Melody of the Heart (Runaway Train, #4)(39)

Considering how sanitized of personality the room was, I was surprised there was even a picture of us on the nightstand. Abandoning my suitcase, I went to pick it up. It was a double-sided frame. One picture was from the night we got engaged when AJ had taken a pic of us when we were kissing on top of the Ferris wheel. The other one was of us Homecoming night when I had been crowned queen. Brayden wasn’t a part of the court, but he had met me as I came off the field. With roses in my arms and my glittering tiara on my head, I’d run into his open arms. The yearbook photographer had captured the moment when I pulled back and stared into Brayden’s eyes. We both had such expressions of love on our faces.

I swept my hand over my heart, trying to ease the ache burning in my chest. I felt like I was in a deranged fairy tale where our once happily ever after had turned so very sour. Willing myself not to cry, I grabbed a fresh outfit out of my suitcase and then trudged into the bathroom. I hoped the shower might make me feel better, but it didn’t. After I finished, I wrapped myself in one of the silky robes hanging on the back of the door. With my hair wet, I went out onto the porch that ran the length of the house.

After staring out at the ocean for what felt like an eternity, Brayden’s strong arms came around my waist. “Mmm, you smell nice,” he murmured, in my ear.

“Thank you.”

“Sorry I had to take care of some shit.”

“It’s okay.”

His hand trailed up my stomach to cup my breast. “I’ve missed you so f*cking much, Lily.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

As he pinched my hardened nipple, his teeth grazed along my neck. “Wanna go inside?”

I nodded and then let him lead me back into the bedroom. For the next three hours, we tumbled through the sheets, rolled around on the floor, and splashed water around in the Jacuzzi tub. The more I was with him physically, the more I began to slowly feel a more emotional connection to him.

My heart and mind felt even more at ease when he refused the invitation from AJ to accompany him and the guys to a club opening. Instead, we stayed at the house, eating Chinese take-out and watching goofball comedies. It felt just like old times.

Just before midnight, he took me for a walk along the beach. Hand in hand we walked along the cool sand, letting the waves lap against our ankles. Then we stripped down and made love on the beach by a secluded dune. On the way back to the house, he stopped to kiss me in the moonlight. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.”

And in that moment, everything was right and perfect between us.





LILY


THE PAST


I yawned. “Good morning.”

Brayden laughed. “Try afternoon, sleepyhead.”

After I shot up in bed, I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was twelve-thirty. “Oh no!” I moaned.

“What’s the matter?”

Untangling myself from the sheets, I replied, “You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long.”

“Why? I figured you needed the rest.”

“I don’t have that much time with you, so I don’t want to waste a minute.”

“Sounds like you’ve been missing me pretty badly,” he mused.

“Of course, I have.” I brought my hand to his face and rubbed my thumb along his jaw. “I love you so, so much. I hate to have to spend any time away from you.”

“I love you, too.” Jerking the sheet away from my breasts, he grinned. “Now why don’t you show me just how much you’ve missed me?”

“I can do that,” I replied

“I’m glad to hear it.” He then pushed me onto my back on the mattress.

***

After I showed Brayden how much I’d loved him to the tune of two orgasms for him and three for me, I slipped into the shower. Any other apprehensions I had about his feelings for me faded away when he brought me a tray of bagels, croissants, and fruit to the bedroom. Bundled in a robe, I chowed down on the feast before me.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said.

“You do?” I questioned through a mouth of jelly-filled croissant.

“Remember how I said there was a party for my label tonight?”

The bite of croissant I swallowed lodged in my throat. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, I gave our assistant your size and asked her to find you a dress for tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to have to worry about getting a dress before you left. But more than anything, I wanted a dress you would feel comfortable in out here. I know how you feel about fitting in.”

And with those words, the happy little bubble of my day burst. “You mean you were worried about me not fitting in,” I countered softly.

He scowled at me. “That’s not it at all, Lils. I just wanted to get you something nice. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” I then forced a smile to my face. “I haven’t had a new party dress in a long time.”

He grinned and went over to the closet. He took out a garment bag and then unzipped it. “What do you think?”

It was a nightmare—both the dress itself and the world I found myself in. It was short, and I knew from the material it would be skin tight on me. With the cutouts on the halter top, it would be showing a lot of cleavage too. While I’m sure it cost a fortune and had a famous designer’s name attached to it, it wasn’t me, and Brayden should’ve known that.