Chapter 23

Meadow

It’s late in the afternoon at Pathways as I head to Henry’s loft for dinner. Shannon left early for the day to meet up with Josh. I’m by myself, but I don’t mind the solitude. It’s been a whirlwind the last few days. So many calls, so many emails, so much to do. We’ve never been so busy. That New York Times ad was worth every penny and then some.

The best part was seeing Henry’s face when I showed him the ad. The way his brown eyes lit up with joy meant the world to me. I chuckle to myself at the memory of the whole fiasco with rescuing Verdi. But my sensitive, artistic man turned into a superhero when I needed him most. The way he stepped into action and didn’t hesitate, all I can think is wow! Henry is much braver than I ever realized. I can count on him. I can believe in him.

I can probably love him. Maybe, I already do.

Pathways has never been so successful. It feels like every dream I’ve ever had, even some I never dared to imagine are all coming true. Out of the ashes of pain and all that.

I snap the computer shut, fix my makeup and grab my bag. It won’t be long until the driver arrives, so I decide to wait by the front door. After a few minutes, a Mercedes Benz SUV pulls up in front of the building. Outside the window, Henry steps out of the back seat, holding out his hand to me. The sight of him flips my heart over. It’s like the cloak of insecurity has completely lifted its weight from his broad shoulders.

After he helps me inside, I snuggle into the buttery leather and pull a white envelope from my bag.

He rips it open, and his eyes get wide when he sees a check for $357,000. “Oh God! This is for me! No way!”

I laugh at his shocked expression. “Yep, you earned every penny.”

He wraps his arms around me. “I’ve never seen a check for this much money in my name. Not ever. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received, Meadow.”

“It’s not a gift. You earned it. And you better get used to it. I’ve got several deposits for custom pieces.”

His eyes brim with pride. And something else. “Meadow, none of this would have happened without–”

I put a finger to his lips. “Henry, you always had it in you. I just helped bring it out. I’m feeling very blessed right now. Like the possibility of having it all is hovering right within arm’s reach, and all I have to do is claim it.”

As the driver weaves through traffic, I spin in my seat belt, looking into Henry’s eyes. “So what’s on the menu tonight?”

He smiles and waggles his eyebrows. “You’ll see. I love surprises. You should know that about me. Get used to it, woman.”

A few minutes later, the driver pulls up to his building, and we rush up to his loft. The moment the front door opens, the smell of seafood hits my nostrils. Yummy. I eye the foil containers on his marble counters. The food’s from the place where we had our first business meeting, and Henry bolted for the door. As we step inside, I feel like we have both come full circle. So much as changed since that awkward day Henry ran out. I’ve grown. He’s grown. We’ve grown together as a couple.

We make a great team. Together, we could conquer the art world.

Henry pulls out my chair, and I sit across from him. He smiles, and the joy in his eyes lights a fire in mine. “If I haven’t told you already, you look gorgeous tonight.”

“I doubt that. I didn’t even have time to go home and change since someone was so damn antsy to see me tonight.”

He shakes his head. “Meadow, your beauty is effortless. It’s an internal light that you have, radiating outward.”

I smile wide because that might be the best compliment a girl could ever receive. “Alright, Mr. Charmer. Compliment accepted.”

“I’m just calling it like I see it.”

As he scoops up the yellowfin tuna and red snapper to our plates, I make eye-contact with Henry, looking for any signs of discomfort. I don’t want him to feel self-conscious, and I know from first-hand experience it doesn’t take much to trigger his stuttering.

Henry looks totally calm and in control. Hell, he looks downright sexy. Why should I be surprised? Maybe that’s his way of showing me that he’s ready to come way out of his comfort zone. He’s ready for anything and everything. I sit back and let him lead, not even letting it irritate me. It feels right somehow.

Henry pours me a glass of Riesling from the chilled bottle, then spears me with a glance. “You know what I want?”

“By the sexy look on your face, I have a feeling that’s a very long list.” I feel my pulse quicken and moisture pool between my thighs just at the innuendo. It’s been so long since Henry and I have touched. He’s an amazing lover… I still find it hard to believe he’d never been with anyone before me. Maybe I’m supposed to be his first and his last.

Maybe like a lump of clay on the wheel, fate spun our lives together.

He looks into my eyes. “I want your mouth on me later.”

A tiny giggle escapes my lips. “Really? Has someone been watching PornHub again for ideas.”

“Guilty as charged.”

I lower my voice to my sexiest whisper and lean in. “I think I can manage to grant you your request. And after that, I’m going to take away your internet, or I’m going to get very exhausted.”

He leans back in his chair, devouring me with his eyes. “Everything you manage turns into gold. Kind of like the gold in my vases.”

“Hmm… I think it might be both of us working together.”

He nods. “You have no idea what you’ve done for my career. I think we make a good team.”

There’s that word again.

Team.

“Meadow, I never meant to…” He shakes his head. “How do I explain? So much has happened in my life, and as you know, it hasn’t always been easy for me to express my feelings. But not a day has passed when I don’t think about you. Trust me when I say, I really wanted to pick up the phone when you called, I just–”

“You don’t have to explain–”

“No, I want you to understand. I’m a very solitary person.” He offers a soft laugh. “That’s probably an understatement. I have issues with social settings and communicating and all types of things. Call it awkward. Call it whatever you want. For the longest time, I only expressed myself through my art. And that was enough for me. But through you, I found out there’s more. I want more. I want it all.”

