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Melinda huffed and dragged the ladder out onto the front steps, before stepping back inside and grabbing the ropes of lights that she needed to hang.
“Melinda, why can’t you be more like your brother?” she muttered to herself, imitating her mother.
“Melinda, you’re thirty-two, when will you just get married?”
“Melinda, you’re wasting time trying to succeed as a photographer. You should have studied law when you had the chance.”
“Melinda, run to the store for me.”
“Melinda, pick up dinner for your father and I on the way home.”
“Melinda? The dogs needs to be walked.”
“Melinda, be a dear and hang up the lights outside? Your brother isn’t going to be home until tomorrow, he has the late shift at the hospital.”
“Melinda?”
“Melinda.”
“Melinda!”
She knew it was probably childish to imitate her mother like that, but the woman was getting on Melinda’s every last nerve today with her incessant comments and questions. She continued to swear and mutter under her breath about her mother, but at the same time, Sparky, her brother’s incessant little rat of a dog flew outside, barking madly, soon chased by her much larger, much bulkier Labrador Steve. The two animals jostled the ladder, and Melinda cursed as she felt herself begin to fall. She expected to feel the smack of cold concrete against her skin, but it never came.
Instead, she heard a loud ‘oof!’ and her head smacked into what was definitely not concrete. It was then she realised that she’d landed on someone, but that was odd, because there was nobody else outside except for her. When she finally managed to sit up and turn, she had landed on a poor (and somehow, very, very cute) FedEx delivery guy.
Melinda blushed and swore, getting to her feet to help him up. The man had his head tipped back to stem the bleeding from his nose, one hand pinching the bridge. He looked over at the two dogs curiously sniffing him. He yelped when Sparky bit his other hand.
“Erm, I have a delivery for a Mrs. Lian May?”
XXX
“I really am sorry,” Melinda told him as she finished bandaging his hand in the kitchen.
“Hey, really, I’m okay. The dog bite hurt a bit more than the bloody nose, but hey, it’s not the first time I’ve been bitten by one on the clock. It’s really just a part of the job,” the man replied, his blue eyes sparkling at her in a way that should be illegal. He really was cute. Apart from his gorgeous eyes, he had a pleasant smile, and after he’d shed his heavy coat, leaving him in the standard issue short sleeved FedEx shirt, Melinda knew that lifting heavy boxes had obviously done him a lot of good. His arms were toned and strong looking. She wondered how they’d feel wrapped around her. Fuck. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind.
Am I really so sexually frustrated that I’ve reduced myself to eyefucking the FedEx delivery guy??
She looked over at where Steve had his head resting on the man’s knee, receiving scratches behind his ears. Sparky, on the other hand, was glaring at him murderously, eying his leather boots like they were toys.
“I’m Phil, by the way. Phil Coulson,” he said, sticking out his hand.
“Melinda May,” she replied, shaking his hand, “You know, for someone who’s been bitten by a lot of dogs, you certainly don’t mind them.”
He shrugged. “I like dogs, I’m just wary of the more aggressive ones,” he replied, waving the bandaged hand at her for emphasis.
Melinda chuckled.
“I should probably get going,” he finally said after a short amount of silence.
Strangely enough, Melinda didn’t want Phil to leave. He was genuinely nice, and if the way Steve was curling up under him and pawing at his hands for more petting was any indication, the dog didn’t seem to want him to leave either. Well, Sparky did, but Melinda could give less about the little rat after he’d destroyed two pairs of her boots.
“It looks like it’s getting pretty cold out, do you maybe want some tea? Maybe some hot chocolate?” she said as he stood.
Phil looked out the window, where it was once again snowing lightly.
“I think that would be great, actually,” he replied with a bright smile.
XXX
BONUS:
“Daddy, how did you meet Mummy?”
Phil paused, the ornament he’d been about to hang on the tree hanging in midair. He smiled and looked down at his curious little six year old that was sitting on the floor by the fire, rubbing Steve’s tummy. He glanced up at Melinda who was sitting on the couch stringing popcorn and cranberries, and grinned wickedly.
He scooped up Skye, plopping down heavily on the couch next to Melinda.
“Well, Pumpkin, it all started the day your mother gave me a bloody nose…”
Skye giggled loudly when Melinda smacked him on the back of the head.