Chapter Ten
Melody nervously smoothed down her satin skirt, checking her reflection in the mirror. It had been several months since Elisabeth's arrest, and tonight was the first time since then that she had arranged for Bobby to spend the night with a friend so she could have the night to herself.
It was a huge adjustment, suddenly having a ten-year-old boy living with her, especially under these circumstances, but things were working out. Bobby was a good kid, and he was adjusting as well as could be expected.
Elisabeth's trial was still ongoing, but given the circumstances, it was hopeful that she would get a relatively light sentence. David's properties had all been resold by the government, through Melody, and she had put the money she earned from those sales into Bobby's college fund.
Tonight, though, was finally a night to have a break and just relax. She had kept in contact with Oskar as he took care of business in the city. His adoption of Julius was almost complete. He was coming back to Blackcliff for a few days.
And they were going to dinner.
It was a date. A real, honest-to-goodness date. Melody couldn't be happier, but she was still nervous. Now that they weren't solving a murder, would they still have things to talk about? Of course they would–she had a list of topics in case things lagged. Everything would be fine.
When Oskar arrived, he handed her a potted orchid. Melody's jaw dropped at the beautiful flower, gently taking it.
"Wow. It's beautiful."
"I remember you saying you liked orchids," Oskar said with an easy smile. "I couldn't remember if you liked them better than roses, though, so…"
He pulled a dozen red roses from behind his back. Melody laughed, although it quickly turned into a giggle as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She gestured him in and looked around for a place to put the flowers. It was a lovely gesture. None of her previous boyfriends had ever bought her flowers, not even on Valentine's Day.
"How are things at the office going?" she asked over her shoulder, placing the orchid on the coffee table.
"With the FBI?"
"Yeah. I guess with all of your millions—"
"Billions."
"Millions, billions, whatever. More than I've ever seen. How many offices do you have, actually? Like, you have your FBI office. Where else?"
"I have an office in each of my company buildings. One in each of my homes—"
"Homes? Multiple?"
Oskar nodded.
Melody narrowed her eyes at him. "I think I hate you a little bit right now. You have too much money."
"Is money all that matters to you?" Oskar teased. He waggled his eyebrows, and Melody fought to keep herself from smiling back at him. It was a futile, effort, though. "But I don't actually have an office with the FBI anymore."
Melody's eyes widened. "What? Why? Did they fire you because you followed Fezioni out here?"
"No. I quit. I can't stand taking orders, and they are just too restrictive. All their rules and their strict chain of command. I mean, I could work my way up to the top, but why bother starting at the bottom with them when I'm already at the top with all of my other enterprises? So I quit, and I'm going to focus on being an Alpha and businessman full time. I think I can do more good that way. Besides, I don't need a gun to be badass."
"That you don't."
By this time Melody had finished trimming the roses and arranged them in a vase. She shook her head as she put them on her kitchen table, narrowing her eyes slightly at Oskar.
He really did have that top dog, alpha male mentality, but quitting anything–even if he hated it–was just not in his personality. There had to be more to the story than what he was saying.
"So where does your son fit in with this?"
"I'll take some time to adjust and help Julius adjust. It's going to be a big change for both of us. But I'm going to be moving to Blackcliff, at least for the time being. He knows the town and he's got friends in school. I want a good place for him to grow up. I've been talking with the other Shifters, and a lot of them like the idea of getting out of the city, too."
Melody nodded. She knew some people would have a problem with having so many Shifters around, but they would have to deal. She would like Oskar being in town.
"Plus I'm still going to develop that ski hill and invest in a few hotels and new restaurants around here," Oskar continued. "So it's not like I'm going to be lacking in things to do."
"Good. Because I'm not going to start chasing ghosts all over the world with you so you can be a mega FBI star. I like being a realtor right here, thank you very much."
The smile on Oskar's face faded. "Speaking of ghosts…"
She knew what he was asking. Melody put her hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "I haven't seen Cindy since you started the process to adopt Julius back into your custody. I think she's moved on. That's a good thing."
"I know. I'm glad she found some peace."
Melody cupped his face, brushing her lips against his. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer, and she gasped. Her heartbeat increased as she tangled her fingers in his hair, breaching his mouth with her tongue. He opened readily for her, answering her movements with his own.
She thrust her hips forward, grinding through their clothing. A moan escaped–if they didn't get going right away, then it was doubtful that they would be leaving the house all night. His tongue swirled around hers and she decided she wasn't that hungry after all.
His hand cupped her ass. His eyes widened as he traced beneath the curve. "Are you wearing any underwear?"
Melody giggled. "A thong."
Oskar's eyes grew hooded.
"Do you have dinner reservations?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yeah. We can cancel, though." Oskar's mouth moved to her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin. Bolts of pleasure shot through her veins, pooling thick and hot in her belly. "I'm not very hungry."
"Me, either."
"Correction." Oskar pulled back, his eyes twinkling. "I am very hungry. For something I can't get in a restaurant."
"Me, too," Melody blurted. Reluctantly she pulled away from his arms, but only so she could grab his hand and lead him to the bedroom. Excitement coursed through her, her eyes bright as Oskar kept kissing her.
They fell into bed with a tangle of limbs, shedding clothing, their movements becoming more heated and desperate as the months of separation and tension broke free, finally letting them come together in full passion. Melody dug her fingers into Oskar's back, their gazes locked with one another, their movements in sync as he entered her.
"Is this what you wanted?" he grunted, suddenly stopping. A frown furrowed his brow. "To be responsible for a child so suddenly?"
Melody thrust her own hips forward, but finding Oskar unresponsive, she sighed. Apparently, talk came first. "No. It's not what I wanted. Did you want to become a single father?"
"No. But I want it now." Oskar smiled, almost shyly. "I'd like it better if I had someone with me, though."
"It's a little early for that, isn't it?" Melody arched a brow. "I mean… this is only our first date."
"Date? I thought this was a business meeting." He began rocking his hips again, making Melody moan, and she forgot what she was going to say. "I'd love to take you on a million dates. No, make that a billion dates. One for each of those dollars I have too many of."
"Sounds good," Melody gasped. "Now shut up and kiss me."
Oskar laughed and obeyed her.
*****
THE END