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“What are we going to do?” she asked, staring up at him with fear in her eyes, and his brain snagged on the one solution that would seem to solve all their problems.
His gaze flickered to her lips a second before he lowered his head. “This.”
The kiss started soft and gentle, a tentative brush of their mouths together. But as soon as he tasted the slight sweetness of her strawberry lip gloss and felt her tremble, then yield beneath him, Daveed was lost. He turned slightly and cupped her cheek, stroking his tongue across her full bottom lip, seeking entry. She gasped and he slipped inside her mouth, discovering the sweetness did not stop with her lips. The room, the cameras, the jostling crowd all disappeared, leaving only him and Melody, a woman whose gentle curves and bright smile seemed to rock his entire universe.
All too soon, however, she pulled away, looking as stunned as he felt.
Forcing himself to regain his equilibrium despite the desire swirling through him, Daveed cleared his throat then looked around at the paparazzi. “Yep, that’s right. She’s my woman now.”
Amidst a flurry of questions from the press and more flashes from the cameras, he and Melody rushed out of the pub, his blood pounding loud in his ears and his heart thudding hard in his chest. He hailed a cab at the curb and helped Melody inside before climbing in behind her, feeling far more shaken by that brief kiss than he cared to admit.
5
“Wait!” Melody said as Daveed started to give the driver directions to the condo. After the stress of what happened with Heath followed by that scorching, toe-curling kiss with Daveed, she wasn’t sure she could handle going back to the condo alone with him just yet. She needed some time and space and fresh air to wrap her head around all the emotions swirling inside her—disappointment, desire, hope, helplessness. “Can you take us to Rockefeller Center instead?”
“Sure, lady,” the driver said before pulling out into traffic.
“Why do you want to go there?” Daveed asked, frowning. “I’d think after the circus that happened inside the pub the last thing you’d want to do is be around more people.”
“I know, but I need to decompress a bit before I go home.” She sighed and looked out the window, anywhere but at him. Because now when she saw Daveed’s face, all she could seem to focus on were his warm mocha brown eyes, his soft full lips, how the slight roughness of the stubble on his jaw felt beneath her fingertips. Oh, Lord. Even sitting a foot apart in the back of a cab, she could still remember the heat of him pressed against her, could still smell his exotic aftershave—jasmine, sandalwood, and citrus. She bit her lip and did her best to refocus on something less sexy and more innocent. “Besides, I’m dying for a hot chocolate and the VIP Igloo by the ice rink serves the best in the city.”
He sighed and shook his head, clearly avoiding her gaze as well. He kept checking his phone, his thumbs typing out a quick text. She tried to peek once, but he hid the screen from her. Most likely, he was texting Heath to apologize for springing her on him like that. Given how crappy the meeting had gone, it was probably good he’d not warned Heath ahead of time. And there was no way the guy would agree to see her again willingly now.
The cab pulled up at the curb on Forty-Ninth Street and Daveed handed the driver money for their fare while Melody climbed out and stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the towering Christmas tree nearby. All around them were families with kids and couples in love, and the unexpected sting of tears burned her eyes before she blinked them away. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. What happened with Heath was over and done now and there was nothing she could do to change it. And yes, maybe there was a moment at the beginning of that kiss with Daveed where it felt so real, so true, even though she was sure the only reason he’d done it was to throw off the paparazzi. It was fine. It was good. She’d be strong and do this on her own. Besides, all she could do now was make the best of her situation and move forward.
“Right,” Daveed said, as their cab pulled away and he moved in beside her on the crowded sidewalk. “Where’s the magical vendor you told me about?”
“This way.” She took his hand and weaved through the crowds of tourists from all over the world, speaking various languages. “It’s downstairs, near the Prometheus.”
They entered the complex under a lighted entrance proclaiming the Rainbow Room Observation Deck NBC Studios, then took a sharp right before they reached an island labeled Top of the Rock. Melody had been coming here since she was a child with her parents and knew the way by heart, even if Daveed seemed to be digging in his heels a bit.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” he asked, frowning in the dimmer light inside the hallway. “We seem to be going away from the ice rink, not toward it.”
“It’s right. Trust me, I’ve been here more times than I can count.” She pulled him forward down the long marble hallway, past the NBC Experience Store on the right and toward two sets of stairs and an escalator at the end of the corridor. “It’s right down here.”
They descended the stairs and she spotted the glass and steel atrium of the Igloo straight ahead. As they reached the doors, she fumbled inside her bag for her VIP Pass and showed it to the attendant on duty at the door then paid for a second pass for Daveed without batting an eye. She might have limited funds, but this was important. He smiled and nodded as he handed Melody her change then tipped his hat to them as they passed through to the inside. It was a bit less crowded down here, and the smell of freshly baked holiday sugar cookies filled the air. Despite her less-than-stellar time at the pub, Melody couldn’t suppress a smile. “What do you think? Pretty magical, eh?”
Watching Daveed take in the view over the ice rink outside and the twinkling Christmas lights in the gathering twilight was nearly enough to make her hurl herself into his arms and kiss him silly again. The wond
er and delight on his handsome face was the best gift ever. “It’s… Wow!”
“I know, right?” She linked arms with him and pulled him over to a small area in the corner and fixed them each a cup of hot cocoa. “With or without marshmallows?”
“With, of course.”
“My kind of man.” She winked and spooned an extra helping of mini-marshmallows into his mug then picked up her own and did the same. “I’ll make it up to him, I swear.”
“Who?” Daveed frowned, sipping his drink.
“Heath.” She warmed her hands around her steaming cup. “What I did was wrong and I’ll make amends to him, I promise. Right after I prove to my parents that I can stand on my own two feet.”
“Sounds admirable,” Daveed said, leading her over to one of the glass walls overlooking the rink. “How exactly are you planning on accomplishing all this?”
“I’m not sure yet.” She watched the people on the ice, twirling and falling and holding on to each other for support. Melody shrugged and hazarded a glance at Daveed, finding him watching her closely. Fresh sparks of awareness burst like fireworks inside her and her cheeks prickled with heat. “But I’ll figure it out. Just like I did those codes of yours. Seems I’m good for something after all.”
“Hmm.” He gave her a sexy little half smile. “Yes. I’m starting to believe you’re good for a great many things, Mel.”
He’d never called her by her nickname before and the intimacy of it sent a thrill zinging through her blood. She covered her fluster with a quick curtsy and a grin. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from a royal exile.”
