by Lindsey Hart
“I don’t know.” Nina frowned again. “It depends what it is.”
“Well…” Chet leaned across the table. He was trying not to be intimidating, but he needed to have an answer to the question that had burned inside of him for so long. “I was hoping you would let me paint you.”
CHAPTER 4
Nina
Something strange and wild exploded in her chest at Chet’s quietly uttered statement. She imagined his blue grey eyes sliding over her body. She imagined those hands, those lithe strong hands with the long-tapered fingers and the swirling designs, one of a skull, the other of a ship, the lettering she couldn’t quite read on the knuckles, picking up a brush and setting down her likeness, forever, on canvas or paper. She imagined him wanting to do that, to paint her, to choose her when the world was filled with beautiful women. She didn’t particularly enjoy the squirming excitement that flooded her stomach.
“That’s what this is about? Painting?” She had to pause. She was astounded, but it was more than that. She needed a moment to collect herself and hide just how flustered she was. When she’d gathered herself, she continued. “You could have just asked. I wouldn’t have said no. You could have come back and given him the money and established some sort of relationship and then asked. That would have probably been better.”
“Yes, well, hindsight is twenty-twenty I guess. We’re here now.” Chet was annoyingly far too handsome for his own good.
Nina had done her research before coming to dinner or signing that ridiculous contract. She’d looked up photos of Chet online. She’d done what Shane suggested, and creeped Chet’s social media. She recognized Chet, from when she was a kid. She remembered his face, his hair, his features, though anything of the child he’d once been had long faded. She liked the new lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth, the new sharpness of his cheekbones, the hard, masculine features. Most of all, she loved his body, a body that was trim and athletic and all raw, rock hard muscle under the black clothes he seemed to prefer. None of her online creeping prepared her for how stunning of a man Chet was in person. He looked even more masculine than his photos, rawer, more edgy, intense.
Especially sitting right across from her. His devastating good looks were nothing at all like Shane’s. His dark, curly hair begged for a hand to be run through it. His sea blue eyes were so filled with expression they actually changed color every few minutes. Sometimes they were more grey than blue. His high cheekbones, perfect nose, sharp jawline, dark brow, strong lips and that neck with those tattoos… black roses and swallows… oh god, those tattoos.
Unfortunately, she’d always harbored a weakness for tattooed men. She’d been wise enough not to let most people know. Shane wasn’t even aware. Curly hair was another thing she couldn’t resist. She found it hard to keep her breathing even and her body from overheating as she sat across from Chet. He wasn’t built like Shane either. Shane looked like a California kid, the surfer type with the jacked body, the blonde hair and the blue eyes. Chet was different. He was darker, streamlined, more athletic looking. His shoulders were still broad and his physique impressive, he was just taller, and it dispersed the muscle out more than Shane’s.
Am I really sitting here comparing my best friend and his brother?
“So, you want to… paint me?” she forced the words out past the sudden knot squeezing her throat tight. The notion was completely ridiculous. At least, she tried to convince herself it was. Why go to all the trouble of arranging dates when he could have just come out with it in the first place? She sensed something behind it, some deep-seated longing that she didn’t know what to do with. It didn’t seem like the idea was a spur of the moment thing. It seemed pre-meditated. Her body flushed with awareness and the hard grip of realization that she was attracted to him and that he wanted something from her that he wasn’t going to just come out and state.
“Yes. I’d like to paint you. Sketch you as well. I was hoping our second and third dates could take place in a park, since you were adamant that the setting should be a public one.”
“That was before I knew what you wanted.” Annoyingly, Nina’s chest caved in with disappointment. She told herself sternly that there was nothing to be disappointed over. If anything, she should be relieved.
“I remember seeing some of your paintings, when I was a kid. Shane and I snuck into your room once. You were out somewhere, I don’t remember where. He showed me some of your work. It was really good, even when you were young. You were probably only fourteen at the time.”
