“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’re exhausted, pet. So I thought Joseph and I could help you relax before letting you get some sleep.”
Her cheeks flushed even more. “Help how?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Not that way. Not right now.” He leaned over and whispered, “I want you awake when I finally make you come with my mouth.”
“Oh.”
Joseph chuckled, but Laurie replied to Meadow, “No, for now we’re merely going to give you a massage and show you how we can help you relax for when you help Michael.”
He nodded at Joseph, and the other male sat on Meadow’s bed, with his back against the headboard. Laurie settled Meadow between Joseph’s legs before pushing up her skirts to her knees.
She squeaked. “What are you doing?”
Joseph placed his hands on her shoulders and kneaded. Within seconds, she slumped against him. “Helping you to relax. We won’t touch you like before, not tonight. But Laurie is famous for his foot massages.”
She glanced at Laurie and then her feet. “Um, I’ve never had one of those before.”
“Well, let’s fix that, pet.” He waited a beat to ensure she didn’t refuse. When she merely nodded, Laurie removed her stocking—much quicker than he wanted—and then took her foot into his hands.
As he began pressing and kneading, Meadow moaned. “Oh, that’s good. Both of you are way too good at this.”
He smiled at her and shared a contented glance with Joseph before replying, “The benefit of me and Joseph knowing each other so long is that we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, meaning we know what we can do individually to make you feel the best.”
She sighed contentedly. “I was worried about that, about you two being so close, but maybe it’s not all bad.”
Joseph whispered into her ear, “Laurie and I may be close, but you help bring out the best in both of us, love. You’re the missing piece we’ve been waiting for.”
“Mmm.” Meadow’s eyes were closed, and Laurie wasn’t entirely sure she was listening.
In fact, she fell asleep a few minutes later. She didn’t even wake up when they maneuvered her onto her back and got off the bed.
As he and Joseph stood watching Meadow, who looked so much younger in her sleep without her troubles weighing her down, he murmured, “I wish we didn’t have to leave her.”
Joseph took his hand and squeezed it. “Me, too. But we must take it slow with her, Laurie. I know it’s not your favorite thing to hear, but it’s the only way to win her for good.”
He sighed and leaned his head on Joseph’s shoulder. “I know.” After another minute, he stood, and they headed out the door. Once they reached the downstairs corridor, River and Nora stopped them. But Laurie and Joseph merely told them that Meadow was asleep but had agreed to more magic lessons and to help them with a confidential problem.
River had tried to wheedle out more information, but they weren’t about to reveal Michael’s personal details, and so stood firm and revealed nothing.
By the time they reached their carriage and climbed inside, Laurie couldn’t stop smiling. They’d been there to support Meadow, and now she trusted them a little. He also couldn’t wait to see her expression when she helped Michael and started to see the value and impact of her powers in a positive light.
Chapter Fifteen
Over the next few days, Meadow met with Nadia and practiced gathering her magic, releasing it, and repeating the process until exhaustion set in. And by the fourth day, when Giles Dawson returned as a volunteer again, Meadow was able to temper how much magic she released and determine the limit where it started to affect Giles.
While she’d have to test out her limits further on those more susceptible to magic, it made her feel like she’d accomplished something. Because as well-meaning as Stacey had been, she hadn’t possessed the patience to repeat exercises until Meadow found her “sweet spot” for weaving magic without exhausting herself.
Once she finished her most recent lesson and was alone for barely a minute, there was a knock and Yesenia entered, with Nora right behind her.
She stood and hugged her sister before asking, “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you to visit today.”
Yesenia waved a hand in dismissal. “It took some convincing before Leo said it was okay.” She winked. “But he’s easier to manage than you think.”
Nora sighed. “That’s my brother you’re talking about.”
Yesenia snorted. “Well, when you have three siblings matched with three siblings and one unrelated person, that’s what’s going to happen. I guess we can all drool over Joseph?” She glanced back at Meadow. “Have you seen him with his shirt off yet? He might be the quieter one of the pair, but sometimes the serious ones can surprise you.”
