Page 39 of Taming His Rockstar

I’m surprised he was listening all the time I talked about myself to make conversation, and I begin to wonder if maybe I talk about myself too much.

“Yes, she is. How about you? What did you do today?”

“Nothing much. Hit the gym, took a walk around my neighborhood, checked out how my paintings were doing. Turns out I have a real fan out there. Can you believe someone bought three of them?”

I glance toward the staircase where I hung his paintings on the wall and wonder if he figured out I’m the one who bought them. I remember what Jane said about him maybe not liking the fact that I did it.

“I can believe it. I mean, your work is amazing.”

“And I was thinking I want to celebrate it. What do you say I grab a bottle of wine and come over?”

“Okay.”

“And then we— Wait, did you say okay?”

I chuckle. “Yes, Jake. You can come over. When do you think you’ll get here?”

“Say, half an hour? Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“Are you allergic to Chinese?”

“Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. Used to go out with a girl who was allergic to red meat. Imagine having to go through life without eating beef?”

“I tried being a vegan once.”

“And?”

“I mistakenly ate Jane’s hamburger and realized I missed too much.” I hear him laugh and smile to myself. “To be honest, it’s one of my greatest regrets.”

“I think the cow regrets it more than you do. I’ll be there with food and the wine. And Katie, I’ve got something for you.”

The phone goes dead in my hand, leaving me to wonder what he meant by he has something for me. Then I remember the paintings on the wall and quickly run to take care of them before I have to answer some embarrassing questions.

* * *

I’m waiting for him at the door and open it as soon as he climbs up the steps. I’m surprised when I see a large package in his hand along with a small bag.

“What’s that?” I ask as he sets the large package against the wall and crouches down to greet Kent who seems to have taken an immediate liking.

Not that I’m surprised by that. The dog is friendly with everyone he meets. Plus, this is Jake. I’m a human, and even I want to lick his face.

“It’s Orgasm, the painting in my house you liked. I figure if you can buy three of my paintings, then maybe you can get one you actually like.”

“So, you know.”

“Someone just buys three of my paintings? Yeah, I figured something was wrong. Plus, Richard was just gushing about the celebrity who came to the museum recently but he couldn’t tell me who.”

“Are you mad?”

He looks up from the dog. “Mad? You bought three of my paintings. Why would I be mad?”

“Jane said you may think I was, like, throwing my money around or something. Some men . . . people, tend to get jealous of that sort of thing.”

“Some people are idiots.” He reaches into the gift bag and brings out a big dog treat shaped like a bone, waving it around for Kent before tossing it into the other room. When the dog runs to get it, he pushes himself up. “Look, I’m with you because I like you. You’re smart and funny and the sex is great. I like to think that is why you’re with me too. If that changes, you let me know, and I promise I’ll be out of your life like I was never here. You buying my work has nothing to do with that. I like to think you did it for the same reason why I buy your music. Because I like it.”

“It is,” I say quickly. “I really like the paintings. I even got Jane to help me hang them.”

“Good. Come on, let’s pour this wine and drink to me selling my paintings. And while we eat, we’ll talk about you getting off without me.”

As I help him set out glasses for the wine, I think back to when he talked about walking away when this ended. He said it so casually it was like a splash of cold water on my face. Except it wasn’t supposed to be. After all, he’s right when he said I’m with him because he’s smart and funny and the sex is great. The only thing is, I’m not sure he can leave my life like he was never here. I’m not sure I can ever let him go.

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