He nodded. "You"re a complicated woman to love."
She chuckled. "Well, I never said loving me would be easy. You wanted to hitch on for the ride. I didn"t invite you."
"Wow, that"s honest." He bucked his eyes. She kissed him.
"Doesn"t mean that I don"t want you to come along." She lay her head on his shoulder. "See, this feels good. Just holding each other like this. I spend too much time worrying, Lucas. I can"t live like that anymore. When I"m with you, I want no worries. Can we just be happy and enjoy being together?"
"Melody, I will support you in anything. I want you to come to me. I will also respect what you say about Keith." She stared at him. "I don"t have a beef with him personally, but if you do...then I"ll respect that. After all, I don"t remember you ever lying. So if you believe something about Keith, then I"ll support you."
"You mean that?" He nodded. He spoke with such honesty. Melody hadn"t ever met a man like that before. Anyone could say they cared. But her feeling Lucas"s adoration spoke volumes. "I love you, Lucas."
He took her into his arms. He guided her thin body onto his lap. He held her for the longest time. Neither thought it could be long enough. They resumed conversation after moments of cuddling.
"Where"s Sarah?"
"I dropped her off at a friend"s house. A lady from her job."
"Oh." He sucked his lip. "So, will she be gone for the night?"
She smiled. "Lucas, I want to..."
He laid the tip of his finger to her lips. "Melody, I really want to."
"But I"m exhausted, you know?" She stood. "It"s been a long day. I"m sure you understand."
"Mel," he sighed.
"You do understand, don"t you?" She got her purse from the couch.
"Yeah." He stood. "I guess this is good night then." He looked as if he wanted to cry. She couldn"t help chuckling at his puppy-dog expression.
"I need a little help with something. Could you come to my room for a second?"
He stared. "Uh, sure. What do you need help with?" They made it to her room. She gestured for him to come inside. He looked around like a kid at the North Pole. "Nice room." He nodded with approval. "Comfortable and quaint. Oh, big bed, huh?" She grinned. "So what did you need my help with?"
"I know this is gonna sound silly, but my wrists have been bothering me a lot today. Sometimes they get so tired. I think I got a tinge of carpal tunnel from all that typing at work."
"Oh, you might want to get that looked at."
She rubbed them. "Yeah, I just don"t know if I can get these snaps." She pointed to the snap in the back of her skirt. She lifted her top. "See?"
"Uh...yeah." His voice cracked.
"Think you could help me with it? I hate to bother you."
"Oh no, it"s no bother." He sweated. "Uh, let me see." He bent down. He tugged at the tight snap. He unhooked it. He took the liberty of pulling the zipper down along the way. She turned around. "Anything else?"
"Well, since you mentioned it." She sighed. "I don"t want to embarra.s.s you."
He wiped his forehead. "I won"t be embarra.s.sed. What is it?"
She slipped off her blouse. Lucas glared at the luscious, plump b.r.e.a.s.t.s inside of her black lace bra. "My bra. I can"t get it in the back."
"Mel, uh..." He exhaled.
"Oh, uh..." She looked him in the eyes. "If you mind, I"ll understand."
He groaned. "No, I don"t mind." She grinned. He unhooked the three snaps. He stared at her flowing b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She didn"t do her best to keep the bra from slipping. Men were so easy. "Anything else?" His voice cracked again.
She grinned. "No."
"See you tomorrow then."
"Oh, Luke?" She snapped her fingers. He sighed at the doorway. "There"s one more thing."
"Yeah?" He slowly turned around.
"Could you help me with my panties?"
"What?" He scoffed.
She slipped her fingers down the sides of her white panties. "It"s hard to move my fingers because my wrists are so tired." She pretended to have a hard time slipping the garment down. "I mean, if you don"t mind a little nudity." Her bra dangled from the sides. She knew d.a.m.n well that it would.
"No." He cleared his throat. "Uh, Mel, maybe you should wait until Sarah comes back."
"But I don"t know how long she"ll be gone. She stays late at her friend"s sometimes. She may even stay over."
He walled his eyes. "Well, do you have to take your panties off? Can"t you just sleep in them for tonight?"
She shrugged. "I wanted to take a shower." He sighed. "Lucas, I"d scratch your back, you know?"
"Yeah, but I"m not looking at your back." He stared at her half-naked body.
She pouted. "Well, that"s okay then."
He rubbed his face. "Jesus, I"ll do it. But you"re killing me here." She smirked. He walked over, gazing at her underwear.
