Defining Moments (A Moments In Time Love Story 2) (8 page)

What Melisa had come to find was that love and hate both touch the same corner of the heart. You might think you hate someone, but it could just as well be love.

The minute Heat and his partner, Joe, entered the burning building, he pushed his own life and problems to the back of his mind, concentrating only on what was ahead of him.

Being a firefighter was a dangerous and strenuous job and required him to be fully present both physically and mentally. The only thing on his mind as he charged up the stairs of the three-story house was that the people inside might need his help.

It was 4:00 a.m., and he was hungry and tired after working a full two days on little sleep. But his discomfort wasn’t important. His focus had to be on the end goal, the possibility of saving a life. He didn’t even have time to familiarize himself with his surroundings, but he also didn’t have time to get lost. He didn’t need to. Fire was his business and he could usually tell where it was coming from before he saw the flames. From a distance, he knew instantly what strategy to use after seeing the color of the smoke and its movement. His job may have been dangerous, but he loved it. Even better, he was damn good at it.

As he neared the burning part of the house, the smoke enveloped him, and even through his thick uniform, he felt the heat.

While the truck crew worked on ventilating the house by opening a hole in the roof, Heat and Joe had been assigned the job of engine crew. Their task was to use water to put out the fire on the ground.

As Heat held the hose at the ready, Joe kicked down the door to the burning room so Heat could get direct access to the flames. Both he and Joe raised their hoses and sprayed the wild flames with water, aiming to smother the fire, cut off its fuel supply, and cool it down.

Once the fire was declared to be under control, more crew members joined them and they all sprang into search-and-rescue mode, trying to recover bodies, if there were any.

In the end, they were relieved to find the house vacant. Heat and Joe’s job was done. While other members of their crew investigated the cause of the fire, they could return to the station to attend to other duties. In their line of work, there was always something to do. Heat appreciated that. Even more so now; he needed to keep busy so he wouldn’t dwell on the fact that his life was falling apart.

When Melisa met Scott for the first time in college, she knew he was different from any boy she had ever known. He had been attracted to her from the get-go and made it clear there was no other girl for him in Serendipity or anywhere else. She was all he had wanted and he would wait for her for however long it took. But Melisa had hesitated. He was Heat’s best friend. Heat, her first love. The man who had broken her heart. But Scott was relentless, and Melisa finally agreed to date him. She allowed herself to be swept off her feet, to be shown what it meant to be loved unconditionally. Scott never failed to make her feel like the only girl in the world.

On their six-month anniversary, they went to the Rose Petal Festival, a yearly Serendipity event where locals and visitors gathered, laden with baskets overflowing with flower petals. They sprinkled them on Serendipity Lake at midnight, along with floating tea lights, to create a magical ambience and hopefully attract luck in love. Scott had borrowed a small white boat from Pete’s Boat Shack, where he worked in the summer. Before the petals were sprinkled, he rowed them away from shore. On the floor of the boat was a basket of multicolored flower petals, and buried in them was a bottle of cider, chocolates, and a container with one of his homemade pizzas.

“Where are you taking me?” Melisa giggled. She had to admit she liked that he went the extra mile to make her feel special.

“Wait and see.” Scott kept rowing, his sculpted biceps contracting and relaxing in the moonlight.

There were a few other boats on the lake, but only in the distance, which made Melisa feel they were all alone in the inky black water.

Soon, he stopped rowing. “I thought it would be nice to experience this evening differently.” Soon after he said the last word, the sound of a whistle pierced through the night and drifted toward them, carried on the wings of the summer night’s breeze. The clock had struck midnight, which meant they could start sprinkling their petals.

“Let’s do this.” Scott stopped rowing and smiled, his teeth like pearls in the night. “Don’t forget to make a wish.”

As Melisa grabbed fistfuls of petals and sent them floating in the wind, she laughed like she hadn’t in a long time. At nineteen, she had already gone through more hard times than many other girls her age. But tonight, with Scott, she felt like a carefree child again—as if for the night, she had borrowed her lost innocence. Her only wish as she threw her petals into the water was that the night would stretch on for as long as possible.

When they’d met and started dating, there had been no doubt of her attraction to Scott. But tonight, in his presence, butterflies awakened in the pit of her stomach, making her giddy. She was in love.

From the distant shore, they heard laughter and music and whistles. The magic was there, the romantic atmosphere created for them under the starry sky, and Melisa knew that today, their relationship would move to the next level.

There were still a lot of petals in the boat, but as she grabbed another handful, Scott laid a hand on hers. “Come to me,” he said in a deep and sensual voice that made her quiver.

“The boat will tip,” she said.

“It won’t.” He moved a few inches toward the middle of the boat to meet her. “I won’t let you fall in.”