“Thanks. I suppose.” Chet ran a hand through his curls. They were messy and unruly and just about absolutely perfect. “It seems weird that you have those memories.”
“Why? Because there’s such an age difference between us? It seems a lot smaller when you’re an adult versus when you’re a kid.”
“Yes. There’s a big difference between ten and eighteen. One is an adult, one is just learning what it means to truly enjoy the last years of their childhood.”
“So why me? You could paint anyone you want. Why go to all the trouble just to- to paint me? I’m hardly the most beautiful woman around. I don’t even have a womanly form. Isn’t that better for painting?”
Chet’s hot gaze roved over her body. His scorching eyes darkened, and it left little doubt as to just how much he appreciated her form. “No,” he forced out. “I don’t know why you. If I’m honest, you’ll probably think I’m a creep.”
“Try me.”
“Well… I saw a picture of your graduation, with Shane, on his social media. It was six years ago. There is something about your face that is interesting, as an artist. You have a beautiful figure too. I’ve wanted to paint you since then.”
Annoyingly, her blush was back. She’d never been given to blushing easily and it drove her nuts that apparently, she’d picked the worst night in history to start. It felt like a tell, a dead giveaway to what she truly felt, and it annoyed her that she couldn’t just play it cool and calm and collected like she wanted to. It annoyed her how off kilter she felt since she’d walked into the restaurant. No, far longer than that. Ever since Shane let her in on the idea of the dates.
“That is a little creepy. I don’t know why you didn’t just call and ask. Or come home.”
“How would that have looked? I show up out of nowhere and just ask you to pose for me? It wouldn’t have gone over well.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re on Shane’s side and Shane hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Nina protested. She was desperate to get on a new track and bringing up Shane wasn’t just safe. She really did want to do what she could to put the brothers back on the right track. “I… I know for a fact that he doesn’t hate you. Far from it.”
“So you’ve basically said.” Chet looked at her like he didn’t believe her.
There wasn’t anything she could say that could convince him otherwise. It wasn’t her business. She knew how much Shane wanted to have a relationship with an older brother who had basically been little more than a stranger for the better part of his life. She’d already said too much though. It was up to Shane to do the rest. Shane and Chet.
“Are you going to stick around now? Stay in Houston?” She found herself wishing, irrationally, that the answer was yes.
Chet shrugged. “Don’t know. I’ve never stayed long in one place.”
“Shane said you’ve been all over the world tattooing.”
Chet glanced away, and she could have sworn he was embarrassed. “I’ve been lucky enough to make a living with my art. Other artists see my work and invite me for guest spots here and there. They usually put me up. It’s been a good way to see lots of different places and experience lots. I might want to settle down somewhere and open up my own shop. I just don’t know that it’s going to be here.”
“What’s wrong with Houston? What’s wrong with getting to know your family?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. I didn�
��t leave because of them. I left because of me.”
“And what was inside of you that was so terrible that you had to run from it?”
“I’ve learned a lot of things and one of them is that you can’t ever run from yourself. I don’t know what it was. Some wildness, some blackness, I can’t say for sure. I just felt like I was going insane sitting still in one place.”
“You didn’t graduate high school then?”
Chet shrugged, like it meant nothing at all to him. “Nope. Never did. I could get my GED, but I don’t see any point. I like what I do. I don’t need a career change. I don’t care what other people think of me either. I don’t think that school really ever helped anyone.”
“I’m going to be a teacher,” Nina said flatly. She didn’t voice her concerns over what she felt were flaws in the education system. It couldn’t be all bad. She had to believe that. She always knew she was going to be like her dad and teach.
“Oh. My condolences then.” Chet kept a straight face, but she knew he was laughing inside. She’d done pretty much the same thing to him after she arrived. She didn’t know what she felt about the tables being turned. She didn’t exactly enjoy it.
“Why do you say that? What’s so bad about education?”