"Just slide them down for me. Then you can go."
"Heaven help me," he muttered. She chuckled under her breath. He knelt down. He turned away while he slid down her underwear. "Okay, uh...are they off now?" He refused to look. Melody looked at the panties on her feet.
"Yeah, they are. Thanks so much."
"d.a.m.n, you"re welcome." He stood. She grinned. "Now can I leave before I end up having a seizure?"
"Yes." She held her bra across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She didn"t bother hiding her naked bottom. Lucas rushed to the door. "Uh, Lucas?"
"d.a.m.n it, what?" he shouted.
"I need your help with one more thing."
He huffed. "Melody, I think I"ve unsnapped everything in this room."
"Not everything."
He turned around. She threw her bra to the floor. He ran his hands across his mouth. Melody knew that if you could categorize an expression as l.u.s.t, Lucas"s current one would fit the t.i.tle perfectly. "Close the door," she instructed.
He followed the order without another word.
Melody enjoyed running her fingers through Lucas"s hair. He"d been asleep for almost an hour. She had no idea of the time. It didn"t matter. Nothing mattered on such a perfect night. Lucas slightly moved. She enjoyed teasing him with her fingertips. She rubbed his nose. He pried his eyes open. It felt like heaven for Melody to look in the eyes of the man she loved.
She couldn"t categorize the lovemaking if she tried. She"d taken the initiative, which had made the act even more enjoyable. She"d have waited forever to experience such pa.s.sion again. She didn"t know he"d take her body so masterfully. That he"d respond to her feverish demands from mere instinct. She"d shocked herself, too.
She hadn"t imagined that she would let loose like she did. She thought she"d feel uncomfortable embarking on a new lover. She hadn"t in the slightest. In fact, she had taken control of the situation in bed like she had outside of it. He moved the covers from his firm chest. She ran her hands across his medium-sized pecs. She curved her fingers against his nipple. He cupped her breast in his hand.
Melody ran her hand down his arm. For the first time, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world. Usually Sarah fit that description. Tonight Melody played second to none. Lucas put his hands around her waist. He guided her to his jutting crotch. He perched her on top of him. Melody squealed with avid delight. Before they realized it, the lovemaking took on a world of its own.
Lucas left around midnight. Melody decided to take in a late-night movie in the den. Who could sleep after such mind-numbing lovemaking? Anyway, she knew she"d only dream of Lucas. She"d probably get so hot she wouldn"t be able to sleep anymore before work. She opened a can of sliced peaches. She sat Indian-style on the sofa. Suddenly she felt guilty. She"d had one of the best nights of her life, but how was Aileen holding up? She hadn"t thought about her since she got back home. She wanted to call, but with Aileen"s current state she wasn"t sure if waking her in the middle of the night would be smart. Then again, she probably wasn"t asleep, anyway. Melody knew if she had just been raped in her home, she wouldn"t be able to sit down in the d.a.m.n place long enough, let alone sleep.
She remembered how Aileen shook when they took her home that evening. She"d acted like she didn"t even recognize her place. Melody kidded herself if she a.s.sumed Aileen would be all right now. Rape victims could easily stay calm in public. But how did they act when they were alone? Aileen swore she felt all right when Melody and Sarah dropped her off. That didn"t mean s.h.i.t.
Melody dropped her legs over the couch. Aileen had been alone all night. She"d been alone in that house with her daughter. Who knew the scary thoughts going through her head? Who knew how close this attack already pushed her to the limit? Rape victims weren"t very stable after being attacked. Aileen seemed to be worse than most. She not only insisted that Steven Kemp raped her, she"d almost died when she saw his face.
Melody knew Aileen"s fear. She easily identified it because that"s the same way she felt about Keith. Aileen needed someone to hold her. She needed her best friend there to let her know everything would be all right. How could Melody succ.u.mb to s.e.x tonight when Aileen needed her more than anyone, right now? Jesus, what kind of friend was she?
She grabbed the phone by the couch. She hooked the receiver between her ear and shoulder. She began to dial when the front door opened. Keith stood in the doorway with two suitcases. Melody jumped from the couch. She hadn"t realized that her pink nightgown had hooked between her thighs. A breeze swept between them.
"Well." Keith gazed at her figure. "So you do wear gowns to bed after all? I knew that T-shirt was covering up something fantastic."
"What in the h.e.l.l are you doing here?" Melody threw the phone down. "Where"s Sarah?"
