Page 21 of Whiskey Reveals

Melody affected him to the point where he kept second-guessing all his decisions, and he didn’t know what that meant other than he was pretty sure he wanted to see her again—and not just as friends. But they’d agreed to be just friends, so now he had no idea what he was doing. Yes, they’d kissed when they shouldn’t have, but they’d reaffirmed to each other that they needed to remain friends in order to stay steady. Or whatever that meant.

Tonight, though, was about work, and he’d just have to suck it up and stop thinking about Melody naked—or in his life in any way but as friends.

Totally easier said than done since he couldn’t get the thought of Melody and her rosy nipples out of his mind.

“And that’s enough of that,” he growled as he got into his car and drove toward Ms. Pearl’s place. It had been raining on and off all day, so he’d driven instead of walked so he wouldn’t get his work wet. He’d need to head into the gym soon too since he hadn’t been walking the town as much as usual. Of course, as soon he thought about the gym, he thought about Melody and her body pressed close to his.

He needed to get her out of his system, or he would end up insane.

Grumbling, he parked in front of the house and made his way up to the front door. It was just starting to drizzle again, so he was glad that when he knocked, someone answered right away. Melody stood on the other side, her face pale and her body wrapped in a blanket.

Fox immediately let himself inside and cupped her face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? You should be sitting down, not answering the door.”

She shrugged, pulling away from him. “Just a weird day,” she said, her eyes not meeting his. “And someone had to answer the door, or you’d be standing on the porch in the rain the whole time. Grandma is sleeping upstairs. She had a headache.” She paused. “Were you supposed to meet her tonight? I didn’t know, or I’d have texted you. I’m sorry you came all the way out here for nothing.”

Worried, he tugged on her hand and led her into the living room. “Sit. And don’t worry about not texting me. If your grandma has a headache, of course she should be napping. I’m just sorry neither of you is feeling well.”

She tilted her head, studying him. “I’m not feeling well?”

“You’re wrapped in a blanket and pale. I assumed. Now sit down because you’re worrying me.” He pressed down on her shoulders, and she sank onto the couch. The fact that she did it so easily worried him.

“I’m fine.” But as she said it, she rested her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes. “Really. I’ll be fine.”

He knelt down in front of her, taking her hand. “If your grandma has a headache and is upstairs, who is taking care of you?”

“I don’t need to be taken care of.” She opened her eyes, giving him a small smile that almost reached her eyes. “I’m just a little tired. Long day, you know.” She searched his face, and he tilted his head, studying hers in turn. “You didn’t talk to the girls, then?”

He blinked. “The girls?” He felt as if he were missing something; two steps behind. But when it came to Melody, he usually felt like that.

She cleared her throat, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Ainsley and Kenzie stopped by the studio today. They were nice.” She paused. “I remember them from that night.” Her cheeks finally held a little bit of color, and he relaxed somewhat.

“I didn’t know they’d stopped by, but they did mention that they wanted to. Kenzie is pretty new to town, as well, so they wanted to make sure you had a support system if you needed one.”

“They were nice. They seemed nice that night, too. Though I guess we didn’t really get to talk with them, did we?” She cleared her throat again, her gaze darting from his, and he couldn’t help but lean forward and trace his thumb along her jaw. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. And if it weren’t for the fact that her fingers were slowly tracing his other arm at that exact moment, he might’ve felt a little bad about it. They were not doing this friendship thing the way they probably should, but it wasn’t as if he knew what he was doing.

He’d never tried to be friends with a woman after he slept with her. That made him sound like an asshole. His relationships just hadn’t ended up where he and his partner could be friends. Every single one had either not been serious enough, or they had drifted apart to the point where he was no longer in their lives. Melody seemed to be the exception, and he wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

And because he wasn’t sure, he knew that what he was about to do was beyond stupid.

Her face had colored again, and she no longer looked like she had when he first walked into the house. She licked her lips, and his gaze couldn’t help but drift down at the motion, her tongue peeking out once again. His thumb grazed her chin again, and he slowly slid his hand around to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair.

The tips of her fingers kept playing with his other forearm, and he let out a shaky breath before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He knew this was a mistake. They were supposed to be friends. Only friends. Friends where they both knew the need was too much, too intoxicating.

And, hell, he’d just told her that he wanted her to sit down because she looked pale?

He was such a damn lecher.

Fox pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, knowing that if he looked into her eyes now and saw disgust or shame, he would never forgive himself. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. Hell, he had only meant to come to this house to work and perhaps try and keep his friendship with Melody healthy. Instead, all he had done was worry, and now kiss her when he knew he shouldn’t.

Melody did something to him, but there was no blame on her shoulders, there never could be.

He was the one who needed to find his control, because she had said she was too overwhelmed to think about a relationship, and their being together one night didn’t constitute a commitment beyond that single moment. And that was something he would just have to remember.

He was just about to pull away when something wet touched his thumb. He pulled back, shocked. Tears streaked down her face, and his stomach rolled. What had he done?

“Melody? What’s wrong? Oh, God, did I hurt you? I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was wrong of me, and I told myself it was a mistake, but I couldn’t stop from kissing you just then. I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I can leave right now if you need me to. Leave and never come back. I promise. Just please don’t cry.”

Melody mumbled something under her breath, but he didn’t quite catch it. He didn’t reach out and wipe her tears away, and he did his best not to touch her at all. He’d kissed her, and now she cried. He was a damn fool and deserved whatever lashing she gave him.”

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