Protecting Melody (19 page)

Melody stiffened on the seat and wanted to wrench her hands away from her best friend and storm away from her. But she knew Amy loved her and was looking out for her as best she could. Hell, if their roles were reversed, she knew she’d probably think the same thing. Tex had even thought
Amy
could be the stalker. It was an interesting coincidence that Amy also suspected Tex.
 

Melody looked up at Tex who was sitting across the way and saw he hadn’t taken his eyes off of them. He was staring intently at her, always conscious about what she was feeling. She took a deep breath.
 

“It’s not him, Ames.” When Amy opened her mouth to interrupt, Melody continued quickly. “Please, let me explain how I know. Okay?” Waiting for Amy to nod, Melody squeezed her hand when she did.
 

“I was in some hellhole in Mississippi the first time Tex messaged me online. I’d been on the run for a few weeks and was tired and scared. The stalker had already found me in Florida and I was running. Tex messaged me and said he liked my username. He didn’t say anything sexual, and he made me laugh for the first time since I’d received the first note. He didn’t put any pressure on me, didn’t make me feel as if he wanted anything from me. I wasn’t going to talk to him again, but when he messaged me again, I couldn’t help but respond. He was just as funny, and non-threatening. Amy, I chatted online with him for months, and not
once
did he overstep any bounds. He never asked me where I was, he never asked me for my picture, he never tried to sext me. Six months, Amy.
Six
. How many guys do you know that would do that?”
 

When Amy stayed silent, Melody continued, “Exactly. He talked to me about his life. He told me about his fears. He told me about how he felt about losing part of his leg. Not one guy I’ve met in my entire life has opened up to me like that before.”
 

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t do it to gain your trust, Mels.”
 

Melody knew Amy was just trying to play devil’s advocate, but she was getting frustrated with her. She’d have to prove it to her. “He’s not like that, Amy. He wants to protect me. He shields me from anything that might be painful. This morning when he saw his truck, the first thing he did was put his arm around me and pull me to his side. His eyes shifted back and forth to search out any threat that might be lingering. He doesn’t want to hurt me, Ames. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Watch.”
 

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.
 

“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.”