Chapter 85 Afterglow
Melissa’s POV
Warm water cascaded over my skin, washing away the evidence of the night.
I stood in the massive shower, my legs still trembling, my body deliciously sore in places I’d never been sore before. The steam surrounded us like a cocoon, blocking out everything except this moment. It was just I and Gavin in our own perfect world.
Gavin stood behind me, his large hands gentle as he worked shampoo through my hair. His fingers massaged my scalp carefully.
“Mhmm.” I moaned softly from how nice it felt.
“Tilt your head back,” he murmured.
I obeyed, letting the water rinse the shampoo away. His hands followed, making sure every strand was clean.
Then he pressed a soft kiss to my wet hair. Something in my chest tightened at the gesture.
“I can do this myself, you know?” I said quietly, but there was no real protest in my voice.
“I know.” His hands moved to my shoulders, soaping them gently. “But I want to, you don’t have to do anything when I’m here.”
I closed my eyes and let him take care of me.
His phone buzzed somewhere in the bathroom. Once. Twice. Three times in quick succession.
I felt him still behind me, his hands pausing on my skin.
“You should get that,” I said.
“It can wait.”
But the buzzing continued.He sighed and reached past me to turn off the water. Then he wrapped me in a towel… It felt really soft, expensive, and warm from the heated rack. He secured it around my body with gentle hands.
“Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed a towel for himself and walked out, leaving me standing in the steam.
I took my time drying off, trying to process everything that had happened. My body still hummed with residual pleasure. My wrists had faint red marks from the cuffs. My lips were swollen from kissing.
I looked completely debauched.And I’d loved every second of it.
I found clothes laid out on the bed…a soft sweater and leggings that must have been here from before. I pulled them on.
When I walked out from the bedroom, Gavin was in the living room, dressed in dark jeans and a black henley, his phone pressed to his ear.
“Understood,” he said quietly. “We’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
He ended the call and looked at me.
“Get your shoes, my love,” he said. “We need to go somewhere.”
“Now?” I glanced at the windows. The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky in soft pinks and oranges. “Where?”
“You’ll see.”
I didn’t ask questions. Just put on my shoes and followed him to the car.
………
The drive back to the city was quiet.
Gavin drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on my thigh. It felt really possessive and I loved every bit of it.
I watched the landscape change from rural to suburban to urban, the buildings growing taller as we approached Manhattan.
Finally, he pulled up in front of a building I didn’t recognize. It was expensive and modern. The kind of place that screamed wealth and exclusivity.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“I’m here to see a friend.”He got out and came around to open my door, offering his hand.
I took it, letting him help me out of the car. My legs were still a bit unsteady, and his hand tightened on mine when I stumbled slightly.
We walked to the entrance together. Before Gavin could reach for the handle, the door opened.
Kane Rivers stood there.I stopped, recognition hitting me immediately.
“You,” I said. “From the gala.”
He inclined his head slightly, a small smile playing at his lips. “Miss Hayes.”
“And also the person who’s been following me around,” I added, narrowing my eyes.
Kane’s smile widened. “You are really observant, aren’t you miss Hayes?.”
“Melissa,” Gavin said calmly, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
I looked between them. “You’re connected. I kind of suspected, but…” I turned to Gavin. “Why are we here?”
Kane stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter.
Both men looked slightly surprised that I’d figured out their connection so easily, but neither commented on it.
Gavin’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly…a tiny tightening around his eyes that might have been approval or amusement.
“This way,” Kane said, leading us down a hallway.
The apartment was beautiful. And very minimalistic. Expensive artwork covered the walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city.
We walked deeper into the space, following Kane toward what I assumed was the living room.
I was still looking around when I heard a voice I would recognize anywhere.
“I told you, I’m fine. I just need some space to figure things out…”
Aria.
I stopped walking so abruptly that Gavin nearly ran into me.
“Aria?” I called out.
Suddenly everywhere became silent then I heard the sound of footsteps running towards me.
Her purple hair was slightly messy. Wearing an oversized t-shirt that definitely wasn’t hers. Her eyes went wide when she saw me.
“Mel?” She looked between me, Gavin, and Kane with pure confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said, taking in the scene. Aria. In Kane’s apartment. In his shirt.
Oh.
Oh.
Aria’s face flushed red. “It’s not what it looks like. I just didn’t want to bother…”
“It’s exactly what it looks like,” Kane said from behind us, cutting her short, completely unbothered. “ And I thought I told you to stay inside you had a serious fever. Why are you out of bed?”
Gavin’s hand tightened on mine. “We need to talk. All of us.”
I looked at Aria, who looked at Kane, who looked at Gavin.
And I realized that whatever was happening here was bigger than I’d thought.
Much bigger.
“Someone,” I said slowly, looking around at all of them, “needs to start explaining. Right now.“
“Of course please right this way.” Kane said softly.