by Susan Stoker
Without warning Amy about what she was going to do, she leaned over and grabbed her calf and yelled, “Ow!” Before Amy could move and before Melody could even look up, Tex was there.
“What’s wrong, Mel? Move your hands, let me see.” Tex was there, he had her calf in his hand and was massaging it. “Did it cramp up on you? Damn, we did too much today didn’t we? We should get you home.”
Melody put her hand on top of Tex’s head. “I’m okay, Tex. Really. Just a little cramp. It feels better. I’m not ready to go yet.”
Tex looked up at Melody, then looked over at Amy. Putting his hand on Mel’s face he said seriously, “I don’t want you upset. You’ve got enough going on, if you need to put off whatever conversation you’ve been having that’s made you uncomfortable, you need to do that.”
Amy smiled and cut into their talk and laid it out for him. “It’s okay, Tex. I told Mels that maybe you were her stalker. She didn’t like that.”
Melody turned to look at her friend. She didn’t think Amy would’ve come right out and told Tex she thought he was a suspect.
Not removing his hand from Melody’s face, Tex turned to Amy. “I insinuated the same thing about you. She didn’t take that any better than I bet she took you suggesting that I might be. Amy, I’m not her stalker. I give you my word as a Navy SEAL and as the man who cares about your friend a great deal.”
“Good enough for me,” Amy said immediately.
“Give us another twenty minutes or so?” Melody asked Tex softly.
“Of course.” Tex stood up and kissed Mel on the forehead, which made her smile, remembering what he’d said about why he kissed her there and not on the lips. He did it all the time and she loved it.
As Tex walked back to the bench he’d been sitting on before Melody had faked a leg cramp, Amy commented in a breathless voice, “Hashtag holy shit.”
“Hastag told you.”
“Yes you did. Now, serious stuff . . . how is he in bed?”
“Amy!”
“Mels! Spill it!”
Melody squirmed in her seat, but admitted softly. “Amazing. Seriously Ames, I’ve never experienced anything like it before in my life.”
“Does his leg make it weird?”
“His leg?”
Amy looked at her friend as if she were dense. “Yeah, Mels, his leg. You know, he’s missing half of it? Is it weird? Does it look gross?”
Melody got mad at her friend for the first time in a long time. “Amy, what the hell? Seriously? His leg is fucking beautiful. You know why? Because it’s a part of him. Because losing that leg means he’s still here to be with me today. And the answer is no, it’s not weird. He made me come twice last night before he even thought about satisfying himself. You think in the middle of that I could even spare a thought about what his fucking leg looks like or that I’d even care?”
“Uh, Mels—”
“And besides, his leg is fucking sexy as hell. You wouldn’t think it was, but I’ve already had a fantasy or two about rubbing up against it as I make myself come. And trust me, Tex is the least disabled man I’ve ever met in my life. He might have a bionic leg, but Ames, his mouth, his fingers, and his cock more than make up for any disability you or anyone else thinks he might have.”
“Mels, seriously—”
“No. That’s what’s wrong with this world today. People see someone with a limp or a prosthetic and they think something’s wrong with them. There’s not one fucking thing wrong with him. Not to mention he’s a hero. He was a fucking SEAL, Ames. You think missing half his leg would ever slow him down? Hell, given half a chance he’d probably take his prosthetic off and beat the hell out of my stalker with it.”
Melody was breathing hard, full of emotion and pissed off at her friend. She didn’t mind talking about how great the sex was with Tex, but she’d be damned if she let anyone, including her best friend in the world, talk smack about him.
“Hashtag he’s standing right behind you,” Amy whispered, smiling at Melody.
Melody whipped her head around and saw Tex standing stock still about four feet from the bench she and Amy were sitting on. He was watching her with an intense look in his eyes. Melody had no idea what to say. She hadn’t told her friend anything she didn’t mean, but it was embarrassing none-the-less.
“Amy,” Tex started without taking his eyes off of Melody. “Your friend is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know most women feel the way you do about my prosthetic, but I’ve never had anyone stand up for me the way Mel just did. So while I don’t mind if you want to girl-talk about our sex life, I don’t like seeing Mel upset.” He finally turned to look at Amy. “So if you want to know about my leg, in the future please ask me. You want to see it? I won’t like it, but we can have a show and tell anytime you want. But I’d appreciate if you keep your thoughts about how weird it might be to have sex with me to yourself, simply because it upsets Mel.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Tex. I’m sorry,” Amy told him in a small voice.
Tex nodded and turned back to Mel. “You about ready to go?”
“Can you give me a second?” Melody didn’t think he was going to do it, but finally he nodded and stepped back about ten feet and turned his back to the bench. Melody figured he could probably still hear them, but she didn’t want to push it.
“Mels, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean . . .”
“No, I know you didn’t, I overreacted,” Melody tried to tell her friend.
