Page 67 of His Mansion

He kissed her. So, so tenderly. The moist heat of his mouth as he nuzzled her cheek, her temple, made tears spring to her eyes. One brush passed over her lips. One landed on the tip of her nose before he tilted his head to recapture her gaze. “I think you’re a very beautiful woman.”

She flushed. He thought she’d freaked over her scars. For a moment she debated taking the easy way out, letting him continue to blame this on her past fears, then guilt hit. If she truly cared about Derrick, and that was the way her heart seemed to be heading, she would not lie about something this important. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He’d turned them so her back was to Nathan. What was he doing? Had he followed them? “This whole picture-taking thing is getting to me. I’ve never felt like this before.”

Derrick’s dark eyes crinkled at the corners. “Because you feel attracted to Nathan? As well as me?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” The confession was barely audible. She might have shared about her past interest in Nathan, but itwasthe past. She didn’t want to do anything to screw up her future with Derrick.

He shifted position, adjusting until he found a comfortable rock to sit on. She was in his lap now, resting on his strong thighs. His broad shoulders under her hands were strong and yet relaxed.

“I’m not upset with you.” He wrinkled his nose. “I am at a loss for words though, so excuse me if this sounds stupid.”

Melanie wiggled upright. “What?”

Derrick’s smile had a guilty twist to it. “Mel, you know I find you attractive, but I’m not the only one. Nate thinks you’re pretty incredible as well.”

Air stuck in her throat. “You… How do you know that?”

The guilty expression spread, becoming more obvious. “We talked about it.”

Holy shit.The guys she’d hung around with on the climbing team had talked about girls all the time, but it was locker-room talk. Conquests and game plans. Surely Derrick and Nathan were above that kind of thing. And why was Derrick looking so sheepish?

“You talked about me? What specifically did you discuss?”

A hand brushed her neckline, and she startled, nearly falling off Derrick’s lap. Two sets of hands caught her, Derrick’s familiar touch on her hips.

Nathan’s firm grasp on her shoulders.

“We talked about the fact I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” Nathan stood close behind her body, heat from his torso making her insides squirm. He loosened his clasp and slid his fingers down her arms, the light stroke causing a reaction in her core similar to putting flame to kindling.

Derrick pulled her hips in tighter until her sex rested against the very apparent ridge of his arousal. “I told him how important you are to me, and he shared how much you’ve meant to him. As a friend, and someone he greatly admires.”

Melanie wasn’t sure if she was holding her breath, or if her body was incapable of performing the simple tasks necessary to survival. When Derrick dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers, his kiss gave her something to cling to. She accepted the worship of his mouth even as her mind spun.

The vulnerable sensation rippling through her body had nothing to do with her past injuries. It had everything to do with the rising lust she seemed helpless to resist, the yearning to be caressed by the two men who mattered the most.

A warm hand slipped across her belly, palm in full contact, and she froze. Nathan was touching her. He delicately circled her bare belly button—she had taken out the ring for climbing—before pulling his fingers back to wrap them around her waist. Settling directly on top of her scarred skin.

Oh my God.

Instant fear surfaced, even though she had buried it under layers and layers of barriers. Bile rose to her mouth, in anticipation of the coming agony. Any second now Nathan was going to recoil in disgust, and his response would rip her soul in two. A blur passed in front of her eyes as she waited for the dagger to stab into her heart.

“Breathe, Mel. Come on, I’m here, holding you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Derrick’s voice dragged her back from the wall of anxiety that had rushed up, blocking all possible escape routes but sheer panic. She took a deliberate breath of air through her nose before lifting her gaze to his.

He remained waiting like a rock, something solid to cling to. Still, the mixture of terror and desire clouding her brain made concentration difficult. “He’s t-t-touching me.”

Derrick nodded. “If you like it, he’ll continue to touch you. But only if you want.”

“You’re a very desirable woman, Melanie.” Nathan swept his hand over her abdomen again, ranging higher this time. The tips of his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts and sent jolts of excitement to her nipples, her core.

In spite of the ache in her body, she needed to know. Her heart was fragile—even more fragile than her body had been three years ago as she lay crumpled at the bottom of the hill. Melanie spoke her fears. “I don’t understand. Derrick—what’s happening? Are we not a couple anymore?”

“Oh, Mel.” Derrick cupped her face in his hands. “No, that’s not it at all. I need you, I want you, and have no intention of letting you go. But I also care enough about you to give you what you need.”

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