As if an invisible string were tugging her, she shifted toward him, all fear of falling gone as she gazed into his eyes, which were illuminated by the moon and the floating tea lights. As long as she stayed focused on him, she would be safe. She knew she could trust Scott with her heart.

When they were close enough to touch, he cupped her face with both hands and pressed a feather-light kiss on her lips, soft and gentle as the summer breeze. As she drank in his sweetness, Melisa heard a satisfied groan from deep within his throat and his tongue thrust deeper into her open and willing mouth.

Melisa wound her arms around his strong neck and savored the moment that sent her senses spinning. He moved her closer until she was sitting on his lap, straddling him.

As the boat bobbed on the water, they explored each other’s lips, tongues, and mouths. Scott moved from her lips and nibbled her earlobe, sending shivers of desire spiraling through her whole body. She hadn’t had sex in a long time. Her first and last time had been with Heat, and it had left her pregnant. Although the price had been high, it had been beautiful in the moment, and she ached to feel those sensations again.

She closed her eyes when Scott slipped his hand between their bodies and touched her breast, massaging it as he kissed her neck. “You’re gorgeous,” he murmured against her lips. “My wish was that I’d get to kiss you tonight, but damn, I don’t know if that’s all I want anymore. I had no idea kissing you was this dangerous.”

Melisa giggled and threaded her fingers into his hair. “What do you want?”

“Everything,” he whispered, his warm breath misting her skin. “I want you completely. I want to make love to you.”

Melisa’s eyes fluttered open. “Here?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Only if you want.”

She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes again, shy about what she was about to ask him. No matter how far gone she was, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. “Do you have protection?”

“Oh, yes, baby.” Scott flicked her collarbone with his tongue.

“But there are people around.”

“Open your eyes and look around,” he said over the sound of the water licking the side of the boat.

Melisa lifted her eyes. On the distant shore, people still celebrated, but their boat was the only one left on the water, surrounded by a dream of petals.

“Where did the other boats go?”

“To join the party. Now we can have our own, undisturbed.” He slipped his tongue into her mouth again, then quickly removed it. “Do you want me as much as I want you, Melisa? You just need to say the word and I’ll stop…or continue.”

Melisa threw back her head and smiled up at the velvet sky. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. In response, he hardened beneath her. She brought his head to hers and drowned in his kiss, allowed him to carry her away, to lift her up high. He pulled away and dug into his pockets to find a condom. Placing both of his large hands around her waist, he moved her a few inches away from his bulge.

Melisa watched as he unzipped his jeans and freed his erection. For a moment she feared he might not fit inside her, but she was ready to try.

She took a deep, unsteady breath and laid her hands on top of his; together they glided the condom over his shaft.

Excitement lurched inside Melisa’s belly and she throbbed between her legs. She wanted him inside her so badly.

Scott slid his hands over her butt and tugged her denim skirt to her waist, so her skin was exposed to the balmy night air. He didn’t remove her panties, just used his thumb to move them away from her crotch. She gasped as he slipped a finger into her and gently moved it in and out while massaging her clit gently with his thumb. “You’re so wet, so ready for me,” he murmured.

Melisa moaned with pleasure and he thrust his finger deeper, breathing heavily into her ear. If he didn’t stop soon, she’d come before the real thing.

“I want you… please,” she begged. “I want you. Now.”

“You have me, baby. You have me.” He removed his finger, leaving her feeling empty, but not for long.

She squealed when he lifted her as if she weighed nothing and positioned her above his erection. Slowly, he buried himself inside her, filled her inch by inch, releasing starbursts inside her body, until she reached the base. She couldn’t wait for him to guide her anymore. She swayed above him, her knees cushioned by the petals, crushing them with each thrust, releasing the sweet scent of flowers into the night. Scott grabbed her ass and increased the speed, lifting her up and down his length. He alternated fast and slow movements and sweat dripped off his forehead and into her shoulder. Having all of him inside of her, filling her completely, made Melisa feel whole again. With each plunge, he seemed to grow larger, and Melisa found it hard to breathe as liquid fire swirled inside her body. She clung on tight to his strong, broad shoulders, and they rocked the boat for what seemed like hours. Then an orgasmic wave rose inside her, crashed, and swept her away.

Scott tightened his grip around her waist and sucked in air through his teeth, making a hissing sound as he plunged deeper and harder into her. Finally, a guttural groan of pleasure escaped his lips, and with his arms tight around her, he found his release.

Melisa smiled as she snuggled up against him, panting. She felt a deep peace in her heart. What they had would not be a one-time thing. Scott was in her life to stay.

“Are you okay?” Heat asked from the other end of the line. His voice sounded hoarse. “Should we do dinner tonight? I can come to the hotel.”

