Dramatic, Mushy, Complicated Love Read online

  “What are you saying, that you want to dial down the heat and get to know each other before we take it to the bedroom?” Luca asked, his expression unreadable.

  “Yeah, that is what I want. I don’t just want phenomenal sex with no substance, Luca. I have had relationships before that lacked in most departments and the bedroom. I don’t think that will be us, but I want to know for sure that this is worth our time. Because I really don’t think I will survive it if we don’t work out if I get a taste of what you are offering only to be left alone.” My honesty was raw and maybe too much to admit on a first date, but that was how important Luca was to me. Laying everything out now could mean we had a good chance.

  “We are going to work out Meadow, be sure of that, baby. I get what you are saying, and I agree, my cock might not, but he will just have to cope. I get to kiss you at least, right?”

  Smiling, I touched my lips to his and gave him a noisy but sweet smooch.

  “Kissing is a must,” I agreed wholeheartedly. After all I wasn’t an idiot! What kind of woman would ever not want to kiss a hunk of gorgeous spunk like Luca if they had him at their disposal?

  Not me!

  I couldn’t remember a night I had enjoyed more than dinner with Meadow. After clearing up a few minor misunderstandings, we ordered our meals, sat back, and talked about important topics going on in our lives and some more light-hearted ones.

  Her family was a hoot from her stories, and truth be told, I was really looking forward to getting to the stage where Meadow introduced us, or me as her boyfriend. I liked her idea of slowing things down a little, kicking back a gear or two, and not taking our new relationship into warp drive, where it seemed to be heading last week. Maybe my sister’s phone call had been a blessing in disguise. I had no doubt that Meadow and I in bed together would be sheet burning stuff, but like her, I liked the idea of substance in a relationship.

  “So, you blow stuff up for a living?” Meadow asked, bringing my mind back to our conversation and getting to know each other.

  “Sometimes, yeah, we do. Ace and I own and operate a demolition and engineering company. Bringing down buildings and structures is just part of that. We also engineer and design bridges, supports for buildings, and heavy equipment transport. We designed and helped manufacture a special trailer that can carry over five tonnes of weight. It is all remote controlled operated and used to get very heavy, massive items from a pier onto a cargo ship.”

  “Wow, very impressive. You guys must be proud of what you have achieved,” Meadow congratulated me before putting a fork of beef to her mouth. I watched in avid fascination as her lips closed over the tines of the fork and devoured the morsel of meat. A hungry and appreciated moan spilling from her lips and hitting me dead centre of my crotch.

  Fuck me, how was I going to keep my hands off her when she made noises like that!

  I agreed to slow down, but damn, I feared a severe case of blue balls was in my future. Clearing my throat, I tried to look anywhere else but at her mouth.

  “Thanks, we are. Ace is the brains behind making the prototypes and the demolition crew, although I must say I enjoy getting the tool belt on and getting sweaty and dirty. Being in the office gets old after a while, so it’s nice to get hands-on and recharge the batteries, so to speak.”

  Nodding in agreement, Meadow smiles at me. “I get that. For me, getting a beaten up piece of furniture most people would throw to the tip gets my blood pumping. I love giving something a second lease on life, hence the name of the store. Spring and I have always liked antiques, and when we got the chance two years ago to start up our business doing what we love, we jumped at it.”

  “You’re doing well then?”

  “We are holding our own, yeah. Pre-loved goods, whether it be furniture or clothes, are very popular. While we concentrate mainly on household pieces, we do have a small section of antique clothing. Wedding dresses and formal wear mainly, but essentially it is the furniture we are passionate about.”

  “Spring comes across as more serious than you, am I right in saying that?”

  Laughing, Meadow nodded enthusiastically. “Oh my word, yes! Spring resented our upbringing more than Brecken, and I did. She wanted a normal name, and I remember a time when she insisted we call her Sally. She did everything to make Lennie and Trish use that instead of her real name, but they refused. I’m not sure why she thought it would work, she should have known the more she fought them, the more they would dig in and torment her. As I said, they are—”

  “Weird and unique,” I interrupted, laughing with her. “Yeah, I got that message.”

