Page 46 of Rivals
“If you wanted to check me out, all you had to do was ask,” he says. I shoot him a look and purse my lips. “Even better, I like it when you do that with your lips.” I hide my lips behind my teeth, and he taps my nose. “No, no, you gave them to me. Now I want to taste them.”
I slowly loosen them, and he grins, pecking me on the lips before sliding my grilled cheese and apple over to me. It’s nothing complicated, but it looks good. My stomach grumbles, and I take a bite. “Thank you,” I mumble around my sandwich.
Lachlan takes a bite of his. “You’re welcome. So, I know you don’t want the hot pink, but I’m still going to use pink.”
“Why are you so damn obsessed with pink?”
He shrugs. “It feels like the right color to use. I’m going to go for it. I’m not going to question the muse,” he says and looks pointedly at me.
I roll my eyes, and he pushes his lip out in a pout. “Fine, but if you mess this up, I’ll present our final piece using your head.”
“Is that a threat, little bird?”
“It’s a promise, asshole.”
“Mmm, I like it when you talk dirty to me,” he says. I giggle a little and shake my head.
We spend the rest of the night into the early morning hours getting the first layer and base done on one canvas. We still have two more to do, which will take every second. We’re taking this down to the wire, but when I stepped back to look at what we’ve done so far, I know this is it. I feel it in my bones. I don’t know that I’ve ever created something so beautiful before.
“It looks good,” Lachlan whispers. I hum, unable to speak. I did this with him without help from OBA. Maybe I’m not as bad as I thought.
Chapter 32
Lachlan
Ihaveneverproducedanything like this. I glance at Revna as she takes in the drying painting. It’s going to take us forever, but together, I think we are creating something truly beautiful, maybe even original. The gnawing beast that just about tore me open after Revna and I took a shower is finally subdued.
I might be able to sleep for just a few hours. I wipe my hands with my towel and step closer to Revna. I want to touch her all the time. I like how her body relaxes to my touch despite her running mind.
We were everything I thought we would be. Explosive, whole, all-consuming. I want her endlessly. I wanted to stay in bed with her all day and night. But I felt inspired, and I had to listen.
I focus on my lines and building the shape of columns by layering paint to make them appear 3D. Then I smudge my edges, making them softer, like you’re in a dream. Revna creates cherubs and angels with soft colors and tints of brighter ones around their faces, making them appear almost otherworldly. The clothes draped strategically across their bodies aren’t plain. She’s created patterns in them, bringing a modern touch to it.
I go to the same side Revna is on to paint the column closer to her. I press a kiss on her cheek before I erase parts of my pencil lines. Her smile dimples her cheeks while her teeth hold her lower lip captive. I focus back on what I was doing and Revna scoots closer to me. She hesitates, then turns her head and fits her lips to mine.
I drop my paintbrush and grab her face. Her lips part in surprise, and I delve into her as she leans into the kiss. My body surges, and I almost feel a desperation to keep her in every way I can, tasting her, touching her, caring for her. I pull on her leg so she can straddle me, bringing us closer together. She pushes down on my shoulders, urging me to lay back. I give in as she hovers above my face, staring into my eyes. Her long black hair that’s been coming out of her messy bun falls around her face. I lift my hand to her hair and tug the elastic tie out of it. The rest of it falls around her face, creating a barrier between us and the world. I want to stay here forever.
Her hips sink further onto mine, and I know we should stop. We really should get back to work. But the way this woman fits against me feels like she was meant to. Like a lot of things involving Revna, it feelsrightto be with her. It’s a similar feeling to the first time you get an idea when a little tinge of excitement fills you, and you’re confident you can do it, even before you actually start it. It’s a high that you want to chase constantly, even when your hopes are dashed, and you aren’t able to create the picture that was in your head. With Revna, that picture is being realized, and it’s exactly like I wanted it to be.
What does that mean? Are we better together than when we are apart? Does this make us better artists, or does this make us reliant on each other, no longer independent? What happens when we don’t work together anymore? Can I let her go when it’s time? Would she stay?
“What are you thinking about?” she whispers.
“You.” Her eyebrows furrow, and she tilts her head. My lungs constrict, and my heart twists. I want to tell her so many things; I want to tell her that I feel this chemistry exploding between us that I’ve never had with anyone, only with her. Instead, I lift my head to kiss her again. I ignore the fear that crawls up my throat and take what I can get because I don’t want to let her go. But I may have to.
She moans into my mouth and lets her arms drop so we are chest to chest. I roll us carefully away from the canvas, and we lay wrapped in each other, exploring for too long, wasting time we don’t have. But this time with her feels special. It stirs something in my petrified soul, and I want to know what it would be like to be with her fully alive.
“We need to get back to work.”
“One more,” I murmur. She tilts her chin, giving me permission, and I press my lips to hers, lingering a little longer than necessary. I reluctantly sit up and pull her up next to me as we gaze at our work.
“It’s good,” she says in awe.
“I knew it would be,” I whisper in her ear, squeezing my arms around her in a tight hug.
“How? We haven’t worked together before, so that makes no sense.” I shrug, releasing her. I don’t understand it myself, but I do know I couldn’t do this without her. The feeling of losing my grip on my heavy independence makes my stomach lurch. It came with a price. Everything always does. There is no doubt in my mind this will, too. My hands shake a little at the thought, and I shove them under my legs, putting some distance between us. “I’m going to go lay down for a bit.”
“Alright,” she says. I peek at her, starting on the next piece already sketched out. We just have to start the paint base for it. I go lay down, but I’m wide awake, thinking about all the reasons why I should stop pursuing Revna. It’s a bad idea. We’re getting along now, but I’m not sure it will last. I don’t want her to think I was using her. I wasn’t, and I’m not. I would have let her go if she told me to stop, but she wanted me, too. Both of us wanted to chase what’s growing between us. She might not have said it, but I could feel it.
