by A. C. Arthur
“The Lorenzo Bennett After Hours Collection,” Wade said as he read the overhead sign and began to go down the first aisle of displays. “I think I’ve heard of this artist before.”
“Really? So you’ve seen Renny’s work? Isn’t he amazing?” she asked.
“You call him Renny? Do you know him personally?”
“Yes,” she answered. “A Lakefield sister is married to my cousin, Max. Another sister is engaged to a Bennett, the third Lakefield sister is married to a Desdune, and a Desdune is married to Renny Bennett. It’s a lot of familial connections,” she said and chuckled.
Wade nodded, his look somber. “I’m not really familiar with those since Lauren and I are all that’s left of our American family.”
He sounded sad when he said that. Much sadder than Brynne had ever heard him sound before.
“His attention to detail is intriguing,” Wade said as they came to a stop in front of a display case.
The bronze statue was stark in the center of the white bottom and glass surrounding. This particular piece featured a park bench with a man and a woman sitting side by side. Their thighs touched. His arm crossed over hers and her arm crossed over his. They were touching each other intimately, the detail so intricate you could see the nails on her fingers as they wrapped around his thick length. His hand was pushed down the front waistband of her skirt. Her legs were slightly open. A more alluring aspect of this particular piece was that the woman’s head was tilted back, but not in ecstasy. She was looking up, as if to the sky and from the top of the encasing the illusion of a steady flow of rain poured down.
“I love how simplistic it appears at first glance,” Brynne said. “Sitting on a park bench on a rainy day.”
Wade cleared his throat. “Enjoying a summer storm while creating one of your own,” he replied.
Brynne tilted her head to the side and realized with a start how sexy his words, as well as, this piece of art really was. She moved them to the next exhibit.
This one was of another couple standing with the man behind the woman. Her arm was up and wrapped around his neck. His came around to grasp her bare breast. His other hand was between her legs. Her other hand was over his at her juncture.
“Again, it’s the pleasure,” Wade said. “Some people never get to experience pleasure on that level.”
Brynne was silent this time. She’d seen this particular piece before. Not in person, but in one of Lakefield’s winter catalogs. Apparently Renny was touring this piece. It was simply called “Take Me”. A fitting title she thought with a start.
“You like his work?” Wade asked when Brynne suspected she’d been quiet for too long.
“What?” she asked, then turned to look at him. “Oh. Yes, I do. But I think I’ve been looking at it all wrong.”
Wade lifted a brow as he stared quizzically at her. “Care to explain that?”
She smiled and blushed and felt like maybe she should cover up. But she wasn’t the one that was naked.
“I mean, I know his work is of a sexual nature. It’s just that I’ve always looked at it from the art only spectrum. For instance, I know Renny’s medium of choice is bronze. It’s not an easy metal to work with but he does so with ease. All of his lines are clean. The detail is phenomenal. Each piece takes your breath away.”
“You take my breath away,” Wade said as he touched a finger to her chin. “I don’t need erotic art to make me want you.”
“That’s not why I wanted you to see this,” she tried to say.
“I know,” he told her. “Still, there’s a certain air of…ah, sensuality in here don’t you think?”
If that was his way of saying it was suddenly hot as hell up in this place, then yeah, he was right on the money with that assessment.
“I guess there is,” she answered and looked away from him.
She actually moved away at that point. It had been over a month since they’d begun dating and not one time had Wade pressured her into taking their relationship to a more intimate level. It was almost as if he’d heard her when she told Lauren that she didn’t just do the casual sex thing. She knew that wasn’t possible, but the way in which he never pushed her was, for lack of a better word, astounding.
If she were the type of woman to have low self-esteem Brynne might think it was because of her weight. She was still a far cry from being model thin, even though she’d lost another seven pounds in the past weeks. But she knew he was attracted to her. She could see it in his eyes in the moments just before he kissed her. When they did kiss, she could feel the restraint in the way he held her close, but not too close. On more than one occasion she’d felt his arousal pressing into her and wondered…boy had she wondered, about how he would feel inside of her. But they’d never gone all the way.
It sounded childish, but that’s what it was.
Now, surrounded by all this sex in a room that was quickly filling with an air of arousal, she wondered what the hell they were waiting for.
Chapter 7
Brynne woke and sat straight up in her bed.
It was a nice bed, a queen size four post Victoria with dark chestnut highlights. Next to the window seat this was Brynne’s favorite part of the room. The comforter was fluffy and warm and a champagne color that matched the sheets and pillowcases. A member of Mrs. Ramsey’s staff changed the linens once a week faithfully. Still, Brynne hated that she was sweating all over them now.
She tossed the comforter and sheets that had been wrapped around her body to the side and let the night air cool her off. It was the last week in April so the average temperature in Napa Valley was fifty-eight degrees. Yesterday it had been eighty, with a relatively low humidity. The air conditioning was on in the Big House, she’d heard it and could now feel the coolness against her damp skin.
So why was her skin damp in the first place? Why was she up at just a little after one in the morning?
There was a one word answer to those questions: Wade.