  “Indeed,” she giggled, making my heart clench. That sound was fast becoming my favourite, and it amazed me how quick Meadow had burrowed deep inside me.

  “Tell me, what is up with Ace? Spring hasn’t gone into too much detail, but what she has told me, it seems he got—”

  “Spooked,” I offered, “he got spooked. It seems the power of the Tessler women is a powerful force. A man can fight it, but it is fruitless. Ace will come to his senses, and he just needs to understand and accept that Spring is his future.”

  “Well, he better hurry up and realise it, Spring is hurt, and she doesn’t like being hurt. She is her own worst enemy, she will talk herself into a frame of mind that doesn’t include Ace, and once she does that, he won’t have a chance in hell of changing her mind.”

  “Hmmm, I will let him know. Thanks for the heads up. He really is smitten with her, just scared how much so soon.”

  “I definitely understand that,” Meadow whispered softly, looking at me through her thick lashes—my heart racing at her words and the meaning behind them.

  “I scared you?”

  “Terrified is a better description.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I agreed, holding her gaze, so she didn’t miss my meaning.

  “But I’m not anymore.” My voice steady and sure as I revealed another truth.

  Meadow licked her lips, a small dob of sauce that had been sitting at the corner of her mouth taunting me disappeared with a swipe of her pink tongue. My dick screamed at me for my stupid decision to agree to no sex until Meadow was ready, the bastard not happy that my brain was in charge.

  “Yeah, me too.” Her soft reply making me happy as fuck and a step closer for my dick to be happy too.

  Don’t worry buddy, she is ours, just be patient. My silent pep talk was doing nothing to relieve the pressure behind my zipper, but it made my heart happy as fuck.

  ***

  Turning into a bumpy, dirt driveway, I pulled my car to a stop behind Meadow’s car and put it into park before quickly getting out. I deliberately left the motor running, so Meadow didn’t get the wrong idea that I was after an invite to go inside with her and taking our pact seriously.

  The sun had only been down for an hour or so, so the light was still good enough to see the house. Casting a critical eye over the place, I noted that it needed some cosmetic work, but from what I could see looking from the driveway, the house had good bones.

  “Nice place,” I said as I opened the car door and reached in to take Meadow’s hand and help her out of the car. The top she was wearing was more modest than the shimmery dress she wore when we danced, but it was no less sexy. It might have covered her breasts, but they weren’t the only things sexy about Meadow. I fucking loved her tattoos, the lion on her upper arm stood proud, signalling the strength Meadow possessed. I was yet to discover the ones on her legs, having been preoccupied with her beautiful face when I first met her. But I will.

  “Thanks, it needs some work still, but I love it. I plan on doing all the work myself, a long term project. I had started painting the side of the house, but had to stop when I got distracted with fixing the aerial on the roof. That is proving to be a bitch of a job.”

  Gawking at Meadow, I shook my head in disbelief, not computing what she just told me. “Sorry, but did you say you have been up on the roof?”

  “Yep. Actually, I was up o
n the roof stranded the day we met. I accidentally kicked the ladder down while scaling over the guttering. Lucky for me, I had only been up there an hour before Spring turned up to pick me up and take me to the Western with her.”

  Meadow’s explanation was nonchalant to her, it was anything but to me. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I felt my blood pumping wildly through my veins, just picturing Meadow in danger. Clenching my jaw, I counted silently to ten, then twenty attempting to calm my inner rage. What the hell was this woman doing to me? All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms, defend and protect her until the end of time. How did she affect me so savagely, so completely? And how was I going to survive her mile long independent streak?

  “You know I am not a wallflower or a damsel needing to be saved, right Luca? I use power tools every day at work. I know how to look after myself, thanks to my truckie dad.” Stepping closer to me, Meadow wrapped her hands around the back of my neck and pulled my face down to hers. Her scent of musk and oriental notes invaded my senses, and just like that, I was lost in her.

