Chapter 15: Fifteen

*Then…*

As soon as they got into the car, Melina advanced on him, pulling the man to her by the neck and smashing her mouth on his lips. Greedy for him. They were so smooth, she’d never tire of kissing them.

“I have no clue who you are…” She moaned when he cupped one of her breasts in a light squeeze. “But I have the impression I know you. I just can’t place it right now…” She whispered to him, her warm breath bathing his neck, and she felt him shudder beneath her body. Then she blacked out.

When she woke up again, she was on a soft bed, still clothed and feeling hot. Why the hell the air conditioning wasn’t working? She stood up in bed and started undressing herself, smirking as the guy who came from the bathroom wrapped only in a towel froze, staring at her. With her blouse already dangling in her hands, she tossed in his direction. His eyes followed the piece of cloth, mesmerized, landing on the floor near his feet.

“What are you doing? I thought you’d be out for the entire night.”

Her eyes roamed with lust on his naked body. He was still wet from the shower, and the citrus scent mixed with vanilla coming from him sent goosebumps all over her skin. A warm, tingling sensation spread to her entire body, and those beautiful eyes just made her skin flush hotter.

“It’s too warm in here.” She stopped, grinning at him, slowly sliding her hands down her rib cage, over her belly, before going to her pants. “Maybe I need a cold shower…” Melina didn’t take her eyes one minute from his face. His honeyed ones glinted at her, drank her in, making her feel like a goddess. They were full of yearning and passion for her, and that gave her the courage to open her jeans and wiggle out of them like a stripper.

Melina knew what she was doing to him, he was hard beneath the towel, trying not to give into temptation, but she craved to be in his arms that night, to lose herself in his body and forget about the loneliness of her life for once. She wanted that handsome man in front of her, who stared at her like if she was a fucking goddess! Melina swirled her pants above her head, and seconds later, they joined her blouse near him. She turned around on top of the bed, arms opened and only in her black lace undies.

“Fuck!” She heard him curse, and he grew bigger under that darn towel, making her smile. “You don’t know what you are doing.”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight. What is taking you so long? Don’t you like what you see?” She was selling herself out to him like a chunk of meat, but she didn’t care, not tonight. She swung around again, laughing, this time losing her balance, and she found herself held by muscular arms. “At last! Gosh, you’re slow, but handsome!” She whispered to him, feeling little flames lick and dance over her body. She stared at his mouth, one hand on his cheek, caressing his beard as the other pulled his towel off. “Opsie,” she said and grinned, staring at the cloth in her grasp. They were inches apart. “Make me forget who I am, at least for the next few hours, please?”

“I don’t have condoms with me here, Melina. You’re still drunk, it’s the tequila talking. I don’t want you to regret it later.”

His voice was so sexy, raspy, and smooth. She raised her watered eyes to those pools of honey, and she saw genuine concern for her. How could that be? “I won’t, and my roommate, she has the Morning-After Pills with her, so don’t worry about it!” When the tears streamed down, she noticed the change in his eyes, the resolve in them. He kissed her face dry, and from there on, she embarked on a sweet and wild ride of pleasures and passion.

He worshiped her body, taking exquisite care with her. There was not an inch of skin he didn’t kiss or licked, bringing forth emotions she never felt before. He looked down at her with adoration and electricity raced through her, driving her core to clench for him, waiting, expecting him to fill her up, and take that loneliness away.

She had never been with someone before, and Melina didn’t tell him that, but it seemed he knew somehow, and was careful with her. She didn’t feel as if he was fucking her to oblivion, what he did, but she felt as if he made love to her. They spent the entire night over each other, and he made her scream so many times she lost count.

Melina woke up tired and spent, tender in places she had never considered before. The sun wasn’t up in the sky yet and her head was pounding with a hangover as memories of her lustful, passionate night flashed in her mind like fireworks. She didn’t have a clue where she was, and the soft snore coming from her side told her she wasn’t alone in bed.

Turning to the sound, her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t even know his name. He was sound asleep, so she took her time to observe him. He was a handsome man, with a boyish look while he slept, but worried lines didn’t leave his forehead, not even in this peaceful hour. She wanted to touch them, ease those lines, but she got afraid to wake him up. It wouldn’t be a bad thing since she was dying to see those honeyed eyes shining on her again.

He moved, drawing his right hand from under the pillow, and her entire world narrowed on his wrist, ripping her soul out of her body. The bracelet. It was indeed a beautiful piece of jewelry. She could see about five or six little tags with names on it, ‘Thomas, Nellie, Melina…’ Her stomach lurched so badly she had to gather all her will not to be sick, and make a mess right there. It was him, her Charming, the man who kidnapped her, who got involved in her parents’ killing.

Guilt, heavy guilt, invaded her, and unwanted tears came to her eyes. Melina put her hands on top of her mouth to keep her from screaming her lungs out. How could it be? Then little things popped into her mind. The man knew her name, and the way he got hesitant with her in the beginning, then took all the care as if she was a porcelain doll. He knew who she was all the time. He freaking knew!

She had to get out of there, or she would do something she regretted. Melina got out of the bed with care not to disturb him and on her tiptoes. She picked up her clothes from the floor, quickly dressing herself, and on her way to the door, she noticed his wallet on top of the nightstand. She walked back to it, and her fingers shook so much she dropped it with a soft thud. Her heart caught in her throat, and she snapped her eyes to him. He moved and went back to his dreams.

After all these years, she deserved at least to know his name. More tears washed down her face as she glanced at him. He had been a gentleman with her, paying attention to all her needs and fulfilling all her desires. How could a man who treated her with so much sweetness could kidnap and kill people, for Christ’s sake?

Back to her task, Melina opened the wallet, seeking for his driver’s license. And there it was, ‘Henry Louis Campbell,’ a beautiful name for a charming man. If only things were different. With a constricted chest, she gave him one sad last look and left without glancing back.