“I’ll see if the lights are back on in the house,” Melody says, and I use my phone to light the way for her. “Yep, back on,” she shouts seconds later. I make my way to her and turn the flashlight off on my phone. “Thanks, Lucas. I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do if that had happened when you weren’t here. I’ll know now for next time. You just flipped the switches, right?”
I frown. “Yes, but if it happens again, then something’s wrong. That fuse box looks really old. I think it needs checking out.”
She sighs and drops her head. “Something else to add to the ever-growing list of things to speak to the landlord about.”
“Promise me you’ll look into getting it checked if the landlord doesn’t come through?”
“Okay. I promise.”
She yawns, and I smile. “Tired?”
“Yep. Sharing a bed with Roman is catching up with me. He’s such a fidget. He kept me awake most of the night.”
“I should go. Let you get some sleep.”
We walk in silence through the house to the entryway.
“Thank you for cooking dinner, especially when it should have been me cooking for you. I’m definitely cooking next time.”
I smile. “I can’t wait.”
She smiles back shyly. “Night, Lucas.”
“Night, Melody.” I hover in the entryway for a few seconds before turning and opening the front door. I walk out onto the porch and turn to face her. “See you soon?”
She nods. “See you soon.”
I walk down the steps, hearing Melody lock the door behind me. I kick myself as I head back to my place. I should have just pulled her against me and kissed her. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since the second I set eyes on her. I come to a stop on the driveway and turn to look back. The lights are still on in the living room, and before I can think about what I’m doing, I jog back up the porch steps. Knocking lightly on the door, I wait. Nerves bubble in my stomach when I hear the click of the lock.
“Lucas. Everything okay?” she asks when she swings the door open and sees me.
“I forgot something.”
“Oh. Sure. Come on in and you can grab whatever it is.”
She moves aside, and I walk past her into the entryway. When the door closes and she turns around, I reach for her, tugging her gently against my chest. Her eyes widen in surprise as her arms wind around my neck.
“I thought you’d forgotten something?” she asks breathlessly, her head tilted back to look at me.
“I did. Like an idiot, I walked out of here without kissing you, and kissing you is all I’ve been able to think about since we first met.”
“Oh,” she whispers.
I lean my head down and press my lips gently against hers. I pull back and wait for her reaction. When she smiles, I breathe a silent sigh of relief that I haven’t read her wrong. Her hands push into my hair, and she pulls my head down to meet hers. Our lips meet again, but this time there’s more urgency, and as I swipe my tongue against her bottom lip, she opens up to me, my tongue colliding with hers. I tug her even closer into my chest, loving how perfectly she fits in my arms. She moans into my mouth as I reach a hand from around her waist and cup her neck. My lips leave hers, and I pepper kisses along her jaw and down her neck.
“Fuck! I’m glad I came back,” I mutter against the skin of her neck.
“Me too,” she mumbles, her head dropping to the side to give me better access.
We’re both breathing heavily when I finally pull my lips from her skin. As I hold her, I can feel her heart pounding against my chest. She must be able to hear mine. I swear I can feel it beating in my ears.
After a few minutes, I lean back, my eyes searching hers. “You okay?”
She nods. “I’m more than okay. That was something else, Lucas.” I grin like an idiot, relieved to hear it was as good for her as it was for me. “It’s not only me that feels this crazy pull between us?”
“No. I feel it too.” She smiles, a yawn escaping her lips. “You’re tired. I’m going to go. I just knew I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t come back here and kiss you.”
Embarrassed, she drops her head onto my chest and I tangle my fingers in her dark, curly hair. Kissing her gently on the top of her head, I step back out of the embrace.
“Night, Melody.”
“Night, Lucas.”
Unable to resist, I lean down and press my lips to hers again, pulling away after a few seconds. I almost don’t want to walk away, but I know I have to. She stands on the porch and watches me as I walk backward away from the house. Her eyes are fixed on mine, and I know I’m not going to sleep at all after that kiss. I feel like an excited kid and I can’t wait to see her again. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.