When It Rains... He Pours

by Leah Holt

  “But what about the damage to my building? Will it cover that?”

  “No, I'm sorry, anything between yesterday and the end of last month won't be covered.”

  “Are you serious? There's nothing you can do to fix this?”

  “I'm sorry, Ms. Daniels, we can't prorate your policy.”

  Dropping the phone from my ear after making a payment so I was covered again, I ended the call. The screen flashed to the last picture I had taken, and I was tempted to throw my phone across the room.

  I just couldn't win. Nothing was going my way, there didn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything just kept getting worse.

  Don't give up. You can't let this stop you. My father's voice chimed in my head, reminding me what I needed to do.

  I worked too hard for this. I put everything into this place. It wasn't just my lifeblood, it was my mother's too. Without me, my mother would have nothing. I couldn't let her get evicted from her apartment, leaving her hungry and broke.

  Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the trash can and pulled it into the center of the room. I had to try, I couldn't give up even if it felt like this was the end.

  Picking up wood shards and canvas, I started filling the bin. Piece by piece, I dropped my very existence into the garbage.

  A soft knock on the door forced my ears to perk, but I didn't look. I didn't really care who was there, it didn't matter. “Sorry, I'm closed.”

  “But your sign says open.”

  Snapping my back straight, my head jerked over my shoulder. I was half expecting to be dreaming, anticipating an empty doorway as my brain played tricks on me.

  “Hey,” Liam said as he stepped inside. “I figured I'd find you here.”

  What the hell is he doing here?

  Throwing my hands to my hips, I cocked a brow. “Where else would I be? I should have been here all along.”

  I knew when I said it that it sounded a lot angrier than I meant it to. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little ticked off that he abandoned me the way he had.

  No note, no thank you, but you can leave now; all I got was a cold empty bed.

  “Well, I thought I'd find you where I left you, but you were gone.”

  “And I thought I'd find you next me, but you were gone.” My voice was harsh, layered with annoyance and frustration. “You could have at least had the decency to tell me to go and not leave me to wake up alone.”

  Holding out his hands, he walked closer. “Wait a minute, you think I left because all I wanted was sex?”

  “That is how a one night stand works, isn't it?”

  “Who said it was a one night stand?”

  “You were gone when I woke up, what else would you call it?”

  A smug grin filled his face as he shook his head. “I was going to call it breakfast, but when I got back you weren't there.”

  Shit. . .

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I left to go get us breakfast. I planned on waking you up with hot coffee for the headache you probably had and fresh bagels.” Holding up a small cup and a paper bag, he waved the bag side to side. “This isn't the same coffee, I got you new one, so it's hot.”

  I felt like a complete asshole. I had jumped to a conclusion before I knew the truth, reading the situation totally wrong.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, seriously. I'm not one of those guys, Glory, I'm sorry if that's the impression you had of me.”

  Dropping my arms to my hips, my shoulders rolled forward in embarrassment. “I'm sorry, I just thought you left because it was easier than telling me to get out.”

  Laughing, he strolled forward and reached out to touch my cheek. “Next time I won't leave you like that, I'll make sure to leave a note or something first. I never meant for you to think I was done with you.”

  My belly tumbled again, filling with the same warmth I had felt the day before. “Well, don't I feel like an asshole now.”

  “No, don't do that to yourself. I should have let you know I was going out, I understand why you thought that.” His thumb swirled over my face, caressing me softly. “I shouldn't have done it that way, and I won't do that again.”

  Smiling, I felt my cheeks light up. “So you really want there to be a next time?”

  “If you'll let me.”

  Nodding, I shied away, tilting my head towards the floor. “I think I'd like that.”

  Snatching my hand, he wrapped it around the coffee with a smile. “Good,” he said, glancing around. Liam stalked the room, making his way to the desk and placing the bag of food on top. “So, what can I do to help?”

  “Well, you already said you can't paint.” Letting out a labored chuckle, I kicked a broken frame. “Without these paintings, I'm screwed.”

