EMBER - Part Three (The EMBER Series, #3)

by Deborah Bladon

  After I'd left the museum and had walked home, I'd relished each step. I knew then and I still know now, that I was virtually unscathed after the police car hit me. My life could have been very different now and I doubt that I'd have the same grace and acceptance that Cleo does.

  "There was an accident when she was an infant." He folds the corner of the card. "Her mother was holding her in her arms in the car. It was a short trip to the store. I think Cleo was four or five months old then."

  It's true what they say about life changing in an instant. I listen, not wanting to interrupt.

  "Her dad was driving and when they got home, he told her mom to wait so he could help her get out of the car," he pauses to look back down at the card. "She was in a rush to get inside so she opened the door and stepped out."

  "What happened?" I ask anxiously.

  "Her mom tripped." He shakes his head as if to ward off an image that is crossing his mind. "She dropped the baby on the concrete. She dropped Cleo."

  I don't need to hear more. The medical details of how she was injured or the impact that it had on her development, don’t matter. What does matter is that Dane is pulling me into his arms and right now, there's no place I'd rather be.

  ***

  "I'll go see her tomorrow after my shift." He tucks the card into the back pocket of his jeans. "I need time to think about what I'll say."

  Even though I've wrapped my arms around him and I've nestled my cheek into the soft fabric of the t-shirt that is covering his broad chest, I still feel as though there's a barrier between us. I want to offer comfort, or at the very least, understanding, but I don't know where to start. "Can I help? We can talk about it if you want."

  "I do want to talk about it." He tenderly kisses my forehead. "As soon as I clear the air with Cleo, I want us to talk, Bridget. I want to talk about our future."

  Our future? It's what I want to talk about too because a future with him is the one thing I want more than anything.

  Chapter 15

  "What would you say if I told you to move to Paris?"

  "Bonjour?"

  He cracks a wide smile. "You'd need to learn more than that. I can teach you the language. I speak fluent French."

  Of course he does. Beck lived in Paris before he met Zoe. I didn't gather that tidbit of Brighton Beck's past from his wife or from his very detailed Wikipedia page. I got that from an article I read in one of the trashy gossip magazines I used to read when I lived in Connecticut and worked at the local supermarket. He moved there with one woman and ended up having an affair with another woman. I've never actually discussed that with Zoe because I want to keep our friendship in one piece. Bringing up her husband's playboy past would only hurt her.

  "Why would I move to Paris?" I ask in my best French accent.

  He cocks a dark winged brow. "Don't use that accent there. You'll offend the entire population the minute you open your mouth."

  I pull my hand up to my lips to mask the giggle I can't contain. "I won't be offending anyone. I'm not moving to Paris. I live in New York."

  "I went to Paris and my career took off."

  No. He went to Paris and his libido took off. "You were famous before you went to Paris."

  He tilts his head to the left. "I'm not famous."

  I roll my eyes as much to make him laugh as to accentuate how ridiculous that statement is. "There's a graduate class at Yale that only covers your art, Beck."

  He leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. "How do you know that?"

  Zoe told me but not before I'd read about it myself. I've followed his career since well before I met him. He's one of the major players in the art world today. His water color paintings routinely sell at auction for six figures. He's gifted and humble enough to appreciate the talent of others. The fact that he runs a studio in the city that offers art classes to underprivileged youth is often noted in the press. He downplays it though and it's one of the reasons I strive to have a career just like his.

  "I know a lot about you." I brush a piece of lint from my sweater. "I was a fan before you met Zoe."

  "You were the only person in the pub the night I met her who knew who I was."

  I had practically fawned over him. I'd rushed to get him a drink and when I brought it back I had hoped to launch into a rant about how much I admired him. My goal was to mention my own pencil drawings. I never had that chance because by the time I returned with his whiskey in hand, he was mesmerized by Zoe.

  "Can I ask you something?" I approach a line of his paintings that are hung on the wall of his home office. "It's personal."

