Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(72)

Dammit if his feet and legs didn’t twitch with the old instinct to go exactly where his dad told him to go. Will clenched his jaw harder and stayed exactly where he was, but his stomach turned at his flinch instinct. “I wouldn’t say no to some burn salve and a bandage,” he told Melody, hating the strain in his voice.

Melody did a quick search of the area. “Is there a staff medic or a first aid cabin around here?”

“Will,” his dad said, firm enough to be considered a shout. “You can deal with that later. We have things to discuss now.”

Will could feel Melody’s temper crackling beside him. She rounded on his dad so fast that Will worried about her ankle. “Your son has a bad burn,” she said, buzzing with fury. “He’s hurt. He needs to get this taken care of before you start trying to throw your weight around with him.”

Will’s dad’s eyes widened. He took a few steps closer to Melody. “I don’t know who you think you are, but—”

“She’s my girlfriend,” Will barked. Whether it was the pain in his hand or the ache in his heart as Melody was sucked into what was always going to be a shitty confrontation, Will couldn’t stand it for another second. “She’s my girlfriend, dad, and unlike you, at the moment she has my best interest at heart.”

His dad’s face went red, and the once-firm flesh around his jaw quivered. “I will not be spoken to like that.”

“Yes, you will,” Melody snapped. “Come on, Will. I see someone with a first aid kit up on the deck.”

She would have grabbed his good hand and dragged him up to the deck if Will had considered hesitating, but the thought never crossed his mind. He sent his dad one last look, letting him know that this was far from over, and pushed his way through the last of their shocked and embarrassed friends who had gathered around. Sandy and Jogi were there, so were Laura and Ben, not to mention a few others Will was on good terms with at the office. They all looked shell-shocked, like they had walked in on something they weren’t supposed to see but couldn’t figure out how to look away.

For once, Will didn’t care what they were thinking. He liked the way Melody had stood up for him, but beyond that, he was in too much pain to care about how others saw him. He adjusted his grip on Melody’s hand as they headed up to the porch, threading his fingers through hers. She marched on with determination, looking like she could blast a hole in anyone who got in their way, but they both stayed silent.

It turned out that the guy on the deck of the main lodge was the resort doctor, and he’d been alerted that Will’s hand was burned. They met on the deck stairs, and the doc escorted them inside to a wet bar in what looked like a rec room. Both Will and Melody were too angry to explain more than the basics of how Will had gotten the burn, and the doc didn’t seem to be in a chatty mood. He washed Will’s hand, provoking another round of stinging pain, treated it with burn ointment, and wrapped it.

“It could be a lot worse,” he said at the end. “Keep it clean. I’ll get you some ibuprofen and a cold compress. One you get home, go buy some aloe gel and keep it cool and clean. It should heal in a few days.”

“Thanks.” It was the best Will could manage, even though the man deserved more gratitude.

He seemed to understand, and nodded, cleaned up, and left Will and Melody alone. They stood there by the wet bar for several seconds in silence before Melody said, “I’m not going to let him speak to you the way he tried to out there.”

The interlude was over. They were right back in the thick of the conflict, whether his dad was standing there or not. In fact, if Will knew the man, they probably had less than a minute before his dad came barging into the lodge, guns blazing.

“I appreciate it,” Will said. “I don’t think anyone’s ever dared talk to him the way you just did.” His lips twitched into a bitter grin.

“Well, he’d better get used to it if he’s going to stick around.” Her grim threat turned into a much more Melody-like smile. “You called me your girlfriend.”

Awkward, blissful, prickly emotions zipped down Will’s spine. “Well, you are, aren’t you?”

Melody’s smile grew, and she moved closer, sliding her hands up over his chest and shoulders until her fingers played in his dirty hair. “You’d better believe it, Clementine.”

She leaned in, kissing him. Bad hand or no, he circled his arms around her, resting his hands on her backside, and pulled her close. She fit so well against him, her curves matching his so well. She knew just how to kiss him too—open-mouth, tongue flicking, relaxed and free. He wanted nothing more than to stand there with her, wrapped up in love and support like he’d never known.

“Son!”

The inevitable shout came all too soon. Will backed away from Melody’s kiss with a sigh and turned to face his dad as he stomped across the room. Melody whirled around to stand firm by his side.

“Enough of this nonsense,” his dad pushed on before Will could form what he wanted to say. “I haven’t seen you behaving so insolently since you were a child.”

“It’s not insolence,” Melody insisted. “Will is his own man, and you have no right—” She stopped abruptly when Will placed a gentle hand on her arm.

“What do you want, Dad?” Will asked. He stood straight and met his dad’s eyes without hesitation.