Page 149 of Only in Your Dreams

My heart lurches. “And?”

She beams. “I have an interview next week.”

It’s a simultaneous pang of euphoria and dread.

Her days are numbered here, too,a nasty voice says in my head.The second she gets that job, she’s leaving town.

“You’re going to ace it,” I tell her, shoving my own shit aside. “There’s no way you’re not getting this job.”

She shrugs noncommittally, but she hasn’t stopped smiling. “Want to play hooky from work again and drive me to the interview? Spend the day in the city with me?”

Do I want to go out there with her, basically enabling her ticket out of Oakwood Bay, and away from me?

“I’m there.” I must really be some kind of masochist.

“Great. So, assuming I do get this job, and setting aside the persistent ex-boyfriend issue, that only leaves play number four in my playbook.”

“Do something you’ve always wanted to do, but never have,” I recite. “What do you have in mind?”

Mel hums, moving my arm out from my side and traces the top-most tattoo. “Did this hurt?”

“Getting a tattoo? It’s not so bad.”

“I’m thinking of getting one. I’ve always thought about it, but never had the guts to.” She grips my shoulders, bobbing in the water. “I’m thinking a skull tattoo on my butt cheek—”

I cough. “What—”

“As a symbol of the new me,” she finishes proudly. “I’m tough. Strong. Not to be messed with.”

Melody curls a tiny bicep to drive the point home. Fucking hell, I must have broken her last night. Fucked any good sense right out of her. That’s what this is, right?

“Please tell me you’re kidding.” I sit up straight, taking her with me as water sloshes around us. She sours at my alarm. “Tell me you’re not going to ruin your perfect ass with a fuckingskull tattoo. Seriously, my heart couldn’t take it.”

“Don’t panic. I’ll make sure it looks great.” With a laugh that does nothing—absolutely nothing—to ease my panic, Melody trails light kisses up my neck, along my jaw. “What do you want to do with your day off, Coach?”

She knows exactly what she’s doing when she holds my face and kisses me hard like this, flattening herself against me. Pushing out the water floating between us, along with every panicked thought from a minute ago.

“This,” I get in between kisses. “Definitely want to do this.”

“This,” she agrees. “And we can strategize how to tell Parker about us.”

My stomach squeezes. “You want to do it tonight?” When she nods, I lurch us out of the bath, dripping water everywhere.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to bed. If I’m going down tonight, it’ll be in a thick, post-sex haze.”

Chapter 38

Melody

“Do we even know if he’s home yet?”

Zac is nervous. I can feel the anxious energy radiate off his body as we reach the nondescript blue door near the opening of Oakley’s that leads up to Parker’s apartment.

“I was too scared to text him,” I admit, slipping my keys into the lock.

“Scared? You’re supposed to be the calm one here. He’s not allowed to kill you. Me, though? I’m a walking dead man.” He shoves his hands into his pockets with unnecessary force.

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