Destiny Disrupted (There's Always Tomorrow Book 1) (12 page)

Vance snorts. “I feel ya. I've had broken ribs before. Are they bound up?”

“Yeah. What’s going on with those assholes that jumped me?” Xander asks.

“They’re out on bail and will most likely get some kind of fine and community service,” Vance sneers. “Definitely getting off way too easily.”

“Yeah, well, what’d you expect? It’s their first offense…and I didn't die,” Xander says dryly.

Vance grunts and stands. “Let me know if you need help getting up,” Vance says quietly.

Xander nods.

Vance turns to see Melina and Mia walking into the kitchen as they talk. He looks over at his parents to see them positively glowing at him. Both have huge smiles on their faces, his mother with her hands clasped over her chest. Vance sighs and shakes his head. His parents are such romantics.

“Oh, Vance, she's so lovely,” his mom coos.

“Mom, we haven’t been together very long,” Vance says, afraid to get his mother’s hopes up, let alone his own. It’s still really early in their relationship to know whether it’s going to last or not. Vance can only pray that it will.

“And you already brought her to a family dinner?” Maggie asks knowingly. Vance just glares at his mother, who laughs.

Melina then returns from the kitchen with a beer and a soda. She stops next to him and holds out the soda to him. Vance glances at the can of soda then back at Melina. She holds out the soda a little higher and gives him an expectant look.

Vance gives her a bland look in return making Melina crack a smile and hand him the beer. “Yeah, that's what I thought.” She giggles and he leans in for an innocent kiss.

Dinner goes better than Vance could have ever hoped. Melina falls right in place with his family as if she’s already a part of it. She laughs and jokes with everyone; even his nieces love her and insist on her helping them make up a dance after dinner so they can put on a show for everyone. She is totally on board with it, too.

After dinner, Melina and the girls go up to their bedroom to make up a dance while Vance sits with everyone else in the living room. The girls come back about twenty minutes later with a cd player. Landon moves the coffee table out of the way, giving the girls and Melina plenty of dancing room. Hailey starts the music, which is Maroon 5’s
Sugar.

As Vance watches the girls and Melina dance, his heart pounds, and butterflies invade his stomach. Watching Melina dancing and laughing with his nieces solidifies that she is the one. The only woman he ever wants to be with for the rest of his life. She is the woman he wants to marry and have a family with. The one he wants to share his dreams and aspirations with. He can't believe that he can feel this way about someone so soon, but everyone says that when the right one comes along, you know. And he knows.

Vance thinks back to the moment that he saw her trapped in her car with a pipe through her leg. Not only was he stunned by her beauty, but her strength through the whole situation was mind boggling to him. Not many women could stay so calm; he admired her for that. Then when he took his shirt off to try to stem her bleeding, she was more worried about him ruining his shirt than her own well-being. Vance actually wanted to kiss her right then and there.

He can't help but smile as he remembers everything about that day. It’s funny how they ended up here. Who would’ve guessed that he'd meet Mrs. Right by saving her life?

The song ends and everyone claps and whistles. Melina looks over at Vance and tilts her head to one side slightly, giving him a curious smile. She takes a bow with Hailey and Olivia then walks over and sits down next to him on the couch.

“You're looking at me funny. What’s on your mind, handsome?” Melina whispers to him.

“Funny how?” Vance smirks.

“I don't know. You just seem to be looking at me differently,” Melina murmurs as he puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her up against him.

“What you see is how much I adore what you just did for my nieces. They will love you forever for that,” Vance whispers as he nuzzles the side of her face.

He feels Melina smile and leans her face against his. “God, I wish we were alone right now,” he rasps.

Melina chuckles and straightens up. He’s about to kiss her when his cell phone starts ringing. Vance breathes a curse and lifts his ass off the couch to reach his phone in his back pocket.

He sees that it’s Shawn and sighs. He stands, excuses himself, and goes into the kitchen before answering. “Yeah, Shawn?”

“Hey, Van. I got news about that possible DNA evidence you found,” he says solemnly.

“Okay,” Vance says, waiting for Shawn to continue.

“Here's the deal…it’s definitely someone's skin, and they did get DNA from it, but we don't have a match in the database.” Shawn sighs heavily.

“Dammit!” Vance bites out angrily. He shoves his hand through his hair as he paces around the kitchen. “What the hell do we do now? Wait for the killer to slaughter another family?”

“I don’t know, man. I'm frustrated, too, but what else can we do? We have nothing,” Shawn says softly.

Vance grinds his teeth and shakes his head in disgust. “I hate this case.”

“Me, too, partner. I just wanted to let you know. I gotta run,” Shawn says.

