Page 111 of Stone
I bit back a laugh and allowed myself to trail a single finger down his chest. As soon as he shifted, I curled my fingers, pulling my hand away. I didn’t want to wake him at this point. He’d had such few good nights of sleep.
Noticing his tee shirt on the floor, I snaked the material into my hand, pulling it to my mouth and nose. Mmm… His scent was everywhere, lingering on my skin, his taste still on my lips. I quickly slipped into it, cradling my arms against my body as I tiptoed from the bedroom.
After finding my phone, I headed into the living room, turning on a single light. My heart was heavy, but Stone was right in that I’d worked hard for my dream and that the chance I’d been given was truly once in a lifetime. I found the email Colette had sent, which included Francois’ email address.
I took a deep breath, sweeping my gaze toward the doorway before typing a response to the offer.
Only after I hit send did I feel nauseous. Maybe I’d done the wrong thing. I hadn’t painted anything since being in Hawaii. Colette had indicated several of my paintings had been destroyed when my abductors had broken into my apartment. I had few works of art for the tour.
Frustrated, I thought about the pictures on my phone and navigated to the few photos. After studying them for a few seconds, a sudden burst of inspiration hit me harder than any had in a very long time.
A smile slowly formed on my face and I quickly moved to the canvas with the huge pink mark, tossing it aside and pulling afresh one. Then I prepared the paints. I was more excited than I’d been for weeks, maybe months.
With my phone close, the scent of the oil paints infused in my nostrils, I picked up the brush.
And I began to paint.
CHAPTER 30
Stone
Soft lips.
A light touch.
My eyelids flickered open and I stretched out one arm, anticipating feeling Dani curled up beside me. When I discovered cool sheets, I jerked up, immediately reaching for the weapon I’d placed on the nightstand. Sunlight glowed against the walls, which meant I’d slept later than normal.
Fuck.
The fucking sheets were wrapped around the bottom of my legs. I yanked the material, almost ripping it in my hurry to free myself. Immediately, I scanned the room as I listened for any sounds.
There was nothing but the breeze blowing in through the open window. I searched for my shirt, only finding my shorts. Afterstruggling to get into them, I grabbed the gun, noticing her clothes were still on the floor. That wasn’t like her.
I checked the bathroom quickly before heading from the room, taking precautions. Had I bothered to set the security system the night before? I didn’t think so.
That wasn’t like me.
Then again, I’d been a little busy with taming my guest.
The realization hit me that I’d pushed her hard to leave. Yes, I wanted her to achieve every dream she had, but the ache was already building. Plus, I didn’t want her to think I was eager to send her away.
There couldn’t be anything further from the truth. I didn’t see anyone in the living room and was about to walk by when something caught my eye. Whoa. Hold on. I stood in the doorway as I realized what I was seeing.
A painting.
Dani had painted during the night. As soon as I forced myself into the room, I had my answer.
She was curled up on the couch, wearing my tee shirt, her arms splotched with paint. I remained as quiet as possible as I approached, peering over the back of the couch at the sleeping beauty.
Hugging the pillow with her legs folded, she appeared so youthful, yet so very much alive.
I resisted touching her, closing my eyes briefly as I turned toward the painting. I’d seen what she’d created and it instantly tore at my heart.
When I opened my eyes, I stood impossibly still, uncertain how to react. The painting was incredible, the likeness unbelievable. My breath was caught and I hadn’t felt so damn emotional in a very long time. I remained mesmerized, fighting the swell of emotions and ugliness that I couldn’t shove aside.
“Do you like it?”
Hearing her voice behind me sent far too many shots of current into my system. Even my cock ached, as it seemed to continuously do around her. “Like it?”