“No, you didn’t. You defended him and rightly so. I was being a bigot and stereotyping him. If George had a disability like that and you said something rude to me as I did to you, I would’ve done the same thing.” Amy dropped her voice to a whisper, “I love my husband, and it’s obvious you love Tex. I’m thrilled to death for you that you have someone you feel that passionately about. Now, go back to your apartment and have some wild and crazy sex. The next time we meet up you can tell me all about it, hashtag without me being a bitch about his leg.”
“I love you, Ames.”
“I love you too, Mels. Now go. I have a feeling Tex is gonna catch this asshole sooner rather than later and you’ll have your whole life to look forward to.”
Melody smiled at Amy and hugged her once they stood up.
Tex came over as Amy was walking away and took Mel’s hand in his own. “Ready to head home?”
“Yeah, about what I said . . .”
“Just so you know, I have a feeling Baby isn’t going to get to sleep in our bed anytime soon. We don’t want to corrupt her beyond all repair.”
Melody smiled and teased Tex back as they walked to the rental car. “Yeah? You haven’t changed your mind about the doggy voyeurism huh?”
Tex hooked one arm around Melody’s neck and put another hand at her back and dipped her backward, ignoring her girly screech. “Frankly, as soon as I get a whiff of your arousal I forget everything else. Baby, where we are, the damn stalker . . . all I think about is tasting you, seeing you orgasm, and getting inside you. I’d apologize, but I know as soon as my lips hit yours, you’re just as lost as I am.”
“Tex. Jesus. Stop. Seriously. Let me up.”
Tex leaned down and nuzzled her ear, still holding her practically upside down. “Are you wet for me, Mel?”
“You know I am.”
Tex brought Mel upright and shook his head. “No games. I love it. Come on, let’s get home. I have plans for you.”
Mel gladly took Tex’s hand and followed along beside and behind him. All thoughts of the stalker, someone that might be watching or following them, were gone from her head. All she could think about was what Tex might do to her, and what she wanted to do to him. She couldn’t wait.
Chapter Fourteen
“I hate this!” Melody complained, holding her head in her hands at her table. Baby whined next to her, sensing her mistress’ distress. Melody felt as if she was suffocating. The last two weeks had been idyllic in one sense. She loved having Tex living
with her. He was an easy person to share a space with. He wasn’t perfect, but the things he did that were a little annoying, were way overshadowed by the many ways he helped make life easier around the apartment. He cleaned up after himself, he didn’t leave little black hairs in the bathroom sink after he shaved, he cooked, he cleaned, hell, he even walked Baby when Melody couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed.
It wasn’t him. It was everything else. She didn’t have a minute to herself. If Tex wasn’t with her, he left her with Amy with strict instructions not to move until he came back to get her. He’d made good on his promise and had produced a tracking device that she now wore everywhere she went.
Melody fingered the small gold earring in her left ear. It looked so dainty and pretty, but Tex had shown her the software and how it showed her location on a map. Despite knowing how it would look to others, it made her feel better. She remembered weeks ago how she’d told him that it would make her feel better knowing he could find her in case the stalker decided to kidnap her.
“I know, Mel. I wish like hell I could do more.”
Melody sighed. “You’re doing everything you can, Tex. I’m very thankful for all of it.”
“But you still feel smothered.”
“Yeah.”
“Would it help if I told you it was for your own good?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so. You have a job today right?”
Not understanding where Tex was going with the question, Melody answered anyway. “Yeah, in about two hours. Why?”
Tex ran his hand though his hair and looked at Mel. “I thought maybe you could go to the library to do your thing today.”
Melody could feel her heart start to beat faster. “Where will you be?”
“I’ve got some things I need to take care of today. You know I’m retired, but I . . . help other military teams out and they need me today.”
Melody eyed Tex. “You know I’d never tell anyone anything about what you might say or do in my presence.”
“I know, that’s not what this is about. I don’t give a flying fuck if you hear what I do or not. I think you know by now I don’t exactly work by-the-book, but I trust you, Mel. I’d rather you stay here, inside, where I know where you are, where you’re safe, but I also know you need some space. The library, in public, is the safest place I can think of to give you the space you’re craving.”
“Thank you. I’d love to go there to do my gig today.”
“But you don’t take that earring off, you keep your phone close at hand, if anything out of the ordinary happens, I expect you to call me right away.”
“I will, Tex. Don’t worry. I will.”
Tex walked over to the table and sat in the chair next to Melody. He took her hands in his and kissed them. “How are you holding up really?”
“I hate it. How come we can’t figure out who’s doing this? I mean is he really that smart? You’ve seen the letters he won’t stop sending. Hell, even Amy got one the other day, and that scares me more than anything. I don’t understand what he means by, “You’ll pay.” Pay for what?”
Melody thought about the letter she received just that morning. It’d been taped onto her door. Tex had found it when he walked Baby.
You’re a bitch. You’ll always be a bitch. You might have others fooled, but I know you. You don’t deserve anything you have in your life. You’re going to pay for what you did. You better continue to keep that dog on a short leash. If you think that crippled excuse for a man will save you, you’re delusional on top of everything else. Prepare to pay.