“Alright, see you tomorrow.” Vance sighs.

“Hasta,” Shawn says then hangs up.

Vance violently shoves the phone back into his pocket. He is all worked up now and needs to get himself under control before going back to his family. He slips out the sliding glass door and onto the back deck, which is off the kitchen. He walks over to the railing and leans on it with his hands. Hanging his head, he tries to take some deep breaths to calm himself down.

After a few minutes, Vance hears the hiss of the sliding back door open and close. He lifts his head and glances over his shoulder to see Melina walking toward him. The look on her face is one of sympathy and worry. She sidles up next to him and puts her hand on his lower back.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

Vance sighs and rubs his face. “Yeah. That was Shawn. The DNA got us nothing - no matches, nothing.”

“So what happens now?”

“We sit on our asses while this sick bastard murders another family.” Vance shakes his head and laughs in disbelief.

“A family? It's been families that are being killed? Wait! Hold up! Those two murders that’ve been all over the news?” Melina asks horrified.

Vance curses at himself for letting that slip and paces away from her. He laces his fingers on top of his head as he walks around the deck. “Yes,” he answers, glancing at her.

“Families, as in children, too? I always change the channel,” Melina asks in a small voice, her hand to her throat.

Vance glances at her again, the tortured expression on her face making him want to kick his own ass for opening his big fucking mouth and letting that slip. His silence confirms her question as she lets out a soft gasp, rushing over to him. Melina throws her arms around his neck and holds him close.

“Oh, Vance. No wonder you have such horrendous nightmares,” Melina soothes.

Okay, that’s not what he expected to come out of her mouth. He thought he was going to have to comfort her; but instead, she is the one trying to make him feel better. Vance relaxes a bit and lets his body sink into hers as she strokes the back of his head.

Vance pulls away slightly, just enough so that he can see her face. She is frowning, hard. He tucks her silky hair behind her ear then leans down and presses his lips against hers. They both let out a sigh. He threads his fingers into her hair to cup the back of her head, deepening the kiss. God he loves the feel of her tongue sliding against his. He wraps his arms around her, completely engulfing her tiny body with his. Melina responds by pressing herself more firmly against him, clutching the back of his shirt.

Vance is just about to slip one hand down to her ass when he hears two little giggles. “Ew, Uncle Van, that's gross!” Hailey hollers.

“Yeah, grody,” Olivia chimes in.

Vance and Melina tear apart and look toward the house. Hailey and Olivia's cute little faces are behind the screen of the open window, while the rest of the adults are standing behind the sliding glass doors laughing.

Melina blushes hard and puts her hands to her face. She’s embarrassed and it’s adorable. Vance turns to his nieces, who are still giggling in the window. “You think that’s gross? Wait until I get a hold of you two,” he says wickedly and starts for the sliding door. “I see big wet kisses in your future.”

The girls squeal and disappear from the window. Vance lets out an evil laugh then runs into the house after them.

Chapter 9

The next few weeks seem to fly by for Melina. Her days are completely full between working and seeing Vance almost every night. Bryan moved into the bachelor pad a few days after Vance's offer. He's been doing extremely well there. He gets along great with the older guys and they give him all of the acceptance and support that he needs. Bryan is becoming more and more confident and proud of himself with every day that passes. Melina is so grateful to have such a wonderful man in her life, and his friends have become like brothers to her. She cares deeply for each one of them.

Melina and Vance still have not slept together - not for a lack of trying - because something always seems to come up to derail them. She needs it…now. Their foreplay sessions are extremely heated and she knows that Vance is just as frustrated.

It’s Friday night and Melina finishes her last lesson a little early then heads right to Vance's. She doesn't bother knocking anymore; in fact, Vance has given her a key, with the approval of all of the guys, of course. When she walks into the living room, Bryan is sitting on the couch talking to Xander. They’re sitting kind of close facing each other, and both are smiling softly and talking quietly. This is the fourth night this week that Xander has been here hanging out with Bryan. Melina would have brushed it off as a blooming friendship if it weren’t for the way they smile at each other. It’s how she and Vance smiled at each other in the beginning of their relationship, and still do, really.

Melina had wondered about Bryan's sexual preference a couple of times, even though he told Vance that he isn't gay. But Melina would never have guessed that Xander is gay or even bi.

“Hey guys,” Melina says, dropping her purse and keys on the table by the door.

Both boys look up and give her bright smiles. “Hey, Melina,” they say in unison then look at each other and laugh.

She smiles back at them. “It's nice to see you two getting along so well.”

“We have a lot in common,” Bryan says, glancing at Xander who nods in agreement.

