Page 70 of Defended
Chapter 23
Melody thought that the transition back to work and the real world would be weird, and she was surprised at how easy it was. Maybe because work was part of her usual routine, while the weekend had been like stepping out of the real world and into a magical place for a little while.
The magic still lingered though, bringing a little smile to her lips over all sorts of things. Inappropriate things. Like, she really shouldn't be smiling over the careful way she had to sit down, and yet she couldn't stop the edges of her mouth from curving upwards in remembrance ofwhyshe was so sore.
She'd also worried about being distracted, worried that she might not be able to focus when she had so many other things to think about, but if anything, she got more work done than ever. It reminded her of how she'd felt after being at Black Light—like something had settled inside of her. She felt refreshed, more grounded, and like she could take on the world.
Of course, all she needed to take on was blood and stool samples, but she was super on top of it. Even Colin noticed how much work she was getting done, and she actually managed to leave the lab early, feeling like she was floating on top of the world. Lisa told her that McCready's noxious presence had pretty much disappeared. All the women in the department were talking about how he'd suddenly been making himself scarce which was a huge relief to everyone.
The best part was getting to go home to Daddy.
Although he'd told her she could call him Kawan when she was 'big,' and especially if they were in a social situation where she'd feel more comfortable doing so, she doubted she'd be able to think of him as anything other than Daddy after this past weekend.
Even though she'd hadn't been staying with him for long, it felt like she'd been there forever. In a good way. Like she'd finally come home.
Then they went out to dinner with Alexander and Sienna. Which was fun. She really liked both of them, and she really loved being out with a couple who had a similar dynamic. Sienna even called Alexander 'Daddy' right in front of their server who, to his credit, didn't blink an eye. The problem came up when she and Sienna went to the bathroom together after ordering dessert.
"You and Kawan seem to be getting along really well," Sienna said as they walked back.She winked at Melody. “Even though some people might think you moving in with him so fast was a mistake, anyone who looks at you can tell it was a good decision.”
Melody glanced over her shoulder, to see him leaning back in his chair and saying something to Alexander. Going by the smile on his face, it was something he found amusing. "It's moving fast, but it feels good. Right."
"I'm glad." Sienna smiled at her, holding the bathroom door open so Melody could precede her. "We were worried about him for a while. His ex really did a number on him. She was a total user. Alexander likes to give Kawan a hard time, but I know he was relieved when Kawan decided to move up here and away from that whole scene. He was worried Krissy might be able to play her damsel-in-distress card again and suck Kawan right back into her black hole."
Shaking her head in disgust, Sienna went into one of the stalls, completely unaware that she'd just tilted Melody's world on its axis. Of course, she knew that Daddy had a serious ex and the breakup had been bad, but he hadn't really gone into details. A damsel-in-distress and a user... that sounded uncomfortably like Melody herself, although she definitely didn't mean to be either.
"Her damsel-in-distress card?" she asked, as casually as she could, thankful to be going into her own private stall that hid her expressions.
"Oh yeah, Krissy was a master manipulator," Sienna answered immediately. "She figured out immediately that Kawan likes to be the hero and she totally used that against him to get whatever she wanted. Mostly what she wanted was for him to pay for everything. She wanted a sugar daddy, not aDaddyif you get my meaning."
Melody did, and she felt a little sick inside. Even though she didn't want a sugar daddy, she wanted Daddy, that didn't change the fact that she had definitely been a damsel-in-distress when they'd first met and that hadn't changed much after their second meeting. He'd offered to let her stay with him immediately... and she hadn't exactly been proactive about looking for a new place.
He didn't act like he wanted her out, but despite what Sienna had said, maybe it was too soon for them to actually be living together. Maybe he assumed she was looking for a new place on her own time, but she hadn't been. She'd gotten so caught up in how good, how right, everything felt that she hadn't reallywantedto look for a new place.
But that wasn't fair to him.
She didn't want to use him like his ex had.
She was going to have to start looking for a new living situation as soon as she could. There was no way she wanted him to start feeling like she was taking advantage of him, and, in a way, that was exactly what she'd been doing. Well, that was going to end as soon as she was able to manage.
* * *
Something was wrong.
Having made a study of Melody's facial expressions and body language, he picked up on it right away although he doubted anyone else would have. There was just something a little too tight about her smile, a little shadow on her brow that said she was worried about something.
She'd been just fine before she and Sienna had gone to the bathroom.
Kawan almost wanted to demand to know what Sienna had said to upset her, but he managed to hold back. For one, he seriously doubted Sienna had purposefully upset Melody. For two, Melody obviously didn't want anyone to know she was upset, and until he knew what was bothering her and why, he would respect that.
She did seem to relax a little over dessert, but on the drive home, she was quiet and contemplative, and not very forthcoming about what was on her mind.
"Are you okay?" he asked, squeezing her hand a little to emphasize his worry.
Turning her head, she smiled at him. "Yes! Sorry, I'm just a little distracted. And tired."
"You've been working hard." Some days she didn't get home from the lab until after dinner, although he always made sure to have a plate to heat up for her. He'd thought being a lawyer meant long hours, but she worked just as much as he did, if not more.
"I've been getting a lot done though. And now I have a good amount of play to balance out all my hard work," she said teasingly, squeezing his fingers back.