  “There are other ways you can take care of me, Spunk Rat.” Pressing her lips to mine, Meadow kissed me properly. Not a chaste peck, but a full-blown opened-mouth, hot as sin kiss. Winding my arms around her back, I took control of the kiss, bending her backward against the car door, and crowding my body further into her soft curves.

  “Fuck, you taste good, baby,” I panted into her open mouth, our tongues teasing and licking at one another.

  “Back at ya, stud,” Meadow breathed, making me chuckle. Even during sexy times, when I was usually reserved and serious, Meadow’s unique and quirky humour softened me. Laughing while kissing a woman not something I ever thought of doing before her.

  “You are amazing, you know that? You balance out my seriousness, reminding me that life is meant to be fun and not all about responsibility,” I admitted quietly. That was another new thing Meadow did to me, and she made it easy and natural to talk openly and honestly. Another thing I didn’t normally do.

  “Just because you are a businessman and have a family to watch over doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, Luca. If I have learnt anything from Lennie and Trish, it’s life is too short to be a stick in the mud. If you keep your nose down, you might miss all the good stuff, and that would be a shame.”

  Her smile was blinding, her words ringing true. I had no idea why Meadow walked into that pub, but I thanked the universe for gifting me with her.

  “A real shame,” I agreed before taking her lips again. A night of tearing up the sheets might not be in the cards, but as long as I had Meadow in my arms and kissing her, then I was more than satisfied.

  Waiting just heightened my anticipation, and I was fast finding that I liked that too.

  “I can’t believe you spoke to Luca about Ace and me, Meadow,” Spring screeched at me the minute she walked into the shop. “What gave you the right to do that?”

  Closing my eyes and praying for patience, I did my best to ignore my sister’s latest tirade. Last night had been a long late night on the phone with Luca, we talked until two in the morning, neither of us wanting to hang up. Our first official date was three nights ago, and circumstances and his work had prevented us from seeing each other as yet since.

  After he followed me home and he kissed me stupid for a half-hour at the car, he went home and called me right away. We chatted for a little bit, making tentative plans to get together the next day. Unfortunately, he had an issue on a job site and had to cancel, and the next day he was busy ferrying his mother around to do errands, and I had my weekly pole dancing class that night, meaning another night of not seeing each other.

  My best friend Prue and I signed up as a joke months ago and found it was not only fun but a great way to tone your body. After three months of weekly sessions, I had to admit the advantages of toned thighs, arms and abs was worth the initial pain. Not only that, we both loved our high heels, and the classes gave us the perfect excuse to buy new pairs regularly.

  I know I could have cancelled with Prue to see Luca, but that would not have been fair, and my friendship with Prue went back to our kindergarten days and was important to me. She was the only kid in class that didn’t make fun of my name; I guess because she too had an unusual name. We bonded quickly and have been in each other’s lives ever since, so dumping her for a guy, no matter how hot, was a hard no.

  I only half-listened to Spring as she ranted and raved about privacy and breaking the sister code, rolling my eyes at her dramatics. The family always accused me of being the drama queen, listening to Spring, however …

  “Spring, will you shut up!” I ground out, whirling around to face her. “Sister code! Seriously? I believe that is when you fuck your sister’s boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, I don’t think it pertains to this situation.”

  “You went behind my back, Meadow.”

  “I talked about you and Ace with Luca for about two minutes, you drongo. And honestly, where was the harm?”

  “He called me, Meadow, Ace called me last night.” The way in which Spring yelled that piece of information at me, I assumed it was a bad thing. Why? Buggered if I knew, but damn it, I needed to know. Glaring at my sister with a combination of annoyance and bewilderment.

  “And? How is that bad?”

  “He rang me after he spoke with Luca, Meadow.”

  “Again I ask, that is a good thing, right?” Maybe Spring has taken up drinking in the morning, or maybe my sister was just a certifiable nut job.

