Page 21 of Taken With You

“A piano bar?” Meadow asked from my side, and I slid my hand around hers, giving it a squeeze. Her eyes widened slightly, her mouth parting with a sharp intake of breath at my touch. I slid my thumb over her knuckles, her soft skin so tempting beneath mine.

I had gone to her house to pick her up like I’d promised, though I hadn’t gone inside. I noticed the double deadbolts and the fact that she seemed to be using them even during the day. I was happy about that. Considering what I knew of her past, it was a damn good idea.

Not that I wanted to think about that or how she could be in danger.

She was safe. She had to be. If she weren’t, something would have likely happened well before now.

But the fact that she was taking care of herself? Yeah, that was a damn good thing.

When she opened the door, though, I’d lost all thought, and had to take a minute to actually remember to breathe.

She looked so damn sexy.

My gaze moved over her now, and I couldn’t help but grin.

She wore tight, black leather leggings, and I only knew that they were leggings because Violet had a similar pair and had been talking about them at the bar with the girls.

I swore, sometimes, they forgot that I was one of the guys and didn’t need to hear about all of that. But I didn’t mind. That just meant I knew that Meadow was wearing a pair now, and I could appreciate them. She had on a top that went to her neck, so she wasn’t showing cleavage, but her shirt sort of piled on itself with fabric and looked like she had roses and flowers all over her chest.

She had on a linen jacket or some other type of fabric that I couldn’t name, and she looked sexy as hell in black and wine-red.

Even with the leather, she still dressed conservatively, and I liked it.

A far cry from the girl she’d once been. But I’d liked her then, too.

“A piano bar,” I said, bringing my thoughts back to the present, rather than the past.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting this on a date.”

I cringed. “Too much? We can go out to eat. Dillon didn’t sound too excited when I mentioned only dinner, so I changed my mind.”

A smile broke out on her face, and the light in her eyes danced a little.

“You asked Dillon for help?” she prodded, and I sighed.

“Yeah. Apparently, that kid knows how to help others when it comes to dating. He helped his brothers, and I was desperate.”

“Desperate?”

I had no idea what to think about that word. She hadn’t put any emotion into it, and I was worried.

“I, uh…” I trailed off then slid my hand through my hair and squeezed her hand with my other one. “Okay. I’m really not good at this. I wanted to make sure this was fun for you and not stupid and boring, so I asked Dillon because, sometimes, he knows what he’s doing. Or all the time. I’m not really sure how. The kid has magic or something.”

“Yeah, he does. I’m glad you asked him. It’s kind of nice. And the idea of a piano bar is great. I love music.”

“I know.”

She looked at me then and kept smiling, but there was something different in her eyes now. Something I couldn’t quite read.

“I don’t know how to play the piano,” she said softly.

“Oh. Well, you don’t need to know how to play to come here. I have a reservation for seven, though. We should get in.”

“That sounds great. This is nice, Beckham. Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome.” I let out a sigh and shook my head. Maybe I wasn’t completely terrible at this. I let go of her hand and brushed my thumb across her cheek. I watched her eyes darken, and I prayed I was doing the right thing.

“I hope you have fun tonight.”