  It was depressing to think of all the shit I needed to start over. I wasn't sure if I would even be able to do it. Mount Everest had just relocated, growing out of the ground and blocking me from my gallery.

  “No, but I can clean.” Grabbing long wood shards, he piled them up in the crook of his arm as his eyes searched the area. “Got another bin? I think you're going to need more than just one.”

  “You don't have to do that.” Scratching my head, I squeezed my temples. “I just can't believe this. Fuck, that asshole did a real number here. I had to cancel orders, and convince my buyers to give me some time to create them something else.” Closing my eyes, I dragged my hands down over my face. “It sucked, I lost so much business because of this.”

  “Don't worry, we'll get this cleaned up.”

  “No, no, I can't let you do this. You've already done enough, this isn't your problem. I can't ask you to do anything else.”

  “You're not asking, I'm insisting.” Liam kept bending and picking up garbage, his pile growing larger and larger. “I'm helping you, I can't just leave you here to do this on your own. And I'm definitely not going to let you be alone here until I know you're safe, and that prick isn't going to try and come back. So,” he said, standing with his back straight and his arms full. “Another trash can?”

  Who is this man?

  And where the hell did he come from?

  My heart pitter pattered, body igniting to his demand to help and keep me safe. The way he said it, it was as if he meant every word. He didn't waver as he spoke, he didn't sound insincere and full of shit.

  Arching his brows, he jiggled his arms like the weight was becoming too much and he was about to topple over.

  “Yeah, there's one in there,” I said, nodding my head towards a door on the wall to our right. Walking to the closet, I grabbed the second bin, and dragged it towards him so he could empty his arms. “I really appreciate this, thank you.”

  “Don't thank me just yet, there's still a lot to do.” Liam's dirty blonde hair swept across his forehead as he leaned down, grabbing more of the carnage off the floor.

  For over an hour the two of us cleaned up the trash and debris, dropping armful after armful of my life into the bin.

  “There is so much I need to do to get back to where I was, I don't know how I'm going to fix it,” I said, cupping my waist and raking my fingers down my neck.

  Liam had grabbed a broom from the closet and was sweeping the tiny bits into a pile in the center of the room. His arms bulged, rolling under the skin in waves. My body tingled with ghostly sensations of what it felt like when he touched me, when he held me, when he had his way with me.

  Sweat was starting to trickle down over his temples, his shirt damp and dark across his chest as he stood up straight and rested his arm on the tip of the broom stick.

  My heart skipped inside, hiccuping with irregular beats as his muscles flexed and twitched beneath the fabric.

  Tilting his head into his shoulder, he eyed me with a sideways grin. The lust was probably written all over my face with rosy red cheeks and my gawking eyes. As much as I wanted to enjoy him right then, I had to keep my head in check.

  Flicking my eyes away
, I cleared my throat. “I never expected I'd be starting from the ground up again.”

  It felt like everything I had worked for had burned. There were no actual flames, there was no ash or charred remains, but that man might as well have drenched the entire place with gasoline and lit a match.

  “Don't let this get to you. We can get you better locks, some more supplies, and you can trap yourself in here for two weeks to build up your inventory. Shit, we can even get you a mini-fridge and a toaster oven so you don't even have to leave to eat.”

  “That sounds like over kill if you ask me, but if you're trying to make me smile, it's working.” A slight grin teased my lips, my cheeks lifting in appreciation for everything this man had done for me—for a stranger, a woman he knew nothing about.

  Good guys still exist.

  “Maybe that's exactly what I was trying to do.” Dropping his gaze to the floor, he jerked his head. “You want to grab that dustpan and give me a hand? Or you can stand there and just look pretty, I don't mind that either.”

  My lips spread higher, cheeks heating like I was holding hot coals in my mouth. “Sure, I can do that.”

