I have no more willpower. I grab her hips and shift her, so she sinks right down onto my cock. We both cry out at the sensation. “You’re so tight,” I grind out as she seats herself, taking all of me.
“Oh my god, you feel amazing.” Melanie moans, grinding her hips in slow rhythmic circles.
I circle her clit with my thumb, and she arches her back, crying out and giving me a show. I watch my cock slide in and out of her until I can’t take the lack of control anymore. I flip her over like a rag doll and lift her legs onto my shoulders, driving deep inside. Our eyes are glued to each other, everything blocked out except our moans of pleasure and our synchronous breathing. My heartbeat is in my ears as I feel every sensation of Melanie’s heat and slickness on my own skin. I feel her in every nerve ending on my body, the weight of the emotions of the last twenty-five years without her almost too much to bear.
Her legs drop, wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us. I rock into her, gliding my tongue across her neck and her jaw, finding her earlobe. “Mel,” I whisper into her ear.
She moans in response.
“I meant it when I said I’ve always loved you,” I murmur, driving into her.
Her mouth finds mine again in a feverish, urgent kiss. I drag my teeth across her lower lip, sucking until she begins to tremble underneath me.
“You were meant for me,” I growl into the kiss, thrusting harder, feeling my release build. “Now come for me. Come hard.”
A sharp cry escapes Melanie’s lips as her legs tighten around me, her body going rigid as her legs convulse.
I pump into her until I see stars, my own legs trembling as I take the final plummet off the edge of the cliff that is Melanie Glick. I collapse on top of her, feeling the synchronicity of our heartbeats, our heaving breaths mingling together. Melanie drags her nails up my back, glistening with sweat. The sensation sends a shiver through me. How did I go this long without this girl?
Melanie lets out a satisfied laugh. “Well, you’re not seventeen anymore.”
“No, I’m not.” I burrow my face in her neck with a laugh. Then, seriously, “There’s more where that came from.”
“I can’t wait.” Melanie tangles her fingers in my hair.
“What do you say we start with a shower?”
23
MELANIE
It’s been two weeks since Josh and I took things to the next level and I’m still pinching myself. I don’t know how I got so lucky but suddenly it makes sense to me why no one else chose me before. It’s not that I wasn’t worth choosing—it’s that on some level, I was waiting for this. For him. Every missed connection, every failed relationship, every empty swipe on an app feels less like rejection now and more like the universe biding its time. Because somehow, against every odd, I had to find Josh again.
We’ve fallen into an easy rhythm where I work, he writes music, and we come together in the evenings to rehearse until our eyes grow heavy and our fingers hurt. Then we fall into bed, making slow, passionate love before drifting to sleep in each other’s arms.
Neither of us has dared to bring up what comes next. We’re living each day as if the concert is the end goal, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t want more, even if it means following Josh wherever he goes next. My whole life, I’ve never been a risk-taker. Content with the status quo and scared to make a move, somewhere along the line, I got stuck. Josh told me weeks ago he hasn’t really been living all these years—neither have I. So, each night as I fall asleep in his arms, I send up a silent prayer that maybe this is our second chance. Maybe, we’ll choose each other.
I’m daydreaming on the couch after a long day shift when Josh walks in the front door with a bag of takeout from Fin’s.
“Got dinner,” he says, dropping it on the coffee table and plopping down next to me. He plants a kiss on the side of my head. “You toast?” He cocks his head at me. “You look really spent.”
“It was a long, busy day shift. You know, July fourth weekend and all.” I shrug and rest my head on his shoulder, and he slips an arm around me, tugging me close. “I’m thinking it might be time for a change.”
“Oh yeah?” Josh quirks an eyebrow at me. “What kind of change?”
I chew on my lip, looking up at him from the crook of his arm. I’m trying to read his mind—if he’d like my change to include him. “I’m not sure. I am just tired of the restaurant business.”
Josh lets out a low whistle but his face remains impassive. “I can’t say I blame you there. I spent ten years in it in Nashville before I got my deal. It’s grueling work.”
“It is. And Andrew is good to me, but you got me thinking. I realize I haven’t really been living either.” I close my eyes, tucking further into his shoulder as Josh strokes my lower back.
He kisses the top of my head. “Well, let’s figure out how we can startlivingtogether.”
I sigh. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Let’s start with this dinner before our nachos get soggy.” Josh grins, lifting out of my embrace and pushing up from the couch. He takes everything out of the bag, placing it in the center of my small table, while I fill us glasses of ice water.
Josh must’ve been extra hungry when he placed the order because he got coconut shrimp, loaded tater tots, nachos, calamari, and wings. We make our plates and start munching in silence. Josh seems energized, and I need some of his excitement to wear off on me.