“That's good. I'm glad,” Melina says, “Is Vance home yet?”

“Ah, yeah, I think he's up in the jam room,” Bryan replies.

“Thanks,” Melina says and heads for the stairs.

On the way up the first flight, Melina runs into Dayne. “Melina, my darling, how are you?” Dayne asks, stopping next to her on the steps.

“I'm good. How are you?” Melina asks in return.

“Good. I was finally able to work out a day and time to go out with Harper. We’re gonna meet up tomorrow at a club downtown. You and Vance should come, we could double date,” Dayne says.

Melina smiles. “Yeah, I'll ask Vance about it.”

“Great.” Dayne smiles and taps his cheek for a kiss. Just as Melina is about to kiss his cheek, he turns his head and she ends up kissing him on the lips. “Gotcha!” Dayne sings and gives her a big cheesy smile.

Melina rolls her eyes. “You're lucky Vance hasn't caught you doing that yet. I don't know why I keep falling for it.”

“It's because you secretly want me,” Dayne purrs, giving her an overly sexy face.

Melina laughs. “You're crazy.”

“That's why you love me.” Dayne chuckles and starts back down the stairs.

“True.” Melina shrugs and starts up the stairs again.

She can hear the drumming as she starts up the second flight of stairs. When she makes it to the third floor, she sees that Vance is alone, drumming away. His face is focused and almost pissed-off looking, as if he’s trying to work off some frustration. Probably sexual frustration.

He glances over at her and stills his movements, silencing the cymbals with his fingers. “Hey, baby,” he says mildly.

“Hi, you okay?” Melina asks as Vance moves out from behind the drums.

“Yeah, I'm good.” Vance sighs and gives her a kiss on the lips.

Melina runs her hands down his t-shirt covered chest, stopping at his hips. “You sure?”

“Yeah, just tired and stressed,” he mumbles.

She moves in closer and rubs Vance through his jeans, causing him to groan low in his throat. He closes his eyes, as he grows hard under her hand. “I think I know how to relieve your stress,” Melina purrs.

“Oh yeah?” Vance smirks down at her.

Melina smiles a wicked smile. “Sex does wonders for stress,” she says.

Vance's eyes almost bug out of his head. “Sex?” he chokes out.

“I can't take it anymore,” Melina whispers, looking up into his gorgeous blue eyes that are burning with desire. “I need you now. No interruptions, no excuses.”

Vance is on her so fast, crushing her mouth with his. His hands are all over her. His kisses are hungry and desperate. He then grabs her around the waist and lifts her up until she wraps her legs around his waist, his mouth never leaving hers as he carries her over to the desk.

He sits her on the edge of the desk, pulling her tank top and bra down exposing her breasts, while ravaging her mouth. His hands cover her breasts, and with a groan, he rips his mouth free of hers only to cover her nipple with it. Melina moans and lets her head fall back. Vance doesn't stay there long; he needs to remove her leggings and panties as quickly as possible. He comes back to her mouth and kisses her urgently. She is so turned on by how frantic Vance is, proving to her how much he wants her.

Vance pulls his t-shirt up and behind his head, so that it is still on his arms but away from his chest. His jeans are undone and around his ankles within seconds. He then grabs her by the back of her thighs and scoots her butt to the edge of the desk, wrapping her legs around his hips.

"I don't have a condom on me. Are you on birth control?" Vance asks, his voice strained.

"Yes," Melina breathes.

"I'm clean, I swear." He looks directly into her eyes, and she knows that he wouldn’t do anything to put her in harm’s way.

"Me, too." She smiles.

Vance puts one hand on the desk next to Melina's hip while he takes himself in his other hand. She gasps when he rubs himself against her wet folds. He hisses and drops his head down to kiss her. As he kisses her slowly and sensually, he positions himself and slowly enters her.

Melina cries out against his mouth as he pushes his way inside of her. He gathers her up in his arms, pressing their bare chests together as he slides all of the way in. They pant against each other's mouth before he pulls back and pushes back in again.

Vance curses and tucks his face into Melina's neck. “God, baby, you feel so good,” he moans.

Melina can't answer, only able to let out a strangled cry and grip onto his shoulders a little tighter. It feels as if Vance was made just for her, filling her so completely. She feels whole now that she and Vance are connected in such an intimate way. Melina knows for sure that she is absolutely, without a doubt, head over heels, in love with Vance.

Vance lifts his head from her neck and meets her eyes. The emotion in them is enough to make her want to cry. Maybe he’s in love with her, too. Melina really wants him to be in love with her. She knows that he feels something for her, that’s obvious, and he tells her time and again that he cares a lot about her. Their relationship so far has been wonderful. Of course, there are ups and downs, but that's every relationship. No relationship is perfect.

