The Artist's Provocateur

by Fine, L. J.

  Fire burned through Marie's cheeks as she whipped her head to stare wide-eyed at her friend. Adam's low chuckle and the wink he threw Chloe's way did nothing to soothe her mortification.

  "I don't kiss and tell, Chloe. You know that." Rapping his knuckle on the table, he turned to Marie. "I'll see you at home."

  And with that, he sauntered out of the restaurant without a care in the world. There it was again. His parting words sent an odd warmth through her. He spoke as though they lived together, as though they could actually make a home with each other.

  Chloe said nothing. Instead, she sat patiently across from her, an expectant look on her face.

  "Fine," Marie huffed. "I slept with him. But that doesn't mean the rumors are true. He is not now, nor will he ever be, my boyfriend."

  "Aw, why not?" Chloe lightly slapped her palms down on the table between them in an exaggerated move of exasperation. "The chemistry between you two is ridiculous. I think you'd be good for each other."

  The snort escaped her before she could stop it. "Because he's Adam Serano. The only reason I've been a repeat offender in his bed, so to speak, is because this is a challenge for him. I keep trying to put distance between us, and he keeps trying to get me to admit how much I want him. It's all about his ego, and I don't have time or the luxury of giving in. If we had gotten caught today, or if we do something this reckless in the future, I could lose everything I've worked so hard for. And for what? It's not like Adam is going to settle down anytime soon, if ever. No matter how hot the sex is, it's not worth it."

  This lecture was for her own benefit as much as it was for Chloe's. She was honest enough with herself to be able to admit that she liked Adam. Despite their constant bickering – or maybe because of it – she enjoyed spending time with him. And the man could make her come so hard she saw stars behind her eyes. But if she gave him an inch, he would take a mile, and she would end up losing her heart to him just in time for him to get bored and move on. She couldn't envision any scenario in which they had a future, and she bet that if she outright asked him, he would agree with her. As soon as the renovations were done on that farmhouse, he would move out of their building and be out of her life. She had to stay strong until then.

  Chloe shook her head and straightened up in her seat. "I don't know about all that. I know Adam better than you do, and I think there is more to him than he lets on. You'd be surprised. I think you ought to give him a chance."

  "Well, we can agree to disagree," Marie said, grabbing a menu from the side of the table and opening it, hoping to bring this discussion to a close. "If I do that, then someone is going to get hurt. Probably me. It's better for everyone involved if I walk away. Now, I'm starving. Let's eat."

  She could feel Chloe staring at her but wisely, her friend let it drop. As far as Marie was concerned, she had made her decision and the case was closed. Even if her body still sung from where he touched her, and she could still taste him on her lips. The right thing to do was to forget about him and move on.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The light rapping of knuckles on a doorjamb caused Marie to jump and her gaze darted away from her painting to the origin of the sound. Ethan moved farther into the classroom; coat draped over the arm connected to the hand holding his brown leather bag. The last bell of the day had long since rung, leaving the building empty of everyone but the basketball team practicing in the gym and, apparently, the two of them.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said with a chuckle. "I was on my way out and saw your light on. Just checking to make sure everything is okay."

  Shaking her head, she laughed at herself as she got up to rinse her paintbrush. Tight muscles pulled in the small of her back, and she winced as she tried to rub the ache away. "No worries. As usual, I got a little lost in my painting and didn't hear you walk by. I'm glad you did though, I've been sitting in the same position too long. God knows when I might have moved otherwise."

  "Glad I could help." He moved to perch on the edge of her desk, watching her as she cleaned her brushes. "What are you doing here so late, anyway?"

  "The deadline to turn in my piece for the auction is only a few weeks away, so all of my free time has been spent working on it." And she still wasn't finished with her work tonight. The clock above the door told her that it was only five-thirty and she planned to stay for a few more hours. The painting of the well was about halfway done, and she needed to keep going if she wanted to finish it in time. Setting the clean brushes down beside the paint pallet, she moved beside Ethan to lean against the desk. "What are you doing here?"

  Sighing, he ran a hand through his dark curls. "My turn to oversee detention tonight. I started grading papers during and figured I might as well stay to finish them before I left for the night. How come you're not finishing your painting in your studio at home? Wouldn't you be more comfortable there?"

  Yes, she would. Adam didn't make anything in her life comfortable or easy, though. He had called her a few times since the incident in the diner, but she had successfully avoided him so far. The key to doing that had been to be at home as little as possible. Thankfully, since her painting would be donated to a charitable function, the school didn't mind her staying late in the evenings to work on it. If she stayed here late enough, she knew that Adam would be at work by the time she got home. She'd been keeping this up all week, but had yet to formulate a plan to avoid him this weekend. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she took it one day at a time.

  How to explain all of this to Ethan, though? "Honestly, the lighting is better here than in my apartment. This piece means a lot to me, so I want to make sure I'm in the best possible conditions to create it."

  Bullshit. But he didn't know that. He'd never been to her apartment; she had only ever mentioned her home studio in passing.

  "Makes sense, just don't work too hard," he said, a smile titling the corner of his lips. Leaning toward her, he cupped her jaw and ran his thumb over the apple of her cheek. "Got a little paint here."

