“So, Sam,” Leo saunters over to Samantha, who’s trying to decide where to hang some artwork Meg brought with her. “What are you doing later?”
“I won’t be doing you,” she mutters and we all bust out laughing.
Sam is a hard-ass. She’s no-nonsense, and tells it like it is. She’s also gorgeous, and I can’t blame Leo for trying.
“Uh, I wasn’t offering, honey.” Leo smiles smugly. “I was wondering if you’d like me to take you to have that stick pulled out of your ass.”
The girls gasp, and Luke’s eyes go hard as stone, but just before he makes the move to kick Leo’s ass, Sam laughs and shakes her head.
“Nope, I like my stick right where it is.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
“You’ll be the first to know.” She hammers a nail into my wall and hangs the picture at her feet. “But just so you know, I don’t date famous people.”
“Neither do I,” Leo winks and saunters into the kitchen, pulls a beer out of the fridge and takes a sip. The girls are all smiling broadly at him, and I have to say, I want to high-five him.
There’s no way in hell he’ll talk her into going out with him.
Finally, after what feels like days, everyone leaves. I thank everyone for their help as they climb in their cars and drive off, shut the front door and go in search of my girl.
I find her in the guest room again, going through that same box from earlier.
“What are you looking at?” I ask her and lean against the door jam. She looks so young, sitting there on the floor in my old jersey and her black yoga pants, hair pulled up in a ponytail and no makeup.
“I found these pictures that Nat took of me when we were in college.” She thumbing through the photos, and I frown in confusion, and then it hits me. Natalie takes naked pictures.
Naked pictures of Megan.
“Show me.” I push away from the door and lower myself to the floor behind her, my legs on either side of her and pull her against my chest, her sexy ass snuggled up against my groin.
And then my world stands still.
The photos are black and white. Meg is holding her guitar, and not wearing a stitch of clothing.
“Holy hell,” I mutter as she shuffles through them slowly. There must be two dozen of them, Meg in different poses with that guitar. Her hair is down, framing her face. She was slimmer then, in the way women are when their bodies are changing from being a teen into a woman. I much prefer her rounder breasts and hips now, but damn, even then she was a knock out.
“How old were you?” I ask.
“Nineteen,” she replies shyly, looking at the photos.
She comes to the last one. She’s sitting cross-legged on a bed covered in white sheets that have been messed up. Her arms are wrapped around the guitar, and it’s covering her completely, but it’s the sexiest photo of the bunch. Her face is sober, her wide eyes staring into the camera, and she’s biting her bottom lip.
“Can I keep that one?” I ask.
“Sure. You can keep them all.”
“Really?” I run my hands up and down her arms and kiss her neck, just below her ear. I’m sure she can feel how much these photos have turned me on.
“I don’t need them.” She leans into me and turns her sweet face to me. I run my fingers down her cheek and kiss her nose, her dimple and then her lips.
“You are beautiful, Megan. Then and even more so now.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I’m glad you’re here, in our home with me.”
She smiles widely, her eyes happy, and I will do whatever it takes to keep that happiness there for the rest of her life.
“Me too. Can we get naked now?”
“I thought you’d never ask, sweetheart.”
THE END
The With Me In Seattle series continues in book four, Leo and Samantha’s story, ROCK WITH ME, to be released in May, 2013.
Acknowledgements:
As always, I have a long list of people to thank.
First to my husband, for being patient and supportive of this amazing job of mine. I love you.
To my family. Thank you for loving me so completely.
To the best brainstorming partner and the sharer of long hours of sipping wine while we laugh and chat, Nicole Brightman. You are awesome, full of great ideas, and you just get me. I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you for sharing your imaginary people with me, and for loving mine, too.
To Lori, Tanya, Holly, Nichole and Kara: you are the best beta readers EVER and I love you to bits!
To my sprinting buddies, A.L. Jackson, Molly McAdams and Rebecca Shea. You guys inspire me every single day. Thank you for being such amazing friends and for sharing your talents with me.
Kelli Maine, Michelle Valentine and Emily Snow: you guys are ah-mazing. I can’t tell you what your friendship means to me. I am blessed to be surrounded by such talented and truly extraordinary women. Thank you for all you do for me. Xoxo
To Renae Porter for your great talent. Thank you for producing yet another stellar cover.