CHAPTER <b>0043 </b>


    Meadow’s POV:


    After ric left for work, I spent the entire day worrying about the fact that I was going to meet the woman who gave birth to him in less than two days.


    The truth was, I did want to see her–but only because I was curious. But in hindsight, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.


    Maybe ric had no problem lying to his family, but I wasn’t a very good liar. How on earth was I supposed to pretend to be in love with a man I barely knew in front of his mother?


    “Between me and you,” Nova said, leaning back into the cushioned outdoor chair. “I don’t think you’re even going to need to pretend.”


    We were seated outside on the patio, sipping margarita that Nova had made the moment she got here. I’d asked her toe over and stop me from losing my mind, because that was definitely going to happen if I didn’t stop overthinking things.


    My brows drew together. “What do you mean?”


    She arched a brow. “You’re kidding me with that question, right?”


    “Uh, no?”


    Nova rolled her eyes. “Oh,e on. Have you seen the way you look at him? Or even better, the way he looks at you?” She blew out a breath, taking a long sip of her drink. “I’m telling you, Meds, you won’t have a hard time convincing his mother you’re into her son, or at the very least, that you want to fuck him.”


    My drink nearly sputtered out of my mouth. “Nova!”


    But she didn’t relent. “That’s if you haven’t fucked him already.<i>” </i>She leaned in, eyes narrowed. “Are you


    still a virgin, Meadow?<i>” </i>


    Heat creeped up my neck, and I hated that I was getting flustered in front of someone who had known me for years all because of ric.


    “Yes,” I hissed, shooting her a re. “I’m still a virgin.”


    Unfortunately.


    And with the way ric had sounded earlier today, I wasn’t going to lose it anytime soon.


    Annoyance prickled at my skin.


    Nova smirked. “You don’t look like you want to be one anymore. Why not just ask him to fuck you, Meds?


    He obviously wants to.”


    “No, he doesn’t,” I snorted. “He’s already rejected me more times than I can count.”


    I froze the moment those words were out of my mouth. I hadn’t told Nova about any of this yet. Hadn’t told her that the main reason I even agreed to marry him wasn’t because of some petty revenge.


    Hadn’t told her that I asked him to take my virginity and he’d never even made a single move on me yet. That I’d been the one asking–first, for him to finger me in the backseat of his car when we were still in Las Vegas, and then his eating me out on the kitchen counter right after rejecting me.


    ‘You’re not ready.‘


    What the hell was that?


    Nova’s mouth popped open, green eyes narrowing into slits. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me.”


    “Nova-”


    “Spill.”


    I took a long sip of my drink since I was going to need some alcohol courage for this one. And then I heaved a sigh.


    And I told her everything. Which wasn’t much, obviously. But I skipped the part of where he whipped me so hard with his beltst night that I could still feel it whenever I moved.


    And by the time I was done, Nova was giggling like a school girl. “No fucking way. When the hell did you get that brave?”


    I shot her a re. “I am brave.”


    “Uh, no,” she said tly. “You’re not. But Meadow, ric isn’t rejecting you. I’ve seen how he looks at you, and trust me when I say all that man wants to do is pounce on you.”


    Something warm fluttered in my stomach as I recalled what ric had whispered to me earlier today.


    ‘You made me so fucking hard, I wanted to bury myself so deep inside you that you’d cry out loud enough


    for the whole damn world to hear.‘


    My thighs rubbed together as heat pulled between them.


    “But losing your virginity doesn’t have to feel like a chore, Meadow.” Nova continued. “It’s probably why he thinks you’re not ready.”


    <b>“</b>It’s not a chore-”


    “Right. You just want to get rid of the burden.” She rolled her eyes. “Same difference, babe.”


    Okay, maybe I did just want to get rid of my virginity. But I wanted ric to be the one to do it, and at this point, he was literally the only one on my mind, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.


    Didn’t that count for something?


    I huffed. “You’re not as supportive as I thought you’d be.”


    “Well, the truth hurts, doesn’t it?”


    I picked up a slice of lime and tossed it at her, and she dodged it. “You know what you deserve? ric’s pain–in–the–ass brother.”


    Nova gagged. “No, thanks. From what you’ve told me about him, he’s a bad boy. And I’m staying off bad boys, remember? No more bad biker boys for this gal.”


    “Yeah,” I muttered, smirking at her. “Exactly my point.”


    Nn had left too soon–no doubt because ric asked him to. But there was something he’d said earlier,


    right before ric lunged for him and tantly dismissed me.


    I’d tried not to think about it, but now, it just settled over my skin like a rash that wouldn’t stop itching.


    He was surprised that ric could feel my touch, and then he’d said: ‘Well, now I can see why you


    married her. This shit hasn’t happened since-‘


    I wondered what he was going to say.


    Obviously, there was someone else he’d been able to feel. And I wouldn’t have had a problem with that if


    ric hadn’t lied to me when we first met.


    He said he’d never felt anyone’s touch until me.


    But if he was willing to hit his brother over the near mention of that, then ric definitely had a big


    secret. Someone he didn’t want to talk about.


    I hated the feeling that settled in my stomach at that thought. It burned.


    “What’s going on in that big brain of yours right now?<i>” </i>Nova asked.


    I swallowed hard, opening my mouth to say something–anything–in response, but before I could, the sound of a car’s engine cut through the silence.


    My heart jolted.


    I stood, trying to peer down the long driveway, and watched as a ck SUV pulled into the iron gates and


    drove toward the house.


    “Ooh, your ‘husband‘ is back,” Nova sang.


    I shot her a re, lowering myself back into the seat and pretending to focus on the drink in front of me, meanwhile my heart was pounding hard against my ribcage.


    My back was to the car, while Nova was facing it. But when I heard the door open, the smug smile on her


    face disappeared. “Oh?”


    Brows pulling together, I turned around to see what she was looking at.


    And my heart fell into my stomach.