Being Hers (Irresistibly Bound 1)

Mel raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Jess shrugged. “He makes up for it in other ways. It’s too bad he’s as vanilla as they come.”

Mel shook her head. Her phone buzzed. A text message. A slow smile spread across her face.

Tomorrow night. My room at The Lounge. After your shift. Another message followed shortly after. I’m sorry that I’ve been out of touch.

“Lemme guess? Vanessa?”

“Yep,” Mel said. Vanessa hadn’t given an explanation. But she had apologized. And something told Mel that Vanessa didn’t apologize very often.

“Told you.” Jess lay back down and pushed up her sunglasses. “Nothing to worry about.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Mmmm…” Mel lay on the king bed in Vanessa’s room above The Lounge, her hot, sweaty limbs tangled with Vanessa’s. A pair of handcuffs lay discarded on the bed beside them. Mel closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

The last few hours had silenced all of Mel’s doubts. She had been right that the night at Lilith’s Den had changed everything between her and Vanessa. Only it was for the better. They were more attuned to each other somehow, more connected. It was subtle but unmistakable.

“What are you smiling about?” Vanessa asked.

“I feel like I’m on top of the world right now.” Everything in her life was running smoothly. Law school. Work. Even her modest social life. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was completely stress-free.

Vanessa smiled and got up from the bed. “Drink?”

“Sure.” Mel watched Vanessa walk over to the counter. She still found the sight of Vanessa’s soft, white curves mesmerizing. Vanessa poured two glasses of whiskey and returned to the bed. Mel loved the taste of whiskey now. The way that every sip flooded her body with a pleasant warmth reminded her of Vanessa.

Vanessa’s phone rang. She looked at her cell, then quickly turned it off. She placed it aside and sat back on the bed.

Again? This seemed to happen a lot. When it did, it was like Vanessa’s mask would slip. She’d get a phone call. She’d ignore it. And she’d continue as if whatever it was hadn’t bothered her. But she always seemed slightly rattled afterward. Mel couldn’t help but wonder what could possibly shake someone like Vanessa. Despite their growing closeness, Vanessa was still mostly a mystery to Mel.

Vanessa reached out and swept a lock of Mel’s unruly hair out of her face. “It’s your birthday in a few days.”

A knot formed in Mel’s stomach. “How did you find out?”

“It’s in your employee records,” Vanessa said. “I couldn’t help but take a look. Do you have anything planned?”

“Not really…” Like every other year, Mel had been planning to let the day pass without telling anyone.

“That means I get you all to myself,” Vanessa said.

Mel stared down into her lap.

“What’s the matter?”

Mel shrugged. “I don’t really like birthdays.”

“And why not?”

Mel gathered up the satin sheets around her and pulled them into her lap. “They’ve always been… disappointing for me. It was just me and Mom growing up, and she wasn’t very good at that sort of thing. If she remembered at all.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been hard,” Vanessa said.

“It’s no big deal.”

“So your birthdays were disappointing in the past. They don’t have to be in the future.” Vanessa placed her glass down on the nightstand. “Let me give you the birthday you deserve. Let me spoil you.”

Mel hesitated. “I don’t know…”