by Lexy Timms
“No. They’re selling anywhere from one hundred and fifty to seven hundred dollars apiece,” I said.
I could see the shock roll over Michael’s face, but if Dorothy seemed shocked, she didn’t show it. Whether it was the Botox recently shot into her forehead or whether she was just that callous, I no longer cared. If this was the kind of atmosphere they were going to bring to a celebration of life, they could exit the way they came in.
“Well, we better be off,” Dorothy said, sighing.
“Thank you for allowing us to come view a few of his pieces,” Michael said.
Bryan nodded, still clearly in shock as I laced my fingers with his.
“You’re welcome in here anytime. Is there a painting you want me to set aside for the two of you?” I asked.
“Nope. That’ll be all, thank you,” Dorothy said.
And with that, they exited in haste.
“What the hell just happened?” Bryan asked breathlessly.
“Maybe they were coming here to start coping with John’s death,” I said.
“I don’t think my parents are capable of that sort of thing,” he said.
“I’d like to hold out hope since they came, despite the fight you got into with them.”
“You think they were really here to start processing his death?” he asked.
“I think that anything’s possible when someone’s art can bind a community the way John’s art has.”
I looked up at him and saw a twinkle of pride in his eyes. Drew was steadily working the cash register, taking down names and phone numbers for those who wanted their things shipped out. I wrapped my arm around Bryan while we surveyed the room, taking in the holes in the walls that we could no longer plug with paintings.
It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever been a part of, and I felt the birth of a wonderfully new beginning taking place.
“I love you, Hailey.”
I smiled up at him, my heart soaring with joy as I raised up and planted my lips firmly onto his.
“I love you, too, Bryan.”
Chapter 27
Bryan
The gallery was dying down, and Drew had finally left. He and Hailey had pounded out the details of advertising his tattooing in her shop, which all but officially solidified his leave from the company. I was happy for him and this new venture he was taking on, but I would have to talk with him soon about liquidating his share of the company.
There was a lot of paperwork to fill out regarding that move, and the quicker we could get going on it, the better.
I was still reeling from the fact that my parents had shown up. I still had no idea what they were doing there, especially since they didn’t stay long. Part of me wondered if they would’ve stayed longer had I not intervened, but at this point, it didn’t really matter. I still had no intention of resuming my dinners with them until they could apologize, which was not something they ever did.
Now, I was helping Hailey clean up. The catering company had packed up and left, and Hailey was placing her artwork on the wall to fill up the gaps John’s work no longer took up. I was helping her count her register and get everything in place, so she could start framing pictures and shipping them out. All the while, Hailey was sweeping and wiping down different surfaces.
Hailey developed this system where she had a notebook of numbers, and beside those numbers were names, phone numbers, and addresses. Then, each painting bought by that person had that number taped to the back of it. It really was a genius system, though I was already dreaming up ideas of how we could streamline and make that process electronic. I was running numbers and figures for security systems and the like in my head while I stowed the paintings away in the back shed, and by the time I came back in, Hailey had moved into the small back room of her gallery.
“Knock, knock,” I said.
“Hey there,” she said, smiling.
“I’d say tonight was a success,” I said.
“It really was.”
Hailey looked absolutely radiant. Her cyan blue hair was my favorite thus far, and it matched the silken dress I’d bought for her for the evening. Her faux-fur shoulder wrap was tossed across the table, showing the spaghetti straps of the shoulders just before her neckline swooped. The fabric slid across her body, not clinging to it but rather accenting it. It melted all the way down her legs and stopped right at her ankles, allowing her feet to boast of the matching high heels I’d found at the last minute.
By the time I was done admiring her, my lips were on her bare shoulder, and she was giggling relentlessly.
“Bryan, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Admiring you,” I said darkly.
“Mmm. Like the outfit you bought for me, huh?”
“Very much.”
I grabbed her hips and swiveled her around before our lips found one another’s. My hands grabbed her body and hoisted her onto the table while her legs wrapped around to the back of my thighs. My arm slid behind her back while I slid my fingers through her bright, beautiful hair, and the moment our tongues touched, I could feel the passion burning between us.
“I believe congratulations is in order,” I said.
“Hmm, and what did you have in mind?” she asked.
I reached down and unbuckled my pants, sliding them to my legs and revealing how much my body had risen for her.
She reached down and wrapped her hand around me as our lips connected once more. I groaned into her lips, pulling her closer and closer to me as her heels dug into my skin. I laid her back onto the table and climbed on top of her, kissing down her neck while her body arched and shivered against mine.
There wasn’t an inch of her I didn’t love, and I wanted to make sure she understood that.
“You are, without a doubt, the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Hailey.”
“Oh, Bryan,” she said, sighing.
“How you saved my brother,” I said as I kissed her chest. “How you saved me.”
“Oh, yes.”
“How you’re still here, even after all I did to you.”
