Page 16 of A Virgo's Muse
I felt his fingers wrap around my hand before he pulled me into him. His cologne hit me in the chest so woody, warm, and masculine. I rested my head against him for a second, just breathing him in. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and the simple gesture made me feel safer than any lock ever could.
“You look,” he started but stopped like the words couldn’t do it justice, “fantastic, Desire. Are you ready?”
I nodded, locking the door behind us.
We slid into his car, and the drive was quiet in the best way. His hand stayed on my thigh, thumb moving in slow circles that made my skin hum. The city passed in blurs of neon and night, but his presence kept me grounded.
When we pulled up to the restaurant, I smiled internally. It was a rooftop lounge, dimly lit with candles, strings of soft lights wrapped around wooden beams, and the city skyline wrapping around us like a backdrop to our story. The hostess led us to a private table tucked in a corner. A violinist played in the distance.
Onyx pulled my chair out for me. “Only the best for you.”
Dinner was intimate. We shared plates and fed each other bites between laughter and flirtation. His voice was velvet whenhe leaned in to ask questions about my art, and his gaze never left mine when I answered.
“So when you paint, is it always from emotion or sometimes imagination?”
“Both,” I said. “Sometimes, what I imagine is just the feeling I’m too scared to say out loud.”
His smile was subtle. “That’s why I love your work. You say the shit people don’t have the guts to admit.”
After dessert and wine, he helped me from my chair, hand slipping around my lower back as we made our way out. But instead of heading home, he drove us somewhere else.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
He parked in front ofMy Desires. My eyebrows pinched together.
“Why are we here?”
He didn’t answer. He just took my hand and led me inside. The moment we stepped in, I stopped. The entire main room had been transformed. White tarp covered the floors, and in the center of it were blank canvases, buckets of body-safe paint in every color, and two plush robes draped over chairs. Candles flickered along the walls and soft music hummed from the speakers.
“You did this?” I asked breathlessly.
“I want to be a part of what you love,” he said, walking behind me. His arms slipped around my waist. “You gave me a piece of your mind through your art. I wanna give you a piece of mine through this.”
I turned in his arms, looking up at him. “You think we’re gonna paint each other with body paint?”
“That’s the idea.” He chuckled.
“That’s messy,” I stated.
He smirked. “That’s the point.”
I couldn’t help the grin that split my face.
“You always surprise me,” I said.
“That’s the goal.”
As I stood there, surrounded by color, light, and a man who made peace feel like poetry, I realized something. I’d been so used to surviving I didn’t know what it felt like to simply live.
But tonight, I was ready to live… and I wanted to do it with him.
She stood there bare,bold, and breathtaking, framed by the soft flicker of candles and a skyline peeking through the studio windows. I’d never seen something so pure and powerful in my life.Desire. The name fit too well.
I helped her out of the navy green dress slowly like I was unwrapping something sacred. My fingers traced her back as the fabric slipped down her frame. She didn’t flinch, didn’t rush. She just looked up at me with those hazel eyes like she knew I’d never mishandle her.
She was art. All those damn paintings she spent her time creating didn’t hold a candle to what she looked like standing in front of me with nothing on but trust.
