Dramatic, Mushy, Complicated Love

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 on 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