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Waking up in Donovan’s bed the next day couldn’t have been any more different than the very first time after that night at The Velvet Club. His hair tickled her shoulder, his strong, muscular arm surrounded her waist, and something hard was poking between her butt cheeks.
Contrary to that day all those weeks ago, Kate didn’t want to jump out of bed and run away from Donovan as fast as she could. She lay in his arms and couldn’t be happier. A smile tugged her lips as she tested him by pushing her butt against his front.
“Hmmm. You ready again, cupcake?”
The thought of being ravished once more made her push back harder. She craned her neck over her shoulder and grabbed his chin with her hand. He instantly kissed her and took over, turning her in his arms and positioning her under him, all the while tongue fucking her. Because that’s what it was. He wasn’t gentle. No, his need to devour her poured from his tongue.
Neither of them had bothered to put clothes on before falling asleep, and after the sex marathon from last night, she even wasn’t so shy around him anymore. He’d made her feel so special, beautiful even. Tears burned in her eyes just from thinking about it.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying, sweetheart?”
He was so sweet as he kissed her closed eyes one by one and traced a falling tear with his thumb.
“It’s stupid. I….” She sighed before opening her eyes, but then she quickly turned her head away from his penetrating gaze.
He placed his knuckle under her chin and turned her so she couldn’t hide from his worry-filled eyes. “Tell me. You can tell me anything. Did I do something wrong?”
“No! No, I’m sorry. It’s not you. You’re perfect. This is perfect. I guess I’m afraid that it’s not real—that someday things will return to how it used to be. And it just hit me hard how much I want this. I don’t make any sense, do I?”
She snorted as she figured she must be making a big fool out of herself, babbling about him being perfect. Geez, way to go, Kate. Could I be any more of a weirdo?
“I know exactly what you mean, cupcake. I want this too. I want you. I’ve wanted you ever since I saw a picture of you last April.”
Deep down, Kate wanted to scoff at his words. He couldn’t be serious given his track record with other women in the months before they got together. But she was hesitant to say anything about the matter.
“You don’t believe me. I see it written all over your face. And I get that. That’s on me. But we’ll get there. You’ll never have to question me ever again. I’m all-in, Kate.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. He kissed her nose, and the bed dipped. She opened one eye and saw his naked cheeks rounding the corner into his walk-in closet. Was he leaving her like this? Before she could worry some more, he returned to the bedroom wearing his gray sweatpants and holding a black T-shirt in his hand.
“Come. I need to show you something.”
She took his outstretched hand and he pulled her from the bed to slip the T-shirt over her head. When her head popped out of the neckline, he softly kissed her lips and pulled her hair out from under the shirt. She put her arms through the sleeves, and he grabbed her hand, leading her out of his bedroom and to his studio, pausing in front of the door.
“I know we needed to talk about this already, but… fuck, I was so relieved that you didn’t run from me when you first saw this. I wanted to hold on to you for as long as you’d let me.”
He opened the door to his studio and stepped inside, pulling her in as well. She let his artwork envelop her just like she did the last time she’d been inside his studio. Everywhere she looked, she saw a photograph, a charcoal sketch, or a colorful painting of herself. Bizarre.
All summer she’d been certain he wasn’t interested in her, but he was studying her, observing her, making art with images of her.
She never understood why he’d told Errin that night at her apartment that he’d tried to stay away from her. He even agreed with her sister that he wasn’t good enough for Kate. She’d thought he was making excuses for stringing her along that night.
“Why?”
“I can’t explain it, cupcake. Ever since April, everything I sketch, every painting, it all comes out like this. It’s like you’re a siren who’s calling me, haunting me. Every time I try to make something else, it all comes out like shit. I’ve never felt so stuck—except when I let you inside my head. If I let you take over, my hands create the best work I’ve made so far.”
She was unsure of her feelings about his artwork. A month ago, when she first saw his studio, she’d felt honored in a weird way. She didn’t want to ruin their start as a couple by questioning his artwork as they were just getting to know each other on a different level. She figured they’d talk about it later; she wanted to enjoy his newfound attention first.
Kate let go of his hand and walked over to the other side of the room. She needed the space between them to let it all in, but she was also drawn to a charcoal drawing.
It was a simple sketch of a little girl sitting in the windowsill petting a calico cat. Kate stopped midstep as she realized that she was the young girl, sitting there with her cat Gloria. She’d named the cat after her grandmother who’d died a month before the kitten joined their family.
“How did you do this? How could you’ve known?”
Donovan took a step toward Kate, but she held up her hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “She looks just like me as a little girl. You’ve painted Gloria just like I remember her. How’s that even possible?”
“You know when I needed to protect you and your sisters from Kayla’s stalker?”
Kate didn’t respond. Of course she knew of his protection. He was the one who discovered she’d been stalked by Tom after Kayla’s move to Austin. Her sister’s stalker came to her work in New Jersey, and Donovan found out after watching some surveillance tapes of the school she worked for.