  "You can ask me anything you want, Bridget." He moves so he's standing next to me.

  "Zoe hasn't said a lot about your past relationships," I begin as I trace my finger over the edge of one of the canvases. "I read about some of them."

  "There's a lot of information out there." He stares straight ahead. "Not all of it is accurate."

  "Does Zoe know everything about your past?" I turn to look at his profile. "Have you told her all about it?"

  I see a vein in his neck twitch. His brilliant blue eyes hone in on my face as he pivots his body to face me. "I've answered every question she's ever had. She knows that my life was empty before I met her. She knows that I love her more than anything."

  "My boyfriend," I stop to consider the title. "Dane, the man I've been seeing, has a complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend. She's close to his mother, and she has a sister that he cares a lot about."

  "That bothers you?" He frames it as a question, not a statement which means I need to answer it.

  "It worries me," I say honestly as I scratch the back of my neck. "It's like there are all these ties binding him to Maisy. That's her name. His ex is named Maisy. How can we be happy and together if she's still a part of his family and he's still part of her family?"

  "Does he love you?" His hand darts to his stubble covered chin. "Has he told you how he feels about you?"

  "He loves me." The sound of the words coming from my own lips stops my heart for a brief moment. "He's told me a few times that he loves me."

  "Families are complicated," he says hoarsely. "Zoe's parents have never warmed up to me. It's not ideal but I love her and regardless of what anyone else feels, I'll never give that up."

  Dane's situation isn't ideal either but he makes me feel things I never knew I could feel, and I'm not about to give that up either.

  "Bridget." He taps his hand on my shoulder. "I'm serious about Paris. There's a three month internship program there that you're perfect for. I've already spoken to the director and there's a spot reserved for you. It would allow you to show your work in some of the city's most influential galleries."

  "There are galleries here," I offer back. "I can build my career here."

  "Promise me you'll give it some thought."

  "I promise," I reply, even though the thought of moving that far away from Dane rips me to shreds inside.

  Chapter 16

  "I thought you came over to talk," I finally manage to say.

  "I have been talking," he growls as he weaves his fingers into my hair. "I told you how good it feels when you suck me off."

  He did say that. He probably said it more than once but I was too busy sliding my tongue over the length of the thick root to hear anything but the moans coming from deep within me. I'd brought him to the edge and just when I felt his body tighten, I'd pulled back hoping to be rewarded with a hot burst of his release on my lips. He'd managed to level his breathing enough that he held off.

  His cock is still rock hard and as I graze my lips over the lush head, I hear a low groan seep from his mouth. "I want it to last, Bridget."

  I do too. I actually want him to fuck me. My body is aching for it. I've wanted him to take me this way for days and when he texted me an hour ago to say he was coming over, I'd dropped my sketchpad on the bed in the other room and I'd taken a quick shower to freshen up.

  I kissed him the min
ute he walked over the threshold into my apartment and he was quick to yank my clothes off before sliding out of the jeans and sweater he was wearing. Now, as he leans his back against the wall of my bedroom, I rest my cheek against his firm thigh.

  "Lick it again." He pulls gently on my hair. "Let me see your tongue on it."

  I shift back enough that I know that when he looks down he can see my mouth touching him. I slide my tongue over the head, stopping to circle it again and again. I wrap both my hands around the thickness, sliding them slowly up and down.

  "Bridget." My name gets lost in a moan. "I need to fuck you now."

  I have little time to react before his hands slide from my hair to my shoulders. He jerks me up, and in one quick movement, I'm on my back on the bed. He leans forward, his moist lips meeting mine in a sensual, deep and core touching kiss.

  I reach up to grab his face but his hands are quicker than mine. He pushes them down, so they're resting on the sheets. "I have to put on a condom. Don't move. Don't move an inch."

  I nod without a word. I pull in a deep breath as I watch him reach towards the nightstand to pull out a condom package. He rips it open without breaking our gaze. My eyes drop as I watch him sheath his erection quickly and deftly. His hand circles his cock, pulling the condom into place.

