Pulled (43 page)

“Okay. Love you.” She was obviously as reluctant as I was to hang up the phone.

“Love you. Bye, Mel.”

“Bye.”

I sighed and set my phone down, running my hands through my hair and sinking back into my chair. I would have lost it before now if I already didn’t know how close we were to the end of this mess. My phone vibrated again, and Vanessa’s number flashed across the screen

again. I dutiful y rejected her cal . Apparently, I couldn’t be clear enough for that stupid bitch. I’d thought that after she had seen me with Melanie, she’d accept that she had no chance with me and she would be deterred. I had even become hopeful when she hadn’t cal ed for most of November. Somewhere around Thanksgiving, she’d decided to give it another go. It seemed that the closer she got to her due date, the more needy she became. With just five weeks left, I was sure it was only going to get worse. I choked on a sip of coffee, realizing just how close that actual y was. In five weeks, I would be a father.

Damn it.

I was late. I didn’t anticipate having to stop by the office this morning, but I couldn’t leave without everything being in place for the new partners who started after the first of the year. Dad had already picked up so much slack for me, al owing me what little time I had with Melanie during the day, so there was no way I could leave him hanging two days before Christmas.

I whipped into the first spot I could find in long-term parking, grabbed my suitcase from the trunk, and practical y ran across the lot to catch the shuttle. My knee bounced in anticipation as the bus made slow progress along its course. As soon as it stopped, I rushed off. The double doors slid open as I raced toward them. My eyes swept the terminal, hoping I’d made it there before she had.

Melanie was to leave her car in a long-term parking lot, go to the decoy terminal, and then she would ride the tram around to meet me at the check in counter.

It was impossible to miss the most beautiful girl who ever lived. Her mass of curly brown hair bounced around the col ar of her black, knee-length coat, the belt tied firmly around her waist. She stepped careful y from the transit in her black boots, pul ing a huge suitcase behind her, looking a little flustered and lost—until she felt me.

I could see the moment she did. Her eyes darted up to meet mine, and a wide smile spread over her face as she walked to me. I hastened to her, grabbing her as soon as she was within arm’s reach. It had been far too long.

I breathed her in, savoring. “Mmm.”

She giggled at my mumbling against her neck.

“Did you miss me?” she teased, kissing me lightly on the lips while she looked up at me, her eyes gleaming. I could feel excitement flowing from her.

“You have no idea.” I drew her back for a deep, lingering kiss, showing her just how much I had.

“So, where are we going?” She scanned the flights, looking for some hint of our destination.

I pul ed the tickets from my pocket and handed her one. She looked up, biting her lip as she bounced on her toes in excitement. “Tahoe?”

I nodded, and she threw herself at me, kissing me as she mumbled, “Thank you.”

“That okay with you?” I don’t know why I felt the need to ask; I’d already seen her honest reaction.

“Oh, my gosh! It sounds like the best place in the world to spend Christmas with you.”

I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

“You’l love it there. It’s so beautiful this time of year.” I knew she’d never been to Tahoe. She hadn’t left Il inois once in nine years.

We made our way through the line, checking our luggage and breezing through security. Once they cal ed us to board, we found our seats, and Melanie and I got settled.

Her posture stiffened as we began to taxi down the runway.

She pressed her back into the seat and held my hand a little firmer than normal.

“You okay?” I squeezed back.

“Yeah. I just haven’t flown in so long. I kind of forgot what it feels like.”

She held her breath as the plane ascended, wincing when the plane dipped slightly just as it pul ed from the ground. Her body slowly relaxed into mine the higher we climbed. She watched out the window as Chicago disappeared from view. She looked deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

She snapped her head up in surprise.

“Oh.” She looked back out the window as the last of the city fel away. She sank into me when I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her near. “I was just thinking about when I first came to Il inois, how it felt like it was a death sentence. Now,” she said, playing with my fingers, “leaving for the first time,” she turned enough so she could look at me before she continued, “it feels like I’m

leaving it al behind.”

She was leaving it al behind. I just wasn’t ready to tel her yet.

Instead, I wrapped her up in me. I kissed her softly, reverently, making a silent oath to her and myself that this was exactly what we were doing, leaving the past behind and flying toward our future.

Careful y, I maneuvered the rented SUV over the snowy roads, relying on the GPS to guide me through Tahoe City. We traveled slowly as we made our way out to the smal cabin I’d rented in North Shore. The forest was dense and thick, the night sky covered in heavy clouds as snow flurried around us. The headlights reflected against the white, creating a blinding bril iance that had me gripping the steering wheel while I contended with near zero-visibility. I turned onto a dirt road, wet and muddied, and fol owed the narrow path to a smal clearing that housed a gray stone and wood cabin.

