Not Betting on Forever, page 7
“Right.” But his warm hand wrapped around hers was making all her sister’s words fade away. His intense brown eyes were focused only on her. The good kind of shivers were back, and her heart started to race. Her teenage self would have been freaking out. It would be so easy to lean in. Just a little bit more. To feel the pressure of his lips on hers. To discover his taste for the first time.
But then Shelby’s call came rushing back, her words a reminder that for a long time Nick had been family. Her brother-in-law. The last thing Melanie should want was to open that can of worms.
She took a deep breath and flashed him a cheery smile. “Well, anyway, good night. See you Saturday morning, if not before.”
She’d have to make sure she didn’t see him before. She had the rest of the week to get over the temptation that was Nick Campagna. And remind herself that he didn’t want anything more than friendship from her.
…
The Battle of the Businesses began in the Lakeside High gymnasium on Saturday morning, with the Three-Point Shot Basketball Challenge. The bleachers were packed with teams and members of the community. Lana was competing for the salon team, while Mitch Washington was playing for Nick’s team. Judging by his height and the confident way he handled the ball during warm-ups, Melanie guessed he’d played basketball too.
She was practically bouncing with excitement as she cheered from the bleachers. This was the first step toward winning the deed to the land. Nick and his teammates cheered for Mitch from across the gym. When Lana ended up scoring more points than Mitch, Melanie waved at Nick and winked. First event, points to the Beauty Divas.
Dodgeball took place next. Melanie’s team was enthusiastic, but not all that talented at dodging the flying balls. In the end, they lost out to Nick’s team. Second event, points to the gym.
The afternoon was dedicated to the Golf Scramble. Neither her team nor Nick’s was competing in the event, but they were there to watch with everyone else. Somehow the two of them had ended up next to each other in the crowd of spectators on the Lakeside Golf Course. Melanie told herself she was keeping an eye on the competition.
There couldn’t be any other reason they’d gravitated toward each other.
“I don’t know how golf ever became a spectator sport,” Melanie complained. She was hushed by a nearby spectator. “Oh for heaven’s sake,” she whispered, throwing Nick an amused look. “They’re not competing for a green jacket here.”
“You actually know what the award is for the Masters Cup? I thought you didn’t follow golf.”
Golf? Yawn.
She wanted to roll her eyes, but the glares they got from the spectators around them made her grin instead. “I’d have to live without TV or internet not to know that.” Then she was shushed again, and this time she did roll her eyes.
“I’m being quiet,” she whispered.
“Come on.” Nick took her arm and led her to the back of the crowd.
“I can’t see a thing back here.”
“If our teams were on that golf course today, we’d be just as concerned about distractions from the crowd.”
She’d thought the BoB was just for fun. “You think there are other people who’ve bet on the outcome?”
“Wouldn’t be surprised. But I’m willing to bet most of the golfers competing today are pretty damn serious about their sport. There are reputations to uphold, even in charity golf matches.”
“Hmm. I guess you’re right.” So it wasn’t all fun and games, after all. She pulled the sequined Beauty Diva ball cap off her head and waved it in front of her, trying to stir up a breeze. It wasn’t so bad, standing back here with the trees for shade, even if they couldn’t see much of the play. It was more fun to watch the spectators, anyway.
And Nick. The heat of the day had caused his Campagna’s Gym tee to plaster itself to his impressive chest. His hair could definitely use a trim, but the damp curls lay kind of sexily along his strong neck. In fact, her fingers sometimes itched to touch them, to touch him.
“Everything okay?” Nick asked, his voice a little slower than normal. Had she been staring at him?
She swallowed. “Sure. I…um… I was noticing your hair is getting quite long. You should probably get that taken care of.”
“No doubt you’ll be taking care of me after tomorrow.”
Taking care of him? Her knees trembled at the thought. She licked her lips as she imagined the ways she could take care of him.
He leaned in, whispered, “You’re still staring at me, Melanie.”
