One Night with Sole Regret 06 Tell Me Read Free

she didn’t want to see him as badly as she claimed. Maybe her insatiable need for him was all an act. Maybe reality would be a whole lot different from the games they played on screens.
    “But you said you didn’t want me at your shows,” she said quietly.
    He could tell by the tone of her voice that his words had hurt her.
    God, I ’m an ass.
    “I’m a liar, Melanie. A cowardly fucking liar. I do want you at my show and I need you in my bed as soon as possible.” He just hoped her needs matched his own.

Chapter Two
    Melanie dashed up the two flights of stairs that led to her third floor apartment. She unlocked the door and was kicking off her shoes before she’d even closed the door behind her.
    Her new roommate, Nikki, looked up from the screen of her laptop and smiled a warm greeting.
    “You’re home early. Did you get fired or something?”
    Melanie shook her head and rushed toward her bedroom. Was she really going to drop everything just so she could see Gabe a day earlier than planned? Hell yeah, she was. Why was she even questioning herself? It wasn ’t as if she got much done other than thinking about him anyway. She had never been so consumed by a man. Never. And she hadn’t even known Gabe long. How had he managed to work himself so deep under her skin so quickly? Damn, she had it bad for the guy. It should have served as a warning to slow down, but instead her need had her speeding up, wheels skidding as she drifted around corners and careened through barriers to chase him. Her emotional brakes were malfunctioning, but she had no desire to have them repaired.
    Nikki appeared in Melanie ’s closet doorway as Melanie yanked a suitcase from the top shelf and was instantly buried in an avalanche of extra pillows and linens. She kicked them aside impatiently, not bothering to pick them up. Leaving a mess would have normally driven her nuts, but she was in a hurry.
    “What’s wrong?” Nikki asked . She backed up as Melanie barreled out of the small walk-in closet. It was more of a stand-in closet—not much room for walking. “Melanie?”
    Melanie hear d the panic in Nikki’s voice, not that she was surprised. Nikki tended to overreact to everything.
    “I have to hurry if I want to catch my flight,” Melanie said.
    “Oh God,” Nikki said, and Melanie found herself and her suitcase crushed in Nikki’s embrace. “Who died? Was it your grandmother? Oh, Mel, you must be heartbroken. Go ahead and cry, honey. You’ll feel better if you let it all out.”
    “No one died, hon,” Melanie said. “I’m going to New Orleans.”
    “But I thought you were leaving for Austin to see Gabe tomorrow night.”
    “Plans changed. You can stop hugging me now. I’m in a rush.”
    Nikki released her , and Melanie tossed her suitcase on the blue coverlet at the foot of her bed. She unzipped the case before rushing to her dresser for underclothes. Thinking she had all night and tomorrow morning to pack, she hadn’t planned what she was taking for her weekend with Gabe, so now she just started flinging various colors of panties and bras into her suitcase, hoping to sort it all out when she got there. Or maybe she wouldn’t need underwear the entire weekend. She’d be okay with that too. She added her new lingerie, still in the bag, just in case.
    “Did Gabe dump you?” Nikki asked. “I will skin that lanky drummer alive if he did. I can’t believe he’d get your hopes up like that—make you think you meant more to him than a cheap one -night stand—and then at the last minute cancel on you.”
    Melanie shook her head at Nikki again, dragging summer clothes from a drawer. “Why do you always think the worst?” she asked, even though she knew why Nikki expected The Worst. The Worst had been following Nikki around all her life and she had a hard time functioning when it wasn’t kicking down her door. “I’m going to see Gabe in New Orleans. He has a show tonight, and he invited me to come. I just hope I