“Good.”
“What are you doing next week?”
The change in subject jarred her a bit and she met his waiting gaze. “Which day?”
“Any day.”
“Does this mean I have to wait until next week to see you again?”
He grinned, a wicked sexy-as-hell smirk that she felt all the way to her toes. “Not at all. The Art Fair is next week, and I planned on going out one day. Are you exhibiting?”
Shaking her head, she brushed the hairs on his leg. “I missed the deadline. But I definitely planned on going out. I invited my father, but he can’t make it. And Brent is offering Art Fair specials, so he wants to be in his shop.”
“Come with me?”
“Sure.”
“I want you to meet someone.”
“Who is that?”
“Her name is Penelope Kemp. We call her Ms. Pennie. And she’s important to me. I told her all about you and she can’t wait to meet you.”
Aria’s heart swelled. She knew about Ms. Pennie from Avery and Bailee, but he’d never mentioned her. Not when he’d apologized, not in any of the texts he’d sent, not last night when he’d opened up to her about some things.
“I never told you this, but she’s the reason we had to cut our first night together short,” he continued. “She took a hard fall and had to be rushed to the hospital.”
“And you had to be there.”
“Yes, I did. She recently went into remission. Breast cancer. I was worried that she might have a recurrence. It’s been a tough few months.”
Squeezing his hand, she said, “I bet. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“I don’t really do this.”
She frowned. “Do what?”
“Talk.”
“We don’t have to. If you’re uncomfortable.”
“Actually, I’m not.”
She leaned back on her elbows and peered up at him. “I’m listening.”
“When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to play in the house. We had a huge, expensive grand piano that I couldn’t touch. But, for as long as I can remember, I’ve heard notes in my head.”
Aria could relate. Her fingers had itched to draw since she could hold a crayon. “That’s pretty cool.”
“I guess. I thought I was crazy for a while. But Ms. Pennie took me under her wing and started to teach me to make sense of the notes.”
Aria hummed. “So, she’s your teacher?”
He nodded. “The best teacher I could ever have. She changed my life.”
Aria noted the affection in his eyes and his voice when he talked about Ms. Pennie. “Awesome. My father once told me that good teachers don’t give you the answers, they guide you on your pursuit to find the answers. I’ve had a few who’ve inspired me to take my art to levels I’d never even dreamed of.” She laid her head against the mattress and peered up at the ceiling. “When I think about how art has changed my life, it makes me want to give that gift to others.”
He chuckled softly. “Ms. Pennie just said something like that to me today.”
“See. Good teacher. That’s why I want to open an art school. I want children who don’t have access to art in their school to be able to create.” Myles was quiet for a moment, and Aria perched herself back up on her elbows and eyed him. He was staring at her. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“You think I’m crazy.”
“For what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. When I tell people I want to open a school, they tend to think I’m being self-important or setting my goals too high.”
“I think you’re amazing.”
“Oh, God, you have to stop making me feel all mushy.” She giggled. “I’m already hot for you.”
Myles laughed. “You’re silly.”
Aria ran her fingers over the hair on his legs. “Anyway, I’m glad you have Ms. Pennie. We all need someone like her in our lives.” She’d been blessed to have her father and Brent, and couldn’t imagine life without people who’d encouraged her to dream big.
“We’re extremely close. She tells me I’m the son she never had.”
“I love it. I’d love to meet her.”
“Just so you know. I’ve never introduced her to a woman before.”
Her eyes widened. “Never?”
“I’ve never wanted to.”
“Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “What if she doesn’t like me?”
“I’d say the chance of her not liking you is very small. Besides, what’s not to like? You’re beautiful, in every way. She’ll love you.”
She pointed at him. “You do realize that you don’t need to sweet-talk me anymore. I’m already a sure thing.” Aria burst out laughing when he gripped her legs and pulled her to him. He crawled on top of her, resting his body against hers.
Myles brushed his lips against the column of her throat, over her jawline and finally against her mouth. There was no tongue or teeth, no frantic pawing at each other. Just their breaths mingling, his nose brushing hers, his soft groans in her ear. At this point, they’d shared many kisses, but this one... It was sweet. Soft. And it had just ruined her for anyone else.
He pulled back and searched her face. “Sure thing, huh?” he asked, placing a kiss to her pulse point.
“You did it again.” Aria barely recognized her own voice in that moment. Probably because she was drowning with need for him to make love to her again.
“Did what?” he murmured against her sensitive skin.
“Your lips are on my pulse point,” she breathed, tightening her legs around his waist.
His low chuckle felt like a balm against her body, and she wanted to burrow into him like he was a warm blanket on a cold day. “Aria,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
He rested on his elbows and kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t ask me something you already know the answer to.”
Aria pinned him with a gaze, stared into his brown eyes. She read the desire in them, the need. He wanted her, but there was so much more within their depths. It felt more important than eating or sleeping or breathing. Instinctively, she knew things had changed. She’d felt the shift earlier, and it was more pronounced now.