  I got my answer very quickly.

  “No Meadow, it isn’t good. I want Ace to call me because he wanted to, not because he talked to Luca,” Spring raged, her hands on her hips, her mouth in a stubborn line.

  “It means he had to be told I was upset with him, instead of him figuring it out for himself. It means he isn’t on the same wavelength as me, Meadow.”

  I gaped at Spring, not entirely sure if I should laugh in her face right then. She had to be shitting me, the same wavelength?

  “You know you’re an idiot, don’t you? What difference does it make why he called? He bloody called!”

  “Because Luca told him I was upset!”

  “He already knew that Spring! He walked out on you without waking you, and any man, no matter how dense he might be, knows that is the wrong thing to do. Did he explain to you why he did it?”

  Spring lost some of her fight, her hands slipping from her hips to her thighs.

  “Yeah, he did,” she conceded, “and I have to admit, I liked his reasoning.”

  “Then why are you losing the plot at me?”

  “Because I wanted him to be on the same—”

  “Wavelength,” I finished for her, “ I know, I know.” I didn’t understand why, but it wasn’t the first time my sister boggled my mind, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  “I blame Trish and Lennie for my crazy,” Spring complained, walking over to the chaise and plopping down. “If only they were normal parents, allowed us to call them Mum and Dad, grounded us even. Then maybe, I would have turned out normal instead of … like this.”

  “Highly strung, an overthinker, three cans short of a six-pack?” I helped, only to receive her middle finger in my face.

  Shifting on the cushion, I got closer to Spring and put an arm around her.

  “Honey, I don’t think us not calling our parents Mum and Dad is the issue. We had a good childhood despite the names, theirs and ours. They loved us then, and they love us now, and as unconventional as they are, Mum and Dad raised three good kids. Our flaws and eccentricities make us who we are, kiddo.”

  My philosophy may need some tweaking, but I was certainly impressed with my monologue, even if Spring wasn’t.

  “Yeah, but it is easier to blame them, then I don’t have to admit how strange I am,” Spring sniffed, one big fat tear rolled down her cheek, and my heart ached for her.

  “Love is a strange companion, isn’t it? It can be downright complicated at times, but I wouldn’t give up be
ing in love for anything in the world, Spring.” Luca entered my mind at that very minute. His handsome, serious face, and the sexy smirk he gave me when he let his walls down. I wasn’t ready to be in love with him, but I was definitely in something with him. The spark that sizzled whenever we touched was addictive. Seeing what else was between us was going to be a fun, wild ride.

  One I hoped didn’t break me.

  “I wonder if they do what we do, sit here in tears and beat ourselves up over the smallest thing. Dissect every conversation, try to figure out shit that isn’t there.”

  Laughing, I gave my sister a squeeze.

  “Somehow, I doubt it kiddo, but I do think they wonder and ponder. Mostly about why women are so dramatic and complicated.”

  “Don’t forget mushy,” Spring muttered through a sob.

  “Huh!” I scoffed. “Nothing wrong with a little mush, it balances out the other two,” I quipped, laughing with Spring, before turning serious.

  “Spring, Ace has genuine feelings for you. It freaked him out, or as Luca put it, spooked him. Don’t sweat the small stuff, honey, and please don’t let your head ruin your chance at real love. Mum and Dad didn’t do that bad of a job raising us. How many girls did we go to school with own their own business and homes as we do? Accept how and what you are, because let me tell you, sweetie, a lot of people love Spring Fawn Tessler just the way she is.”

  We sat there in silence, our heads leaning together and just enjoying our sister moment.

  I spoke the truth about our parents and the way we grew up. It wasn’t all that bad looking back. Hopefully, Spring would be able to see that and get on with moving forward with Ace the way I planned to do with Luca. I was starting with a lunch date at my house.

  “Okay, I gotta get a move on now. I have lunch with my Spunk Rat in a few hours, and I have a massive box of knickknacks to rummage through and get cleaned and shelved before I can leave.”