The Game Changer (16 page)

“Pleasure to meet you both,” the newcomer said as he shook Olivia’s hand, then held his hand out to Melody. “I’m Cameron.” He cupped their hands with both of his huge hands when he shook, and Melody smiled at the gesture.

He leaned in close to Melody, and she caught a whiff of his mouthwatering cologne. “You ladies look like you’re having a great time, and I don’t want to interrupt, but…would you mind if I asked your friend to dance?”

Melody glanced from Cameron to Olivia, whose eyes were bright and hopeful, then back to Cameron. “Of course not,” she said. “I can’t guarantee she’ll say yes, though.”

Cameron chuckled. “Well, it’s worth a shot, right?” He turned to Olivia and held out his hand. Bending close, he said something in her ear that Melody couldn’t hear, but whatever it was it seemed to please Olivia, as she took his hand and the two of them started to dance.

Melody pointed to herself then the bar, and Olivia nodded before turning her full attention to Cameron.

Making her way through the crowd of dancers and up the steps, Melody spotted Julian in the crowd talking to yet another woman. She caught his eye, and he shot her an inconspicuous wink over the woman’s shoulder. At least her friends were having some luck tonight, she thought as she smiled in his direction.

She had no interest in going home with anyone, but she enjoyed the anticipation and flirtation that came with meeting guys in the darkness of the club. She didn’t see any harm in flirting, dancing, and then moving on, or explaining to the more persistent guys that she would be going home alone.

Melody ordered a drink from the bar and found a quiet corner where she slid onto the couch and let out a long sigh of relief to be off her feet. She scanned the crowd and noticed a few familiar faces—people she had gone to school with or worked with. She hadn’t seen Rick and Sydney yet, and hoped maybe they had decided to become strictly Saturday night club-goers.

Once again, her gaze sought out Julian, who was still talking to the same woman, but looking rather uninterested now. The woman seemed to be doing most of the talking, and she kept leaning into Julian and touching his arm or shoulder.
Get a clue
, Melody thought, taking in Julian’s closed-off body language.
I can tell from here that he’s not interested.

Shaking her head, Melody leaned back in her seat and crossed one leg over the other. She continued to look around the club, watching people gather in small clusters to talk and laugh, and sometimes break off to make their way to the dance floor. She had just made eye contact with a cute guy across the room when she felt movement at her side.

“Having fun?” Julian asked, his lips so close to her ear it made her shiver.

“Sure,” she said with a half-smile. “I prefer the nights when Olivia and I have a no guys pact, but it’s still fun.”

“Does that mean I’m one of the girls now since I came with you two?”

Melody looked him over, as if considering. “Well, you
are
pretty.”

A laugh burst from Julian, and he leaned into her to bump his shoulder against hers. “I guess I can live with that,” he said. “I’ve been called worse, that’s for sure.” When his laughter had died down, he regarded her seriously. “You’re bored, aren’t you?”

“No, not bored,” Melody replied. “I like people watching. And I know I could go back on the dance floor and find someone to dance with, but to be honest I’m not sure I have the energy.”

“You want me to take you home?” Julian asked. He seemed so solemn now, almost concerned. Melody had to remind herself that he was asking as a friend; it wasn’t an invitation to something more. Not that she
wanted
an invitation to something more, of course. The voice in her head sounded like it was trying hard to convince her, and she decided she shouldn’t have any more to drink tonight.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

He patted her leg, then gave it a friendly squeeze. “Let me know if you change your mind, ’kay? I’m beginning to think Olivia’s the only one going home with someone tonight.”

“No interesting prospects?” Melody asked. “What about the girl you were talking to before?”

Julian’s lip curled slightly. “Too desperate.”

Melody waited for further explanation, but none came. She wondered about Julian’s criteria for taking a woman home. He didn’t seem to have a
type
necessarily. She’d seen him talking to women of all shapes and sizes, with different hair and skin colour. Appearance didn’t seem to be a factor, unless there was something she was missing.

She was about to ask him when he patted her leg again. “No sign of your ex and his crazy new girlfriend, huh?”

“No, thank god.” Melody’s gaze swept the room quickly, as if speaking of them would somehow invoke their presence. “Liv thought she saw them last Friday night, but she wasn’t sure, so I’m hoping they spend their Friday nights somewhere else.”

“Hopefully,” Julian agreed. “Then Friday nights can be our Atlantis nights.”

Melody grinned at that idea. “We could be like the three musketeers. One for all, and all for one…until you guys find people to go home with.”

Julian let out another explosive laugh. “You might eventually meet someone you want to go home with.”

Melody shrugged noncommittally. She didn’t want Julian to think she was a prude, but she also didn’t think this was the time or place to get into a conversation about her morals. If he and Olivia wanted to go home with people, that was their business, but she couldn’t understand the appeal of a one-night stand. Olivia had told her repeatedly that a little meaningless sex would help her get over Rick, but Melody couldn’t see the logic in that.

“Who knows,” she said. “But from my personal experience, the kind of guys you meet in a bar are only interested in one thing.” She looked at him pointedly, but was unable to keep her lips from twitching into a smirk.

Julian chuckled under his breath. “Men are pigs, is that what you want me to say?”

“No,” Melody said. “Maybe. I don’t know. Some of them are.” She paused, and Julian regarded her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not one of them. At least you’re a gentleman.”

