The Keeping (19 page)

Pulling on her
jacket and grabbing her purse, Mel stood too. “I should be going
too. Where do we pay?”

“Never mind. Lucy
put everything on my tab.”

“Oh, but I can
cover the cost. I’m the one that wanted to talk to you.”

Ryne shook his
head. “No. I pay. Add that to my list of character traits. I’m old
fashioned. When I eat out with a lady, I pay.” He noticed that she
seemed taken aback and was pleased to have once again thrown her
off balance. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You don’t have
to. I’m just parked...” Mel’s voice trailed off as he stared at
her, silently willing her to follow his commands. Not surprisingly,
she caved in, giving him a quick, tentative smile, as if she wasn’t
sure what to make of him. “All right, you can walk me to my
car.”

Pleased that she’d
obeyed, he put his hand in the small of her back and guided her
out. She was certainly a tiny thing. He’d sensed that when he
carried her from the house the other day. Now, as she walked beside
him, he noted that her head barely reached his chin. Recalling
their earlier kiss and how her body had fit snugly against his, he
decided it was the perfect height for him.

All was quiet in
downtown Stump River, most of the residents contentedly relaxing in
their houses while the various businesses presented darkened
windows and locked doors to the few individuals still moving about.
One lone car was waiting patiently for the town’s only stop light
to change to green before continuing on its way to destinations
unknown. As the car drove away, its wheels made a faint hissing
sound that eventually faded into nothingness as it disappeared from
sight.

With the car’s
departure, they became the only two people on the otherwise
deserted street. The faint clicking of Mel’s heels on the damp
sidewalk was the only sound to break the silence. Overhead the sky
was clear of clouds. A crescent moon was hanging low over the
silent town and a few stars were starting to make their existence
known. Mel shivered in the cool night air; it was still early
enough in the spring for the evening temperatures to drop close to
freezing after sundown. Ryne noticed that she was chilled and
wrapped his arm around her shoulders, sharing his body heat. At
first she resisted, but eventually relaxed into him. He speculated
as to whether she was feeling more at ease around him, or if her
need for warmth was outweighing her desire for independence. Either
way, he didn’t mind.

Adjusting his
stride to match her shorter one, he relished the way their thighs
occasionally brushed together. Her arms were folded in front of her
and, as he glanced down, he noted with a distinctly male
appreciation, the fact that she was unconsciously causing her top
to gape at the neck, allowing him a satisfying glimpse of her
cleavage. Ryne found himself inclining his head towards hers. The
scent of her shampoo tickled his nose and he inhaled deeply trying
to place it... Green apples, possibly? Whatever it was, it mixed
well with her own natural scent as it drifted upwards and wrapped
around him.

Her car was, in
fact, parked just a block down the road fromThe Broken Antler and
they reached it sooner than he would have liked. As she turned to
face him, he leaned in close until her back was up against the
vehicle.

“Ryne?” She looked
up at him sounding uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure what his
intentions might be.

Well, he’d thought
earlier on that he’d like to run a test to see how attracted she
was to him. This was his opportunity. He cupped her face and ran
his thumb over her bottom lip, noting how her eyes started to
darken. Pressing a bit closer, her breathing hitched and he could
see the pulse at the base of her throat quicken. Yes, he definitely
affected Melody. He should stop now that he had his answer, but
once again his wolf had other ideas.

Slowly, he lowered
his head, gauging her response. When their lips were almost
touching, he paused and waited. Mel made an indistinct little sound
and stretched her neck the tiny amount needed to bring their mouths
into contact. Gently, he brushed his lips back and forth across
hers, savouring the sweetness of her breath as she exhaled, the
softness of the plump surface, and the tingle of sexual awareness
that bounced between them.

He withdrew and
let his eyes lock onto hers. They gazed at each other, questions
and uncertainty quivering between them, but overriding it all was a
desire for more. Of one accord they kissed again, mouths opening to
taste and tease. Ryne wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in
closer and, in response, he felt her moving her hands move up to
clasp his shoulders.