  His gaze darted to her mouth, and she had a few moments of panic that he might try to kiss her. But then the clearing of a throat had him pulling back from her and Marie relaxed. Her gratitude was short lived, however, when she looked up to see Adam standing in the doorway, his dark expression one she hadn't seen him wear before.

  Ethan stood, fumbling with his coat and bag like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I um...she had paint on her cheek."

  What the hell? Ethan didn't owe Adam any kind of explanation whatsoever, so what was with that guilt-ridden, apologetic tone?

  "I see that." Licking his thumb, Adam moved to stand in front of her and cupped her jaw much as Ethan had done. His eyes never left hers as he rubbed away the smudge of paint from her skin. When his eyes dipped to her mouth, she knew without a doubt that he would kiss her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. His lips brushed hers in a sweet greeting, uncaring that they had an audience. Or maybe because they had an audience.

  The sound of Ethan shifting his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other seemed to be the only thing that deterred Adam from taking their kiss deeper. Because, God help her, she wasn't about to stop him.

  As though just realizing that Ethan still stood there, Adam pulled back from her only slightly to throw him a charming smile. "I haven't seen my girl all day, man. You were on your way out, though, right?"

  Okay, that was it, spell broken. Shoving Adam away from her, she stood, glaring at him as she did so. "I'm sorry, Ethan. He's not my boyfriend. He's just rude."

  Ethan's eyes darted between the two of them, his expression unreadable for a few moments before it turned resigned. "That's okay, it's not a problem. Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow, Marie."

  "Ethan –" she started but he left the room before she could finish. She turned to Adam. "What the hell? Why did you do that?"

  Instead of answering her question, he folded his arms across his chest and countered with a
few of his own. "Do you have feelings for him? That why you're working late?"

  "It's none of your business, but I've been staying late this week to get my painting done. The deadline to turn it in is in a few weeks so I don't have a lot of time." She braced a hip against her desk. "What are you doing here, anyway? How'd you get in?"

  "Coach LeHey has been bugging me to help him out with the boys' basketball team for a while now. I've decided to give him a hand to get him off my back. Practice ended a few minutes ago."

  Running her tongue over her teeth, she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're really stalking me, aren't you?"

  He smirked, eyes traveling the length of her body, down, then back up. "Maybe. I noticed you haven't been home much lately, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to see if you were here." His lips flattened into a mean line. "And then I find you. With him."

  The low, menacing tone of his words took her aback, and she felt her eyes widen fractionally. She didn't think him capable of this particular emotion, and it took a minute for it to compute before the flabbergasted words sputtered out of her mouth. "Are you jealous?"

  "Should I be?" he asked, jaw ticking and storm clouds brewing behind his eyes. She had never seen this side of him before, didn't even know he had one. Throughout their acquaintance, he'd been charming, cocky, annoying, forward and sexy as fuck, but never had he seemed possessive or angry.

  Maybe she needed to tread a little more carefully this time. "This is the point in our normal banter where I come back with some smartass comment about how little we supposedly mean to each other. But I'm sensing that's a wrong turn that we probably shouldn't take. So, no more witty retorts or deflection into comfortable territory. Be real with me, Adam. Why are you here?"

  Shrugging, he moved closer to her, so close that she could feel his heat without touching. "Would it seem uncharacteristic of me if I said that I like you? That I like being around you? What about if I said that despite all the shit we sling back and forth, you make me laugh and I feel comfortable around you in a way I've never been with another woman?"

  A lump formed in her throat that took her a couple attempts to swallow down. "If you said all those things, I might wonder if you've been body snatched. Or maybe one of those kids hit you in the head with a basketball and you're suffering from a concussion."

  He chuckled, and the warm sound moved through her, the sudden intimacy making her nervous. "Nope, none of the above. Up until this point, I haven't found the women in my life to be exactly trustworthy. The ones I tend to associate with always try to manipulate or change me in some way. Always trying to pull things from me that I'm not willing to give. But you? I don't know if it's the sappy love story from the farmhouse, or the fact that all my brothers, including my antisocial twin, are in happy, healthy relationships, or maybe it's just your personality. I don't know, but I trust you. I'd like to be with you, give us a shot. I know I'm kinda laying it all out there, but you asked. No more bullshit."

  For a few moments, Marie could only stand there and blink. Took that long to process the completely unexpected words coming out of his mouth. That speech deserved a reply and she had one, didn't she? As much as she didn't like to admit it to herself, she'd thought about it before, almost like an in-case-of-emergency. But the only thing that came out when she opened her mouth was, 'umm..."

  "It's okay, you don't have to respond to that. You asked, so I answered. But I would like it if you let me take you out on a real date." He smiled. No doubt amused by what had to be her gob-smacked expression. "Tomorrow, if you're free."

  Her knee-jerk reaction if anyone else would have tried to make plans with her this weekend, or any day up until the auction deadline, would be to decline. But this was Adam. She couldn't blow him off, especially not after that. And...she didn't want to. All her concerns about him had mostly revolved around the assumption that she would be another notch on his bedpost. But if he sincerely wanted to give this a try, then she was willing to see where it would take them.

