AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you for the time you’re spending with her. In just a few days, you’ve managed toenchanteveryone in this house.”
I smile. “I have a name to live up to.”
When they return, Glinda gushes over Andie’s painting. “This is your best painting ever.”
Andie nods. “I know. I’m so excited.” She turns to Beckett. “What do you have for me this morning?”
He scratches his sexy chin. “Let me think... If you’re American when you go in the bathroom and American when you come out, what are you while you’re in there?”
Andie shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“Euro-pee-in.”
Glinda and I smile while Andie falls on the floor in a fit of laughter.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AMANDA
The past three weeks have flown by. I’ve gotten so much painting done being in this space all day. And I’m enjoying having a full house in a way I’ve never experienced. I chat with Glinda in the mornings, I spend time with Andie after school, and then every night we’re all together playing games or watching movies. It’s the simple family life I never had but always wanted for Jade.
When Glinda and Andie go to bed, Beckett and I stay up and talk for hours. We know so much about each other now. It’s like months and months of dating all compressed into a short period of time.
We’ve gradually gotten more and more comfortable around each other. Cuddling in bed has become our normal. Other than a few unconscious groping sessions, which I admittedly let go on longer than I should, he’s remained respectful of my boundaries for the month.
I feel like this is a new level of intimacy for me. I’ve never simply gotten to know a man without anythingphysical happening between us. Our minds are connecting before our bodies. But it’s not easy. I want the physical connection with him. I’m counting the minutes until this arrangement is over, and I can tell he feels the same. I feel it against my back every night.
Beckett set up the three meetings with collectors during this last week so that I had time to add to my collection. I feel ready to show them what I’ve got.
It’s Sunday and we just met with a collector in town from Miami. Beckett arranged everything, but at my request, he remained silent and let me do the talking. He did recommend I significantly raise my prices. I was flipping out, as I’ve never sold anything at this rate, but I took his advice. The collector loved everything and severely overpaid for two paintings, asking to be informed of my future work.
He paid more than I normally make in a year. I’m floating in the clouds right now.
When we walk out, Beckett smirks at me. “I told you real collectors would appreciate your art.”
I can’t help but jump into his waiting arms. I sink my nose into his neck and take him in. “Thank you, Beckett. Thank you so much. This is the biggest sale of my career.”
He squeezes me tight, and I can feel and hear him inhale me. It’s getting harder and harder to resist him. Even his embrace is familiar and comforting to me now.
He releases me, and I slowly slide down the front of his big body. “The pleasure is all mine.” His words are loaded, as our bodies are pressed together and we stare at each other.
It’s not until Nico clears his throat by the car door that we eventually break apart.
We get into the black Suburban and he immediately takes my hand. He’s always finding ways to touchme—my hand, my arm, my back. Him fondling me all night has become our normal. I can’t say I mind it at all.
I turn to him. “What got you interested in collecting art in the first place?”
He looks down to where our hands are joined and rubs his thumb over mine. “It’s my shared interest with my father. We aren’t close and we never were. Our interests are polar opposites, but the one thing we’ve been able to talk about throughout the years is art. He has an extensive collection as well.”
“It’s nice that you have that.”
“It’s better than nothing. How did you get into painting?”
“I sketched a lot as a young kid. We couldn’t afford painting supplies, so I started painting some of my sketches in art class at school. I had a teacher in junior high who used to give me access to the studio when she probably shouldn’t have. She encouraged me to apply to an after-school painting program in high school. You know the rest of that story, including Reggie’s family helping me.”
He stares at me and nods as we pull through the front gates. He’s still holding my hand, rubbing his thumb over mine. The sexual tension is getting thicker by the minute. I know it’s about to reach a boiling point.
Glinda and Andie are at a play in Philly today and Karen is off, so the house is empty. We walk through the front door in silence and head up into our bedroom to change. Yep, I already think of it as our bedroom.
