The Muse and the Fairy Tale (New Hampshire Bears #1) (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

Kyson

My arm was asleep, which woke me up. It took me a split second to remember I was still at Meadow’s.

We’d had sex.

Great sex.

I glanced at her next to me. I carefully moved my arm, and she rolled onto her stomach, turning her face to me. I brushed a strand of a hair away from her cheek. The bed sheet was pooled around her hips, and she was naked. I ran my fingers softly down her spine. She squirmed, and a tiny smile played her lips.

I eased out of the bed and thankfully found my underwear. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. I sat down at the table and took a large gulp of water.

I couldn’t believe we’d finally had sex. Meadow has been all I’ve thought about since our phone sex the other night, even with Angela texting me like mad.

I’ve not answered any of them, but she has been begging me to call. I hadn’t because I didn’t want whatever drama she wanted to bring up. On the other hand, I wanted to know. I’d ask Kian, but I knew he’d tell me not to do it. Maybe Meadow could weigh in on it.

Real smart, Kyson. Ask the girl you like, and just fucked, if you should call your ex-girlfriend.

“You okay?”

I turned to see Meadow standing in the doorway.

“I’m great,” I beamed, forgetting about Angela. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but amazing.” She strolled over to me, and I pulled her into my lap. She had on my t-shirt and her underwear.

“Are you hungry?” Meadow stroked my cheek, running her fingernails over my stubble.

“Famished.” I really was; I’d not eaten since yesterday afternoon.

“We could get cleaned up and head over to Red Arrow Diner.”

“Sounds like a plan. Maybe we could jump into the shower together.”

Meadow laughed. “We’re not having sex in the shower.”

“Why not?”

“Because shower sex is never like it is in the books. In reality, one person is freezing and the other person is all cramped up under the showerhead. Secondly, you can’t bang me against the wall because my back will be cold, and you can’t lift me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll be worried you’ll slip and drop me.”

“So, I’ll put your leg over my hip or shoulder,” I countered.

“What am I? A gymnast? If you lift my leg that high, I’ll either get a leg cramp or break my hip.”

My laughter bubbled up, and I couldn’t help it. “Okay, then what’s your plan?”

“I’m going to jump in the shower and clean up because I’m still a little sticky. Then you can clean up, and we can go eat.”

Her words hit my brain fast. “Um…Meadow…listen, I’m clean. I mean the league tests me regularly. I should have put on a condom—”

“Kyson.” She cupped my face and kissed me. “It’s fine. I’m clean and on the pill. I’m not worried. You and I were only thinking one thing last night, and I should have remembered as much as you, but it’s over. If I didn’t trust you, you wouldn’t be here.”

I smiled and pride filled me knowing she trusted me.

“I’m going to clean up.” She pecked my lips before she got up and headed into the bathroom.

I sat at the table and finished my water as I heard the shower going. I went to the bedroom and picked up my clothes. I grabbed my cell phone from pocket and saw Angela had texted me three times.

Ky, we need to talk.

Don’t you miss me?

I miss you.

What the hell was this? She missed me? She didn’t when I proposed and she left me kneeling in the restaurant.

“Kyson, I’m done.” Meadow walked into the bedroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her.

“Please, tell me you’re not naked under there.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against me.

“I’m wearing a black corset,” she teased.

I chuckled. “I’m going to go shower before I rip that towel off you and get you dirty again.” I slapped her butt lightly and headed off to the bathroom.

Once I finished the shower and got back into my clothes, I headed out to see Meadow typing on her laptop.

“Rewriting another sex scene?”

“Ha, ha,” she scoffed. “No, I was making a note.”

She stood up and my eyes roamed her body. She had those tight jeans on again with a red, long sleeve shirt with some sword on it.

“Are you ready?” I held out my hand.

“Yes, let me grab my coat.” She led us out to the living room, where Puckhead was asleep on the couch.

In the truck, and even on the drive to the Red Arrow, I thought about telling her Angela had contacted me. Since we were just starting this relationship, I didn’t want secrets or anything between us.

Maybe I’d wait until I figured it out on my own.

I held her hand as we walked into Red Arrow. There were a lot of people there for it being almost four in the morning. Meadow slid into a booth. I wanted to sit next to her, but I didn’t push it.

“Oh, did the rewrite work for the scene we worked on?” I glanced at her over the menu to see her holding back a smile as her cheeks turned red.

“It’s fine; Harlow said it worked better.”

“Did you enjoy my input?” I teased her.

Meadow’s beautiful blue eyes met mine. “I
may
have.”

“May?” I scoffed. “What about last night? Did you enjoy the first hand account?” I held my breath waiting for reply.

Meadow bit her lip. “Very much so.”

