The Opposite of Love (21 page)

“Me too,” she said, and she kissed him there at the table, in the middle of the restaurant.

They walked through the casino and Derek suggested they stop at a blackjack table. They kept looking at each other and smiling, as if they were actually on a first date, just getting to know each other, optimistic about the endless possibilities. And in a way they were starting something new. Melanie could feel the switch flip, could see Derek become shinier than his former self. It occurred to her that it hadn’t happened during sex this time.
A little early, aren’t you?
she asked the voice in her head that resembled her own, the one that was telling her this was a good idea.
Right on time
, was the answer. And she realized that if she could hear it, the walls were already down. Hope had already come back and made itself comfortable on her lap and begged to be stroked. What she was surprised to find was that she’d missed it.

The dealer had to repeatedly ask them to pay attention to the game. After about fifteen minutes they became bored with it, so they decided to go for a walk. Out on the Strip, the fountains across the street at the Bellagio were swaying to the music of Beethoven’s 5th in the warm September air, and Derek stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her as they watched.

When it ended, and without letting go of Melanie, Derek asked, “Would you think I was forward if I invited you back to my place?”

Melanie brought a hand to her mouth and gasped mockingly. She tried to turn around to face him, but he tightened his hold, keeping his chest pressed against her back. She realized he was nervous, maybe bracing for rejection, and perhaps he didn’t want her to see on his face how important this was to him. So she waited, and eventually his hold loosened.

She turned toward him and looped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers and kissing him deeply. His breath came thick and warm, as if he’d been holding it in his lungs for a very long time. When they finally came up for air, they were both a little flushed.

Melanie pressed her cheek to his chest and he rested his chin on top of her head. She listened to the up-tempo beat of his heart through his shirt.

“How about my place instead?” she asked.

With his chin against her head, she could feel him smile, and this time she knew she was in good hands.

T.A. Pace lives in Las Vegas, NV, where she works as an editor and writer.

She can be reached at
[email protected]
or follow her on Twitter @sexyvegasTA.