She blinked, took a step away. “No, I’m not.”
“You were thinking about kissing me.”
“I was not.” But she felt her cheeks burn. “Why are you talking about kissing?” she whispered.
He shrugged, like he was only teasing her. “One little kiss won’t mean anything.”
Maybe not for him… She was moistening her lips with her tongue before she realized it.
He leaned even closer, until his lips brushed her ear. “Bet you’ll kiss me before the stroke of midnight.”
She drew back sharply. “Stroke of midnight? What is this, some Cinderella story?”
“Nope. I’m not a prince, and you don’t have a wicked stepmother.” He chuckled. “I’m willing to give you time to plant your lips on mine.”
“I’m not going to be with you at midnight.” Damn, her voice had trembled a bit when she said that. Like she imagined what it would be like to be with Nick. At the stroke of midnight. Kissing.
“You can kiss me earlier.” His eyes sparked, and her skin tingled. “Kiss me right now if you want to.”
She glanced around quickly, but no one was paying attention. She sure didn’t want anyone taking a picture of them being close enough to kiss. “I don’t want to.”
He glanced at his watch. “You’ve got time.” There was a shout from the crowd, and he walked away without another word. She didn’t follow.
She was confused. He’d wanted to ignore their attraction. Now he wanted to kiss? Now that Nick brought it up, she couldn’t stop thinking about kissing him. If she did, where would it lead?
She was beginning to realize that she might actually enjoy finding out.
…
It was heading into evening, and the air still hadn’t cooled off yet. Nick grabbed a couple of hot dogs from the Scoop, an ice-cream and hot-dog stand, before crossing the manicured lawn over to the Putt-Putt Mini Golf at the edge of Lakeside Park. It was the last event of the day. Joanie was competing, as was Melanie’s newest employee, Shauna. Ginny was competing for Colburn and Sons Salvage. Nick found Melanie standing with Lucy, Josh, and Mitch. She had a little frown line between her eyebrows when she looked at him.
Damn, why had he tried to goad Melanie into kissing him? Just because he’d been aching to taste her didn’t mean he should. He understood her confusion. But it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be to ignore the attraction…the need. He was craving that kiss now. It didn’t have to go any further than a kiss. It couldn’t go any further than a kiss. Maybe that was all it would take to get it out of their system.
After their rocky start at Fourth Fest, he’d realized how comfortable he felt when he was with her. It was probably why he felt at ease enough to tease her about the kiss to begin with.
“Why didn’t you sign up for this one?” he asked her.
“I’m not patient enough to hit a little ball at the perfect angle and with the right amount of force to get it through the clown’s mouth and into the little hole.”
“Didn’t realize your disdain for golf went for the mini version too.” He bumped shoulders with her before he could stop himself. Friends did that, right? It didn’t have anything to do with kisses at midnight.
“Golf is golf.” Someone hushed her, and Nick laughed when she rolled her eyes.
“I can whack a volleyball or toss a bean bag, but no, golf clubs and I don’t get along.” She turned to Nick. “You?”
“Not for me,” he replied. “It’s okay. Joanie says she’s a pro at it.”
“Hell yeah,” Mitch said, giving his wife a thumbs-up.
“Ginny says she is, too,” Josh said, speaking up for his fiancée.
“Shauna says the same—and so far, she’s delivered on her promises.” Melanie waved her fingers with their sparkly, purple-polished nails in front of his face, and he noticed for the first time that they matched the sequined logo on her cap. Somehow, Melanie could be wearing knock-around clothes, like today’s denim cut-offs and white tank, and still appear more put-together than anyone else there. “She gives a killer manicure.”
All these people had an easy friendship he envied. Even Mitch stood at the other side of their little group from Nick. The only team event they’d had so far was dodgeball, and he’d been disappointed in how little their team had worked together, with no strategy to speak of. They’d done okay in the event, but it was because they’d had some powerful ball-throwers. He’d failed as a leader.