I trace my wine glass with my finger. “Henry, listen–”

“Please, let me finish. Meadow Hughes, I felt something for you since the day we met. I didn’t quite know what it was. But now, I’m absolutely certain that I don’t want to be without that feeling. I know I made a lot of mistakes and it will take more than a fancy dinner to–”

“Henry–”

“Meadow, I really want… if it’s all right with you, I’d like to pick up where we left off before… before everything fell apart. I want to be in your life, if you’ll let me.”

I smile, breathing a small sigh of relief that he didn’t go down the rose petal-lined love path again. “Yes. And I want you to know I feel something very special for you too. It’s not every day I climb on fire escapes or place full-page ads in The New York Times.”

I slip off my stiletto and crawl my toes up the inside of his leg, stopping just short of where I want to touch him. “Let’s eat fast, Mr. Garrison. I’m hungry for something other than food.”

“I have another fantasy.” He winks. “That doesn’t involve the internet. Want to try it?”

His expectant look does me in. “What?”

He stands, clasps my hand in his and tugs. Before I know it, we’re standing next to the pottery wheel.

“Let’s make something together. Something born of passion. Until you, I lived within the margins of life. I want to color outside the lines.” His words rumble through me, thick with a desire I can feel deep inside.

He grabs a lump of clay and puts it on the wheel, while I stare and wonder if we’re about to recreate that sexy scene from Ghost.

I like control. Henry likes freedom. Hopefully, we can meet somewhere in the middle.

“What are we making?” My words escape my lips, ruthless in their attempt to satisfy my curiosity. Make my knees feel more stable.

“Something that doesn’t require clothing.”

He tugs my dress over my head while I step out of my shoes. As I stand there in my barely-there bra and panty set, I watch Henry divest himself of his pants and button down until he stands there in just his boxer briefs, the outline of his massive erection straining toward me.

“Now what?”

He doesn’t speak but takes my hand and leads me to the wheel where he sheds his underwear before taking his place on the stool. His words warm me to my core, even though I don’t want them to. “I want to know what I can create while your mouth is on me.”

I hiss in a breath because it’s so intimate. Not going down on him, but the creation of art at the same time. He’s asking too much. I’m about to shake my head and refuse, but something stops me as my heart pounds with desperate speed along with the promise of all the things that don’t come easily.

His gaze bores a hole right through me, taunting me. I see desire for something more than what I’m giving him. With the hypnotic quality of his eyes, I’m drawn to something that I never thought I’d want. And I allow myself to surrender control to him as I drop to my knees between Henry and the wheel.

Henry hisses as I wrap my hand around him, stroking his length. The wheel fires to life behind my head, and I see his arms start to move as he molds the clay. The fact that I can’t see what he’s doing behind me fires up my blood like a burst from the cone of a volcano. I lick my lips and taste just the tip of him. As he works the wheel, I work his cock, instinctively flattening my tongue so I can take more of his length.

“Oh, Meadow,” he says with a strangled groan. His hands jerk, and I wonder if he’s wrecked his vase as surely as he’s wrecking me with his erratic reactions to what I’m doing.

A little happy dance occurs in my chest since I’m doing something he likes that much. Once his thighs stop trembling and his hands become stable, I reward him with more licking and sucking while I use my other hand on his shaft. Henry hisses in a breath, but he appears to be getting the hang of things because this time, he doesn’t stop the graceful motion of his hands molding the clay.

I continue to suck at him, and with every deep stroke, I vibrate deep in my throat. While I use my tongue and lips, I trail my fingers up his bare thighs. I reach underneath and cup his balls, massaging them with the tips of my fingers.

A guttural moan escapes his lips, so I can tell he likes it. I apply a little more pressure.

“Don’t stop what you’re doing, Meadow. I’m almost done.”

For a second, I wonder if he’s talking about his orgasm or the vase. In that moment, I realize I never really had to surrender to him at all. Henry thinks he’s the one in control of this interlude, but he’s wrong. I’m completely in control of his body right now. He gave it to me the moment he told me he loved me that first time.

You love him too.

It hits me like a wrecking ball to the chest cavity, causing me to suck even harder, taking most of his impossible length down the back of my throat. His balls start to shrink, and I know he’s getting close. I glance up at him, and he stands, taking the vase with him in one hand and my upper torso in the other. He sets the vase on the drying rack, but I don’t even look at it to see if it’s misshapen or beautiful.

It doesn’t matter.

The only thing that matters is this moment. This man. Because I’ve fallen so hard and so deep.

He backs me up against the wall of the studio and impales me with one hard thrust. At first, my muscles stretch with a sting at the invasion, but then they envelop his cock in a cloak of pleasure. A gasp escapes my mouth, and I tug at my lip with my teeth to keep from screaming.

His clay covered hands lift me by the waist, only to slam me down again, hard and fast. Tears fill my eyes, threatening to waterfall down my cheeks. I’m overcome with emotion, with love for this sensitive and gentle man who used to seem so lost, but together, we found something special. Something that looks a whole lot like forever.

I wind my arms around his neck, looking into the depths of his eyes. He watches me, watching him. It feels so good to be connected, so good to love him from the depths of me. My orgasm sneaks up on me, seizing my entire body as it pulses and clenches. Henry’s not far behind, letting the sounds of his pleasure escape into my hair as he nuzzles my neck.

“I love you.”

I feel compelled to say it. The words need to see the light of day.

He slowly lowers me to my feet, and I delight in the friction of his roughness against my softness. Henry slides both hands along my face and kisses me on the lips. He stares at me as if I’m an anomaly, under glass, fascinating and curious all at the same time.

“I thought you’d never let yourself love me. I’m so happy I’m not alone anymore.”