual course of action, Jake might have had an outlet for his frustration and then he could think more clearly.

The night was still young, though, and Bruce had a few more hours of drinking before the bar closed. Perhaps Jake still had a chance. He slid out of the truck and headed for the bar once again, refusing to think about the auburn-haired vixen under the same roof.

On any other night, Jake would have been thrilled with how calmly Bruce was drinking his beers. Tonight, however, the calmer Bruce acted, the surlier Jake became. When the bartender told them it was last call, Jake almost goaded him into a fight. Luckily, Bruce stood up, threw a couple of bills on the bar, and walked out. Well, lucky for Bruce, but not so for Jake, who downed the rest of his beer and ordered a shot of vodka as a chaser. He didn’t like to drink in front of his staff, but he needed to make sure he would be able to fall asleep without thinking about Melanie any more. Besides, nursing two beers all night couldn’t really be considered drinking.

He dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the bar and headed for the room he used when he was in town. He didn’t mind living in the hotel, especially as he was usually in town for only a week or so at a time. However, tonight he was really wishing he had a place somewhere in town, somewhere far from her. He slid the master key card into the lock but didn’t open the door. His mind screamed at him to open it, to go inside the room and close the door behind him, locking himself away until the morning, when he could sort things through more clearly.

But he chose to listen to the other voice, the one that told him it would only be polite to check on her and make sure everything was okay. After all, he’d left in such a hurry. What if she panicked? Called Raymond to warn him? Called her father.

He smiled as he stepped to the door directly across the hall from his. She hadn’t called her father because his mother would definitely have called and read him the riot act. His cell had been silent since the message that Melanie had checked in. And Raymond was too cocky by far. If she’d called him, he would’ve come down to the hotel for a showdown. Well, he wouldn’t come himself; he would call the sheriff. But the sheriff was nowhere to be found, which meant that Melanie hadn’t called anyone. She didn’t care what happened to Raymond.

Or she cared enough about Jake to not want him to get into trouble.

That glimmer of hope was the only motivation he needed to slide his master key card into her lock.

Chapter Thirteen

The empty wine bottle sat on the table. The sweet drink had not calmed Melanie down, as she’d hoped, and now she paced in front of the bed, unsure of what to do. She did not call anyone. What would she say if she did? That Jake was angry and itching for a fight and Raymond was the likely recipient? Her father would just want to know why Jake was all riled up and how she knew. Those were subjects she thought best not to broach with her father. Plus Evelyn might not like being disturbed so late, especially tonight of all nights, only to find out that her son was being what she would most likely perceive as chivalrous. Calling Raymond to warn him offered no better options. If his wife answered the phone, how would Melanie explain Jake’s anger without having to share details that no wife wants to hear, especially a very pregnant wife. No, it was better to let this play out however it was meant to happen.

Every time she heard a sound in the hallway, she raced to look through the peephole or press her ear to the door. When she heard a car in the parking lot or saw lights flash, she ran to the balcony door and pushed her face against the glass to look out. Soon all the sounds stopped, but there was still no Jake. Of course, he probably didn’t even plan on coming back to see her tonight. Maybe she’d imagined his interest in her. Maybe he’d found someone else to satisfy his lust. Maybe he and Raymond were sitting at a table somewhere, having a good laugh about how they played her.

Melanie finally flopped down on the bed, her overwrought emotions exhausting her. Raymond had made his bed, so to speak. Yes, she’d come home to win him back, but she’d told no one of her plans, and all desire to be with him ceased the moment she met his wife. Melanie rolled over on her side. That wasn’t exactly true. If she were honest with herself, her plan had been in serious jeopardy the moment she’d seen that cowboy get out of his truck to help her on the side of the road. Her brain just took a little longer than her body to catch up with reality.

Although she hoped the wine would silence the thoughts whirling in her head, it only made the thoughts take on a more provocative tone, punctuating her imagination with visions of Jake’s kisses all over her body. Her body clearly knew what it wanted. Of course, her brain argued the point, but her body was winning by a landslide. No one could blame her for wanting to have a little fun, and a weekend fling would be just what the doctor ordered, wouldn’t it? She had no doubt that Jake would be able to work out every kink in her body so she could wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready to take on the world. Her brain was still arguing though. If she acted on her feelings, it could make for awkward family get-togethers. And what if it turned out that they didn’t get along at all, that it was just a physical attraction?

Melanie giggled. A physical encounter was all she wanted. She was still adamant about no long-distance relationships. Jake probably wasn’t even relationship material. All she wanted was a one-night stand, no strings attached. If it was good, she might come back and visit more often. If it was bad, she could always get too busy at work to visit. She didn’t want to fall into the Raymond trap again, where she was pining over someone only to have those feelings unrequited. Jake’s casual flirtations from their first meeting and his good looks led her to believe that he liked having fun as well, so she didn’t think he would pressure her for any kind of commitment. The fact that Jake was hell-bent on hurting Raymond proved to Melanie that he at least had some respect for women. It really was the best of both worlds for her: satisfaction with no commitment.

If only he would hurry up and come back to her. He would come back, right? Melanie let out a slow breath, telling herself to be patient.

Raymond didn’t stand a chance. She willed Jake to go easy on Raymond. Yes, Raymond should get what he deserved, but Jake didn’t need to get in trouble, and as much anger as had flashed in his eyes, she hoped he could control it. If not, he’d probably be calling from the jail. Or worse. What if he killed Raymond?

Melanie sat up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the lights that she hadn’t bothered to turn off. “He wouldn’t, would he?”

“Wouldn’t what, darlin’?” Jake was leaning heavily on the open door, a key card in his hand.

“How did you get a key?”

He wiped his hand slowly across his mouth. “Um, it’s my...my...I know someone.”

Melanie’s eyes narrowed.

He wobbled as he stepped into the room to close the door behind him.

She laughed. “You’re drunk.”

“Am not. But I have had a drink. Or two.”