Page 47 of Out of the Gold

She looks into my eyes. “Remember when I told you I was subjected to a lot of ridicule growing up?”

I do. “We all were, in one way or another.”

“Right. Well, the people who weren’t bullying me all wanted to get to know me for what my dad could do for them. His connections. His money.”

Blood rushes through my system. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” Her lips climb upward. “Anyway, I had Sophia. She was my lifesaver.” She settles against my chest. “I told you that not for your pity, but so you’d understand a bit better.”

She inhales deeply, and I continue smoothing her gold mane, giving her strength to finish her story. When she doesn’t, I prompt, “So, Grant?”

“Yeah. Grant. The night I decided to go all the way with him, I went to his rehearsal room to tell him. I figured he’d be excited, and his performance would be off the chain. Well, when I got there, the door was open and I overheard what he and his bandmates were saying.”

My hand stills. “Which was?”

“He was bragging how my dad would give the band everything they need because he’d shackled himself to me. How he was taking it for the team so that Hunte would promote them.”

I tangle my hand in her long locks and push her head to my chest. In a muffled voice, she adds, “Like everyone else, he only wanted me for what my family could do for him.”

She starts to cry, and I hold her tighter, each tear slamming into my system. “Shhh, Melody.” I try to soothe her.

After a little while, her tears subside. In a small voice, she adds, “That was too much for me, Charles. I decided I didn’t want anything to do with men, and focused on the one thing under my total control, which was my career.”

My heart breaks for her pain. “So you graduated at the top of your class and landed your job with HBO.”

“Even then, the press release announcing my hire only talked about how I was the daughter oftheBraxton Hunte.”

Her words blast apart inside me. I place my hands on her shoulders and disengage from her. Using my pointer finger, I tip her chin to force her to look at me. After a full minute, tear-filled hazel eyes lock onto mine. “Listen to me, Melody. You are damn good at your job, which you earned through hard work. Being Braxton’s daughter may have played into their hiring decision—so they could boast their new hire—but you wouldn’t have gotten the offer if you weren’t qualified. And”—I wipe away a tear that rolls down her cheek—“you certainly wouldn’t have kept the job more than a hot minute if you sucked.”

Her chest rises and falls. “Thank you.” She forces a sad smile. “I don’t think anyone gets me like you do. Even though you didn’t grow up in a famous household, you’ve been famous for nearly a decade. And I appreciate the kind words.”

My heart expands. “Only telling you the truth.”

Her tear-stained lips cover mine. When she pulls back, she says, “I can’t figure you out, though. What’s your angle?”

“I’m not Grant. My angle is that I like you.”

“Right answer.”

She kisses me again, and all I want to do is make her feel good. Wipe away the assholes who have ruined her accomplishments. Or used her for their own ends. I deepen the kiss and she reciprocates with fervor.

I pull back. “Melody, I have absolutely no interest in anything your father can do for me.”

“I believe you.”

All the tension flows out of my body, and I can’t stop myself from reaching for her shirt. “May I?”

She nods. Soon she’s divested of all of her clothes. I bring her prone on the couch and place one of her legs onto the floor while the other one goes over my shoulder. I kiss her inner thighs, letting my hands run all over her body.

Memorizing.

Learning.

Adoring.

I play with her pussy, which is so wet for me. Her expressive face shows all of her emotions. Desire and lust top the list. “Trust me.”

Wary, yet excited eyes follow my movements as I kiss between her thighs. My tongue encircles her clit, and she cries out. My fingers enter her core.

“Oh!”

There’s much more where this came from, Goldie. I continue my ministrations on her body, savoring every single moan and movement of her hips. When she clenches, I give a full-out assault on her body, including pinching her nipples. She comes with a long scream, ending with a chant of my name.

Even without rounding home, tonight was the most profound sexual experience of my entire life.

So far.

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