Page 24 of Only in Our Dream (Moonflower Cove #15)

Melanie

A lthough she’d lived in the Cove for most of her life, Melanie had only been to the Moonflower Cove Inn a handful of times.

Most were for events like weddings or hospital galas.

She’d only stayed at the inn once after winning a weekend stay at the hospital’s holiday party a few years ago.

Rob had complained the whole time, which made them leave before their stay ended.

But tonight wasn’t about old memories. It was about making new ones with Cameron.

Despite the chilly temperatures and snow outside, the inn was perfectly cozy.

Fires blazed in the gigantic fireplaces as Christmas decor still adorned the lobby.

A large tree stood tall in the middle of the lobby with more lights and ornaments on it than Melanie could count.

She stood in awe in front of it as she took in its beauty.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“Just like you.”

“Are you comparing me to a tree?” Melanie laughed, making Cameron’s cheeks redden.

“No,” she waved her off with a smile. “Just commenting on how beautiful the night is.”

Cameron tenderly reached out and took Melanie’s hand. It was their first public display of affection where neither of them had to worry about being caught. They were free to be together with no strings attached, and Melanie couldn’t remember a time she ever felt freer.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving. I’ve been so nervous today I could barely eat,” Melanie sheepishly admitted.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve been nervous too.”

“Why are we like this?”

“Because going from friends to lovers is nerve racking.” Cameron winked at her, validating all of Melanie’s feelings.

As they walked hand in hand to the restaurant, Melanie tried to set aside all her emotions from earlier.

There was no way she was going to tell Cameron she’d almost made herself so sick earlier she couldn’t have eaten if she wanted to.

That would spoil the evening before it even started.

But Melanie knew how much was riding on their date.

Not only was it their first date, it was the first time they would be out in public as a couple.

Melanie tried not to overthink that. She was divorced and Cameron was single.

Besides, it wasn’t like Rob wasn’t dating Janet.

That fact had been found out officially thanks to a Facebook notification Melanie didn’t need to see.

But there was something else in the back of her mind that kept her from relaxing.

When Isla had arrived earlier in the evening to help her get ready, she’d told Melanie to pack an overnight bag. Melanie had waved her off. They were eating at the inn, not staying at the inn. But something in Isla’s eyes told Melanie she knew more than she was letting on.

At first, Melanie panicked. She hadn’t mentally or physically prepared to be intimate with Cameron for the first time.

But on the other hand, she wanted it more than she cared to admit, even to herself.

Thoughts of touching Cameron, kissing Cameron, making love to Cameron had been in her head for weeks and only amplified more at the thought of spending the night with her at the inn.

So far, though, Cameron hadn’t said anything about extending their date after dinner. All Melanie could do now was enjoy her first date with dinner and let the rest of the evening sort itself out later.

The restaurant was small—quaint, Vera had said—and was barely half full for the Thursday night. With kids still out of school for the holidays and tourists heading back home, the inn itself had seemed quiet all around. And it provided the perfect atmosphere for their first date.

They were seated at a table by a large window.

A bouquet of fresh flowers sat in the middle of the table, along with two wine glasses.

Instead of sitting across from each other, they sat next to each other.

As they perused their menus, Melanie felt Cameron’s hand on her knee.

Slowly, she’d trace circles on Melanie’s thigh to the point where Melanie could no longer focus on the menu.

“Cameron, dear,” she kept her voice low and teasing, “are you trying to distract me? Because you’re doing a fabulous job.”

“I just can’t keep my hands off you.” Cameron’s voice was low and husky, unlike anything Melanie could remember before. When Cameron leaned in to kiss her, Melanie melted like butter on a hot roll. “But I’ll try so you can figure out what you want.”

“You.”

“What?”

“You,” Melanie repeated. “You’re what I want.”

Cameron looked momentarily taken aback as she closed her menu and lowered her voice. “Like right now? Before dinner?”

The seriousness in Cameron’s question made Melanie laugh.

“We can eat dinner now, silly. It’s not like we have a room upstairs or anything.” She laughed Cameron off, assuming she was joking as well. But when Cameron placed her hand on Melanie’s arm and they locked eyes again, Melanie knew dinner was going to be put on hold.

“I do.”

“What?”

“I have a room upstairs. I don’t know why I booked it.

Isla and Vera talked me into it in case the dinner went well.

But I wasn’t planning on telling you until after because I didn’t want to pressure you into sex on our first date because that’s so stereotypical, right?

Lesbians move so fast anyway that why wouldn’t they have sex on their first date, ya know? ”

“Cam.”

“But I do have the room. I don’t have the key. I’d have to go check in. But I can do that. If you want. I can go check in and get a key to our room if you want.”

“Cam,” Melanie repeated, this time placing her hand on top of Cameron’s. “Stop rambling so I can say yes.”

“Really?”

“Really. Dinner can wait, but I’m not sure how much longer I can.” Melanie had no idea where the confidence coursing through her body was coming from. “Why don’t you go check into the room and I’ll grab us some wine to go?”