Sarah walked in. She shut the door behind her. "Melody, uh, Keith"s staying with us for a while. He has a gas leak in his neighborhood. The police and everything were there. It was a big mess, and they"re suggesting the residents leave until they get a handle on the problem."
Melody shook her head. "Didn"t I drop you off at Pam"s? How the h.e.l.l did you get to Keith"s in the first place?" Sarah and Keith looked at each other. Keith grinned.
"Oh, I see. You had no intentions of visiting Pam, did you, Sarah? You only said that so I wouldn"t know you were with Keith!"
"Look, I didn"t want to lie but we"d had a hard day and I didn"t feel like arguing with you about it, Melody. Also, with what happened, I didn"t want to upset you."
"Sarah, you don"t give a d.a.m.n about me!"
"Melody, I love you more than anyone!"
"Bulls.h.i.t! Since Keith has wormed his way into your life, I don"t know you! I can"t take this anymore." She crossed her arms. "Sarah, it"s gotta be him or me. I mean that. Right now you gotta make a choice because I can"t take being around here anymore."
"Is this about the snake thing? Melody, you gotta know that was an accident. Keith would never do anything like that."
He chuckled. "Yeah, putting snakes in your bed. Why would I do that, Melody?"
"You know, you both are completely f.u.c.ked up. All this time I thought you were too good for this a.s.shole, Sarah. It"s finally dawned on me that you belong with him! If you want to be with him, then go on! He can stay here for as long as you like because I won"t be here!"
"Melody!"
"No, that"s it, Sarah! Make a decision right now! You stop seeing Keith or I will move out...now."
"Mel, you can"t mean that." Sarah exhaled. "Baby girl, I love you. You can"t think that a man would change that." Keith looked at Sarah. "Melody, think about what you"re saying."
"No, I usually think and have everything I say planned out. Maybe that"s why it doesn"t seem to hit any chords with you. Me moving out just came to me. Maybe that means it"s the right thing to do."
Sarah sighed. "You know you can"t make it on your own."
Melody scoffed. "Just like you to think I can"t even take a p.i.s.s without you holding the toilet, huh? I can make it without you, Sarah. I can do many things without you, contrary to popular belief. And I am sick to death of you throwing it in my face that this is your house and that you took me in! I never asked you to, did I?"
"I wasn"t throwing anything up in your face! Melody, with what happened to Aileen, you can turn around and get angry over something so minor?" Sarah held Keith"s waist.
"Well, it"s not minor to me, Sarah. Over and over I"ve told you how I felt about Keith and you don"t care. If you don"t care what I think, then I don"t need to be around you. I"d believe you in a heartbeat, Sarah."
"Mel, I..."
She held up her hands. "No, if you came to me repeatedly with things about Lucas, I"d listen. I"d put your opinion over my own selfishness."
"Mel, don"t do this. You know I love you. No man could ever take your place."
"You just can"t make the choice, can you, Sarah?" Melody sighed. "Then I"ll make it for you. I"m leaving. I"ll go to Craig"s tonight and I"ll figure out where I"ll go from there." She went to the stairs.
"Melody, don"t do this!" Sarah rushed after her. "You"re the one who"s wrong, Melody."
She turned around on the stairs. "Sarah, it"s all on you now." Melody glanced at Keith. "I hope you can live with the decisions you"ve made." Melody ran upstairs.
"Mel?" Sarah whispered.
Keith held her. "Everything will be okay, Sarah. You just gotta let her finally grow up."
"This is tearing me apart, Keith." She went into the kitchen.
Keith stood at Melody"s door a second later. She shoved enough clothes into a suitcase to get her through a few days. She hated herself for not locking the door when she noticed Keith in the room.
"For some reason you like coming into my room unannounced." She"d changed into jeans and a sweatshirt.
"So you and Craig must be closer than I thought if you"re going to his place. Why not Lucas"s?"
"Why are you all in my business?" She struggled to close the stuffed suitcase. Keith grabbed a small wrapper from the floor. Melody would have been embarra.s.sed if she didn"t hate him so much. Anyway, this was her room. Sarah may have owned the house, but she couldn"t control what went on behind this door.
Keith overlooked the torn red condom wrapper. "Well, how come I get the feeling that Lucas has already been here tonight?" He smirked. "Glad to see you use protection, Mel. So Lucas won"t mind you spending the night at Craig"s? I can"t see him not having a problem with that."
"Craig and Lucas are old friends. We all grew up together."
"Yeah, but back then you all weren"t so..." He stared at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Grown up, if you get my meaning. Is Craig a f.a.ggot or what?"