“No,” Melisa said quickly. She hadn’t heard from Scott in two days. Even her calls to his room at the inn went unanswered. Melisa suspected he was still coming to terms with her relationship with Heat. But he knew where she was staying. What if he decided to show up and he and Heat bumped into each other? She couldn’t risk it. She feared the repercussions of Heat finding out that his best friend—and wife’s ex-husband—had returned from the dead. The knowledge would most definitely breed anger and insecurity and could possibly destroy their already fragile marriage.

“I’ll…” she continued. “Why don’t we go to Don’s?” During the early days of their marriage, they used to frequent the pizzeria for lunch. They hadn’t been there in months and she knew it would no longer feel the same. Their marriage had been shaken to its core. Everything had changed. Or maybe only she had changed, after all the blows she’d been dealt. Who could remain the same after discovering the life they believed was real had actually been built on lies?

“Sounds great. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“No, it’s okay, I’ll take a cab.” Melisa said. She had to keep him away from the hotel, away from Scott.

“That’s fine.” Heat’s tone was gentle and understanding. Melisa couldn’t help wondering when he’d crack. When would he stop being so patient?

She wished she could tell him the anger she had felt toward him had weakened. On many nights she had put herself in his shoes, trying to figure out what she would do if she were made to choose between two people she loved. She always ended up undecided. She would probably end up losing both people because of her unwillingness to decide. She had been devastated about the choice Heat had made, but at least he had been brave enough to make one.

***

They ordered their food as soon as they arrived at the restaurant, but neither of them was in the mood to eat. They merely stared at each other over their plates, wondering how they could be in the same room, a breath, a touch, a whisper apart, and yet be so far away from one another. When they met at the entrance of the restaurant, they’d given each other a brief kiss on the lips and hadn’t said much since that moment. It was as if they had forgotten how to communicate.

Heat wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans. His wavy, chestnut hair was shiny in the candlelight, and the shadows that had been under his eyes the last time they saw each other had faded. He looked fresh and handsome and as if he was ready to start over.

Guilt washed over Melisa as she watched her husband, wishing she were at the same place he was. “How’s work?” she asked, trying to cultivate a safe atmosphere.

“Work is fine.” He cleared his throat. “But aren’t there more important topics to discuss right now, Mel? You’ve been away for weeks. We need to talk about you coming back home where you belong, about how I can help you cope. This isn’t good for us or our marriage. I miss you, dammit.”

“I know. It’s just hard.”

“It
will
be hard, for a long time, Mel.” Fire blazed in Heat’s eyes. “It will take ages for us to get over what happened. We might never recover completely. But we love each other. We’ve lost a baby, but we also have a son who might contact us any day, wanting to be a part of our life again. We have to move on.” He reached for her hands and held them tight. “Baby, we still have more than some people have.”

“Honey,” Melisa pulled her hands away. It took all her courage not to confide in him, to fall into his arms for comfort. But when he was affectionate towards her, the guilt she carried over hiding so many secrets from him gnawed at her. How could she tell him her heart was bleeding in so many different places, for so many different reasons? That the secrets and lies Scott had brought with him had wounded her in ways that made her wonder if she would ever get over the shock? There might come a time when she had to tell Heat the truth. Secrets had a way of coming to light at the least expected time. But not yet. For now she had to keep everything to herself. And she couldn’t go home. It would only take a slip of the tongue, or her blurting everything out in her sleep to bring it all out into the open.

“I do love you. I do miss you, and I will come home, I promise. Just not yet. Please… Let’s not talk about this.” Blinking away tears, she pushed the chair back and stood.

“You’re not going to walk away, Melisa.” Heat also jerked to his feet. “You’re going to stay here until we talk this through.” He dug deep into his pockets and removed some money, which he placed on the table.

Tears trickling down her cheeks, Melisa headed for the door, almost colliding with a waitress.

Suddenly Heat was beside her, and when they exited the restaurant, he spun her around so she was facing him in the circle of his arms. “Baby, you know what we went through to be together again. Are you going to throw it all away, as if it meant nothing, after all that we’ve been through? Please come back to me, come back to us.”

“I love you,” she mumbled. “I do love you, baby, and I will come home…in time. Can you be patient a little longer?” She kissed him, and he welcomed what she was offering. Although the kiss was pleasant, it didn’t turn on the sparks that usually accompanied his kisses. A piece of their love had been torn off. It would be best to stay and try to fix what they had left, but it shattered her to think that Scott had less than a year to live. She couldn’t bring herself to ruin the last few weeks of his life. Or could it be that, at a deeper level, she wanted to have this time with him, a chance to be able to say goodbye—a chance she had been robbed of the first time? Whatever the truth, she only wished it wouldn’t cost her what she had with Heat.