Nathan sniffed. “I’m an artiste, not a jock.”
Melanie tackled him back to the mat and tickled him.
“Stop it, not on a full stomach. I call deliberate cruelty. Derrick, make your woman stop picking on me.”
Derrick wasn’t getting in the middle of this fight. “Hey, if she’s happy, who am I to hold her back?”
Melanie nodded curtly, a smug expression on her face as she straddled Nathan’s chest. “See? If I’m happy, then all is good with the world.”
She swung off Nathan and plopped to her butt next to him on the mat before turning to face Derrick and winking.
His face ached from smiling so much. “Okay, sweetheart. What do you have next on the agenda? I can’t believe you wanted to eat here for the incredible ambiance.”
“Hey, I like ropes.”
Derrick managed to not choke on his own spit. Oh, the images in his brain.
She knelt, the tip of her pink tongue poking out to wet her lips for an instant as she glanced between them. “I meant it, guys. What I told Kane. You’ve made a huge difference in my life.”
It wasn’t what she said, but how she said it that made Derrick’s pulse pick up. The light-hearted teasing was gone, replaced by a thoughtful, contemplative tone.
“We care about you.” This wasn’t the time for confessions of love.
Melanie twisted to press both hands to his knee. “I care about you as well.”
The short silence that followed felt relaxed. Comfortable.
Until she turned to face Nathan. “And you—I still can’t believe you. You’re like a saint to put up with all the teasing I did this weekend.”
“Saint Nathan.” He seemed to consider it seriously for a moment before reaching to tweak her nose. “Don’t think it fits. It’s okay, monkey, I survived.”
Her expression was unreadable. “Surviving isn’t always enough, Nate. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Derrick stroked a hand down her arm. There were no words.
She turned to face him, whispering for his ears alone. “I want to prove to Nathan that I trust him. I want to thank him for being there.”
Derrick didn’t think she was talking about a store-bought gift. “He doesn’t need anything. Caring for you doesn’t require payment.”
She straightened, anger flashing. “Caring for me also shouldn’t require him to put up with being insulted.”
Ahhh. “Kane thought he was looking out for you.”
“Unintentional pain still hurts like hell, Derrick.”
They stared into each other’s eyes. She gripped his forearms tightly, clinging to him. There was something in her face that made him pause. Longing was there, but also an incredible strength.
It took all his strength to ask the question. “What do you want?”
“To finish what you offered me in the mountains. What I was barely able to accept, but the acceptance changed my life. To be with two men I trust explicitly.”
His blood pressure shot skyward, pulse pounding. Without intending to, his volume rose as well. “Be with us how? Sex?”
“Melanie, what the hell are you talking about?” Nathan roared. Derrick snapped his head up, ready to protect her. Guard her if necessary. But the other man was shaking his head, hands raised in protest as he rolled to his knees. “Damn it, this isn’t something to joke about. Don’t go screwing things up with Derrick. Not for some kind of cheap thrill.”
Melanie scrambled upright, her petite body seeming to tower over them as he and Nathan remained sprawled on the safety mats. “I’ll have you know I don’t consider anything about you cheap.”
“Mel—”
“I trust you.” Melanie touched Nathan’s cheek. “You and Derrick. Completely.”
Derrick’s confusion and momentary sense of betrayal morphed into understanding. She wasn’t asking on a whim, or out of a misplaced sense of obligation.
If her self-esteem had been tied up in the aftermath of her fall, Nathan’s was connected with his photography. Kane’s accusations could have hit hard. She had assumed Nate needed her as much as she’d turned out to need him. Wanted to wash away a little of the hurt Nathan had experienced in exchange for the gift he’d given her.
Nathan caught her hand where it lay against his cheek, kissing her palm softly before pulling her close and enveloping her in an enormous bear hug. He gazed over her shoulder at Derrick, shaking his head slightly as he stroked her hair.
“Oh, monkey. I think I’m a little bit in love with you right now. You’ve got a heart that simply refuses to stop giving, and I’m honoured beyond belief that you’d offer yourself like that. But I have to say no.” Melanie protested, and Nathan pulled away and stuck a finger in her face. “I am first, and foremost, your friend. Getting a chance to prove that you’re an extremely attractive woman was a wonderful experience, but I’m bowing out of anything else. Unless…”
Derrick froze.
She straightened. “Unless what?”
There was a moment of hesitation before Nathan spoke, and then he stared at Derrick, as if asking his permission. “I want to watch again.”
Melanie took in a rapid breath and Derrick tucked her back against him as she swayed off balance.
Nathan chuckled. “Does that surprise you? It did me, a little. Seems I’ve got a kink I wasn’t aware of before.”
“Watch? You want to watch…what?”
Nathan stood and paced toward the wall, turning slowly to face them, one brow quirked upward. “You two make love. Maybe take a few more pictures.” He shrugged lightly. “If the answer is no, I’m fine—”
“Yes.” Melanie sat upright, then stiffened, twisting to face Derrick. Her mouth hung open in a perfect O as she stared for a second. A blush raced over her cheeks and she lowered her eyes. “I mean, if it’s okay with you.”
He pulled her against his chest, breathing in her scent and feeling the tension in her body as she leaned in tighter. He spoke softly, just for her ears. “I understand why you suggested this.”
She tilted her head back to stare at him. “It’s important to me, Derrick. To be sure Nathan knows how much I trust him, but not if you don’t want to. I’m sorry I sprang this on you without asking first. That was wrong of me.”
There was no way he could remain angry, not when the expression on Melanie’s face so clearly showed her heart.
She knew what she wanted, and why, and damned if he wasn’t going to give it to her. Didn’t stop possessiveness from rising up and flooding him as well. They could give reassurance to Nathan, but at the end, everyone would know who belonged with who.
Chapter Ten
Hangdog: A climber who hangs from the rope on a route.
Derrick delicately brushed a knuckle along her jaw as he admired her dark beauty. The way her eyes flashed, mouth twisted into a smile that was one hundred percent trouble, her chin rising in challenge. He slid his fingers around the back of her neck, teasing as he leaned in to kiss her. She grabbed his head and gave back as good as she got, a heated exchange, all teeth and tongues. They scrambled each other’s brains as the air between them evaporated.
That wasn’t the only thing that had vanished. Derrick dragged his hands down her shoulders to discover she’d been busy. Her clothing had disappeared, and all he touched was sweet, hot flesh.
His knees shook with anticipation. Then she slipped out of his arms as mysteriously as her clothing, only for him to feel a tug on his zipper and his jeans being peeled off his hips.
“Holy hell.” Derrick focused downward to find Melanie kneeling before him. She was stark naked, big brown eyes staring at him as she wiggled his pants lower then leaned in to nuzzle his groin.