  Squatting down, I pushed the dustpan against the pile, trying to think of a way to show him how grateful I was for the help. The room was almost spotless, bare and clean just like the first day I walked in.

  Aside from the walls, it looked brand new again. After a few coats of fresh paint, I'd be back to square one; a blank canvas.

  Liam didn't have to do what he did, he could have looked in, decided to turn a blind eye, and keep going on his way. But he didn't, he stopped, he came to my rescue.

  And I liked that. A lot.

  My guardian angel. . .

  Stretching his arms over his head, Liam rocked his shoulders side to side. “I don't know about you, but I'm getting hot as hell in here.” Slinking his fingers under the hem of his shirt, he rolled it up over his stomach as he tugged it off.

  Holy fuck. . .

  I was numb.

  Trying not to stare, I flicked my eyes around. But his stomach looked like marble stepping stones, creating a solid path up to his chest. His arms were thick and hard, muscles rolling beneath the surface like boulders.

  Somehow, it felt like I had missed all this greatness in the frenzy of lust the night before. There was no time to truly appreciate his body and strong physique while I was under his spell.

  Wiping his forehead with his t-shirt, he draped it over his shoulder. “Let's finish this up, then there's something I want to show you.”

  “And what is that?” I asked, emptying the dustpan. “I can't imagine that there's anything in this town I haven't already seen.”

  “I bet you'd be surprised.” His lip twitched in a devilish grin, that damn dimple stealing my thoughts and forcing my stomach into my throat.

  The temperature in the room had risen, causing my hands to become clammy and my lungs to struggle to take in air. I was about to strip my shirt off too and wipe him down with it just to have an excuse to touch him all over.

  I had to stop staring at his bare chest and raw back, it was making my heart beat fast and my sex throb. Watching his ribs expand as he took a deep breath, watching the sweat trickle down slowly over his broad shoulders and racing down the v-shape at his waist; it was too alluring, too much temptation at the wrong time.

  The guy was sexy as hell. But I didn't have time to ogle my hero, there was work to be done.

  “So tell me, of all the places you could go for your business opportunity, why the hell did you come to Vienna?” Leaning against the plastic barrel, I tucked the dustpan under my arm.

  “I heard there was an amazing art scene.” Winking, he swiveled the broom, turning around to sweep the space behind him.

  My eyes kept soaking in his body; the rigid muscles in his back, all the hard dips and strong curves, I was mesmerized.

  Thick black lines painted an image on his shoulder blades, splashes of color filled in empty space, forcing the tattoo to jump off his body. The design morphed as he moved, arching and dancing over his skin like it was alive.

  I hadn't noticed his tattoo the night before. It had gone completely undiscovered in the moon colored room as he pinned me on my back.

  Squinting, I angled my head to see the picture as a whole. It was a fish, filled in with hundreds of small dots and lines.

  I wanted to trace it with my fingertips and follow the maze it created. My hands were tingling, tempted to reach out and stroke his skin. Walking up behind him, I gently ran my fingertips across his shoulders. I couldn't stop myself, I had to touch him.

  “I like your tattoo. Did it hurt?”

  Looking down at me over his shoulder, he smiled. “Not really.” Grabbing a piece of canvas from the trash, he held up the ripped painting, rotating it in the air. “You know, you'd make an awesome tattoo artist. Have you ever thought about it?”

  That one was one of my favorites. . .

  My eyes stung with painful tears as I looked at the picture and remembered it for what it once was. It had been one I was proud of, one that I was going to hang high in the gallery and never sell.

  It used to be the image of a woman, her body stretched over a wall as she brushed her thin fingers ever so softly across water. I had painted it from beneath, like the viewer was standing just below the surface and was gazing up.

  That one meant a lot to me. It was how I used to feel. Trapped inside myself, always the one looking out, never the one looking in. I could still feel the release after I finished it. It was as if I had locked that part of myself in the painting, sealing it inside forever.

  That painting had set me free.

