Page 46 of Grit
The laugh grew from his chest and he couldn’t stop it. He laughed hard, the feeling of release like a salve. Melissa started laughing too, grabbing a tissue from the box by the side of the bed.
She was laughing and crying at once, shaking her head over and over. “Sorry. That was just wrong.”
“No, that was perfect.”
“I know what you’re saying is right. About the accident. But…”
“Grief isn’t rational.” He smoothed his hand over her hair, playing with the long braid that lay over her shoulder.
“Yeah.” She wiped her eyes again. “And I don’tmournhim, Cary. It’s not like that. It’s been six years. I can remember the good stuff and not just the heartache. Lately, I’ve been feeling more guilt than grief.”
“Guilt?” His hand froze. “About what? About us?”
She frowned. “No, not because of… us. Or this. We still need to talk about… this.”
“Nothing to talk about. We’re just going along. Being friends. Who kiss.”
Was that side-eye? Yeah, that was definitely side-eye.
Melissa said, “I feel guilty because I’m kind of pissed at Calvin.”
“Why?”
“Because he died, and nowIhave to deal with his parents!” She let out a strangled laugh. “How is that fair?”
“It’s not.” He stroked her back, enjoying the solid feel of the muscles under her shirt. “You’re so damn strong.”
“Yeah?” She let out a hard breath. “Sometimes it’s exhausting being strong.”
He cleared his throat. “Okay, youarestrong in many ways, but I was being superficial and talking about your muscle tone.” He slid his fingers under the back of her shirt and ran his fingers up the small of her back. “I mean… damn. Have you been lifting? It’s sexy as hell.”
She shivered. “You know what I do for a living.”
“Is it the riding? Does that…?” He slid his finger just under her waistband before he pulled his hand back. “Sorry. Not the time.”
She turned her eyes up to his. “Why not?”
Oh, don’t look at me like that. Not right now.“Because you’re upset.”
Melissa turned and sat up on her knees, tilting Cary’s face to hers. “So distract me… friend.”
Cary fisted his hands on his legs, but Melissa took each one, unfurled his clenched fingers, and placed them on her hips.
“Melissa, I don’t think—”
Her mouth stopped his words. Her kiss was unexpected and sweet. It was the first time she’d initiated anything since their heated kiss at the hospital, and everything in Cary’s body came to attention.
Yes, finally!battled withNot a good idea!
She pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
He looked her straight in the eye, but he didn’t move his hands. If she was going to run, he figured he’d at least be able to slow her down. “You said, ‘Distract me.’”
“And?” Melissa bit her lip, and dammit if that wasn’t as sexy as the curve of her hips under his palms.
Cary wanted to flip her over, cover her body with his own, and fulfill about a dozen fantasies in one night. He wanted those legs wrapped around his body. He wanted his mouth between her thighs. He wanted to make her absolutely mindless with pleasure. She desperately needed stress relief, and he’d been thinking about how to provide it for years.
He flexed his hands and felt the give of her flesh. It would be so easy to give in and be her distraction, but that wasn’t what he wanted. “I want… a lot of things, Missy. But I don’t want to be a distraction for you.”
