by Claire Adams
“I knew you were just doing it so that you could get the money for me,” Vanessa said, pulling her hands away.
“I’m not good at big, romantic gestures,” I admitted, shrugging as much as I was able to. “I thought that if I could help you open your gallery, that would be a start, at least.”
“A big, romantic gesture?” she asked uncertainly.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking toward the wall even though I knew that I ought to be a man and look her in the eye while I told her what I was about to tell her. “Vanessa, I am madly in love with you,” I confessed. “Have been since we were teenagers. You’ve been the bright spot in my otherwise mediocre existence.”
She blinked at me. “You really mean that?” she asked softly.
“Of course, I do,” I said. “Did you ever think for a moment that I didn’t love you?” She paused, and I held up a hand. “Okay, don’t answer that question,” I said, laughing. “Vanessa, I love you. You’re smart, and you’re sexy as hell, and you care about people in a way that just amazes me. I don’t even like art all that much, but I could listen to you talk about your gallery all day. And I really appreciate that you have stayed here with me the whole time I’ve been in the hospital. Even though,” I wrinkled my nose playfully, “you kind of stink.”
Vanessa stared at me for a moment and then burst out laughing. “You ass!” she cried, lightly punching my shoulder.
“Ouch, don’t hit the invalid!” I said, only partly teasing.
She sobered up quickly at that. “Sorry,” she said, bending down to kiss the spot that she had punched. Then, she looked deep into my eyes. Whatever she saw there made the corners of her mouth curve into a smile, and she leaned in to kiss my lips gently. “I love you, too,” she breathed as she broke the kiss.
“I know,” I said simply.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Vanessa
I looked around the empty space with my hands on my hips, surveying every nook and cranny. I already loved the place, and it hadn’t even opened as a gallery yet. But I could practically feel the potential of it. I couldn’t wait to harness that potential and turn the place into something truly special.
Just one more coat of paint on the walls, and it would be time to start moving in some of the installations.
I pulled my hair back into a messy ponytail and carried the bucket of paint over to the ladder that I had set up just for this purpose. With the money that Trethan had won for me, I could have hired a crew to paint the place and spruce everything up. But I liked having my hand in all of it, really making the place mine. It was exciting, knowing what was to come. And even though I still worried about how well the place would do, it felt great knowing that I was doing something. Something that I wanted.
The bell chimed over the front door, and I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, already ready to tell an overzealous, would-be customer that we weren’t open for business just yet, but the words died on my lips when I saw that it was Trethan.
“Hey,” he said, smiling warmly at me as I lowered my paint roller and climbed down off the ladder. He held up a paper bag. “I brought lunch.”
“Yay,” I said, bounding over to give him a kiss. Then, I pulled away, spreading my arms and indicating the rest of the place. “Well, what do you think?” I asked. “I mean, I know it isn’t much yet, but it’s coming along, don’t you think?”
“Sure, I do,” he said, nodding at me. “But you missed a spot.” He indicated the vast swath of wall that I was still working on.
I giggled and rolled my eyes. “No shit,” I said.
“I’m going to be glad when you have something more than white walls for me to look at, because I’m starting to run out of things to say in response to them,” Trethan said, grinning at me.
“It’s not as though you care about art anyway,” I said. “Once I start asking you what you think about the latest installations, that’s when you’re really going to have to come up with creative ways to talk about things that really bore you.”
Trethan smirked. “Maybe I’ll just talk about how beautiful I think the gallery’s curator is,” he suggested.
I blushed and ducked my head. “The gallery’s curator might appreciate that,” I admitted.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter if I think the art’s boring,” he said, looking suddenly serious. “What I care about is whether you’re happy, and if art is what makes you happy, then I want you to have all the art in the world at your fingertips.”
“I’d settle with just managing to fill up the space prior to the gallery’s opening night,” I said.
“You’re not having any problems with that, are you?” he asked, sounding worried.
I laughed. “Actually, I’m having more difficulty trying to narrow down which artists I want to work with. We have more installations than we have available space. It’s good because that means in a few months, we can change some things out and get a fresh batch of pieces in. But I’m really trying to figure out some sort of common theme or vision for the place so that it doesn’t just seem jumbled.” I shook my head. “But you probably don’t care about all of that.”
Trethan bent down to kiss me. “Don’t understand all of it, but I wouldn’t say that I don’t care,” he said.
“You’re too sweet to me,” I told him, shaking my head with a smile. “Ever since your accident.”
“Speaking of my accident, I just came from the doctor’s,” he said.
“I knew there must be a reason that you were showing up with lunch,” I said, trying not to panic. “What did he say? Is everything back to normal?”
“Back to normal,” Trethan confirmed, nodding his head. “And you’re right; lunch was just a cover. I was thinking that maybe, since the doctor has cleared me and all, we could make use of one of your spacious storage rooms.”
I blinked at him and then laughed. “It’s always sex with you,” I said fondly.
