no to the money. But something about him unsettled her. She couldn’t bear it if it was just charity. She couldn’t even say why it mattered—money was money. But somehow, it was different now.
“Because your friend out there thinks dragons are cheap entertainment for children?” Gregory asked. “Because they’re not Real Art?”
She could hear him capitalize the words as he spoke, and it brought a reluctant smile to her lips.
“I told you,” he continued softly. “I collect. I know true art when I see it. Art that has the painter’s soul in it. And do you know how many dragons there are in the Met alone? If anything, I paid too little.”
Another shiver ran through Naomi. Even though she’d withdrawn from his embrace, they were still close enough that she could feel his heat. And something inside her yearned for him, so fiercely that it almost hurt.
It’s because I haven’t kissed anyone in so very long...
But even as she thought the words, she knew it was a lie. Kissing had never felt like this. Like she could just sink into him. Like she could take his hand and step off a cliff and just spread her arms and fly.
Something in her longed for freedom, something that had long been buried. Something in her wanted to feel his arms around her again, feel that hard, masculine body claim her as he covered her with a thousand kisses.
It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t last. Nothing that felt so extraordinary could last... Hadn’t she been burned before by trying to follow her dreams?
Suddenly she became aware of how quiet it had grown. The rattling at the door had stopped. She couldn’t even hear the hum of voices from before. Had the reporters left?
Gregory must have had the same thought, since he now felt for the door handle. Carefully, he unlocked it and opened it a small crack.
“I think your friend got rid of them at last,” he said after he’d taken a look. “Of course, he already had what he wanted.”
”Free publicity,” Naomi muttered with a grimace. “He said he’d do me a favor by accepting my painting for his exhibition. I should’ve known it would come with a price.”
Slowly, they stepped out of the closet. Naomi’s heart was still beating in her throat, and she forbid herself from lingering on his soft, warm lips or that chiseled, square jaw.
“Time for the formalities then,” Gregory said. He gave her a searching look.
Naomi’s heart gave another jolt when their eyes met.
He really has a dragon’s eyes... It’s that freedom and the wild joy of my storm dragon, she thought helplessly, unable to look away.
“I’ll go and find Jeff,” he added. “You can wait here if you like. I’ll be back in a moment. And maybe... Maybe you’d let me invite you for dinner afterward?”
A reluctant smile tugged at her lips. She could see what he was trying to do, giving her a few minutes to gather herself. It was sweet, especially given that she’d been the one who’d initiated the kiss.
It might not last, but it would be foolish to say no to what was probably her only chance at dinner with a billionaire. She knew it wasn’t going to lead anywhere, but at least she’d have a story to tell.
“I’d like that,” she said quietly.
She watched as he walked through the door at the back of the gallery, where she knew Jeff had his offices. The gallery was quiet now; he must’ve invited the reporters back to give an interview—no doubt embellishing his own role in discovering and supporting the young and upcoming local artist Naomi Edwardson.
With a sigh, Naomi wandered towards the front of the gallery, looking out through the windows.
What sort of car does a billionaire drive? A Ferrari? He doesn’t seem the flashy type. Some sort of black limo with a driver?
A sudden, loud crash directly in front of her made her scream.
Splinters of glass were flying everywhere. The window had exploded.
Everything was happening so suddenly that Naomi stood frozen, watching with terrified eyes as a giant, black hand with sharp claws reached in through the destroyed window.
It closed around Naomi, whose heart was racing so fast she feared it would burst.
Then she was pulled out through the hole, and up, up into the sky. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the impossible sight of a dragon’s large, black wings stretching above her.
Chapter Four: Gregory