Melody shivered. “He continues to threaten everyone I love, including you, and I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Tex. I just want it to end!”
Tex felt as if his heart stopped beating for a second, then it started again with a thud. He had no idea if Mel realized what she’d just said or not, but he knew her words would be forever engrained on his brain.
“We’re closing in on him, Mel. He’s getting more careless. We found a fingerprint on the last note. You know they only arrive in the middle of the night, so I’m fairly sure you’ll be okay in the library today. But I swear to God, I’m doing everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t touch one hair on your head.”
Tex waited for her to nod. When she did, he leaned closer to her. “And, Mel, this might not be the time or the place, but I can’t keep it in anymore. I love you. I love everything about you. I love how you scrunch your nose in your sleep. I love how you talk to Baby as if she can understand you. I love how you put everyone’s well-being before your own. I love how you matter-of-factly help me with my leg every night. You don’t make a big deal out of it because to you, it’s not a big deal. I love how you can type a million words a minute and you don’t think it’s amazing. I love how you know everyone in this town and you say hello to each and every one of them. I love how you turn the other way when you know I’m doing something that isn’t quite legal. Basically, I love everything about you. When this is over, if you still want me, I’m moving up here. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass where I live, as long as it’s with you.”
Tex’s words seemed to echo in the room. Melody could only look at him in wonder. She didn’t think she’d ever hear those words from him, and he’d done so much more than just say the words. “I love you, Tex.”
“I know.”
Melody smirked. “You’re a jerk.”
“Come here.” Tex tugged Mel out of her chair and pulled her into his lap. She straddled him and ground down against his erection. “I know we don’t have time for this right now, but tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I love every inch of this body.” Tex ran his hands up and under her shirt at her back and stroked the sensitive skin at the small of her back.
“Only if you’ll let me do the same.”
“Fuck yeah.” Tex leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
Melody smirked. She loved it when he did that. It was a secret communication between the two of them now. Each time he did it, she knew he really wanted to throw her down on the nearest flat surface and have his way with her.
“All right. I’ll take Baby with me today. You go to the library. Sit out in the common area where the people are. Don’t go in the back to the private rooms. You’ll be able to concentrate enough out there?” At her nod, he continued. “Okay, I’ll drop you off and come back three hours later. I know three hours isn’t enough, Mel. I know you wish you could do what you want, when you want, and where you want. I swear we’ll get there, but for now, please, for me, take every precaution you can.”
“I will, Tex. I swear.”
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
* * *
Melody concentrated on the last announcement being made at the meeting she was listening to over the Internet and typed what she was hearing. The voices from the other patrons in the library had faded the moment she’d put in the headphones and started concentrating on typing.
When Melody had arrived at the library she’d said hello to Meredith, the librarian, a woman she’d known her entire life and had settled down at a table to read the latest romance book by her favorite author. She hadn’t had time to get through it yet because when she and Tex were home, most of the time he’d interrupted her . . . not that Melody was complaining. She read for a while then fired up her computer to get to work.
Melody looked up and saw Diane, from the bank, sitting next to her. Melody held up her finger, in the universal symbol for “hang on,” as she finished up the presentation. She signed off the closed caption app and popped the headphones out of her ears.
“Hey, Diane.”
“Hey, Melody. How are you?”
“I’m good.” Melody wasn’t quite comfortable talking to Diane, other than the usual pleasantries, because she didn’t really know her. There was also that whole dating an ex of hers thing as well. Melody thought back to the information Tex had learned about Lee and felt some of her u
nease about the woman fade. She felt bad Diane had to live with him. No one deserved to be abused.
“That seems really interesting. I’ve never seen anyone type so fast before in all my life.”
“Yeah, well, I’m actually typing in shorthand, it gets translated and fed back to the people who have the app.”
Diane seemed really impressed. “Well, it’s really cool. I’m sure the deaf people really are thankful.”
“It feels good to be able to help people.” Melody said, looking down at her watch and ignoring the less-than-politically-correct statement from Diane. “Well, look, I gotta get going. My boyfriend will be here in a bit to pick me up.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen him around. He’s hot.” Diane didn’t seem to notice Melody’s unease at the turn in conversation.
“Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you seeing Lee? I’m not that comfortable with you talking about Tex that way.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I admire you. Seriously. You’re doing great things for people and you seem to have a great life.”
“Thanks, Diane.” Melody looked up and thankfully saw Tex sitting in his truck outside. They’d recently gotten his truck back from the shop. They’d cleaned the paint off and replaced all the tires. She’d missed being able to sit right next to Tex as he drove the rental car and being able to have Baby between them when she was allowed to accompany them.
Melody stood up and gathered her laptop and book. “He’s here. I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe we can get together for lunch or something sometime?”
Diane seemed eager to be friends, that was obvious. Melody knew what kind of jerk Lee could be. She’d been lonely before too. “Sure. I’ll call and we’ll set it up.”
Diane smiled widely. “Cool! See you around!”
Melody waved at Diane as she walked to the front door. Diane waved back and turned to head into the romance section of the library.