Page 42 of Melody

Here, in her own place, she hadn’t had much money to really turn it into a room she would have considered a haven, although she’d begun regarding Silver City as that. Between the peaceful walks around town to meeting good people like Al and Kyle and feeling like she was safe here, she’d begun to not hate this apartment so much.

Still…it left a lot to be desired. The room was filled with the furniture that it had come with—a double bed with a metal headboard, a small white nightstand, a four-drawer dresser, and a small closet with a simple drape rather than a door. She’d bought two pillows, two sets of plain off-white sheets, and a gray-and-pink flowery bedspread at Walmart, and that was only out of necessity. She continued using a cardboard box tucked in her closet as a clothes hamper. The room still had the plain gauze curtains it had come with, blue carpet, and white walls. The only decorations she’d bothered with were a painting she’d picked up at Goodwill for cheap—one of a generic mountain scene with trees, a river, and an old watermill, and the print Kyle had bought for her at the art gallery.

Both brought her peace when she simply took a few minutes in the morning or before bed to gaze upon them and breathe.

It almost felt like she was letting Kyle get another glimpse at her soul. “Sorry. It’s not much to look at.”

But Kyle was looking ather. “You don’t need to try to impress me.”

And then he got close. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, his eyes searched hers, but it was a gentle caress of his eyes and not a probing inquiry. Slowly, he lowered his head to hers and she felt a rush of eager anticipation flow through her body. She raised herself on her tiptoes to meet his lips.

Unlike all the other kisses they’d shared, this one was hot and frenzied. Now that they’d both silently agreed to move forward, there was no reason to hold themselves back. Kyle’s warm, demanding kisses had changed from sweet, gentle, and reassuring to nothing short of foreplay. With each rough brush of his lips and every thrust of his tongue, she felt all her nerves catch on fire as every part of her body responded. Her skin was begging to be touched and she found herself aching for him.

His entire body felt firm against her but she was having a hard time concentrating as he brushed her hair back with his strong hands and began kissing her neck. His lips caused a tingling sensation to vibrate through her body, causing her nipples to pucker and her underside to hum in expectation.

She pulled at the hem of his black t-shirt but, as she lifted it, she realized there was no way she could get it over his head. She was too short. But Kyle was already helping, grabbing it to pull it off. It had hardly taken an extra second, their lips separated, but it had given her enough time to open her eyes and take his upper body in. While he was clearly no bodybuilder, he had nothing to be ashamed of. He didn’t seem to have an ounce of fat on him, but what drew her attention were the tattoos. Not a lot, but enough. At the center of his chest was a pair of hands joined in a shake—but not a business handshake. Instead, it was a brotherly meeting of the hands, joined at the thumbs with the fingers wrapped around each wrist. On the right side of his torso was another tattoo, this one a skull, but as Kyle began to lift her t-shirt, she stopped looking.

She herself had no tattoos. Her ex had all but demanded she get one on her butt that saidProperty of Tommy Nogales, but it was the one argument she’d won. It was tacky and crass, she’d said, and her mother would have rolled over in her grave.

To this day, she knew that, had she stayed with Tommy, she would have eventually lost the battle.

Kyle, however, didn’t seem fazed in the least by her lack of body art. Instead, he seemed to be marveling at her body in between kisses to her neck and shoulders. Finally, though, he lifted her up as if she weighed no more than a bag of cotton balls, wrapping her around his torso, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Having her legs spread against his midsection emphasized the heat in her pussy, and just the slight friction against him caused her to lose her breath.

Yes, she wanted him.

Underneath it all, she still felt some fear. Although Tommy hadn’t been her first, he might as well have been. She’d lost her virginity to a boy at school after a dance, a boy she thought she’d been in love with, but as her mother grew ill, she lost interest—and so had the boy, so at least it had been mutual. The first time she’d had sex with Tommy had felt almost as painful as losing her virginity, but it had gotten easier as time went by.

She’d never loved it, though. At Marin’s suggestion, she’d tried a vibrator a few times, but even that hadn’t done much for her…probably because she didn’t feel any underlying desire for anyone or anything. There hadn’t been anything to make her yearn for release.

Now, though…the thought of Kyle paired with the reality of him made her more desirous than she’d ever felt—and she was eager to experience what he would feel like inside her. Kyle’s breath against her ear sent a shiver down her spine. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

There was no question. “Yes.” In response, Kyle kissed her again and then lay her down gently on the bed. She pushed off her sneakers using her feet while Kyle unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, sliding them down her legs with a little assistance from her. As he did, she couldn’t ignore how wet her panties had become just from what they’d already been doing.

“You are an angel.”

What had made him say that? Her impatient need stopped her from asking as she reached behind her back to undo the clasps on her bra. Kyle’s blue eyes seemed to widen as he unzipped his jeans. As she pulled the bra off and tossed it to the floor, he licked his lips as if he were sitting down at the dinner table.

It made her shiver again.

Her body was humming with desire as she watched him remove his shoes and jeans, leaving him in nothing but his black boxer briefs. His erection was evident, and it made her swallow, slightly nervous.Youdowant this. Kyle isnotTommy.

Drawing in a slow breath through her nostrils, she focused on her wants while trying to block out the past. Shedidwant this. She wanted Kyle.

He left his underwear on, denying her a glimpse of his dick, but she knew she’d see it soon enough. As he lowered himself to the bed, hovering over her, he gently kissed her lips while the fingers of his left hand toyed with the hem of her panties. Something deep inside her begged,Yes! Please!

But she remained silent, enjoying Kyle’s penetrating kiss.

Wrapping her arms around him, she caressed his back, appreciating the hardness of it, all muscle as he held himself up enough to avoid crushing her. Tommy had only ever liked sex in a few different ways, all rough, so this sensation was something she’d have to get used to.

The slowness. The aching. The desire.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d felt hunger for a man. Tommy had pretty much drained that out of her…but here she was, wanting Kyle.

That feeling in itself was an aphrodisiac.

As his lips trailed down her neck and then her collarbone, she felt the need to breathe more deeply, and there was no denying how her heart was beating a little faster. Until that moment, she would have sworn she hadn’t heard Intent to Murder’s music enough to know any of their songs, but one of the lines Hayley sang rolled through her head:You remind my body of what it needs and that’s why it calls your name.For a brief moment, Scarlett wondered if the vocalist had written those words about Kyle or her new boyfriend.

As the tip of Kyle’s tongue touched her rigid nipple, she had no problem letting that question go. Kyle had already assured her that he and Hayley were no longer together, so Scarlett shouldn’t let it bother her. He’d never lied to her before, so she needed to trust him.

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