12. Mel

Iwake the next morning as I have for the past week, tucked into the side of Davis. His arm slides around me and he pulls me closer to him, nuzzling into my hair.

I sigh deeply and shift my thighs so they press against his, enjoying his sleepy warmth.

I’ll never get tired of waking up next to this man.

I squeeze my eyes shut tight at the impossible thought. The presentation went well yesterday. Better than well. I nailed it. I know I did. I spoke with confidence and parried all the questions.

But the board of NC Finance is a tough crowd. It was hard to gauge what they were thinking under their serious expressions. I’d hate to play a round of poker with those guys and girls.

I think I did well, but I can’t call it. They weren’t giving anything away.

Davis stirs, and I wiggle against him to let him know I’m awake.

“I’m not working today.” He brushes my hair back and plants a kiss on the back of my neck that sends shivers all down my body.

I reach behind me and cup his already hard bulge in my palm. I don’t speak. I don’t think he has his hearing aids in yet, and I don’t need words to convey what I want to do.

I love every one of his groans that come out of his mouth as I slowly run my hand up and down his length. For the next half hour, I don’t think about the promotion. I don’t think about returning to Charlotte. I lose myself in Davis.

“Did you grow up around here?” I ask as we hike through the forest a few hours later.

We’ve ridden to the other side of the mountain to hike one of the trails. The woods are thick with moss and undergrowth. Small creatures scurry away as we pass, and birds call to each other in the trees. My hand grips a bear horn even though Davis said they don’t come this low down the mountain. I’m not taking any chances.

We had to keep Hercules behind today, because there are some parts of the forest where dogs aren’t allowed.

“No. I grew up in King’s County, mostly. With my cousin, Blake. His family took me in when my mom passed.”

I stop walking and look at Davis. He’s never mentioned his parents before, and now I know why.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine. I was sixteen at the time. I moved in with my cousins for a year, then enlisted.”

My heart goes out to the younger Davis losing his mother when he needed her the most. But he seems to have accepted it.

“Why did you come here and not go back to King’s County?”

“I did at first. But Blake has his own family and little kids. I couldn’t handle it straight out of the military.”

He looks to me. “I was a miserable ass when I first got out. Retreating to the mountains and hiding myself away was all I wanted to do.”

I reach out my hand and take his. He’s making light of it now, but he must have been hurting to want to retreat here. A young man who should be enjoying his life hiding in the mountains--it isn’t right.

“I served with Arlo, and when my career was cut short, he told me about the MC. When things didn’t work out at Blake’s, I came to check it out and never left.”

My fingers brush against the bark of an ancient tree as we walk past. “They’re like family to you.”

“Yeah. They are.”

Which is why I could never ask Davis to move to the city. It’s clear he belongs here with the MC, with the forest, and with his big, stupid, lovable dog. And besides, he’s six years younger than me. For him this is a nice diversion, but he can’t be wanting the things I want in life. Not yet.

Because my time spent here with him, seeing Danni and the girls has awoken a need in me. They talk about the biological clock ticking, and for the first time I feel it. I want kids. I know that now. I wasn’t sure before, but it turns out I just didn’t want kids with Jeff.

The last few weeks have opened up my eyes to what family life can be like. And I want it.

But it’s absurd to think this younger mountain man wants that too.

We come to a clearing, and Davis stops and slides the backpack off his back.

“This a good place for lunch?”

I take a seat on a fallen down tree, and he sits beside me. He pulls a brown bag from his pack and hands me a baloney sandwich.

We eat in comfortable silence. If I get the job, I’ll be starting next week, going back to the city and leaving all this behind. No more comfortable silences, no more packed lunches, no more hot sex. And no more Davis.

My heart lurches at the thought.

I finish the sandwich, and he pulls two apples out of the bag. I take one, and my fingers brush the tips of his. An electric spark jumps off him and up my arm.

Damn, this man literally electrifies me. And maybe that’s worth fighting for. I’ve always been someone who goes after what they want, and maybe if I tell him how I feel we can work something out.

Maybe if he feels the same, I could stay here and find something else to do. I couldn’t be a full-time parent. I love kids, but I need something else in my life. Maybe I could start a consulting firm or open a brand new business.

But my mind dismisses both those ideas. Because the truth is that I want the job at NC Finance. I want the job, and I want the man. But I can’t have both. Or can I?

Maybe if I tell him how I feel, we can find a way. I’m not sure what that is, but if he feels the connection the same way I do, maybe this could work.

What’s the point of being the older woman if you can’t tell a man how you feel? I’m not a shy girl in her twenties, unsure and unconfident. I’m a badass thirty-something year old who’s not afraid to go after what she wants.

I turn my body on the log so that I’m facing Davis, and he glances up at me. He must see the seriousness in my look, because his brow furrows.

“What’s wrong?”

I open my mouth to tell him how I feel when there’s a shrill noise from the pocket of my jacket.

I grab my phone, and the number is from the office. It’s unusual to get a call on a Saturday, but I take it.

“This is Mel.”

It’s the CEO himself calling. I stand up and press the phone to my ear as excitement tingles through my body.

He tells me I’ve got the job, and I give a little jump and fist pump the air. A huge grin spreads across my face as I get all the details, then end the call.

Davis is watching me, and there’s excitement in his eyes too.

“You got it?”

“I got the fucking job!” I squeal.

He jumps off the log and spins me around, letting out a long whoop.

“I knew you’d do it, Mel. I knew you’d get it.”

His excitement almost matches mine, and I love how supportive he is of me. But it answers the question I was harboring. This is obviously a fling for him, nothing more. He’s excited I’ve got the job even if that means I’ll be leaving.

Happiness for the promotion gushes over me, but it’s tinged with sadness.

“When do you start?” he asks.

“They’re sending over the contract today. They want me in the office on Monday to sign it and start straight away.”

He gives me a wide grin, but his eyes dart to the ground.

“Well done, girl,” he says quietly.

He kisses me tenderly, and I kiss him back. We have one more weekend together. One more weekend, and then we both go back to our regular lives.