Page 35 of Saving Meadow

Me: Date number two in the books.

The response was immediate just as I knew it would be.

VV21: What? When?

Me: Lunch today. Sigh. I think I’m in love.

VV21: WHAT?! Love? Isn’t it too soon for that? Meadow, you need to be careful. You don’t know anything about him. And remember he needs something from you. Are you sure he’s not using you? Sounds too good to be true.

I stared at the screen in disbelief. I’d thought Veronica Venus would be happy for me. I was hurt she was so negative about my relationship with Nick and this was the second time she told me he was using me for information.

Me: Stop worrying. It was a turn of phrase; I’m not really in love with him. Back at work. Talk later.

So, that might have been a small white lie. I wasn’t in love with Nick – Veronica Venus was right, it was too soon for that - but I was well on my way to falling. I could definitely love him, and the thought gave me butterflies.

“Meadow! The reports,” Beth yelled from her office door.

Sigh.

Why was Beth always so miserable? Would it kill her to smile every once in a while?

“Coming,” I answered, and sent one more text.

Me: Best kiss ever! To answer your question in case you were wondering – no, I’ve never made out with a younger man. Or anyone in an elevator before. I approve. We should do that again, and SOON. Have fun with Sally tonight. Give her a scratch for me. xoxo

I turned my phone off and tossed it in my drawer and grabbed the file Beth wanted. With a deep breath, I prepared to enter the den of doom and gloom, reminding myself it didn’t matter what Beth said to me, it never had, I was happy. I wouldn’t allow her to steal that from me.

Not today.

Not ever again.

I was back!

17

I’m there

The last few weeks, the Butcher case notwithstanding, have been nothing short of a miracle. Watching Meadow slowly come back to herself was a thing of beauty. Each time we’d gone out, her confidence grew. On our first lunch date, I saw the shock on her face when the hostess and waitress didn’t pay us any attention. I watched as she worked through her emotions, every thought played across her pretty face but I didn’t tell her I saw. Now, she seemed to take it in stride that no one treated us, or her, any differently when we went out in public. I’d tried to mask my surprise when we met at Sam’s this morning, and she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Something so small was a huge step for her. Meadow always wore her hair down over her shoulder trying to use her shiny red locks to cover the scar on her face. Today? Today she wore it up, not trying to hide. I was so proud of her. So damn proud I couldn’t resist taking her in my arms in the middle of the coffee house and kissing the hell out of her.

Another thing that had changed was, our text messages had become increasingly X-rated. She was driving me crazy with her suggestive messages. She still couldn’t bring herself to flirt with me in person, but I kind of liked that she was sweet and shy in person and a sexy minx over text. The contrast drove me wild. She didn’t know that tonight after I dropped her off after our date I planned on speeding home and calling her. We were going to take the next step from text to phone sex. I was taking our physical relationship at a snail’s pace. I deserved a gold medal for rebuffing her advances. Kissing had turned into full-on make-out sessions on either my couch or hers. I’d limited touching to over our clothes, even when she tried to get sneaky and push her hand under the elastic of my track pants. I’d stopped her and kissed her silly. It was killing me, but I needed to know she was ready. I had to know without a doubt she no longer believed herself to be filler. I was falling in love with her, and it would crush me if she thought I was using her.

“Christ! You’re beautiful.” I looked up from the pile of mail on my table in time to watch her walk in the living room.

We’d spent the day with Sally at the dog park. The entire time we were there, Meadow was happy and playing with Sally. I still hadn’t told her that Gabe was ready, and Sally would be leaving the week after next. She was going to be crushed, she and Sally had grown close. Selfishly, I wished we could keep her. The dog did a world of good for Meadow.

An hour ago we’d come home to drop off Sally and get cleaned up for dinner. And holy shit did Meadow clean up well. She’d let her hair out of the confines of the band, and it fell in waves down her back, giving me an unobstructed view of her cleavage. Since I’d met her, she always dressed very conservatively, never wanting to draw attention to herself. The short black dress with a neckline that scooped down showing off her impressive breasts was not going to allow her to blend in. Men and women alike wouldn’t be able to help but notice her. If the dress wasn’t enough, the sky-high red heels were sure to turn heads. Fuck! I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands off her.

“Too much?” she asked.

Her rosy cheeks and flaming red hair were too irresistible. I abandoned the mess on the table and moved to her.

“No. Never too much. You are a beautiful woman. It doesn’t matter what you wear, but this? Holy shit, Meadow, I’m reconsidering going out. There’s no way I’ll be able to control my hard-on.” She smiled and lowered her eyes. “Does that bother you? Knowing I’ll be sitting across from you all night rock hard because I’ll be imagining what you’re wearing under that dress?”

“No,” she whispered.

“Look at me.” I waited until she lifted her eyes to me. “I love that you’re so shy. Christ, you make my dick throb when you blush and turn away at the slightest hint of me having an erection or when I know you’re turned on by something I’ve said. But Red, I want to see your pupils dilate and your face flush. I want you to look at me when I tell you that I cannot wait to taste every inch of your body. I need you to see what you do to me. You drive me wild, Meadow. I’m looking forward to the day when I can watch you come apart in my arms. I don’t want you to hide from me, not anymore.”

She nodded and licked her lips before she replied. “I’m…umm…not used to feeling sexy. But you make me feel like I am. I promise it has nothing to do with…you know…even before I never thought of myself like that. I’m nervous because I want it to be good for you, but I’m scared I won’t be any good at the sex stuff. I want to be. Every time we kiss on the couch I want more, but you always stop.”