His next drawing would have it hard. It was beautiful hard.
Baer was a stunning man, rugged and thick, with an innate grace in the way he moved that Wiley wanted to get on page somehow. Frustrated with his two-dimensional work, he closed his eyes and lifted his face to the warm sun.
The sound of paws in the grass alerted him to Ruby running toward him and he opened his eyes, grinning. She was really the sweetest dog ever, and he wished he had thought to grab some of her treats. Everyone spoiled the dog, and Baer didn’t mind at all since he felt all animals deserved spoiling.
She skidded to a halt by his chair and flopped her snout on his arm, looking up at him with soft, brown eyes. He set his sketch pad down and loved on her, enjoying her soft fur under his hands.
“Hey, baby girl,” he crooned as he rubbed.
“She really likes you,” Baer said as he came up on the other side of Wiley’s lounge chair. Baer was in tight jeans and a black T-shirt that stretched across his broad chest. Wiley scrambled to shut his sketch pad and one red eyebrow crawled up Baer’s forehead. “Whatcha drawing, Wiley?”
Wiley shrugged. “Just stuff. Nothing important.” Oh, he was trying hard for nonchalant, but he failed miserably when his voice practically squeaked.
“Lemme see,” Baer drawled, sitting in the lounge chair next to Wiley’s.
His heart picked up beats and his palms grew sweaty. “Nah, it’s all unfinished. I don’t share half-finished work.”
“Come on. I want to see why your cheeks got all red when I walked up.” Baer snatched up the pad and opened it.
Luckily, the naked Baer drawing was a lot farther into the notebook. Wiley figured he could grab it before Baer hit that section, but Baer surprised him by flipping to the back. He was silent as he stared at the drawing, and Wiley squirmed on his seat.
“You flatter me,” Baer said softly.
“That’s exactly how you look to me.”
“You even got all my tattoos right. You must have really been looking.” He stared up at Wiley, speculation in his green eyes. Something passed between them, a moment that made Wiley hold his breath. He suspected Baer was truly touched that Wiley had thought to draw him. That anyone would be so interested in him. Wiley wanted to toss the sketch pad aside and crawl into the man’s lap, show him with his lips exactly how well he deserved to be treated.
Baer cleared his throat and dropped his eyes to the pad as if he felt like he’d revealed too much. “So, you draw nudes, too, huh?”
Sure he was never going to live this down, Wiley shrugged again. “Not usually. Most superheroes wear clothes. Flip through and you’ll see I’ve drawn other pictures.”
Baer did just that, slowly turning pages and giving each drawing a lot of attention. “You’re really good. I like how you got Grey’s snarky personality. And Dane would love this one of him with glowing hands. It’s a great likeness of him all down to that healing touch.” He looked up at Wiley. “It really bummed you out not to be a Weaver, didn’t it? I feel like if anyone deserved to be a Weaver, it was you.”
The man’s words went a long way to soothing that sore spot in his chest. Fate didn’t always work out how he wanted, but he appreciated the time he got with Baer and his unique family. He shrugged, not wanting Baer to worry over him. “Yeah, but not everyone can be special.”
Baer frowned. “I think you’re pretty damn special, and you’re so obviously talented. Not everyone can draw like this.”
“It’s just drawing. I’m not saving the world or anything.”
“No, but you’re giving people stories to take them out of their own realities. Giving enjoyment and happiness. That’s nothing to scoff at. What you do is just as important.” Baer flipped toward the end, then pointed at a sketch. “This one is my favorite of me.”
Wiley held out his hand for the sketch pad, and Baer handed it to him. He glanced down at his drawing, taking in the image of Baer morphing into a cougar. “I like this one, too. I’ll never forget seeing you change like that. I’d like to see more.”
“Oh, yeah? What would you like to see me change into?”
Wiley thought for a moment. “Can you be a snake?”
Baer shuddered. “Now why would you want to see that?”
“Got a problem with snakes?”
“Nah, I love all creatures, but I’ve been one several times, and the urge to swallow mice was hard to fight. Plus, you taste everything on that forked tongue.”
Wiley laughed. “Just how much of your personality do you retain?”
“All of it, but it’s hard to think in the smaller brains, and nature comes heavily into play. When I’m a wolf, I have the urge to run and chase things. When I’m a rabbit, I’m skittish as hell. Most of the animals out there are just going about their lives, searching for food and making families. It’s quite beautiful. Simple even though survival is hard for a lot of them.”