“Oh, here comes Ginny.” Melanie began to give a play-by-play sotto voce, like a pro-golf announcer. Without, of course, knowing any of the proper terminology. But the attempt made him smile.
“And Ginny Colburn comes up to the tee, one hand confidently clasping the club, and with the other hand places her ball at the ready. Oh dear, the ball rolls off the tee and escapes her grasping fingers. Colburn dashes down the green to recapture the errant ball.”
Lucy giggled. Nick felt his smile grow wider.
Ginny’s frustration was evident, but she grinned and waved to all the spectators. She blew a kiss to Josh before placing the golf ball correctly. Obviously the mishap didn’t throw her off, because she ended up winning the event. Shauna came third, and Joanie was fifth.
After they’d congratulated the competitors and waved goodbye to their friends, Melanie sidled over to Nick. “Where does that put us at the end of the first day?”
“Don’t have the exact point count, but we’re close.”
“My team has to be ahead at the moment,” Melanie said with glee.
“It comes down to tomorrow, then.” Not only did their little side bet depend on it, but it felt as if this weekend would set the tone for the rest of the battle. Which would lead to the deed changing hands. Which could get his truck into a garage before the first snowfall.
She glanced down at the paper in her hand, as if they both hadn’t already memorized the event schedule. “Looks like I’m getting up early tomorrow.” She folded up the paper and tucked it in the back pocket of her shorts. He couldn’t help it if the action drew his attention to her firm ass.
“How do you feel about your run first thing in the morning?” Things were getting mixed up in his head, because he actually wanted her to do well.
She took off her cap, pulled the hair tie out of her hair, and rubbed her scalp. “5K is nothing; I just hope it’s not as hot and muggy as it was today.” He couldn’t look away as she stretched her arms high, pulling the material of her tank tight over her small breasts. Then she smoothly pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tucked it through the opening in her cap before sliding it on again.
He swallowed. Damn, he ached to run his hands all over her, to cup her breasts, nuzzle her throat. How was he ever going to resist this attraction? “You wearing those tight little shorts and a sports bra to cut down on wind resistance?”
She narrowed her eyes, but her lips lifted. “Don’t be a jerk.”
He popped a shoulder. “Deciding if it’ll be worth getting up early to watch.” Maybe if he were a jerk, she’d push him away and forget all about that kiss he’d practically begged her for.
Melanie swatted at him, but she still wore a smile. “I’m always worth watching.” Guess she wasn’t taking the opportunity to push him away. They headed down the sidewalk. Somehow, walking home together had become the norm.
“Herb looked tired by the last event,” she said, as they turned the first corner. He’d propped himself up in a folding chair, ensuring himself a front row seat at every event.
“Heard he insisted he needs to observe every event.”
“Maybe I should talk to Lucy. Can’t the rest of the BoB committee help with that?”
“Probably already told him they would.”
“Stubborn old man.” She squinted at him. “I saw you observing every event today.”
“Same for you, but we’re not in our eighties.”
She lifted her chin, and he suddenly wanted desperately to know what the tender skin of her throat tasted like.
“I’ll have you know I intend to be damn spry when I’m his age.”
“Still wearing makeup and nail polish?”
“Of course. Otherwise I might as well be naked.”
He tripped, and she caught his arm. “You okay?”
“Damn uneven sidewalk.”
“Mm-hmm.” The satisfaction in her smile told him she’d deliberately tried to get a reaction from him. What did that mean?
She hadn’t been wearing any makeup the day she’d fallen out of the tree and into his arms. “You’re beautiful without the makeup and polish.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thanks, but it’s not as much fun.”
“It’s fun to spend all that time painting your face and nails?”
“My job is all about helping women feel great about themselves. What’s the point of living if you can’t enjoy it?”
He caught her eye. “Enjoying your life, Brat?”
She kept eye contact for a brief moment, before she looked away. “I am right now.”
He slowed his steps. “Right now? This minute?”