Plunging his
tongue into her mouth, he stroked her sensitive upper palate, the
soft inner surfaces of her lips, absorbing the essence of her. He
withdrew and she followed, exploring him a bit more tentatively and
he moaned in encouragement. Breaking away briefly, he tilted his
head to change the angle of their connection. She whimpered at the
momentary separation and he reassured her with another deep
kiss.

She worked her
body even closer to him and he widened his stance, feeling the heat
pooling in his groin. Experimentally, he brushed against her and
she reciprocated. His excitement grew. He grasped her butt, and
flexed against her, a low growl escaping his throat. For a moment
she seemed to be responding, but then abruptly froze before
starting to struggle. Now she was pushing him away, ducking her
head to avoid his attempts at nuzzling... It took a minute for his
brain to register her withdrawal. Dropping his hands to his side,
Ryne stepped back and took a deep, calming breath, forcing the
animal within back down. Silence stretched between them. Clearing
his throat, Ryne attempted to speak.

“No?”

Mel brushed her
hair from her face, looking everywhere but at him. “I...I just met
you and I don’t hop into bed with a guy the first time I meet
him.”

“Well, technically
this is the third time we’ve met. Once at my house, at noon today
and now for supper.” He quirked a smile at her, hopefully hiding
how much the encounter had affected him.

“Nice try,
Taylor.” She shook her head and slid a glance his way.

He shrugged and
shoved his hands in his pocket, responding in an indifferent tone.
“I didn’t think it’d work, but figured I’d give it a shot.”

She cocked her
head to the side and then gestured between the two of them. “My
getting to interview you wasn’t contingent on the outcome of this,
was it?”

He snorted,
feeling somewhat offended. “Do I look like I need to blackmail
women into sleeping with me?”

An embarrassed
flush crept over her face, but she continued on. “No, but in some
of the journalism courses I took, they warned us about sexual
involvement with interviewees. It can make things pretty sticky
sometimes.”

Ryne opened his
mouth to say something crude and sexual, but caught her expression
and stopped. She’d obviously realized that what she had just said
was the perfect opening for him to make one of his usual comments.
He hated being predictable, so said nothing. After a moment, she
continued.

“Well, thanks
again for the meal. I’ll be waiting to hear your answer in the
morning.” Mel looked at him hopefully.

“In the morning.”
He nodded and opened the door for her. She slid inside and he
pushed the door shut. With a final puzzled look in his direction,
she drove off. Ryne stood there until her tail lights disappeared,
before starting towards his own vehicle.

It would be a
great night for a run, but turning into a wolf in the middle of
Main Street—even if no one seemed to be about—was definitely
courting trouble. Instead he climbed into his truck and drove home,
mulling over the events of the night.

Chapter
14

Mel was having
trouble sleeping. She lay on her back, enumerating all of the
positives around her that should be contributing to a blissful
state of slumber. The bed was relatively comfortable, the
temperature correct and there was no noise outside to bother her.
She wasn’t thirsty, nor did she need to go to the bathroom. Even
her feet were warm, due to the presence of her favourite fuzzy
socks encasing her lower extremities.

So, if everything
was perfect, then why did her mind refuse to turn off? She flopped
over for what seemed like the twentieth time and firmly closed her
eyes only to pop them open again as thoughts of Ryne filled her
head yet again. She wasn’t sure exactly when her mind had made the
switch from referring to him as ‘Taylor’ to calling him by his
first name, but they seemed to be on a more personal level now, and
he was no longer just an anonymous, but annoying research
project.

Correction. He was
still annoying, but she was learning to deal with it. The main
problem—beyond getting him to agree to an interview—was figuring
out what to do about the physical attraction that threatened to
arise between them. As she’d said before, she didn’t ‘poach’ men
from other women and Lucy was involved with Ryne in some way.