My body relaxed, and we both went back to our menus. We talked about lighter topics, hockey, Puckhead, and Meadow’s career. It was great seeing her so passionate about her love of writing and reading. She almost bounced with excitement telling me what the betas said about the book. She said her pre-sales were doing well, too.

The waiter came over and took our order. Once he left, I asked her on how the cover reveal went.

“Great. You’ve got more fans than you thought.”

“No one’s interrupted our dinner for my autograph.”

“Yet,” she corrected me.

We began talking about hockey and the teams around the PHL. We’d worked up a big appetite and were both quiet when our food was delivered. She did eventually ask me about being traded around the past few seasons.

“Was it hard on your relationship?”

She was talking about Angela. “A bit. She went with me, but she wasn’t one to travel a lot. Every time she would get settled into a job, I’d get traded.”

“What did she do?”

“Mainly hospital administrative work, but she’s held all sort of clerical positions.” It was strange talking about her right now.

“How did you guys meet?” Meadow finished her food and pushed her plate away.

“When I was in college, I actually went to the library and studied.”

“No,” Meadow faked gasped at my lame joke.

“It’s true. Anyway, she and I were sitting at the same table, and I struck up a conversation and asked her out. I guess the rest is history.”

“What went wrong?” I knew from Meadow’s tone she really wanted to know.

“For one, it had nothing to do with our age difference, if that’s what you’re thinking?”

“Actually, I wasn’t.” She seemed a bit offended.

“The truth is, I don’t know. We were celebrating our fifth anniversary, and I took her to a very fancy, high-end restaurant, which I knew she liked. After dinner, I got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. I popped the question, and she ran off. About two days or so later, her sister came to our place, packed her clothes and personal things, and it was done.”

Telling Meadow the story made my heart hurt again. I needed to tell Meadow she’d texted me, but I couldn’t find the words. Technically, I didn’t have to tell Meadow anything because she wasn’t really my girlfriend, but I wanted something more between us and I didn’t want to hide anything.

“I think I’m tired from eating all this yummy food. Ready to take me home?” Meadow grinned at me.

“Yes. I am.” I slid out of the booth and took her hand.

For the second time in twenty-four hours, my arm was asleep when I woke up. Meadow was curled up next to me, using my bicep as a pillow. She was beautiful, lying next to me. I was able to get out of the bed without disturbing her, and I put my jeans on. I knew I would have to go home soon and change clothes, but right now I didn’t plan on leaving Meadow.

My phone was buzzing in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw it was Angela, again.

Please, Ky.

Call me.

It’s important.

I miss you.

I’m still in love with you.

There it was. The statement almost knocked me on my ass. I’ve wanted to her say it for so long. It had been over a year. Why was she doing this now? I’ve moved on. Right?

“Why do I keep waking up without you?”

I looked over at her, chuckling. “Sorry. I wasn’t tired anymore.”

“Me either.” She wrapped her arms around my waist.

“What do we have planned today?” I kissed the top of her head.

“Well,
I’m
planning on vegging out in front of my TV and catching up on
Game of Thrones
. I’m behind and the new season starts soon.”

“Never saw it.”

Instantly, Meadow stepped away from me. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve never seen it,” I repeated.

“Have you read the books?”

I gave her the look as if she should already know that answer.

“I can’t date someone who doesn’t know the joys and treachery of
Game of Thrones
.”

“Are we dating?” A lump jumped in my throat, and Angela’s text popped into my mind.

“Well…um…I just meant…um…in general.” She stammered on her words.

“Sure, in general,” I agreed with her. “How about you explain the show to me?” I changed the subject.

“Ha! That’s damn near impossible. Why don’t you veg out with me? We’ll start with season one, and we’ll catch up.” Her blue eyes were becoming bright as she asked.

“Let me run home and change. I’ll be back in an hour.” I gave her a quick kiss and rushed away from her.

I needed to talk to Kian.

Thankfully, Kian was at home. I told him I needed to tell him something, and I didn’t want any advice unless he was going to be unbiased. When he agreed, I told him everything that happened between Meadow and me, and then told him about Angela’s text. Kian sat on the couch and listened to everything I said.

“Okay, what do you think? Should I contact Angela?”

Kian thought for a few seconds, rubbing his chin. “Kyson, look, if you want to contact Angela, go ahead. However, I think it’s a huge mistake. You two fought all the time. She never did anything you wanted to do. She hates hockey. She hates traveling. She complains all the time. I still don’t see why you even liked her.

“Now, there’s Meadow and I like her. She’s intelligent, funny, and overall a good person. You two have hit it off, and I’ve never seen you this happy. But, if you contact Angela, you have to tell Meadow. Don’t lie to her.”