Page 27 of The Naughty List

Without realizing what I'm doing, I reach out for her hand and give it a squeeze. Melissa opens her eyes, searing me with a look that's equal parts confusion and desire. God, what that does to me.

She's even more beautiful than I remember. Her beautiful light brown hair hangs around her shoulders in soft waves, and I suppress the urge to comb my fingers through it. With high cheekbones, full, pouty lips, and round, blue-green eyes, she really does look like a goddamn angel.

"How are you two doing? Are your scrapes healing up okay?"

"It's fine. We're fine. They're fine," she says all in a rush. I get the feeling that she's always "fine," even when she's not. I want her to be comfortable enough to tell me everything, even the hard and painful parts of her life, but I'll settle for holding her hand while she glosses things over for me.

We stare at each other, standing a few inches apart, our fingers laced together. I feel the heat of her body, Christ, I can smell her citrusy, sweet scent as it curls around me. Her breaths grow shallow, making her chest rise and fall rapidly.

My gaze travels from her eyes down to her lips, then further down her slender neck. I get the sudden urge to suck on the soft skin there.

"Hey!" Carson says, interrupting the heated moment we were sharing. "Like me! Like me!"

We both look over at him and follow his finger to where he's pointing. My entire face flushes with embarrassment when I see what has Carson so excited. I have a pack of adult diapers in my cart. I wasn't even looking at what I was throwing in the dang thing since it didn't matter.

"They are for my grandma," I blurt out. I cringe at my response, knowing Grams is going to kill me if word gets out about my lie.

Melissa smiles sweetly, though there's a twinkle in her eye. I'm not sure what's going on in her head. I hope she doesn't think I'm incontinent. What a great impression that would be.

"Does she live here in town?" she asks, slipping her hand from mine. I miss her touch immediately.

"Yes. Mable Thatcher." I kick myself again for saying her name. Grams is really,reallygoing to kill me now. Maybe she'll forgive me if I say I did it for love?

"Your grandma is Mable? She's been so sweet to us since we moved here. She’s very… eccentric. Oh, my gosh, I'm sorry. Is that rude?"

"Eccentric is putting it mildly." I grin at her, putting her at ease. "I love the crazy old bat, though. She's got a heart of gold."

Melissa smiles as if lost in a memory. I'm sure my grandma has made quite the impression. She always does. Carson reaches out and tugs at Melissa's shirt, drawing her attention to him.

"Hungry," he states matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right. We should probably get going. Carson has dinner at five forty five, then a bath, then bedtime."

I smile, picturing them having their routine. I smile even bigger when I picture myself right there with them. It confirms my earlier thought - my girl is orderly and precise and likes things a certain way. It makes sense why she was all out of sorts the last time I saw her. It was more than just fear for her child, it was an anxiousness about not being in control.

I want to be the stabilizing presence in her life. I want to make sure she has everything she needs to feel safe and happy, while also pushing her a bit outside of her comfort zone. Now I just need to convince my angel to trust me.

"Let me help load up your groceries," I offer, not ready to let them go just yet.

"Don't you need to finish your shopping?"

"Nope. In fact, I don't need any of this stuff. I'll have them put it back."

"Are you sure Mable doesn't need her diapers?" Melissa gives me a playful grin like she knows exactly how they ended up in my cart. I return her grin and shake my head no.

The three of us head to the register, where I proceed to pay for the groceries, despite Melissa's many protests.

"You really didn't have to do that," she mumbles as we make our way to her car. "I can buy my own groceries."

"I know. But I wanted to. I want to take care of you," I tell her truthfully. I hope I didn't come on too strong, but I don't ever want to be dishonest with her. She needs to know my intentions.

"I can take care of myself. Been doing it for a while now."

"It's not a weakness to share the burden from time to time," I tell her gently. She looks over at me, her furrowed brows relaxing and her eyes going soft. God, I want to kiss her. I want to wrap my arms around her and crush her to my chest while tasting her sweet lips.

Instead, I load the groceries into the back of her car while she buckles Carson into his car seat.

"Well, thank you. Again. For everything."

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