She’d been thinking about him all night, since the moment he’d stood at the top of the stairs and kissed her goodnight. After the museum they’d gone to dinner at Quince and then returned to the vineyard where Wade had suggested a walk. They’d traveled in the opposite direction of the Big House, heading down towards the greenhouse and the winery. The air had been fragrant by the greenhouse where shrubs led to the large glass structure and blooms lined the walkway in invitation. Neither of them knew much about the flowers or the rituals that went along with forcing them to grow at certain times and caring for them all year long. All they knew was that they were lovely. And so was the evening.
They’d held hands, shared tender kisses and eased their way through a long gradual prelude.
“I’ve had a great time with you today,” Wade had whispered as he held her close in the hallway before she’d come to bed.
“So did I,” she admitted. “I didn’t know we’d have so much in common. I thought we were from different worlds.”
It had been the first time that she’d shared those thoughts with him, but they’d been prevalent in her mind in the first weeks of this dating thing. There’d been a few points that Brynne had reminded herself of on a daily basis at that time, points that she’d assumed she would soon check off and then be able to use as the reason their getting together didn’t work out. She’d been wrong and today, she’d decided to admit it.
“It takes a while to get to know people,” he told her. “Even after you’ve been around them for the better part of a year.”
“I guess you’re right,” she’d said with a nod.
“But I’m glad we’ve taken the time to learn these things about each other.”
His hands moved slowly up and down her back as he spoke. They spread warmth and she leaned into him. This was so familiar now, this feeling of not just comfort but of connection as well. She and Wade were connected and Brynne liked it.
She’d liked it so much that she’d climbed into this bed thinking about that connection
as she fell asleep. In her dreams they’d taken that connection a step further with his hands on her body, his mouth on hers. Brynne had tossed and turned with the vision of her and Wade’s bodies entwined like Renny Bennett’s erotic statues. Hadn’t Wade stood behind her on the treadmill the morning after their first date? Hadn’t his arms been wrapped around her in a similar fashion to the way Renny had sculpted that man’s arms around that woman? She could have simply lay her head back on Wade’s shoulder and wrap her arm around his neck and it would have been complete. They would have been in a steamy embrace just like that sculpture. Is that what she wanted?
Her chest was already heaving at the thought so Brynne eased off the bed. She went into her private bathroom and turned on the water at the sink. She stripped off her nightgown and used the soap and water to lather one of the cloths on the silver railing above. Precise movements and a focused mind had her freshened and out of the bathroom in a short time. She went straight to the dresser and found a clean nightshirt in her top drawer. In the next moments Brynne was pushing her feet into slippers and putting on her robe. Tying the belt into a tight knot around her waist she headed for the door and refused to ask herself what the hell she was doing.
Wade’s bedroom was at the far end of the hall, past two more guest bedroom and bathroom suites. His room took up the front corner of the house, while Lauren’s was in the back. The guest bedrooms, a second library and two additional bathrooms filled the space between them. So Brynne was pretty certain that she would not be seen heading to Wade’s room. For one, it was late and everyone in the house with an ounce of sense was probably asleep. And two, she was being extra careful to be as quiet as humanly possible, until she knocked on the door.
That seemed loud even though she’d made a conscious effort to tap her knuckles lightly against the wood. It was dark in the hall and the door was thick, so she knocked again. When he still did not answer, she sighed and realized how silly she was being. There was no reason to believe a dream could arouse her enough to want the real thing, or that Wade was even remotely interested in going that route with her. With a shake of her head Brynne turned to leave. Hearing the click of the door opening from behind stopped her instantly.
“Brynne?” he called to her in a husky voice. “Is everything alright?”
She could say yes and keep going all the way back to her room. There, she could climb back into her bed and pray the remaining hours of the night would be more restful and that her dreams would not be as vivid, as stimulating.
Or she could simply turn around and admit that she wanted him. Tonight. Now.
His hand on her shoulder erased both thoughts and Brynne turned slowly to see a shirtless Wade standing close to her.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she whispered.
“Come to bed with me,” he replied.
It was an invitation that Brynne willingly accepted. That wasn’t to say there weren’t nerves at play as she moved inside Wade’s room for the first time. He closed the door behind them and she remained perfectly still. There wasn’t much light so looking around, taking in the details wasn’t really any option. From what she could see they were in the sitting area, hard wood floors, a couch and tables.
“Right back here,” he said coming up behind her and placing a hand at the small of her back.
She wanted to say something, to let him know that she didn’t do this often and that this was a really big step for her. But she remained silent as they moved from one area to the next. The only light was coming from the arched walkway ahead—the bedroom, she thought. There was a king size bed, four poster like hers except the posts reached higher toward the coiffured ceiling. To one side of the room there was a set of large windows, to the other side gorgeous cherrywood bookshelves.
“You’ll sleep better now,” Wade said. “I promise.”
Sleep? Is that what she wanted?
Wade had already moved to the left side of the bed where the navy blue duvet seemed undisturbed. He pulled the covers down and fluffed the pillows, once again inviting her to bed. To sleep.
