Wreck the Halls

Caught off guard, Beat tried to read her features and for once, he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. “Why?”

She flicked a glance at the camera, her color deepening.

Beat turned, blocking the camera’s view of Melody. The noise coming from outside gave him no choice but to pull her close and speak against her ear, saving their voices from being picked up on the microphones and causing an eruption of cheers and boos on the street. “Why won’t you come stay at my place?”

“Just let me stay in a hotel.”

“Tell me why.”

She hesitated. “The crush thing. I don’t . . . it’ll be weird. For you.”

It took him a full five seconds to piece her explanation together. She thought her coming to stay at his apartment would make things awkward for him. And yeah, Beat had to admit there was a good chance Melody was right. Not only because she was nursing an infatuation with him, but because it ran both ways. If something physical happened between them, he’d have to share the parts of himself that he normally kept private. Strictly.

Still. “No. We won’t let it be weird.” He tugged her closer by her elbows and tried not to moan out loud when her tits met his chest. “Please don’t make me worry about you.”

She started to protest again, but the security team surrounded them before she got the chance. “We’re ready. The SUV is waiting around the block, so it doesn’t draw attention. It’s going to pull up at the last second, so be ready to hustle into the back seat.”

Melody nodded, transferring her attention from the security guard to Danielle. “Is this going to be forever?”

“I don’t know. I have nothing to compare this to.”

They all started cutting through the lobby toward the west side of the building, Beat keeping a hand on the base of Melody’s spine. When they reached the side door and the sound of tires screeched, followed by a cacophony of shouts, Beat’s heart lurched straight into his throat. The door opened and flashbulbs blinded him, but he squinted through the barrage of light and put himself between Melody and the fans rushing toward the SUV from the front of the building, obviously having figured out the plan. Thankfully, the door was opened and waiting, allowing Beat to lift Melody and all but throw her into the vehicle, launching himself in quickly behind her.

“She’s staying at my place!” Beat shouted over the noise to Danielle in the front passenger seat. He barely caught the producer’s nod before the SUV was peeling away from the curb onto the avenue. Escaping from the crowd did nothing to slow the pace of his pulse, however, and he found himself already picking apart the security plan for tomorrow. “It won’t be like this at Melody’s mother’s house, right?” Beat shot a quick glance over his shoulder at the camera, which of course, was still capturing their every mood. “No one knows where it is.”

“Correct,” Danielle said, communicating directions to the driver. “It should be low-key.”

Nothing about this experience was going to be low-key, Beat suspected. But before they faced the possibility of another mob scene . . . he needed to get through tonight. He’d meant it when he told Melody they wouldn’t let staying together be weird, but his attraction to her was increasing in volume with every passing moment. Not typical for Beat. Not at all.

He’d felt more than his share of sexual attraction throughout his life, sure, but it was normally toward the female form, in general. The promise of sustained, heightened pleasure was what drew him in. There was never a specific individual in mind.

But every hour he spent with Melody changed that a little more.

Now, with the chaos of the night behind him, he could no longer keep the thoughts at bay. Melody in his bed, edging him to the point of agony, his muscles straining, teeth drawing blood from his bottom lip, sweat pouring down his chest.

If he wasn’t planning on revealing his mutual crush on her—and doing something about it—then his protective attitude was likely leading her on. Giving her false expectations? That was unconscionable. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from guarding her, though, especially in this fraught situation. Protecting Melody Gallard was instinctive. Always had been.

How the hell did he turn it off?

“That’s me up ahead,” he told Melody, realizing their fingers were linked and resting on her crossed legs. Jesus, his hands were moving without a single command from his brain. Touching her was like breathing. “On the corner.”

She peered through the windshield. “Your doorman has a top hat.”

“That’s Reeves. He’s not going to be thrilled about the camera. Does anyone have a chocolate bar on them, by chance?”

“There’s one in my camera bag. Several, actually.”

“You’ve still got that sweet tooth, huh?” Danielle asked, looking at Joseph in the rearview mirror. “One more way in which we’re incompatible, I suppose.”

“Agree to disagree,” was all Joseph said back, his tone suspiciously lower.

Melody perked up while Beat rooted around in the camera bag and pulled out a Baby Ruth. That’ll do. “How did you say you two met?” Melody asked.

“We didn’t say,” Danielle replied breezily, as the SUV pulled up along the curb. “And anyway, it’s ancient history. Shall we get inside before another crowd forms?”

“Yes.” Beat waited for a member of the security team to alight, before stepping out onto the sidewalk and turning to help Melody—and froze. She hadn’t buttoned her coat upon leaving the gala and when she leaned forward to take his hand, the sides gaped, giving him an up-close-and-personal look at her tits where they struggled to stay secured inside her neckline. God help him, his dick turned to concrete at the sight, his bow tie becoming a noose.

A horn blared on the avenue while passing the SUV and Melody started, her foot catching on the lip of the door frame, and she pitched forward out of the vehicle. Beat’s thoughts were fuzzy, thanks to every ounce of blood in his head going south, but when she flailed, his panic galvanized him and he opened his arms just in time to catch her.

And oh God, her warmth, her shape and weight. Gravity gave all of it to him at once and the sensation was so incredible, sparks sizzled at the edges of his vision. Her breasts were full against his chest, her knees grazing the sides of his hips. Their laps smacked together and pressed, held, and he knew she could feel his hard-on, because her breath caught in his ear, the sound only making him stiffer.

Set her down.

How long was he going to stand there holding her?

Beat attempted a swallow and it got caught in his throat, but he disguised the resulting choked sound with a cough and reluctantly settled Melody onto her feet. Two big spots of color were spreading on her cheeks, her eyes landing on everything but him.