“Meet me at the elevators.”

Without another word, Cameron all but bolted out of the restaurant. She left behind her bag and her jacket, which Melanie collected as she made her way over to the bar. After placing an order for a bottle of wine, Melanie tried to calm her nerves down yet again.

It’s not a big deal. It’s just sex with Cameron. Your best friend. No big deal.

Melanie groaned as she walked out of the restaurant with the bottle of wine in one hand and Cameron’s bag and jacket in the other hand.

Except it is a big deal because it’s Cameron. Cam. My Cam.

Cam.

She looked nervous standing by the elevators twirling a room key around her finger.

Cameron hadn’t noticed Melanie yet, which gave her a few steps to take in the sight of her again.

When Melanie had first seen her back at the house, she could barely think straight.

Melanie always thought Cameron was beautiful, but tonight she looked radiant.

Their eyes met as Melanie crossed the lobby.

Cameron’s nervousness seemed to melt as Melanie approached her.

She took her things from Melanie before pressing the elevator button.

The silence between them was heavy but filled with anticipation.

If they said anything, Melanie worried she’d break the bubble of excitement that surrounded them.

As the elevator door dinged open, they stepped inside. Cameron pressed the third-floor button as the door closed. Their desire was almost palpable in the enclosed space and Melanie wondered if people actually made out in elevators like they did in movies.

She was about to ask the question when the door opened again.

They stepped out into the hallway as Melanie followed Cameron down to their room.

Cameron fumbled with the key, clearly still nervous with anticipation just like Melanie was.

Once they were inside the room, Cameron laid her bag and jacket down on the table.

“I got a red. I hope that’s okay.” Melanie studied the bottle of wine, unsure what she’d even ordered.

“Honestly,” Cameron nervously laughed, “I don’t care. Anything to take my nerves away.”

Sitting the bottle on the table, Melanie reached out and took Cameron’s hand. “Talk to me. What are you nervous about? Because I’m nervous too so I think we just need to get it all out in the open before we go any farther.”

“You’re right,” Cameron nodded, taking a deep breath as they sat on the bed facing each other. “I guess for starters I’m worried that once we go down this road that there’s not going back to just friends .”

“Good.”

Cameron’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“I don’t want to be just friends with you anymore, Cameron.

I’m in this. I know this is new and fresh and so much can happen, but I’m not going into this thinking it may fail.

Because I desperately want it to work out between us.

And I think the best way to do that is to always be open with each other. ”

“I think so, too.” Cameron nodded as her shoulders relaxed slightly. “I want this too, Mel. So badly. I just don’t want to rush things or push you into something before you’re ready. I know your divorce is still fresh and I don’t want to overstep anything. Please know that.”

“I do. And I wouldn’t be here if I felt pressured or was uncomfortable. I’m here because I want to be with you.”

Her thoughts swirled around her brain, fighting for top billing.

The one that seemed to win was Melanie’s insecurity about never being with a woman before.

She’d only ever been with Rob since they got married.

And she knew Cameron had slept with other people, even if it wasn’t anything serious.

Cameron at least had experience that Melanie didn’t have.

What if I don’t know what to do or what she likes? What if I do something wrong or worse, what if I don’t like what she does to me?

Melanie inhaled sharply, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. With it, she released her thoughts and shared them with Cameron.

“I’m also scared. I’m scared because I’ve never been with a woman before. I’m scared because of how much history we have. I’m scared because I want this to work so badly that my brain is going to self-destruct before I learn to not be scared.”

Scooting closer to Melanie, Cameron wrapped her arms around her. Melanie melted into her, allowing Cameron to hold her as tightly as she could. She felt Cameron kiss her cheek; felt her gently rubbing her back. As scared as Melanie felt, she also knew that being in Cameron’s arms felt like home.

“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Cameron kissed her cheek as she pulled back to look into Melanie’s eyes. She kept one hand on her thigh, providing Melanie comfort she didn’t know she needed. “You remember when we went skydiving? How scared we were?”

“Terrified,” Melanie corrected. “I was terrified.”

“Yeah, but then we jumped out of the plane and it was amazing. Remember? You said you felt like an eagle that day.”

“It was a good day.”

“But it all started because you jumped out of that plane and faced your fears. And the best part? You didn’t do it alone. I was right there with you.”

“So were Isla and Vera.”

Cameron shook her head, smirking. “For the context of this analogy, let’s say it was just the two of us.

Because that’s what this is right here. This moment is us standing on the edge of that plane with the door open and the wind whipping in our hair.

We can spend the rest of our lives inside the plane, never knowing the experience of flying.

Or we can jump and experience something amazing we never thought we could have. ”

Melanie’s head felt dizzy as she soaked in Cameron’s words. When did Cameron become such a wordsmith? Had she planned that answer ahead of time knowing that Melanie would be nervous? Whatever the answer was, all Melanie could think was about how badly she wanted to jump.

Right into Cameron’s arms.

And straight into bed with her.