Brynne didn’t know how to do this. She wasn’t a seductress, nor was she used to taking the lead where physical relationships were concerned. But Wade was going to wait. He’d told her in the beginning that he could take things as slow as she needed and he’d proven that by not pushing her in the direction of intimacy in all this time. She admired that about him, but it was time. She’d felt it in every action she’d taken since waking from her fitful sleep. Now, she just needed to figure out how to tell Wade.
“I know we both like the sunlight but if you want, I can close the blinds completely so the room will remain darker longer in the morning,” he said when he came around to stand in front of her once more.
She hadn’t moved since coming into the room and now looked over to the windows he was referring to. It really didn’t matter to her but Brynne felt like she needed a few more seconds to get herself together.
“Sure. Thanks,” she said.
While he walked to the windows with his back to her, Brynne hurried to untie her robe. She did a quick count to three before taking it off and dropping it onto the padded bench positioned at the end of his bed. It was a long cotton robe in a blue that almost looked like denim. Without it, her legs were now exposed. Ever since she was a little girl Brynne had hated long nightgowns because throughout the night they would either become tangled around her legs or wrapped tightly around her midsection. Either way they were uncomfortable. As an adult she either slept in running shorts and t-shirts or nightshirts that barely brushed her upper thighs. Tonight when she’d changed she’d put on a nightshirt—a neon pink one with a huge set of glittering white lips in the center of her chest. Not the sexiest outfit she could have come up with for an important night like this.
“Are you okay?”
The sound of his voice so close it jolted her immediately from her thoughts and her nerves, Brynne looked up at him.
“No. I’m not,” she replied honestly.
“Talk to me,” he said and took both her hands in his.
Brynne took a deep breath and released it slowly. Her fingers wrapped around his hands so easily. Standing there with him seemed so natural and yet so huge.
“I’m not used to doing this,” she admitted. “I don’t seduce men and I don’t take sex lightly.”
When he didn’t respond, but continued to look at her, waiting, Brynne’s heart beat a little faster.
“But I know what I want,” she said.
He gave a little nod and continued,” Tell me what you want, Brynne. I’ll give you whatever you need.”
Brynne closed her eyes and breathed slowly through her lips. “Whatever I need,” she repeated.
“Yes, sweetheart. That’s what I’m here for, to give you whatever it is you need,” Wade said. “If you need comfort, we can lay in this bed and I’ll hold you throughout the night. If you need to talk, I’m here to listen. All you have to do is tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
Every word, every declaration washed over her like a warm summer’s rain. And when she opened her eyes to meet his tender gaze she felt cherished and adored. Brynne had never felt that way before.
“I want you, Wade,” was all she could think to say.
It was the simple and honest truth. She’d wanted him when she lay down in her own bed to go to sleep last night and hours later the need had grown so intense that it could no longer be denied.
He took a step closer to her, still holding her hands as he leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. Not exactly what she’d thought he’d do next, but still, the act had her body going warm all over.
“Whatever you need,” he repeated and then led her to the bed.
“The light,” Brynne said because the lamp that had been on when they entered was right on the nightstand.
Being confident and feeling sexy while she was fully dressed, face made-up and hair done to perfection was one thing. Removing her clothes and standing i
n the direct light of a seventy-five watt light bulb after she’d lost over a hundred pounds was another. The human skin was funny in that it could stretch to unreal proportions to accommodate growing girth, but it didn’t automatically shrink back when that girth was drastically reduced. To that end, the hard work and dedication Brynne had put in over the last year showed in the sagging skin that added to the stretch marks she’d already become accustomed to. A lot of gastric bypass patients opted for skin contouring surgeries after their goal weight was achieved, but Brynne had high blood pressure, a pre-existing health condition that made those surgeries a high risk for her. It was okay, she looked fine and she was still making progress. This is what she told herself on a daily basis. But she told herself that when she was alone and the only one privy to this view. Now, however…
Wade cupped her face in his hands, tilted her head until her eyes were once again on his. They were brilliant blue, almost too blue. His ebony hair and thick brows always made them seem more intense. His jaw was strong and steady, his nose aristocratic, but still fit to make him adoringly handsome. She loved looking at him.
“You are beautiful,” he told her. “Regardless of what you think, you are everything I want, with and without your clothes on.”
She could melt right now, right at his feet. Or she could stop acting like a schoolgirl and get her mind right.
“I don’t know why you chose me,” she said, lifting her hands to rub along his biceps.
Brynne loved how hard and tight they always felt. She took a breath and moved her hands to flatten on his chest. There was a light mat of hair here, dark just like the hair on his head. There was also strength and that quiet power that he always exuded.
“I didn’t know that coming to Napa Valley was going to lead me to this,” she continued. “I’m happy that it has.”
He leaned down to touch his lips to hers in that moment. A gentle kiss, one that had his tongue moving slowly into her mouth, coaxing hers to come out and play. Brynne kissed him back, tilting her head and sinking in to him as easily as if she would slip into her favorite shoes.