  His eyes rake over my nude body. "You're so beautiful."

  I blush at the compliment. I don't feel exposed when he looks at me. I always feel cherished and admired. My body may not be perfect in the eyes of many men, but I know when Dane looks at it, that he's seeing something he desires at the deepest level possible.

  I cry out when he rams himself into me balls deep in one movement. I arch my back trying to adjust to the full length and girth of him.

  "Take it," he whispers the words against my lips. "Feel it all."

  I reach up to cup his cheeks in my hands. "I feel it. Please."

  He starts moving. His hips pounding out a steady rhythm as his hands rest on the bed above me. With each pulsing thrust of his body against mine, a small growl flows from his lips. It's masculine. It's intoxicating and the sheer depth of him inside of me pulls my desire to the surface.

  I clench myself around him, which only spurs him on more.

  "Fuck," he says into the still air as he throws his head back. "Ah, fuck."

  He pumps his hips into mine, each movement deeper than the last. I cling to his face, wanting to find my release so he can chase his own. I know he won't come until I do.

  "Dane," I call out his name as I feel the rush approaching.

  He adjusts his leg on the bed to gain leverage with his knee, curves his hand under my ass and drills his cock into me with a fierce tenderness I've never felt before.

  I pull him closer as I feel the edge approaching and as I climax, I call out his name in a heated rush. He pumps one last time and through clenched teeth he lets out a low moan as he finds his own release.

  Chapter 17

  "Did you see Brighton Beck about your drawings?" He pushes my hair from my forehead.

  We'd collapsed into a mess of arms and legs after we both came. He held me for a few minutes before he pulled himself up, rid himself of the condom and went to get us a glass of water.

  Now, he's sitting on the edge of the bed, completely nude. I stare at his back and the definition in the muscles. "I saw him. He thinks I should move to Paris."

  His shoulders stiffen almost instantaneously. I watch as his hands leap to his face. "Paris?"

  I reach up to run my fingers over the back of his neck. "There's an internship program there. They're saving a spot for me if I want it. Beck thinks it would help my career."

  "It would." He turns briefly and I catch a glimpse of the side of his face. It's striking. I doubt that I'll ever tire of looking at him.

  I adjust my body so I'm resting against the mattress again. "I'm doing well here. I'm still selling portraits at the gallery. I'm going to see if I can find people who want more commissioned pieces."

  It's something I've been thinking about since I finished the drawing I did of Leanna Henderson. She loved it and Harper, the physical therapist who had helped me after my accident, even called to ask if she could buy her portrait. She was trying again with her ex and wanted to give it as a gift to him. I had dropped it off at her office with a smile and a question about her future. She was cautiously optimistic that they could make things work this time. I'd left her office with a hug after giving her the portrait as a gift.

  "You're too talented not to chase your dreams, Bridget."

  "I am chasing my dreams." I glide my legs along the soft sheets. "People pay to buy my portraits at the gallery and Brighton is going to include a few of my drawings in his exhibition. I'll be a featured artist he said."

  He pivots his hips, pulling his knee up and bending it so he's sitting on the bed, half facing me. "There are more people in Paris who can help you. A lot of aspiring artists who go there hit it big."

  I know he's only thinking about my future, but the fact that he's on board Brighton's one way train to Paris train surprises me. I want him to support my career, but I didn't think he'd be pushing me towards moving across the world. "Paris is far away."

  "You have a gift." He turns towards the portrait I'd set on the dresser earlier. It's one I started earlier today when I spotted an elderly man in Central Park. "If you don't nurture it and go after every opportunity to share it with others, you're going to regret that one day."

  I pull my arm over my face, trying to mask the disappointment I feel. "I can't move to Paris right now. I have too much going on here. I'm going to start back at the pub soon. They need me."