“Well, can you blame me?” he asked. “It’s been two months now since my injury, and I’ve only had your mouth on me in all that time.”
I shivered a little just thinking of how much I wanted to feel him inside of me. But I was still hesitant. “You’re sure everything’s back to normal?” I asked. “I don’t want you to have another setback because we couldn’t keep our hands off one another.”
Trethan laughed. “Everything’s fine,” he said. “Look, I can roll my neck and everything. All the swelling has gone down. Well, the swelling around my brain anyway. There’s certain other swelling that requires your help to go down.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“All right, all right,” I said, already moving to lock the front door. “Let me show you to the back room.”
In the storage room, we both stripped quickly, giddy like teenagers again. As he had said, we had fooled around some since his accident, but we hadn’t had sex in all that time. The doctor had warned against any strenuous activity that might cause the swelling around his brain to get worse. Trethan had been going stir-crazy with the lack of activity, so I could only imagine how excited he was to get back to work.
But for now, he pulled me into his arms, naked skin sliding against naked skin. We kissed passionately. A fire sparked between us, awakening the heat inside me. His fingers left trails of goosebumps in their wake.
Trethan sat me down on one of the plastic storage bins, staying close in between my legs. He pushed eagerly inside of me, hardly giving me time to adjust to his girth before he thrust into me. It was everything I’d been craving, rough and desperate and lusty, and I couldn’t help moaning.
He grinned at me and sucked at my neck, his hands coming up to play with my breasts as he continued to thrust deep inside of me. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close, making me feel loved and protected and surrounded by him, with his presence both inside of me and enveloping me. He cradled me against him as he continued to plunge into me, turning me inside out with desire, drivin
g me half mad with it.
His featherlight touches explored the planes of my skin, leaving me craving more, practically keening with need.
His thrusts picked up in speed, until I could barely breathe with the fire building inside me, until I felt as though I might fall apart at any moment. He tugged at my hair and bit at my neck, claiming me as his. He pinched my nipples, sending two sparks of hot pain-pleasure shooting toward my core. My head fell back with another breathy moan.
I came hard, my walls contracting around his thick length, but he was far from finished. He continued to use me, delving deep into me even as I shuddered with ecstasy. I sobbed, caught deep in the throes of pleasure, feeling the way he suddenly stiffened and then came.
When I finally pried my eyes open, he looked sheepish. “Sorry, I was hoping I could last longer, but it’s been too long,” he apologized.
I stared incredulously at him, wanting nothing more than to curl into him. I groaned and rested my forehead against his shoulder. “You have no idea how good that felt,” I said, rolling out my shoulders. Then, I pulled back so that I could peer up at him. “Then again, maybe you do.”
“That did feel good,” he agreed, nodding. “I wouldn’t say no to round two.”
“We’re at work,” I reminded him, blushing a little. It wasn’t as though anyone could come upon us there, not with the front door locked and me being the only person who had a key to the place. But all the same, there was something deliciously naughty about doing it there.
“It’s going to take me a little bit to get it up again, anyway,” Trethan said. “But what I meant was, maybe you could stay over at my place tonight.”
I smiled at him. “Maybe I could,” I agreed. I leaned up and kissed him. “Thanks for making all of this a reality.” I suddenly felt shy as I gestured around at the gallery which wouldn’t have existed if it hadn’t been for him.
Trethan shook his head. “I’m glad you were able to make this come true,” he said.
There was something more in his gaze, but he refrained from saying whatever it was. Instead, he finally smiled and kissed me one more time. “Come on, let’s eat. I remembered you saying that you were craving a burrito, so I picked some up on my way back from visiting Brent in Helena this morning.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Trethan
Even though I normally just walked inside John and Vanessa’s home, I paused on the porch that evening and knocked heavily on the wood. John pulled open the door, looking appraisingly at me. Then, he nodded at the silent question and let me inside.
“How have you been?” he asked, looking as though he didn’t really know what to do.
I smiled nervously at him, also feeling kind of at a loss. It wasn’t every day that something this big happened. I shook my head. “I’ve been nervous, actually,” I admitted. “This is nothing like riding a bull.”
John laughed and shook his head as well. “I should hope not, given the tumble you took at the end of that rodeo,” he said. He frowned. “You’re fully healed up, though, from what I hear. Vanessa was overjoyed to tell me the news.”
“Yeah, the doctor cleared me yesterday,” I said. “Means I can get back to work soon. If you’ll have me back.”
John rolled his eyes. “Well, of course I’m going to have you back,” he said. “Don’t be an idiot. Place has been doing fine without you, but I have to face up to the fact that I’m getting older, and I can’t do everything on my own anymore. Vanessa’s been helping out, of course; but with her gallery project starting to take off, it’s perfect timing for you to come back and take over around here again.”
I smiled at him. “Good.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s good to have you here,” he said, his tone serious. “I’m, of course, proud of you for asking me, but you must have known what my feelings were before you asked.”
