Page 128 of Until Tomorrow
“And?” I asked.
“If you wanted to put something on exhibit at this showing, all you had to do was ask,” he told me. “You know I’ve got a soft spot for your brand of magic. You didn’t need to bring a walking piece of art to put on display.”
I sighed because how the fuck would I explain it to him.Did I even want to explain it to him?I frowned. Honestly, I didn’t want to. It felt like a whole can of worms that no one needed to fuck around with. I liked what I had with Eva. That ring on her finger and her husband didn’t change that.
“You’re right,” I said as I shoved my hands in my pockets. “She is a work of art.”
And then I walked away because I liked Jaye, but I also knew he was a gossip. I didn’t need to give him any more ammunition about my life.
Chapter 63
Eva
Hewantedtogetice cream, and I wanted to see his studio. We compromised by getting ice cream and then going on to his studio. As much as I enjoyed ice cream, I was more excited to see his art. It was the biggest thing he hadn’t shared with me, and the one I wanted to see the most. I wanted to know his creative side personally. What made him tick? What made him bare his soul on a canvas or in a sculpture?
This side of Rhett fascinated me.
“Okay,” he paused in opening the door to his studio to face me, “for the record, I didn’t know we were coming here. And it’s a mess.”
“It’s a studio,” I said. “I expect it to be nothing but creative chaos.”
“Mine’s fucking organized when I’m not in the middle of working on something,” Rhett retorted. “If I didn’t have a show next month, it’d be pristine as fuck. I don’t like my mediums mixing.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’m not used to letting people in here.”
“Not even Jaye?”
“Usually, I just schedule a pickup, and no one enters my space.”
“We don’t have to go in—”
“No, no. I want to,” he interrupted. “Just don’t hold my chaos against me.”
“I’ll send you pictures of the rainbow that threw up on my home later, so we’re even,” I replied and offered him a bright smile. He opened the door,walking in and flipping a switch. The overhead lighting illuminated the massive space. I walked in after him, unable to contain my awe.
Rhett stuck quietly to the doorway, hands in his pockets. The weight of his gaze was heavy on my back as I let my curiosity take over—let myself explore this part of him.
Several sculptures took up the bulk of the space, each in varying stages of being finished. It was wildly fascinating to see the wires and stands used along with hunks of clay he worked on. I slipped off my heels as they stuck on the plastic he’d laid out everywhere and wandered through the open space.
Rhett under-sold just how impressive his art was—and not just the creative end, but the business end as well. It was obvious he was flourishing from the ideas and notes he had tacked up on one wall to the carefully filled-out calendar he kept.
The far corner caught my attention, where several canvases lined the wall and one sat on a large easel.But the painting…
My breath caught in my throat as I moved closer. The painting depicted me in shades of blues and grays and reds and black—all coming together in a gorgeous painting of my face with musical notes entwined in my wild hair.
“When did you do this?” I asked in awe. The painting was nothing short of incredible. Was this really how he saw me?
“After you bailed me out of jail,” he whispered.That long ago?The warmth of his body invaded mine when he stepped up close behind me. “I just couldn’t get you out of my fucking head.”
His fingers combed through my hair as he gathered it in one hand, moving it over one shoulder. His lips touched the side of my neck—gentle and featherlight.
“It’s beautiful,” I managed to say, my eyes sliding shut. Beautiful didn’t begin to describe the painting. My head tipped back against his shoulder, and I moaned as his teeth grazed my ear.
“That painting fails to capture just how beautiful you are, Eva,” Rhett murmured against my skin. I blushed because that was exactly what this man did to me. “Stay the night with me.”
I nodded, at a loss for words. I wanted that.