She had so many questions. She thought she knew why, but she didn’t want to assume that his feelings for her were already as strong as hers were for him. The ball of sensation in her gut squeezed, shooting sensations through her body. She felt both weak and strong, tormented yet happy.
“Tell me,” she urged him.
The corner of his mouth quirked up into a soft smile. “Not yet. However, I will tell you that I’m done talking.” He pressed his hard length against her core. “I’m taking now.”
Then he kissed her, right as he pushed inside her. And Aria was lost.
Chapter 11
The next week, Aria worked on her house, her business and her dream. Now that she was officially a homeowner, she could shift some of her focus to the school she wanted to open. In her spare time, she’d looked at empty schools and buildings that would serve her purpose. Brent had helped her scout out locations, and she’d even contacted an architect to get a feel on how much renovation costs would be.
Myles had been working long hours at the hospital, and they’d barely seen each other. He’d managed to stop by and bring her lunch one day during the week, and he’d surprised her last night with a spontaneous date to a Detroit Pistons game. Other than that, they’d relied on FaceTime, phone calls and texts to communicate.
It felt good, though. To let herself explore the attraction that seemed to burn hotter and brighter by the day. They’d talked for hours about everything and found they had so much more in common than she’d ever thought possible considering she once thought their differences were too big to overcome.
During the game, he’d
cheered loud when they scored and cursed even louder when they messed up. A man after my own heart. Aria preferred football, but she loved seeing him let loose in public.
Myles had confessed that Ms. Pennie wanted him to teach music, and she’d encouraged him to consider it. He had too much talent to not pass that on to someone.
Her phone buzzed on the table. Picking it up, she smiled when she saw Myles’s picture flash across the screen. “Hi,” she answered.
“Hey.” The low rumble of his voice warmed her.
Will he always have this effect on me? She hoped so. “What’s up?”
He sighed. “I was hoping to have the afternoon off, but I have a surgery that I have to scrub in on. With my father.”
Myles hadn’t talked about his father much, and she didn’t push. She’d already heard from Avery that Dr. Law was an ass on his good days, and she could definitely empathize. Her mother was the same way. When her mom found out she’d gone to dinner with her father, she’d accused Aria of taking sides. It was the first time the woman had shown any emotion about the divorce, and it wasn’t even directed at her father, but her.
“Is that a bad thing?” Aria asked.
“Not really. I always learn from him.”
“Okay.” Aria missed him, but she didn’t want to come out and just say it. For some reason, that felt too deep for her. They were in a happy bubble, getting to know each other, and she didn’t want to mess that up with any heavy, emotional stuff. She blurted out, “I want to cook for you.”
“You do? But you said you didn’t cook. Should I eat before I come?”
“Ha ha. You got jokes.”
Myles laughed. “Just kidding with you. What do you want to make?”
“It’s a surprise.” To her, too. Especially since she hadn’t seen the inside of a grocery store since she’d moved into her house. “Can you make it at eight?”
There was silence on the line for a moment and she assumed he was checking his calendar. My little organized man. “I should be able to do that. I’ll bring dessert.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
* * *
Later, Myles arrived promptly with a cheesecake in hand. She cheered and took the confection from him. “Yum. You’re the best.” She sniffed the box.
“Hi, to you, too.” Myles raised a brow.
“Oh.” She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him twice. “Hi.” He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, nearly crushing the cheesecake. “Wait!” She set the dessert down on a small table near the door and hugged him.
He lifted her in his arms and placed a proper kiss to her lips. One that made her want to rip his clothes off and ride him all night.
Myles set her on her feet. With a frown, he asked, “Is dinner ready?”
Aria felt heat creep up her neck. Yeah, so dinner was a fiasco. She’d tried to make shrimp Alfredo because he had told her he loved it. Big fail. Huge! The shrimp had burned, the sauce was lumpy, and the spinach she’d sautéed tasted more like salt and oil than green vegetables. “So, about dinner...”
“What, Aria?”
“I sort of...ruined it.”
He laughed. “I had a feeling I should call first. Just to make sure I shouldn’t bring food and not dessert.”
Aria picked up the cheesecake. “No, dessert is good. I improvised on dinner. We’re good.”
He followed her into the kitchen. “You’re sure. I can run back out to grab something.”
She waved a hand in dismissal toward him. “No, you’re good.”
At least, Aria had set the mood. She’d lit candles and asked “Alexa” to play the John Coltrane station. Jazz floated through the house, courtesy of her surround sound speakers.
“Have a seat at the table?” she said, nodding toward a newly purchased set. “I’ll bring dinner over.”
Myles took a seat as he was told.
“Wine?” She held up a bottle of merlot.
“Sure. Want me to pour?”
“Nope. You just sit there and look fine.” Aria filled two glasses with wine and handed him his glass. They toasted to improvisation.
He held up the dominoes on the kitchen table. “I guess you’re finally ready to let me beat you.”
