She rolled her eyes but smiled because his compliments felt better than anything she’d ever heard. He said it like he meant it, like his sole purpose in life was to hype her up. Meadow loved that. Having gone so long without praise, her ears forgot what it sounded like and her heart forgot what it felt like.
They rode in silence for a beat until Meadow clicked around on her phone and hit shuffle. The radio in the car was original and only played the local radio station so the music blared as loud as it could through her phone’s speaker.
Leon Thomas’ Crash & Burn played as loud as it could go.
Zaire’s head tilted. “What you know ‘bout this Cali shit?” His head bobbed to the music. The song made him feel like he could smell the ocean and taste the salt.
Meadow looked over at him, “I don’t,” she cracked up. “I tried to put an L.A. playlist together.”
Zaire chuckled, his hand jumping to his chest.
Bouncing her eyes from the road back over to him, Meadow teased him. “Don’t go soft on me now.”
Leaning back, looking too cool, he just smiled. “I’m just chillin’, cuh.”
“Mmhmm,” she pursed her lips. “Oh I didn’t even see the watch.”
Zaire couldn’t hide the grin that crept up. Meadow’s eyes were doing a slow walk over every inch of him in stolen glances as she drove and he felt it.
She dragged her gaze from his wrist up the length of his arm, taking in the tattoos, the cut of his muscles, the way his skin held that deep, warm brown glow even in the dim car light.
Her stare climbed up his face. His cut was clean with perfectly brushed waves.
And then her eyes dropped again, greedily seeking every detail this time. His tee sat soft against his chest…designer, even though he never bragged. The denim was fresh, crisp, sitting on his thighs in a way that let you see every hour he spent outside. A rare pair of white sneakers, something you couldn’t just walk in the store and grab were on his feet. And he looked good enough to fuck.
Zaire stretched his upper body, one hand lifting behind his head, showing off the stomach that peeked out when his shirt rode up. A real body…a man’s body.
The watch was a six-figure vintage piece that collectors hunted for, while he wore it as casually as a Fitbit.
“Something light,” he played into her.
Meadow sucked her teeth. “Okay…money.”
Zaire’s lips twitched into a lazy smirk, his half gaze dipping right back to her thighs like he wasn’t the one being ogled. “Chill, baby,” he muttered, but it wasn’t shy. It was that quiet, cocky,tread lightlyvibe.
He sprawled deeper into the seat, legs open, palms resting on his knees. The picture of a man who knew exactly what he had and didn’t need to sell it.
It didn’t take long for them to get to downtown Juniper.
Juniper Falls was small, but people showed up on Sunday nights. The bar glowed from the corner of the strip, musicleaking out when the door opened, laughter filtering out onto the street from people who knew each other their whole lives.
Meadow parked the Cadillac and Zaire hopped out, stretching his shoulders.
“Aight,” he joked. “Lead the way.”
“Zaire, shut up.”
They walked in together and heads turned. People noticed Meadow but not Zaire. Juniper was a small town founded by freed slaves. It was a place where everyone knew everyone and only every ten years or so did they get a new resident. Most of Ray’s other famous golf friends, never stepped foot in town. They were only there for Ray’s calm wisdom before they disappeared never to utter his name or visit the town again.
Juniper was only a short drive to the city where it was booming with a melting pot of people and the fast life people in Juniper hated. Meadow loved having the best of both worlds. She shook her ass in the city now and then, but smiled like the sweet girl Ray and Magnolia had taught her to be when she was in her small town.
“Hey,” she waved to the people she knew, her cheeks puffing her eyes tight.
And at the far end of the bar, leaning against a booth, fitted tee on, gold chain glinting stood the other man in her world.
Brent spotted them as soon as they stepped in. He lifted his chin smirking cheekily. “Well, damn.”
Meadow groaned under her breath. “Here we go.”