Ryne inexplicably
found her attractive. The bulge pressed against her stomach had
been undeniable and the heat of his kisses hadn’t been faked. She
knew she wasn’t ugly, but neither was she drop dead gorgeous. Her
brown eyes and hair that was some shade between blonde and brown
were just ordinary. Similarly, her features were okay; an average
sized nose with the faintest smattering of freckles, a wide mouth
with a friendly smile. Again, just ordinary. The only slightly
interesting thing about her might be her breasts, which she always
thought were disproportionate, but not in a fake
‘I’ve-had-augmentation’ kind of way. Nope. In her opinion, there
was nothing about her that should attract someone as hot and sexy
as Ryne.

Perhaps the man
just went after any female that didn’t make him gag. It was a
possibility. Some men did seem to have the need to sow more than
their share of wild oats. Mel often suspected her father was that
way, but never mentioned the fact to her mother. Her father was the
only taboo topic between them and even to this day, Mel had only
the sketchiest information about him. Not that it mattered; it was
just that sometimes she was curious. With a slight shake of her
head, she dismissed her father and returned to the more interesting
topic of Ryne Taylor.

Without a doubt,
the man was attractive and just the idea of having sex with him had
warmth pooling between her legs, but it wasn’t in the cards. Maybe
after the interview—if he did go along with the idea—it would be a
possibility. However, there was Lucy to consider. Mel liked the
woman even though they’d only talked twice. The waitress wasn’t
exactly refined, but there was something likeable about her. Lucy
was open and friendly. She didn’t try to put on airs; she was who
she was. In fact, Lucy was almost too nice for someone like Ryne
who seemed more of a ‘love ’em and leave ’em’ type.

Mel tried to
picture Ryne in a long term relationship, with a wife at his side
and little kiddies playing at his feet. The image quavered in and
out of focus in her mind. She frowned. Somehow she was putting
herself in the wife position. No. That wouldn’t do. Erasing the
very idea, she rolled on her stomach and buried her head under the
pillow, forcibly pushing Ryne out of her head. She began humming a
popular tune, but grunted in disgust when she realized it was a
mushy love song and she was getting all hot and bothered by it.

Throwing back the
covers, Mel got up and stomped into the kitchen. Taking a glass
from the cupboard she got a drink of cold water and then stood in
front of the window, pressing her warm cheek to the cool smooth
pane. The night here was much blacker than it was in Chicago. With
no street lights or neon signs to hold back the night, it shrouded
the world in complete inky darkness. It was calming, but also a bit
frightening to think that, except for the Kennedys, there was no
one around for miles. And without a phone, she had no way of
summoning help, unless she ran along the path through the little
woodlot in the dead of night...

A shiver passed
over her as she realized how truly alone she was. Just herself, the
darkness, and whatever animal life existed in the forest behind the
cabin. She set the glass down on the counter and walked to her
bedroom, intent on climbing back into bed and hiding under the
covers, but for some reason, found herself peeking out the bedroom
curtains instead.

The view from the
kitchen had been that of the woodlot, but this room faced the
actual forest. She recalled the footprints—both human and
canine—that she’d found the other day and searched the murky
darkness for any sign of life. The moonlight was dimmer now than it
had been when Ryne had walked her to her car; no doubt clouds were
starting to roll in as the forecast had called for rain. Still, as
her eyes adjusted, she could just make out the shadowy shapes of
tree trunks and a few low slung bushes.

For a moment, she
thought she detected something moving. It was just a sense of the
shadows shifting near the base of a tree, and maybe a glint of
something shining, but then it was gone. For long moments, she
waited and stared, but saw nothing. With a sigh, she let the
curtain fall back into place. It was just her imagination, thank
heavens. There was nothing dangerous out there, at least not to
her. Probably the little rabbits and squirrels that were regularly
prey had a different perspective, but she had nothing to be
concerned about.

Ignoring the
little niggling worry in the back of her mind, Mel climbed into
bed, wiggling around until she found a comfortable spot. With
determination, she closed her eyes and began reciting several
soliloquies from Shakespeare that she’d had to learn in school. As
usual, she only made it partway through Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to
be’ before sleep overtook her.