“In your dreams.” She winked. “I figured it would be a nice way to decompress. You had a busy day, and so did I.”
“What did you do?”
“I worked a little at home, then at the studio. Me and Brent met with an architect.”
“What for?” He stared at her over the rim of his glass. “Are you renovating the studio already?”
“No. I just wanted to get an idea of how much it would cost to renovate this building I saw the other day. It’s an old school in Inkster. I think it would be a perfect location for an art school.”
When Aria was thinking about locations, Inkster had been the first city to pop into her mind because there was no high school in the town. The state had dissolved Inkster Public Schools in 2014, and the children were split among several other surrounding districts. Bringing an art school to the area would be an amazing investment in the futures of so many children.
Often, art and music were the first programs to be cut when state funding of schools decreased, and Aria wanted to fill in the gap. Funding such an endeavor would take time. Hiring qualified teachers and staff, buying necessary supplies, and transforming a building into an oasis for her future students wasn’t going to be cheap. She didn’t expect the school to open for another few years, but she wanted to at least secure the building.
“I plan to take my dad there next week, so he can see it.” She pulled a platter from her cabinet and transferred the new dinner to the large plate. “I think he’d approve.”
“Is the building abandoned?”
“Not yet. It’s actually functioning as a charter school. The owners have decided to close it.”
“How are you handling funding?”
“Looking for investors.” Avery’s best friend, Jessie, ran Avery’s foundation and had given her very helpful tips for raising the money. “I’m thinking of enlisting the help of some of my colleagues and having a silent auction to help raise the money.”
Aria had been in the art world long enough to have made many connections. She was sure she could get people to donate to the cause. It would take some planning, though.
“That’s a good start. I’d like to see the building.”
She looked at him. “Really?”
“Yes. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Maybe we can go there after the Art Fair tomorrow?”
“That works.”
She set the platter on the table and immediately burst out in a fit of giggles at the shocked look on Myles’s face. He glanced down at the plate, then back at her. She bit her lip. “See! I improvised. Grilled cheese and french fries.”
Leaning back in his chair, Myles laughed. “You’re crazy. Good thing I like grilled cheese sandwiches.”
* * *
Aria handed the waitress her menu, then glanced over at a smirking Myles. “Don’t say anything.”
Myles laughed. “Hey, I’m not saying a word.”
When Aria had bitten into her grilled cheese sandwich earlier, she’d quickly realized one thing. Wheat bread was not her thing, and she’d only bought it because Myles didn’t eat white bread. Plus, she’d used the wrong cheese. Cheddar cheese, not the processed American cheese that she loved. She couldn’t figure out how that happened. And because of her oversight, she wasn’t able to enjoy her dinner. After two bites, she couldn’t do it anymore.
Myles had taken one look at her and suggested they save the grilled cheese for another time, when she could show him all the ways white bread and processed cheese were superior to the healthy stuff. He’d promptly stood and told her to grab her purse because
they were going out for dinner.
“I’m so embarrassed,” she said.
He placed his hand on top of hers. “Don’t be. I’m happy you wanted to cook for me.”
Cooking for anyone had never been high on her list of fun things to do. Long ago, after several kitchen disasters, she’d accepted the fact that she wouldn’t master a stove. It was a hard pill to swallow back then because Celeste had been such a role model for her. She’d wanted to be like her, able to whip up tasty meals with ease. Celeste didn’t need recipes or measurements. The older woman instinctively knew how much salt or sugar or garlic went in every dish. Aria, on the other hand, needed to measure everything, and still wasn’t guaranteed a good dinner.
“I wish it had turned out better.”
“This is nice, too.”
She turned her palm up and linked their fingers together. “It is.” Myles glanced at something over her shoulder and muttered a curse. “What’s wrong?”
“My father is here,” he said.
Aria froze, resisting the instinct to pull out her compact and make sure her face and hair were suitable. It was something she would have done if her mother had shown up. She hadn’t realized she did it until Brent had pointed it out to her years ago.
Myles slipped his hand from hers just as Dr. Lawrence Jackson approached their table. Aria looked up at the imposing man. She’d seen pictures of him when she’d Googled Myles weeks ago. The man was definitely handsome, with smooth mocha skin, a salt-and-pepper beard and mustache, and a tall, lean frame.
“Myles,” Dr. Jackson said.
“Dad,” was Myles’s one-word reply.
Dr. Jackson gave Aria the once-over but didn’t speak. Instead, he asked Myles, “Is this why you’ve been avoiding my calls?”
“I just saw you today. In surgery.”
“We have business to discuss.”
Myles sighed heavily. “I’ll make time next week.”
The intimidating doctor turned his attention back to Aria. “And who is this?”
She blinked. The similarities between her mother and Myles’s dad were astonishing. Elizabeth Bell had been known to be a dismissive snob and had treated many people the same way Dr. Jackson was treating her.
Spark of Desire ; All for You Page 34
