Page 7 of Busted Dreams

“…tonight, you’re going to see an exhibit that’s never been in Colorado before. If you’ve ever traveled to Newseum in Washington, D.C., then you might have witnessed these heart-stopping, soul moving pieces. But even if you have, I assure you, they will hit you just as hard as the first time.”

Newseum?

Okay, that’s different. Not sure how a news museum tied into a classy art gallery, but I was exuberant regardless.

“Please make your way at your convenience through our gallery as you experience the traveling exhibit of Pulitzer Prize photographs.”

My. Heart. Stopped.

Distantly, I could feel Beck wrap strong arms around my chest as he propped his chin on my head. Tears pricked the back of my eyes. I’d never, never, witnessed anything as powerful as these photographs in person.

I’d seen tons online, even researching a few when I was searching for a theme that spoke to me. Did Beck understand these photographs caught rare moments in time of unspeakable horrors or heartbreaking hope?

I glanced over my shoulder and caught his eye. Yeah, he did know.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Tucking me tighter into his front as people flowed around us, he brushed the shell of my ear with his lips. “You haven’t even seen the pictures yet, pretty girl.”

The self-guided tour exhibit flew by, and I may or may not have made Beck walk through a second time. There were tears and laughter and silent moments of reflection. I’d never forget this date in my life, or that Beck was the one who gave it to me.

As we exited the front, he immediately turned us in a different direction from the way we came.

“One more place, then I’ll take you home.”

I tried to come up with words on the way, but my mind was alight with all the images flitting through as if they were on a movie reel. So badly, I had wanted to take pictures, but they weren’t allowed. So I saved my favorites in my notes to look up later. Who knew, I might even save them in a folder when I needed inspiration.

A metallic chime sounded above my head. We entered a quaint little shop with sweet, chocolaty scents permeating the air. How had I not even noticed we walked into a business?

“Hey, sit anywhere you like and order at the counter,” a perky girl of maybe fourteen shouted as she cleaned something behind the counter. How did all these young girls—younger than me—have jobs? I was definitely jealous of their independence.

“Come on.” Beck shuffled us closer to the counter to look inside the pristine display case. If it wasn’t for the faint glare of the overhead lights, I would have never known there was glass separating the desserts from us at all.

Rows and rows of delicious colorful treats lined the shelves. Some in tiny single servings, others, like the glazed fruit tart at the end, was large enough to feed ten people. It was gorgeous. Any type of artist would appreciate the hard work of the bakers.

“What would you like, pretty girl? I think I’m going to get a small piece of chocolate cake and a coffee.” He tapped his lips with his index finger as he perused the selection with greedy eyes. I was sure my expression mirrored his culinary awe.

“Um, I think I’ll take a piece of tiramisu and a coffee too. With lots of creamer,” I added as an afterthought. Coffee had never been my favorite drink, but how could I sit here in this amazing shop and not indulge? It felt like sacrilege.

Beck gave our orders to the girl and let me pick our table. Of course, I choose the lone table in the corner, overlooking the rest of the room. Easy to see but not to be seen. I doubted that would ever change about me.

“What is this place?” Two of the walls were brick, the floor made of distressed wood. It gave off a very hip industrial vibe.

“A dessert bar. The only one in the metro area like it.”

“I approve.” I grinned, studying another couple a few tables over. Young like us, they had their heads bent close together as they shared what looked like a hot lava cake with ice cream.

“Good. And the rest of the date?” The smile he wore was two parts timid and one part boyish. It was so out of place on my heartthrob rocker, I blinked hard before catching myself.

“Beck, you have to know that this…” I started to twirl my hand around, but this date was so much more than the dessert bar, so I dropped it back into my lap. “Everything we’ve done tonight has been amazing.”

He didn’t respond, but lowered his lids just slightly, slight arousal lighting his expression.

Heat pooled in the lower part of my stomach as I rubbed my thighs together. Had any of the guys ever looked at me with such blatant want glimmering in their eyes?

No, not like this.

“I want you to have all the experiences. All the firsts a girl finds special. And I want to take as many of them as possible.”

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