Page 75 of Where You Are
“What?” I feel the muscles in my chest constrict. “What are you talking about? What did he do?”
Jack is leaning forward now, and I feel like he should hear what comes next as much as I should.
“It has to do with our so-called date,” she answers, saying that last word like she’s trying to spit a bitter taste out of her mouth.
“Oh my God,” I huff out with the same level of exasperation. “Listen, Jack is with me, do you mind if I put you on speaker so he can hear this too?”
She hesitates only a second before answering, “Yeah. Yeah that’s okay.” I switch it over to speaker and Jack and I both lean in.
“Go ahead,” I encourage her.
“Okay. It’s not so much what he did to me as much as how he used me to mess with you,” she reports, and I can feel my insides start to twist. “He waltzed into my dressing room a couple weeks before the fashion show and told me I was going to be attending it with you, or he’d be having a talk with my agency about my contract.”
“Fuck,” I grumble out as Jack smacks the arm of his chair and shakes his head.
“He also told me there was a certain paparazzo on his payroll and described him to me. He told me to sell it for his camera, and also to try and get you to spend the night with me.”
I drop my head on the back of the couch and look up at the ceiling. That explains her half-assed attempt at asking me to sleep with her, and the following look of relief on her face when I declined. And after everything I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks, it’s obvious he was trying to send a message to Melanie. He wanted her to think there was nothing more for her to come home to where I was concerned.
I bring my head back up when I hear Chantal draw in a deep breath as she comes to her conclusion.
“Anyway, if I came off like a frigid bitch that evening, I apologize. The whole thing just felt so disgusting, and I didn’t want to be on that date any more than you did.”
I nod thoughtfully, even though she can’t see me and look over to Jack who has his hand clenched in a fist.
“I’ll be filing my complaint this afternoon,” she finishes.
“Thank you,” I tell her sincerely. “Thank you for telling us, and for filing the complaint. I’m sorry he did that to you.”
Jack and I say a cordial goodbye to Chantal and wish her the best. We stew for only a moment or two, and just as I’m thinking we shouldn’t be spending any more time dwelling on that fucker, Mr. Shane approaches with the ring inside a fancy white box tied with a black ribbon, as well as the invoice that I don’t even look at as I hand him my card. I’m not too worried as I don’t indulge often, and my lady is more than worth it.
MELANIE
Matt’s chest depresses beneath my cheek as he lets out the world’s longest and heaviest breath.
“What’s the matter?” I ask, without taking my eyes off of the sight beyond the picture window in front of the bed. It’s the most beautiful morning I’ve ever seen, and just like I thought, it’s just as beautiful here at the lake in the cold winter months as it is in the summer. The sun is shining and I’m taking delight in it once again as it gives a shimmer to the water on the lake.
“Nothing,” he answers in his grumbly morning voice as he lazily plays with my fingers and his chin nuzzles into the top of my hair. “Not a damn thing. I think I just released the breath I didn’t know I was holding for so long.”
“I think I know what you mean,” I concur, feeling a natural, lazy smile slowly pull at the sides of my mouth. “I didn’t think I’d feel whole again, but now I don’t feel like I could feel any more so.”
“I love you,” he conveys, and the sleepy rasp in his voice saying those words make my bare breasts swell against him, my heart give a wholesome squeeze, and warmth spread between my legs. I haven’t kept count of how many times we’ve made love, and I don’t care. He’s taken me sweet and gentle, then desperately rough, and with all the time we’ve missed out on, I know we won’t be done with everything in between anytime soon. But more importantly, we’ve been reveling in so many contented moments like these, basking in each other’s love and allowing ourselves to justfeel.
I turn my head to look in his eyes and see that they hold the same note of sleepy joy his voice does.
“I love you too, M,” I reply quietly.
“And I’m so glad you feel whole,” he adds, stroking a strand of hair out of my face. “But I was wondering if I can add just one more thing to it.” He looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him, yet there’s a flicker of hope in his ocean blues.
“Okay,” I agree quietly, but excitement is welling up in my peaceful soul as he leans away from me, the sheet shifting down to give me a brief view of his gorgeous butt as he pulls open the drawer on the side table. I don’t see what he grabs but I hear the drawer close before he looks over his bare, tatted shoulder at me.
“Close your eyes,” he whispers with a wink, and I obey.
I feel the bed and the covers shift while he, I assume, gets in a different position.
“Come here,” he gently rasps, taking a gentle hold of my wrist and pulling me in his direction. I keep my eyes completely closed, determined not to peek as I feel him settle me in his lap, facing him. His warm skin and his arms wrapping around me both arouse me and make me feel safer than anywhere else in the world.
“Open,” I feel him say against the skin of my cheek before he places a kiss there and leans back to look at me. I open my eyes to see his glistening blues crinkled at the corners with his smile. “Will you wear this for me?” he asks, holding up a ring that shocks the breath out of me.