  He leans forward, his left hand darting to the mattress to support his weight. His gaze catches mine as he looks down at me. "Nothing here is as important as your talent, Bridget. Think about this long and hard before you make a decision."

  I turn away from him as I bury my cheek into the softness of my pillow. I don't know what there is to think about. Maybe the one thing that I thought was keeping me in New York isn't worth staying for after all.

  ***

  "I think you should take that portrait you did of her to the hospital and give it to her." Zoe motions towards the portrait of Cleo that is still sitting on the easel by the window.

  I glance towards it. Since I found out that it was Maisy's sister I've been able to walk past it without feeling as though my heart is dropping out of my chest. "I don't know her. I don't think going to the hospital is a good idea."

  "Why not?" She pulls a portrait I did last year of a couple from the cardboard box that is now sitting atop the bed. "I think it would mean a lot to her."

  I've thought that too. I've never drawn people as a means to financial gain. I've been lucky that my portraits have sold as well as they have but I've always felt it would have more meaning if I could hand some of them back to the people I captured with my pencil. Cleo is a perfect example of someone I drew at a pivotal time in her life. She was pregnant, planning her future and celebrating with the man she loved.

  "I need to talk to Dane about it first." I reach past Zoe to rifle through the drawings. "Beck said I should pick portraits for the museum that would speak to a lot of people. He wants me to choose some that mean the most to me."

  She nods as she begins pulling more from the box. "If you don't take Cleo's portrait to her today, she's going to be discharged and you'll lose your chance to give it to her."

  I turn back towards the window and the drawing. "I'll text Dane first and if he's okay with it, I'll take it."

  I'm grateful when she doesn't respond. I know she's aching to tell me that I don't need Dane's permission to do anything, but when it comes to Cleo, I don't want to get in the way of him trying to mend the friendship the two of them once had.

  Chapter 18

  "Visitors are only allowed for another hour." Vanessa glances at her watch. "My break is then, so go see her and then I'll buy you some dinner."

  "Cafeteria dinner
?" I joke. "I might pass on that."

  She elbows me in the ribs. "It's not that bad. I eat it all the time."

  "I can't tonight," I say honestly. "I'm starting back at the pub. I need to be there by nine."

  "We can do dinner another night then."

  I look down at my smartphone again. I had texted Dane to ask if he could call me. That was more than two hours ago. I know that he told me when his schedule changes this week, but I hadn't paid attention mainly because I was drifting into a dream at the time.

  I could have waited until tomorrow to come to see Cleo to bring her the portrait, but after considering what Zoe said, I don't want to miss my window of opportunity. My plan is simple. I hand her the portrait, tell her that I saw her in the hallway and I leave with no mention of Dane.

  "You remember her room number?"

  "It's 2049." It became etched forever in my memory after I'd glanced at the card so many times. Cleo is my first link to Dane's life beyond his cousin, Garrett. She's his friend, or was at one time. She's also the sister of the woman he once loved. I want her to have the portrait. It belongs to her.

  "If it's too hard, come find me." She wraps her arms around my shoulders so tightly that the stethoscope hanging around her neck pushes into my chest. "Send me a text and I'll come up to the second floor."

  I hug her back. This might be the biggest mistake of my life or it may be a kind gesture that Dane and I will think back on when we're reminiscing about our past. It doesn't matter at this point. I'm here now and I'm not leaving until the framed portrait in my hand is nestled securely in Cleo's grasp.

  ***

  "Excuse me."

  The voice is softly feminine. It's also behind me just as I'm about to walk into Cleo's room. I'd peered through the rectangular window in the door but the only thing I could see was a light blue curtain drawn around a hospital bed. There's a wheelchair near the foot of the bed so I can only assume that I'm not too late.

  I ignore the voice when I realize that she's likely talking to one of the many other people who are walking through this corridor. I've passed at least two doctors and half a dozen nurses since I exited the elevator on this floor. It's the maternity wing of the hospital which means most of the people who work here are less frantic and rushed than those who work in the ER with Vanessa.