  But staring at it now, torn and tattered, a mere fragment of what it once was, I felt like those captured emotions had escaped and were trying to find their way back inside my mind.

  Blinking my eyes rapidly, I refused to let the tears break free, forcing them back into the cavern they came from.

  You're not that person anymore.

  “You alright?” Liam tilted his head, his face contorting, trying to figure out what I was thinking. “What's wrong?”

  Am I that transparent?

  “Yeah, I'm alright. It's just all of this, that's all.” Frowning, I shook my head. “I couldn't do that, I could never be a tattoo artist. I'd be too afraid to screw it up. You don't get to erase a mistake on skin. Once it's there, there's no going back.”

  Pursing his lips, it looked like he wanted to poke me more about what was running through my brain. He didn't, and I was grateful for that.

  “That's true, but once it's there, it becomes a part of your story.” Pressing my picture against his ribs, he bounced his eyebrows against his forehead. “I don't know, this would look really nice right here. Maybe you should consider it.”

  “Yeah, I'll keep that on the back burner.” Laughing, I turned and attempted to walk towards the closet. Thick fingers quickly pinned me at the hips, pulling me back and spinning me around.

  Liam's eyes burned, the bright blue now a caustic mix of indigo and sapphire. “Where you going? I was enjoying having you so close.” His teeth bit down on his bottom lip, hands moving slowly from my hips to the small of my back.

  Letting my hands come to rest on his chest, we stood quietly for moment. My stomach flipped, knotting up like corded rope as Liam kept his gaze anchored on mine, his bright blues taunting me with the passion we had shared.

  The silence between us made my ears ring. It was strange how connected I became right at that moment to all the subtle noises growing around us.

  His breathing picked up, my heart hammered inside my head, his lips smacked together, my breath hitched in response. His fingers delicately ran up and down the curve of my spine, my back arched in need of more.

  “What would you think if I kissed you right now?” he asked, drawing small circles with his thumbs in the divots above my ass. “Would you kiss me back?”

  Liam leaned in and I held my breath instinctively as
I waited for him to kiss me. But he didn't, he bypassed my lips, allowing just the heat off his mouth to flutter against my skin.

  With the weight of a feather, his lips brushed my cheek, tender and warm. “Would you let me fuck you, right here, right now?”

  A thunderbolt rumbled through my muscles, jarring the bundle of nerves between my thighs. My sex grew hot and wet, tingling and aching with need.

  “Is that what you want?” Under hooded lids, I nibbled on my lip, swirling my fingers around his pecs.

  I was trying so hard to stay calm, to not let this nervous twitch make me push back and run away.

  It's not like you didn't just sleep with him last night!

  Stop being so nervous!

  “I don't want it, I need it.” His fingers ran down over my ass, tugging me in closer. The thick muscle of his cock forged its way against my belly, taunting me with pleasure. “Does that scare you?”

  Inhaling a sharp breath, I tipped my head up. There wasn't anything for me to say, no words were necessary, nothing was there that even mattered.

  Shaking my head no, my body relaxed, falling effortlessly against his. “Should it?” I asked. “Should it scare me?”

  Liam slid his hands up my body, slow and painfully delicate as he barely grazed the sides of my breasts and scooped my face into his hands. His eyes searched mine, but I didn't know what he was looking for.

  Did he want to see my approval?

  Was he looking for the fear he thought he saw?

  “There are a lot of things that you should be scared of, but I'm not one of them.” His eyes flicked between mine, searching for understanding.

  “And why should I believe you?” My nipples hardened as my breasts tickled against his bare chest, and my fingers kept slinking down, teasing the edge of his jeans. I was giving him my answer with touch, hoping he could see that I wanted him too.

  With his hands around my face, he filled the small void between us, kissing my lips gently, then pulling away to look at me again.

  His grip was firm on my cheeks as he palmed my face and the tips of his fingers dug into the base of my skull, holding me in place. He was controlling my head, pulling it in for another quick kiss, then pushing away to look down on me and read my reaction.