Page 13 of Conflicted (Change 3)

“Hey, don’t go blaming other people for your mistakes. She didn’t say anything I wasn’t seeing. It was rather evident you do this often, so don’t you fucking dare blame her.” I whip my head to look at him, and he winks at me. Holy shit, I need to get out of here. I go into the bathroom and decide a shower is exactly what I need.

After showering, getting dressed, straightening my hair, and putting on my makeup, I figure he is probably gone, and I can have it out with Connie. I walk into the kitchen, and thankfully, there is still coffee in the pot. I pour myself a cup and hear my cell phone ding. I completely forgot I left it out here to charge. I sip my coffee, pull it off the charger, and head to the living room. It’s a text from Connie telling me that she is having lunch with Keith and Karen. She told me she wants them over for dinner tonight, and she would like me to join them. I feel the butterflies with just the thought of spending more time with Keith.

“Mel, are you almost done in there? I need to fix my hair.” I know I’ve spent way too much time getting ready, but the last three times Keith has seen me, I haven’t been at my best. I curl my long brown hair, put on just the right amount of makeup, and decide to wear my strapless black dress that is tight on the top, but flows out from the waist down. I pair that with my black strappy heels. Yes, I might be a bit over dressed for dinner at home, but like I said, I want Keith to know I don’t always look like shit.

I open the bathroom door and find Connie standing there with a small smile on her face. “Well, don’t you look amazing? Trying to impress someone?” Fuck, I didn’t think this through.

“What? No, I just thought it would be nice to make myself look decent. I’ve been dressing like shit lately.” She won’t believe it for a second, but it’s the first thing that popped into my head. She laughs as she pushes past me into the bathroom.

“Sure, I believe you, Mel.” She laughs again as she opens the bottom drawer of the sink to get the straightening iron. “Hey, do me a favor? Just go check on that roast and make sure it is alright.” I don’t say anything because I already feel like a fool. After I check it, I’m going to get out of this dress and put on jeans. I don’t want to look ridiculous tonight. My heels click on the wood floor all the way to the kitchen. I open the oven, and damn, it smells good. Connie is one hell of a cook. She has taught me a lot, but I’m still not as good as she is. I close the oven and turn to head to my room.

“Shit!” I jump back when I see Keith smiling and leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “You scared the shit out of me.” My heart is pounding in my chest, and it’s not only from being scared, but also from seeing him. He looks sexy as hell. He’s wearing jeans that are sitting incredibly low and a dark blue button-down shirt, which makes his eyes pop.

“I’m sorry, Mel. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I can’t help but s

mile at him when he winks.

“It’s alright. Dinner should be ready soon. Can I get you something to drink?” At this point, I can’t go change. I’m just going to have to deal with it. He pushes off the doorway and comes into the kitchen.

“I’ll have a beer if you have any.” I go to the fridge and pull out two beers. I suddenly need something cold. I hand him a beer, open mine, and take a big sip. “Mel, I hope I’m not out of line here, but you look beautiful.” I look up at him, and he is staring at my face. I am equal parts flattered and turned on.

“Thank you. You look great too. Do you have plans after dinner or something?” He chuckles and walks closer to me. He is standing right in front of me and smiles.

“Nope.” Holy fuck. I should just go panty free when this man is around because mine are wet already.

“Well, look at this.” I snap my head to look at Connie and Karen both looking at us with big smiles. Fuck, this is ridiculous. The whole Dickson family is driving me crazy. I step away from Keith and go over to the oven to check the roast again. Both girls laugh, and I want to stick my head in here with dinner.

After the awkward beginning of the night, we are all having a good time. Dinner was fucking unbelievable, and after cleaning up, we moved into the living room and have been talking and laughing for the last hour. “Worst kiss?” We are now talking about the worst and best times we’ve had with someone.

“Easy. I was in high school, and Joe Simpson kissed me under the bleachers. It fucking hurt because his braces cut my lip and my tongue.” We all laugh at Karen.

“Mine was with that guy, Stu. Remember him, Mel?” I throw my head back laughing. I totally remember that tool. He thought he was so hot, and Connie thought so too for about a week.

“Oh, I remember him.” Keith is smiling while listening to us, and I can’t help but wonder if he is sad he misses so much of his sisters’ lives. I’m an only child, but I feel like Connie is my sister, and I’d be sad if I didn’t see her every day.

“What about you, Mel?” I look over at Keith with his one eyebrow raised. I laugh and take a sip of my beer.

“That would have to be Charlie. Good looking, great body, so sweet, but holy shit, he pretty much licked my face the entire time he was trying to kiss me.” I burst out laughing just thinking about it. “I felt like I took a shower.” Keith spits beer out of his mouth, and the girls are hysterical. I laugh even harder because of all that.

I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, once we stop laughing. I look at myself in the mirror and smile. I look so happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen myself this happy. It’s a nice change. I fix my hair and makeup before making my way back to the living room. I am shocked when I see that only Keith is sitting there. “Where did Connie and Karen go?” He turns to look at me.

“They went to get more beer, but at least Connie isn’t drinking much.” I sit down and tuck my legs under me, making sure my panties aren’t on display. He’s right. I don’t know what he said to her, but she’s only had one beer tonight. “So, Mel, tell me more about yourself.” I cock my head and smile. I’m a bit tipsy, so I can feel myself flirting.

“What do you want to know?” He sips his beer and seems to be thinking.

“How do you like your job? How long have you been doing it? Do your parents live local? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you seeing anyone?” I get a huge smile on my face when I realize he asked all that to get to the final question.

“I love my job. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve been doing it for two years. No, my parents live in California now. I’m an only child. No, I’m not seeing anyone. How about you? Well, I know about your family, but everything else.” I smile at him and he winks. Fuck, that wink gets me every time. How the hell is that possible?

“I never wanted to be anything but a cop, so I’m the same as you. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve been on the force for over a year. Like you said, you know my family here, but my friends in New York are my other family. Campbell and Kenz are about to get engaged, Maddie and Young have been together for a while now, and then there is Becca. She and I used to date, but we were much better off as friends. So, to answer your question, no I’m not seeing anyone.” We both smile at each other, and fuck, I feel the incredible urge to lean forward and kiss him. I feel like he might want it too because he keeps looking from my eyes to my lips. I slowly start to lean forward, and the door flies open, scaring me, and I sit back so quickly I knock the chair backward. “Oh shit.” Keith is standing above me, and I close my eyes because I am so embarrassed. “Are you okay?” I nod my head yes but refuse to open my eyes or speak. I hope my dress hasn’t ridden up; this is bad enough.

“Shit, Mel, what the hell were you doing?” I hear Connie and Karen laughing on their way to the kitchen. I feel Keith’s breath on the side of my face, and my heart pounds in my chest.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I wanted to kiss you just as badly.” This time, my eyes fly open on their own account. He smiles and moves the hair off my face. “Let me help you up.” He grabs my hand and helps me up. “Are you sure you are alright? You didn’t hit your head?” I straighten my dress and lean over to pick up the chair.

“I’m fine. Honest.” After I get the chair up, I walk past him into the kitchen. “What did you guys get?” They pull out the beer, and I grab one from them. I open it and guzzle down more than half of it. What the hell is happening here?

“I’m going to head out. I need to check on Mom and make a few phone calls. Thanks for a great dinner. Love you guys. Mel, it was a pleasure, as always.” He walks out of the house, and Connie and Karen look at me.

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