Chapter 270

Adam was in a good mood as he stepped out of the locker room. He had not expected that coming to play like usual would become so interesting. And today, he had discovered one very interesting fact about his wife.
And it was a discovery he fully intended to explore in the days to come. Thoroughly.
Still grinning to himself, he adjusted the strap of his gym bag and glanced around, looking for her. Sure enough, she stood just outside the door, scanning the space as if looking for someone.
His grin widened.
He strode toward her without hesitation, slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close in one swift motion.
“Looking for me already, Melon?” he muttered into her ear playfully.
The woman turned her head in surprise—and his world paused for a split second.
It wasn’t Melanie. But someone who looked just like her.
Adam stepped back instantly, horror washing over his face. “I-I am so sorry,” he almost stammered, hands half-raised in retreat. “I thought you were someone else. My wife—I thought you were Melanie…”
His mind had all been about how she had not shrieked this time and so recognition hit him a beat too late.
As the woman blinked up at him, clearly just as startled, his eyes properly focused on her face-and the shock tripled. He knew that face.
“Oh—wait, you’re Miss Melody,” he said quickly, mortified. ” I am so sorry. I honestly thought you were my wife. I really did not expect to find you here, outside my locker room.
Melody gave a quick, jerky nod, her face turning a vivid shade of red. “It’s… it’s okay. I came hre by mistake. I was looking for someone,” she mumbled, already stepping back, avoiding eye contact.
Adam raised his hands again in apology, trying to explain further, but she was already muttering a polite, “I should get going,” and hurrying down the path like she couldn’t get away fast enough.
He stood there for a second, blinking after her, then groaned under his breath and dragged a hand down his face. “Brilliant,” he muttered, turning around and walking in the opposite direction. “Absolutely brilliant, Adam. Mistake your wife for her doppelganger and then go whisper sweet nothings into her ear. Bloody genius. Next time, he would have to make sure that he was only going to his wife and not going to end up touching some unsuspecting stranger.
Sigh… He should wash his hands now….or probably take another shower…
***
Melody’s heart was still racing as she walked briskly away, eyes fixed on the path ahead. She’d come this way on purpose… to catch a glimpse of him. It was where she had seen him a couple of days ago on her stroll so she had been hoping to spot him again today. It was why she had even ditched her mother, pretending to have been engrossed in her chatter and escaped from there. But she hadn’t expected this. Not even in her wildest dreams. She hadn’t expected him to touch her. Hold her.
It had been less than a minute, maybe even just a few seconds, but her skin still burned from the memory of his hand sliding around her waist. The heat of his palm against her stomach. The low rumble of his voice, that teasing nickname-Melon-spoken so close to her ear she could still feel the warmth of his breath. And the scent of him-clean, sharp, and distinctly male-lingered far longer than it had any right to.
What startled her most wasn’t just the fact that he had mistaken her for his wife. It was the way her body had responded before her brain even caught up.
She pressed her lips together, trying to calm her racing thoughts. It had been a mistake. An innocent one. He’d clearly been horrified once he realised it wasn’t Melanie, and he’d apologised with genuine embarrassment. But that didn’t stop the little flicker of something reckless curling low in her stomach and making her want more.
Not even for a moment had she felt scared that she was being touched by a near stranger. It was like her body had actually sensed who it was that had come to her.
Melody cursed herself the moment she turned the next corner. “Why did I just stand there like a stunned idiot?”
Why had she looked so shocked- like some innocent girl caught in the wrong room at the wrong time?
She could have done something. Played along for a second. Pretended to be Melanie-just for the thrill of it. He might not even have recognized her. Or, if nothing else, at least smiled knowingly and teased him back. God, she could have even-her heart jumped at the thought-leaned in and stolen a kiss. It would’ve been wrong, impulsive, and completely unlike her. But it would’ve been… so worth it.
Instead, she had gone red in the face and practically sprinted away like a guilty teenager.
She stopped near a low stone bench and sat down, letting out a shaky breath. Her palms were damp. Her pulse was still thudding like a drum inside her ears. And her mouth-her mouth felt dry and hot, like it had been moments away from saying something outrageous.
What was it about him? Why was he so attractive to her. It had been so from the first moment itself. And intensifying after each subsequent meeting. Could it be because of her experience with her last boyfriend. Had she been so screwed over him that she wanted to cling to the first good looking man who had come her way?
He moved like a man who didn’t question his choices. Like someone who got what he wanted without ever needing to ask. And for a moment, she had felt wanted. Even if it was by mistake.
A ridiculous, twisted part of her almost didn’t care that he’d thought she was someone else.
Because for those few seconds, he had chosen her. Her… Melody.