“You're so beautiful,” Vance whispers to her.

Melina smiles then tilts her face up to kiss him. He smiles against her lips then groans when she grips his ass and pulls him in deeper. “Christ, Melina,” he rasps and picks up his pace.

He laces one hand into her hair at the back of her head and wraps the other one around her lower back, holding her hips snug against his.

Melina can feel her orgasm building and pulls Vance a little harder into her. Using the hand that’s in her hair, he grabs a fistful then pulls her head back to look at him. His eyes flash when they meet hers.

“I want you to look at me when you come,” he growls.

Melina loses it. Her legs tighten around his waist as her body convulses around him, her tight core milking his throbbing cock. Vance grunts and tightens his grip on her as she screams and digs her nails into his ass and back. He kisses her hard as he comes with a few last hard thrusts. She can feel him pulsing inside of her.

“Hey, Vance. Bryan and I are gonna go...” Xander's voice abruptly cuts off at the sight of what he walks in on.

Melina and Vance both whip their heads around to look at him. He is completely frozen, his mouth dropped open and eyes wide, as he just stares at them. Then Melina sees that Bryan is standing behind him with the same reaction on his face. At least Vance mostly hides her; they have a nice clear shot of his bare ass.

“Dude, seriously! Don't just stand there gaping at us, turn around!” Vance snaps.

Both boys immediately spin around. “Shit, sorry, Van,” Xander stammers, his voice sounding completely embarrassed.

“What do you want?” Vance asks, trying not to be angry, but Melina knows that he’s pissed about being interrupted.

“I just wanted to let you know that Bryan and I are gonna go get some dinner and we'll be back a little later,” Xander explains.

“Alright, now go.”

The boys make a quick exit down the stairs. Vance turns his head back around to look at Melina. He sighs and shakes his head. “Perfect moment ruined by a couple of deaf idiots,” Vance murmurs.

Melina laughs and sputters a “totally not ruined,” as Vance calms down and kisses her softly on the lips.

“God that was good,” he breathes.

“Mmm, so good,” Melina agrees.

“You don't know how badly I've craved you,” Vance whispers and kisses her softly again.

“Uh, yeah I do!” She sighs, and then squeezes her inner muscles, gripping his semi-erect cock, still inside of her.

Vance hums in pleasure, his erection growing hard as a rock. “You ready to go again?” he asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Well, you are hard…and still inside of me. Just keep going,” she instructs.

Vance moans. “Good fucking idea.” He picks her up, making sure he remains inside of her, steps out of his jeans, then moves to the desk chair, sitting down with Melina straddling him. “Fuck yes,” he hisses, gripping Melina's hips.

Melina pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it on the floor, then tangles her hands in his hair as she starts to ride him. “I'm gonna tell you right now, baby…this is my favorite position…woman on top,” Vance breathes as she grinds on his dick.

“Hmm, most men say from behind is their favorite,” she pants between thrusts.

“Yeah, but I want to see your face when I make love to you,” Vance groans and grips her hips a little tighter. “Oh god, just like that, baby, yeah...ugh,” he moans.

Melina's heart flutters at his words. He called it ‘making love,’ not sex or fucking. Her eyes start to tear up, but before he can see her crying, she cups his face and kisses him. Vance's hands find her exposed breasts. Cupping them, he uses his thumbs to rub her nipples. She moans into his mouth as they kiss.

Vance breaks their kiss and drops his head back on the chair, his hands moving down to her butt. They palm the soft flesh while his fingers dig into her skin as he grinds her against him.

“Lina! Fuck...I'm gonna...” Vance cries and holds her tightly to him as he pulses inside of her and writhes under her.

Seeing and feeling Vance come again causes her to come quick and hard. She grips his shoulders, shuddering as her back arches. After the tremors finally stop, Melina collapses against his heaving chest and tucks her face into his neck.

“Please tell me you’re spending the night,” Vance rasps as he lazily strokes her back.

“I'm staying,” Melina breathes.

“Perfect.”

“Would you care if your brother is gay?” Melina asks Vance as they sit on the couch sharing a pint of ice cream while they watch TV.

Vance raises his eyebrows at her and pulls the spoon out of his mouth. “Where'd that come from?” he asks.

Melina shrugs. “Just wondering.”

Vance gives her a hesitant look but answers anyway. “My brother is my brother no matter what his sexual preference is. Now tell me why you ask.” He gives her a pointed look around a spoonful of ice cream.