I pulled her dress down, revealing her beautiful bosom to me before I wrapped my tongue around one of her pert nipples.
“Bryan,” she said, moaning.
“How you stopped my path of pain and destruction and guilt,” I said into her skin.
Her hands wrapped tightly into my hair, and her legs parted for my body. I settled in between them, my tongue lapping up her bosom and my teeth nipping at her skin. Her hand released my thickness, running up my clothed back as she began to claw at the fabric barrier.
I situated myself at her wetness, threatening to push in and never let up as our eyes connected with one another’s.
“You are, without a doubt, the most important thing that has ever happened to me, and I love you for it, Hailey Ryan.”
Before she could answer back, I pushed into her body and watched her jaw drop with pleasure. I suckled her bottom lip between my teeth as I bottomed out to my hilt, giving her time to adjust before I started the assault on her body. I pulled out and slammed back into her, causing her to groan out while her fingernails dug into my tuxedo.
I’d have to fix the ripped fabric later. Right now, all I wanted to do was make love to the woman who’d saved my life and the life of my brother.
Time after time, I pumped myself into her. Her legs tensed, and her hips bucked, and my lips couldn’t stop devouring every inch of her exposed skin. Her hair was disheveled, and her jaw was open, and I could feel her warmth pulsing around my massive girth. The way she pulled my face into her bosom rocked my body, raising the hair all over my skin while I wrapped my arms around her. In one fell swoop, I picked her up, landing my feet on the floor before I fell back in the chair.
The faux-fur wrap went sliding to the ground as Hailey began to bounce up and down in my lap.
“Bryan, yes. You feel so good. Please. Oh, please.”
“Take what you want, Hailey. I’m all yours.”
&
nbsp; Her lips crashed down onto mine as my hands helped her to keep a steady rhythm. I snuck my hands underneath her dress, molding my fingertips into her pliable skin while my thumb found that sweet spot between her legs. She released our kiss, gasping for air as I began to rub sweetly against her, and in an instant, her face was buried into my neck.
“Please. Please. Please.”
She chanted the word over and over while I scattered the side of her neck with kisses. I could feel her clamping down on me as my body slowly lost control. Stars burst in my vision, and my legs pulled taut, and as I felt myself about to release, her body lost herself in me.
I felt her teeth bite down into my neck, clinging on for dear life as my arms pulled her tighter against my body. I slammed up into her one last time, pouring my love for her into her warmth and wetness as her body massaged my thickness. I pressed my heels into the floor, burying myself deeper and deeper into a woman I never wanted to leave.
We came together in the dim lighting of her backroom, a wonderful end to a gallery that celebrated the life of someone we both loved in our lives.
“I love you, Bryan,” she breathed as she collapsed into my lap. “I love you so much.”
But all I could do was hold her and catch my breath because there were no words that could top the love I’d just poured into her body.
So, we sat there while the air of our love swirled around us, engulfing us in a scent that had become not only familiar but indicated a home we’d made with one another.
“Can I come home with you tonight?” Hailey asked.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said into her ear.
Chapter 28
Hailey
Every night since they gallery, I’d spent it at Bryan’s house. By this point, I had a few outfits and some toiletries I kept in his bathroom. We’d wake up in the morning and go to our respective workplaces, and then we’d meet each other back here to cuddle up and watch television. Sometimes we cooked dinner in, but most of the time we ordered it out. It was more convenient that way, and buying him dinner made me feel a little less worried about the bills I was racking up at his house.
Bryan kept telling me not to worry about it, but he should know me better by this point.
But, Sunday mornings were my favorite. Neither of us had to work, so we could lay in bed and hold one another. We’d talk and giggle, and Bryan sometimes surprised me with breakfast. There were mornings where he’d wake me up with his tongue between my legs, and even though I tried to repay the favor sometimes, he was always awake before I was.
And this morning was no different.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said.
“Damn it,” I said, groaning.
“What?” he asked.
“I really thought I would’ve had you this time. It’s like, seven in the morning, right?”
“Nope,” he said, chuckling. “It’s definitely almost eleven.”
“What?”
His laughter felt so wonderful against my ears.
“It’s Sunday. Calm down,” he said.
“I know. But I wanted to wake you up in a special way,” I said, pouting.
“I mean, I wouldn’t turn it down now,” he said, grinning.
“It’s no fun when you know it’s coming.”
“Trust me. It’s always fun, no matter what form it comes in.”
I pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. I peppered his lips with kisses and wiggled my hips, teasing him into oblivion as I felt him rise between my legs. I settled my face into the crook of his neck and allowed him to hold me, his hands dancing and tracing nameless pictures onto the skin of my back.
“Listen, before we get into any morning celebration festivities, there’s something I want to talk to you about.
“All right,” I said. “What’s up?”
I wiggled my hips again as a grin crossed my face, and he groaned before he rolled me over onto my side.