  "Okay. But one caveat." She held up her index finger. "If we do this, no more quickies in public places."

  Cocking his head to the side, he advanced on her until barely an inch separated them. "Aw, c'mon. You know it gave you a rush when we were in that diner. The thrill of the possibility of getting caught. It was fun." He moved his finger along her collarbone. "Don't you wanna feel that again?"

  His soft touch sent tingles along her skin and she almost shivered. He had a point, but... "Yeah, it's all fun and games until I lose my job." She stepped back from him and he let his finger drop. "I'm serious. We can't do that again."

  "Fine." He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. She thought he might be on the verge of pouting until something over her shoulder caught his eye. "Is that the painting?"

  Oh yeah. Shit. Given the topic of their conversation, she'd kind of forgotten the painting of the well, sitting prominently in all its half-finished glory behind her. Darting over to it, she tried to block his view with her body. "It is, but don't look. It's not done."

  A droll expression formed on his face in response. "I already saw it. Can, in fact, still see parts of it around your frustratingly off-limits, sexy body. Lemme see."

  When she shook her head, he moved to her and kissed her before she knew what he meant to do. He took the kiss deep, the taste and heat of his mouth going right to her head. This man well and truly knew how to kiss a woman, and she felt it all the way down to her toes. His hands skimmed down her back to settle on her waist as he moved into her, pushing her slightly off balance and she had to move her feet to keep from falling. Those hands moved to squeeze her ass, pulling her into his body even as he nipped her lips and began to pull away from the kiss. On a soft groan, he pulled away from her entirely and stepped back.

  Right in front of her, now unobstructed, unfinished painting. Son of a bitch.

  There was nothing for it, now. He'd seen it whether she wanted him to or not. "This is way too good to only be your annual attempt at painting. I bet you have a warehouse full of pieces that you hide away from the rest of the world."

  Scoffing, she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're only saying that because it's not done, and you don't know much about art."

  He shrugged. "You don't have to be a connoisseur to appreciate the beauty and complexity of something. Your passion for your subject really comes through when you paint. It's gotta be obvious to anyone who has eyes that you're talented."

  Nothing else he'd ever said to her had spread warmth through her or made her blush as deep as what he said now. Other than the things she painted for the auction each year, her work mostly never made it in front of anyone's eyes but her own. She didn't doubt her talent or abilities as an artist, but the pieces she created in her leisure were private and personal. They represented an outlet for her innermost feelings that she didn't necessarily trust with anyone else. The themes of the auction every year felt almost like an assignment, the subjects and deeper meaning behind them not of her own choosing. This well was different, though. She had felt bonded to that old farmhouse long before the theme of the auction had been named. That night all those years ago on that property had haunted her imagination well into adulthood, and she could see the ethereal quality of her experience beginning to emerge in the painting. Having Adam look at this exposed piece of her was uncomfortable, but she had to say that his praise felt good.

  Wrapping her arms tighter around herself, she cleared her throat. "I don't have a warehouse. I use half of the garage unit the apartment complex provides for storage. That's where I keep my paintings."

  "I'd love to see them, if you're ever willing to show me."

  "Maybe someday." She smiled. "We'll see how dinner goes first."

  Giving her a wicked smile of his own, he turned toward her and pulled her close once again. "Speaking of, are you gonna be home in time or are you planning to stay here late tomorrow night, too?"

  "Depends," she said smoothing her h
ands up his arms. "What time are we going to dinner?"

  "Six?" He kissed her lips softly. "Seven?" He kissed her again. "Or you could come home, and we'll stay in."

  This time when he kissed her, his tongue teased the tip of hers and she almost gave into him. Almost. She wiggled out of his arms. "Hey, I meant it when I said that we can't do this in public, especially not here. And you promised me a real date, so we're going out. Let's say 6:30 as a happy medium and if you want me to get home in time, you need to get out of here now so I can do some more work on this painting."

  His dark eyes danced as he laughed. "I love it when you boss me around. So damn sexy. All right, I'll get out of here. You better be home in time tomorrow, though."

  "I will." She said ushering him toward the door. She really would need to work harder tonight if she planned to spend the evening with him tomorrow. The thought of purposely spending time with him for no other reason than that they enjoyed each other's company sent a giddy thrill through her. "And you better take me someplace nice."

  "Oh darlin'." He winked. "I will."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Marie turned right then left, eyeing herself critically in the full-length mirror that doubled as a free-standing jewelry box. The flirty skirt of her black fit and flare dress swung around her thighs as she twirled to view herself from as many angles as possible. The dress had been sitting in the back of her closet, alone and in the dark for who knew how long. But the fact that it now graced the light of day against her skin was new. It clung to her body in all the right places, accentuating her curves, but she worried that the plunging neckline and the short hem might be too much. A dress like this might give him the wrong idea.

  And what idea are you trying to convey, babe?

  Ugh, she didn't know. It wasn't like she'd never gotten ready for a date before. She had. Just last week, in fact. But she hadn't been going out with Adam Serano then, either. A man that had seen all her goodies more than once. If they were going to start over, though, make a sincere attempt to get to know each other, then she didn't want to cause any distractions.