I ducked my head. “Yeah,” I agreed. “But you’ve been like a father to me all these years. I wouldn’t have felt right if I didn’t ask you.”
“I appreciate that,” John said. He glanced up the stairs as Vanessa came down them. “You’re looking pretty tonight,” he told his daughter.
And Vanessa was looking pretty that night. She had on a soft pink dress with a light blue cardigan, given that we were reaching the tail end of warm days for now. She had her hair pulled back in a somewhat messy braid. Her face was practically glowing.
“All right, enough secrecy,” she said, shaking her head and putting her hands on her hips. “Where exactly are you taking me tonight, mister?”
I shook my head. “It’s a secret; I told you that,” I said. “Come on.” I held out my arm to her. “I won’t keep her out too late,” I promised John, smirking at him.
“Good,” he said. There was something more to it than that, but the rest of his words went unspoken.
“Did you knock on the door before?” Vanessa asked as we walked onto the porch and down toward my truck. “You know you can just come inside. It’s not like you haven’t been here before.”
I smiled but didn’t answer her. We drove down to a cozy little seafood place on the lake that had just opened the previous week. “Oh, wow,” she said, looking around in surprise. “This place is nice.”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling as I led her along to our table, which was right out by the water.
“So, what’s the occasion?”
“Does there have to be an occasion?”
She shook her head. “I know you, Trethan. We don’t do places like this normally. If you were trying to be romantic, normally you’d just invite me over to your place and we’d order pizza and watch a movie. So, unless it’s some anniversary that I’ve forgotten about, what is it?”
I laughed. “I just wanted to enjoy a nice meal with you, that’s it,” I told her, even though that was far from being the case. “Come on, we’ve been dating again for a few months now, and I think that deserves a celebration.” I lowered my voice and leaned in. “And the sex yesterday was incredible, don’t you think?” I laughed at the way she blushed and looked around to see if anyone could have overheard that.
“It is kind of nice to do this sometimes,” Vanessa said, looking down at her menu, a smile on her face.
I smiled back at her and opened my own menu, scanning through the dishes for one which jumped out at me. I wasn’t much of a seafood person normally, but I had to admit that the views here were something else, and I had the whole night planned out ahead of us.
“So how are things really going with the gallery?” I asked Vanessa as we worked our way through a bottle of wine. “Come on, don’t spare any details. I want to hear all about the business that I’ve invested in.”
She laughed. “It’s going well,” she said. “I think I’ve narrowed down the list of people to the ones that I’d like to feature. We’re doing an emphasis on home for this first set of installations. I think it works well, me coming back to my hometown to start this gallery, all with local art. And home is such a personal concept, don’t you think? It’s been interesting going through the different submissions and figuring out which ones will work.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, smiling at her over the rim of my wine glass. I loved seeing how excited she got about the place and the artwork that she would fill it with.
“I’m done with the painting finally, too,” she continued. “And that means that the installations can start in the next couple days. I hope to have everything ready to open by the end of the month. Need to get on marketing it, though. Julie’s helping out by designing flyers and the website and everything else, but we need to drum up interest in the place. Its opening will coincide with the annual Autumn Arts and Wine Festival, though, so that should help draw some people to the place. Everyone loves free wine samples, don’t they?”
“Especially while they’re looking at art,” I said seriously.
Vanessa shook her head. “I really don’t know how to thank you enough for helping me out with the place,” she sai
d.
I put my hands over hers, where they rested on the table between us. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, smiling crookedly at her. “I’m glad that I can be involved in some way. Your passion is infectious.”
“I’m just glad you’re here to experience it all,” she told me, a dark shadow crossing her face for a moment. I felt another fleeting stab of guilt because I knew she was still beating herself up over the fact that I had almost gotten seriously injured — or worse — trying to win the rodeo competition.
“I’m fine,” I reminded her. “Takes more than that to hurt me.”
Vanessa shook her head, but there was a shaky smile on her face.
When we finished our meal, I suggested we take a little walk down to the lake. I took my coat off and draped it around her shoulders, knowing that she must be chilly given the temperature and the flimsy nature of her cardigan. She smiled her thanks back at me.
“So seriously, what’s the reason for all of this?” she asked quietly as we got down to the lake. “You and Dad were planning something, I could tell.”
I laughed and shook my head. But then, I took a step closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “The past couple months have really brought some things into focus for me,” I told her. “And, I’ve had plenty of time to think since I haven’t really been allowed to do much other than think for two whole months.”
She laughed. “I know how difficult that’s been for you!”
“The thing is, I’ve really enjoyed watching you get everything ready with your gallery,” I told her. “I never thought I’d see you this excited about something to do with White Bluff.” I paused. “When you left for college, I never thought I’d see you back in White Bluff for more than a quick visit around the holidays.”
She ducked her head. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
I waved away her apology. “That’s not what I’m looking for,” I told her. “Just, I got to thinking about you leaving. And, I thought of us being separated again. I really don’t like that feeling.”
