Page 186 of My Real Love Affair

I could see phones out, people definitely recording us or taking pictures. A couple of months ago, I would have played it up, made sure we looked good for the cameras. But tonight, I didn’t give a damn who was watching or what they’d say about us online. This wasn’t for them. This was real.

Melody wrapped her arms around my neck as the music slowed slightly, and she pressed close, her cheek against my chest. I could feel her heart beating—or maybe that was mine. Hard to tell when we were this close.

She tilted her head back to look at me. Her lips were slightly parted, her cheeks flushed from dancing and heat and happiness. She was absolutely radiant. And then she kissed me.

It wasn’t performative or calculated. She kissed me like we were alone. Either she didn’t notice or didn’t care there were cameras pointed at us from every direction. The sudden realization hit me so hard it almost knocked me over.

I love you.

Three words. Simple. Honest. True. I wanted to say them. I wanted to tell her that she had changed everything. That I couldn’t imagine my life without her anymore. But this wasn’t the place. Not on a nightclub dance floor surrounded by strangers and cameras. Not with bass thumping so loud I would have to shout.

When I told Melody I loved her, it would be somewhere private. Somewhere intimate. Somewhere she would know I meant every word. I kissed her back. My hands cupped her face. She made a sound against my lips that went straight through me.

“Austin,” she breathed when we finally broke apart.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“Take me home.”

We stayed for one more song, then two, unable to pull ourselves away from each other. But eventually, I led her off the dance floor, never letting go of her hand as we navigated through the crowd. More than one person tried to stop us for one reason or another. I didn’t want to be a dick, but I wasn’t interested in posing for photos. I kept moving, focused on getting Melody outside and alone.

The cool night air hit us as we spilled out onto the sidewalk around two in the morning. We were both sweaty, breathless, and laughing about nothing in particular. Melody’s hair had come loose, and her makeup was slightly smudged. She looked completely perfect.

“That was so much fun,” she said, still catching her breath.

“Yeah?” I pulled her close, not caring that we were both overheated and damp with sweat.

“The best.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me again, quick and playful. “Thank you for tonight. All of it.”

“Thank you for coming with me.”

Matt pulled up with the car. We climbed into the back, and without asking Melody what she wanted, I told Matt to take us to the hotel penthouse.

“Let’s go to my place,” she said.

I looked at her. “You sure? My place is closer and we can slide into the hot tub.”

“Yours is beautiful, but it’s also a hotel. Mine is…” She searched for the word. “Cozier. More home-like. Is that okay?”

“Baby girl, anywhere you are is home.”

Her expression went soft, and she leaned against me as Matt changed direction toward her townhouse. By the time we got to her place, the adrenaline from dancing was wearing off, and we were both starting to feel the full weight of the night.

Melody fumbled with her keys, giggling as she tried to get the right one in the lock.

“Need help?” I asked, amused.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” She finally managed to open the door. “See? Totally fine.” Inside, she kicked off her heels with a groan of relief. “Oh my god, that feels amazing.”

I pulled off my jacket and loosened my tie. “You want to change? Get comfortable?”

“In a minute. I’m starving.” She padded toward the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Perfect. We’re making snacks.”

I followed her into the kitchen, where she started pulling things out of cabinets. “We’re going to make cookies. The break-and-bake kind because I’m too tired for real baking, but they’re still delicious.”