Lights glowed from within; the porch il uminated by the lamp hanging beside the door. The snow on the deck had been shoveled, providing a cleared walkway. The rental agent made arrangements for everything to be ready for our arrival; the lights and furnace on, a fire waiting, and the kitchen stocked with everything we’d need for our stay.

Melanie squealed, clapping her hands together when she took in her surroundings for the first time. She unbuckled and leaned forward to get a closer look as the SUV slid to a complete stop. “Daniel...this is amazing.” I couldn’t help but smile. She was carefree without a worry, joyous, and exactly the way I wanted to see her every day of her life. This kind of freedom was something I was determined to give her. She stuffed her head into her snowcap and wrapped her scarf around her neck. Her hair bil owed out beneath the cap, the brown locks wild and frizzy from the long day of travel and the humidity in the air.

She looked absolutely adorable. I didn’t realize I was staring until she looked at me, grinning. “What?” I shook myself out of it and beamed at her. “I’m just so happy right now.”

She reached out, touching my cheek. “Me too.” I nodded against her palm, reaching up to press it further into my face before moving it to my mouth, placing a smal kiss on the soft, pink skin.

“Are you ready?”

She nodded vigorously, opened the door, and cautiously stepped out into mounds of soft, white powder.

We were both laughing by the time we made it to the porch, grabbing each other for support as we more slid across the ground than walked.

I slipped the key into the lock, turned the knob, and pul ed Melanie into the warmth.

“Oh, Daniel,” she whispered with a sharp intake of air and squeezed my hand, rewarding me with a smile.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect.” Her eyes scanned the room, roaming over the darkened planks of the wooden floor. She glanced at the smal kitchen and round dining table to the right, but was drawn to the spacious living room. A fire was roaring in the massive fireplace; the entire face of the wal surrounding it had different variations of gray stone. They meshed perfectly with the wal s of rustic, gray wood that completed the rest of the room. The wal of windows that faced the lake was now black and reflecting the flames.

She dropped my hand and walked toward the fireplace, slowly, running her hand over the back of the large, maroon, leather couch placed comfortably in the middle of the room.

It sat opposite the fire, the gulf between blanketed by a thick, plush, black rug.

She glanced at the banister made of thick wood and wrought iron, protectively guarding the stairs that led to the one bedroom over the kitchen. She turned and took two steps back to wrap her arms around my waist and lay her head on my chest. “Thank you.” She looked up, her eyes glowing, open, drawing me into their depths. I captured her lips and kissed her, unrushed for the first time in a month.

Her hands moved to my neck, pul ing me down to her.

Immediately, my hands were at her waist, pul ing her up to me, creating instant heat, want, need. I stepped back, slowly unwinding the scarf from her neck and tugging the cap from her head. Her hair was a mess but stil so soft as I sank my fingers into it and drew her back to me.

She shivered when my cold hands ran down her throat, exposing her chest. I kissed the soft, pale skin there while my hands loosened the belt of her jacket, pushing it from her shoulders and onto the floor.

“Daniel,” she said softly, her breath sweet as it fanned my face. My mouth became forceful. She instinctively stepped back, her feet moving across the floor.

Her hands dove into my hair as I leaned forward to fumble out of my jacket. I kicked off my shoes as I stepped with her, her body guiding me, leading me. We somehow stumbled up the stairs, Melanie’s mouth becoming urgent as she impatiently tore at my shirt.

The bedroom was a harmonious reflection of the living room. A thick, gray comforter with piles of maroon, black, and gray pil ows covered a king-size bed. Flames flickered from the fireplace, casting orange light across windows set in darkness.

I struggled to hold her close to me and drag the blanket down the bed at the same time, raking my arm along the swel of pil ows and sweeping them to ground. I lifted Melanie and laid her in their place.

I made love to her, soft and slow. The room echoed with whispered words of love and promises of forever. For the briefest moment, her body went rigid before it trembled, and my name silently fel from her lips.

Only then did I fervently give myself over to the pleasure she brought.

I rol ed us to our sides, finding her mouth and kissing her lazily, our movements languid as we relished in the afterglow. The energy that was always present was now lul ed, quieted. With the stil ness came a slight chil and I wrapped us up under the covers. Melanie snuggled in

closer, her fingers running a constant circuit over my cheek and down my jaw.

“I love you.”

“I love you, so much.” I hugged her close, looking at the clock on the nightstand behind her. It was almost nine-thirty here, but it felt a lot later with the time difference and the ful day of travel. “Are you hungry?” In my rush to get her here, I didn’t even think about stopping for dinner.

She shook her head into my chest. “No, too tired.” I kissed her sweetly, tucking the pil ow further under our heads. “Sleep wel , beautiful.” She only nodded as she yawned, blinking a few times through her sleepy smile, her lips pressing to my chest as she settled in for the night.

I was starving, but would happily forgo dinner to stay beside her in this bed.