Julian tilted his chin up in mock smugness. “I try,” he said breezily. He looked pleased when Melody laughed. “Anyway, I know it’s not all about sex for some people. From the moment I saw you, I knew that wasn’t what you were here for.”

“How did you know?”

Julian angled his head in thought. “There was just something about you, I guess,” he said slowly. “You seemed…relaxed. You didn’t have that desperate gleam in your eye like so many other women do when they come to clubs.”

“And yet you still came over and hit on me,” Melody pointed out.

Julian shrugged. “Had to try,” he said with a roguish grin. “Or maybe I just knew we were meant to be friends.”

“Hey, that could be your new pick-up line,” Melody told him. “Like, ‘hey baby, wanna be friends?’”

Julian scoffed. “You really think I’d say ‘
hey baby
’?”

At the look on Julian’s face, Melody was unable to stop a giggle from escaping her lips. “Maybe,” she said. “Have you ever become friends with anyone else in a bar? Ever tried to pick up a girl but ended up being friends instead?”

“Never,” Julian said, shaking his head. “You’re the first.”

Melody took a minute to absorb that.

“That makes you extra special, you know,” Julian said, leaning in to bump shoulders with her again.

For some reason, Melody was ridiculously pleased by that notion. She felt her cheeks heating as a grin spread over her face, and she looked into Julian’s eyes, which were just inches away since he was still leaning against her.

Julian closed the gap between them and pressed a quick kiss to her nose. The gesture was so innocent and tender it struck Melody speechless.

He pulled back and smiled at her, his warm, dark brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just going to the restroom.”

Melody nodded her head. She counted at least a dozen women who watched Julian as he made his way through the crowd. Some of them simply stared, some looked almost wistful, and others had gazes so hungry Melody felt uncomfortable watching them. She wondered if Julian knew he drew so much attention.
That might account for his cockiness
, she thought, chuckling to herself.
But that little kiss was so sweet…

Julian emerged from the restroom a minute later and headed for the bar. He spoke to the bartender, then leaned against the bar to wait. Catching Melody watching him, he shot her a grin. He held her gaze from across the room until a woman stepped up to the bar next to him, effectively ending their eye contact.

Melody couldn’t see Julian’s reaction to the woman, but he stayed to speak to her even after the bartender set two drinks in front of him. When the crowd shifted so Melody could see him better, she could tell instantly that he was interested in the woman. Something had changed in his expression and body language. Melody couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly was different, but it was there.

She felt a twinge in her stomach that she tried to ignore. She wasn’t jealous. She
couldn’t
be jealous. She and Julian were just friends. She tried to tell herself that the gnawing in her stomach was because she and Julian had been having such a good time, and she didn’t want to be left there alone.

Julian leaned in close to the woman and said something in her ear. When she nodded, Julian picked up the two glasses from the bar and made his way back toward Melody.

Melody let out a long breath and felt herself relax. He wasn’t going to abandon her after all.

Julian perched on the edge of the couch and handed her one of the drinks. She thanked him, and he clinked his glass against hers before taking a deep swallow. “You’re going to hate me,” he said. Melody did hate the apologetic look on his face, and the words she knew were coming. “Would you mind terribly if I left?”

“Finally found that interesting prospect, huh?” Melody asked, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.

Julian glanced back at the woman standing near the bar, watching them while slowly sipping a cocktail. “Yes,” he confirmed, turning back to Melody. “I think it’s a bit late now for Sydney to show up, but if you’re worried, I’ll stick around.”

Melody wondered for a second if he really would stay if she asked him to. She looked into his serious eyes, and was almost sure he would. Friends didn’t play games though, and she wasn’t going to test him or let him get a glimpse at the jealousy she was trying hard to conceal. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “You go have fun.”

“I was having fun with you, you know,” Julian said. “I don’t want you to think I’m ditching you.”

“I don’t think that. We made an agreement at the beginning of the night, remember?”

“If you’re sure…” Julian ducked his head to catch her gaze when she looked away. “I can call you a cab and wait with you if you like.”

Melody smiled slightly. “I’ll be fine, Julian. Honestly. I’ll go back on the dance floor and find Olivia, or get someone else to dance with me.”

“You could be one of those girls who gets up on those raised platforms and dances like a go-go girl,” Julian said with a smirk. “You wouldn’t have to worry about who to dance with then.”

“In your dreams!” Melody laughed. “You don’t want to leave your date waiting, so you’d better go. This isn’t the first time I’ve been alone in a club, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Don’t worry.”

Julian still looked concerned, and Melody had a fleeting thought that maybe he
wanted
her to ask him to stay. But if she was mistaken, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.

A moment of silence passed between them where they stared at each other, and finally Julian nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you later, all right?” He finished his drink and set it on a nearby table before standing. “Go dance and have fun. You’re young and hot and single.”

“You, too. All of the above.”

“And here I thought I was pretty,” Julian teased. He bent to kiss her lightly on the forehead, surprising her once again. “Be good.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that to you?” she called after him as he walked away.

He shot her a grin and a wink over his shoulder before the crowd swallowed him. She saw him a minute later, his arm wrapped around the woman from the bar. He met Olivia and Cameron on their way up from the dance floor, and he handed something to Olivia before escorting his date toward the exit.