“I’m serious,” he said.
“Is something wrong?”
“How’s Anna doing with her apartment?” he asked.
“You stopped morning sex to ask me how my sister’s doing in her new home?” I asked.
“It’s got a point. Would you roll with me, Miss Grouchy?”
“Fine. Fine. Yes, she’s doing wonderfully. Taking her voice lessons and working her part-time job. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her in a while.”
“Good. And how do you like it here?” he asked.
“I love it here. I love meeting you at home and waking up to you in the mornings. Even if we are running around trying to step over each other to get ready because we’re late.”
“I’m sorry your hips make me late,” he said, grinning.
“Well, I’m not. So there.”
I leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss before I allowed him to go any further.
“So, where’s all this headed?” I asked.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began, “about where we go from here with us.”
“Ah, the infamous discussion that either ends in marriage or defeat,” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m just kidding, but in the movies, that’s what this conversation is.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Anyway, I figure since you already have some things here, you might as well continue to bring things over.”
“But then I wouldn’t have any things at my apartment,” I said.
“Exactly.”
The grin that spread across his face lit a fire in my chest. My eyes widened, and my lips parted in shock, and I still didn’t allow myself to believe he was asking what he was.
“Do you need it spelled out for you?” he asked.
And all I could do was nod my head.
“Hailey,” he said as he took my hand within his, “would you move in with me?”
I threw my arms around him and crashed my lips down onto his. I rolled him back over onto his back, straddling his hips with my legs while our tongues battled against one another’s. His hands were all over me while his hips undulated into me, and I felt him pop and slide right in as a whimper left my lips.
“Move in with me,” he said breathlessly.
“I would love nothing more.”
He stayed there, seated within me while we lost ourselves in each other’s eyes. His dark brown eyes were overflowing with lust, and I could feel my entire body trembling. I wanted this man more than I could stand, and the mere idea of moving in with him strummed the very fabric of my body. I cupped my hand over his cheek, pulling his face lovingly to mine as I matched my lips with his, but then a small giggle started at the back of my throat.
And that giggle turned into laughter, and that laughter put a stop to everything that was currently going on.
“What’s so funny?” Bryan asked.
“Your parents are going to lose their shit when they find out I’ve moved in with you,” I said, laughing.
“It’ll be downright scandalous to them,” he said.
“They’ll probably try to have me arrested for it.”
“All the more reason to do it,” he said.
“What, so I can get thrown in jail and earn some sort of street cred or something?”
“No, because it’s what I want with my life, and damn them if they don’t see how happy it makes me.”
His statement stopped my laughter in its tracks. I felt him throbbing inside me, his entire body screaming out to move while my warmth encompassed him. Then, I knew I could never love another man the way I loved Bryan, and I dipped my face to his neck while I moved my hips.
He groaned, his hands running down my sides to grasp the globe of my ass, but before we could kick things up, a debilitating headache rushed through the front of my head.
And I had to swallow deeply to keep from throwing up stomach bile onto his pillow.
“All right. Enough’s enough. I’ve been worried about these headaches you keep brushing off, so
now, we’re going to the doctor.”
“Bryan, I have an appointment this afternoon. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll get some medicine for it, and it’ll be all right.”
“Then, I’m coming with you,” he said.
“Bryan, seriously. I’m okay. Stop worrying so much.”
But even as I lay there and curled into his body, I knew something was no longer right.
I continued to conceal my heaves from him until I could make an appointment for that afternoon. I didn’t actually have one scheduled for today, but I could tell Bryan was becoming very worried. These migraines were becoming more and more intense, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up getting sick everywhere. I slipped into some comfortable clothes and kissed Bryan’s cheek, and then I headed out for my appointment after lunchtime.
The doctor gave me a physical before he even started to address my migraine. He had to turn the light off overhead, and he had to whisper to me, and even still my body continued to heave. The doctor felt for nodules in my breasts and even gave me a pelvic exam, and all the while, I wished Bryan was holding my hand. He would’ve been tracing mindless pictures with the pad of his thumb on my skin, and it would’ve helped to calm my nerves while I was poked and prodded.
“Miss Ryan, I know you’re not going to be up for it, but I need to take some blood. I’m going to send you over to the hospital for some scans before they give you anything for your migraine as well.”
“The hospital? Is everything all right?” I asked.
“It’s just precautionary, but if these have been going on for this long, migraines can sometimes cause fluid build-up the brain doesn’t release. That could account for how bad this one was when it came on. If that’s the case, it requires a couple of different scans to diagnose before the doctors over there go about draining it.”
“What?” I asked.
“It’s a simple procedure, my dear,” the doctor said. “Much more painless than it sounds.”
I was beginning to get worried, and that worry kicked up another round of heaving.
“Should I call an ambulance to get her there?” the doctor asked.