She shrugged, but the corner of her lips lifted. “I guess I’m enjoying the company.”
They had only one more block. He could have walked beside her all night long. Or at least until midnight. “Me too.”
They didn’t speak again until they were home, but he’d come to appreciate their comfortable silence. The moon shone bright tonight, giving her a soft glow.
When was the last time he’d noticed the moon? Or a fucking glow?
This time he walked her up onto the porch, rather than waiting on the sidewalk for her to go inside. The voice in his head telling him to walk away had been drowned out by the one urging him to stay. Reminding him he’d get a kiss if he was lucky.
He could see her even better in the light from her porch. Her bright eyes, her soft skin, the shadow of cleavage at the base of her tank’s V-neck. She turned to face him at the door. “Good night, Nick.”
“Don’t suppose you want to hang around together until midnight—”
She laughed, grabbed his face, and planted that kiss he’d been hoping for. This wasn’t some soft, hesitant brush of lips. It was a crush of mouths, made hotter by hungry moans, teased further by the slip of tongues. He actually groaned when she slowly pulled away.
She chuckled softly. “Good night, Nick,” she repeated, then disappeared through the door.
…
Melanie sent a group text as soon as she watched Nick climb the steps to his front door.
I kissed him!
Who? Lucy asked.
Who? Ginny asked.
She guessed it was good that no one had noticed that she and Nick had seemed to spend a lot of time together during the BoB events today.
OMG! Nick? Lucy guessed then.
Really? Ginny asked. Nick Campagna? Pout. Why am I out of the loop?
He’s only been here a couple weeks, Lucy supplied, as if Melanie didn’t know that.
He’s your brother-in-law! Ginny said, as if Melanie didn’t know that either. It was the comment she dreaded the most.
Ex, Lucy corrected.
Melanie hadn’t even had time to respond to their first texts. She decided to sit back and wait until her friends had finished their thoughts.
When? Where? Why? Ginny asked.
Why? Have you seen the man? It’s Nick fricking Campagna, Lucy texted.
Melanie smiled. Nick was the definition of aging well.
So when and where? Ginny again.
Just now. On my porch.
OMG did you go on a date? This was Lucy.
No! What do I do?
Get some sleep. You have to run in the morning. Lucy again.
You have BoB on the brain! Ginny this time.
Nothing she can do about it tonight, Lucy replied.
Except dream about him :) Ginny, of course.
You two are no help at all!
Melanie sent one more text. Wine night Monday. She had the feeling she’d need it.
She couldn’t sleep. The 5K run started at 7 am, but knowing she had to get up early made it harder to fall asleep. Her brain wouldn’t stop whirling with random thoughts.
And non-random thoughts.
Her mind kept replaying the kiss with Nick. The mutual attraction she couldn’t deny. The mutual attraction that evidently neither of them could ignore.
When she tried to block thoughts of Nick, she worried about Ava traveling with Dan across the country. She wondered how Shelby was and how they could mend their rift. And then her thoughts circled back around to Nick.
She tried hot tea. A glass of red wine. She pulled on the headband with the flat speakers Lucy had given her, hoping it would lull her to sleep with a story or music. Tonight, nothing seemed to work. At three o’clock, she gave up and padded downstairs and into the kitchen. She glanced out the dining room window and saw a dark, quiet house next door. Obviously Nick didn’t have any trouble sleeping. Was his life not turned upside down by her kiss?
Of course it wasn’t. It was his fault she couldn’t sleep. If he hadn’t mentioned the attraction in the first place, she wouldn’t be awake now, drinking her third cup of chamomile tea. But as she lowered the china cup to the saucer with a clink, she knew she couldn’t blame Nick for everything.
She’d felt the attraction right away. She’d wanted to blame it on her teenage crush, but that didn’t have anything to do with it. After Nick had married Shelby and moved away, she had had crushes on other guys, but none of the ones still in the area when she moved back to Lakeside currently caused any feelings of desire.
