Lucia snickers. “Now, Ryder, this one I like. Shall we?”
ChapterThirteen
ASH
This evening has been full of surprises. First, I’m eager to see why Ryder brought me here, and second, what just happened? We went from casual fucking to him kissing me in public the way he did. That was some mind-blowing, butterflies-inducing kiss. And now, Lucia leads us to a dimly lit section of the gallery, chatting about paintings we pass like we’re old friends. Oddly, she doesn’t seem as intimidating and stuck-up as she did the first time, I met her.
Ryder links our fingers and smiles at me like I’m not just another girl he’s hooking up with and will probably tire of next week.
“Okay, so here we are.” Lucia leads us to a curtain. “Ryder will take over beyond this point.” She smiles, her eyes softening. “You have the area to yourselves.”
“Shall we?” he lifts the curtain, and I walk through. There are more paintings in the private area, champagne, and canapes. “A private showing just for you, my lady.”
I can’t stop smiling at how sweet this is. And then I spot the painting I was admiring the other night. “I love this one.” I walk toward it.
“I do, too,” he says, pouring me a glass of champagne.
It’s still mesmerizing. “It’s haunting. At first, I thought the artist painted this from his own suffering, but it’s like he’s capturing his joy, too. Like a turning point for both.”
Ryder hands me a glass, and I take a sip, setting it on a table nearby. When I look at him, his eyes are cold, almost aloof, like he’s hearing me but also not. I examine the painting more carefully, and that’s when I spot it.
“Lily,” I whisper, and that seems to break the spell he’s under. Dragging him back to the present.
He wraps his arms around my waist from behind, placing his chin on my head. “Lily.”
One word and my eyes fill with tears. “You’re the artist.”
“I’ve never shared this with anyone, but when I saw you in front of it the first time. I knew you’d be the one I share it with.”
I turn in his arms, cupping his face. “Thank you for trusting me with this. It’s incredible. Perfect.”
He looks at the painting, then back at me. “You think she’d like it?”
I drop my hands and turn. “She’d love it.”
We walk around, talking about a few more of his pieces. He’s so talented. I can’t understand why he’d hide something so magical from the world. I want to ask, but I have a feeling it’s not something for tonight.
When he drops me off at home later that night, I feel like I’m floating on cloud nine. He leans in, kissing me like his life depends on it, and maybe I do too. I climb on his lap, his hands slipping under my dress, squeezing my thighs.
“I had an amazing time tonight,” I say breathlessly when we break apart. My palms rest against his cheeks, and he looks at me like I’m the most precious thing to him. I shouldn’t read too much into it, not make this out to be more than it is, but I’m falling for Ryder.
His hand combs through my hair, “So did I. I want to have many more nights like this.” Hope grows wings and soars through my heart at those words.
He grips my jaw and brings my lips to kiss, silencing my racing thoughts.
* * *
“You’re falling for him, aren’t you?” Marcella looks at me through her reflection in the mirror. “That is the only thing that explains why you’re going to his game.”
I bite my bottom lip, trying to suppress a smile. “I don’t know, Marcy. What if it’s one-sided? What if—?
“He hurts you?” She interrupts. I nod, and she walks over and sits on the bed next to me. “I don’t know that he won’t. I know you’re smiling more than you have since you moved here. But be careful, cuz, with your heart. Guys like that….”
She doesn’t have to finish that sentence. I know what guys like that do to girls like me. But it doesn’t stop my heart from racing at the thought of seeing him.
Ryder let me in the other night and even though the thought of him rejecting me scares me, I have never been this happy in a long time.
“I never expected any of this to happen.”