“I can’t say that it ever helped anyone. If people want to learn something, they can do it on their own. Travelling and getting some real-life experience is far more eye opening.”
“Not everyone has the luxury.”
“Then I suppose the classroom has its benefits.”
Nina ground her teeth in frustration. Shane was never this glib or- or- she couldn’t even find the right word to describe Chet. Arrogant? No, that didn’t quite fit. Too self-assured? No, not that either. She couldn’t come up with anything and that just made it seem like he was dead on in his assessment, which flustered her further.
“How many years are you in?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Into your education. You said you were going to be a teacher. I assume that you’re already going to college.”
“Yes. Two. I still have two more to go.”
“And have you actually learned anything valuable? Have they taught you about kindness and compassion? Have you studied meditation and the healing of quiet? Have they bothered to teach anything that isn’t on some curriculum?”
Nina bristled. “Look. I agreed to this date because I basically had to. It’s ironic that you don’t believe in teachers or education and yet that’s exactly what the money you’re giving Shane is going to help me become. A teacher. I’m going to use the money to pay off my student debt and finish school.”
“You’re only angry with me because you know I’m right. School doesn’t teach people how to survive in the real world.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I went for a whole lot of years before I was smart enough to get out.”
“Says the man who pokes art into people for a living. You know, I’ve done my own research on the tattoo industry. Most artists seem like pricks who are completely full of themselves. Maybe that’s where you get it from.”
Chet nodded. Nina was afraid she’d crossed the line and offended him until she saw the beginning of a smile turning up his lips- lips which were far too strong and defined. Lips that were entirely kissable. God, she hated that she had to be attracted to a man like Chet. She didn’t like it and it made her harsher than she wanted to be. Of all the people in the world, he should have been the last one she was interested in. He was certainly the most inappropriate. She considered how much of a betrayal her attraction would even feel like to Shane and she was completely ashamed.
“Maybe it is.” Chet’s icy blue grey eyes danced with laughter and life. She didn’t know many people, especially not men, who could laugh at themselves.
She wanted to say something, to apologize for her somewhat harsh words, uttered out of frustration and anger and even embarrassment and irritation at her body’s base reaction to him, but then their server appeared, once again saving them from further awkward conversation.
The copious amounts of food she ordered were set down on the table in front of her. She sighed as she looked at all the dishes. Her fridge was empty at the moment. It would be nice to come home and have something delicious wrapped up and waiting.
The fact that it was free only made it tastier.
Chet didn’t touch his steak. Instead he rested his elbows on the tabletop. “So, will you let me?”
“Let you what?” Nina paused, spoon full of cheese and steaming onion soup halfway to her mouth. A strand of melted cheese dribbled off back into the soup below.
“Paint you.”
She replaced the spoon back into the bowl, disappointed that she wasn’t even going to get to try the food before she was forced into further conversation. She pushed her soup aside. It was probably too hot anyway. Better to start with the salad. That, she was sure, wouldn’t last long in the fridge.
“I don’t know.” She didn’t look up but toyed with a huge chunk of tomato. “I guess I have to if you make it part of a date. I did sign that contract and everything.”
“Because you need the money to be an educator.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes, but Chet couldn’t see since she wasn’t looking at him.
“I don’t want to force you to do it. If you sit there and you’re uncomfortable, it’s not going to turn out the way I want it to.”
Inspiration hit suddenly. A coy smile formed on her lips. She did look up, did let Chet see the devilment in her eyes. She liked this, the fact that suddenly the ball was in her court.
“Alright. I’ll agree to it. In some park somewhere. Fully clothed.”
“Of course…” Chet waited, sensing that there was more coming. Another condition. Turned out he was pretty damn intuitive.
“I’ll do it willingly if you agree to set up a meeting with Shane.”
“What?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I want you to meet with your brother. I want you to take him out for drinks or something. I want you to take an interest in his life. Not pretend and not because I’m telling you to do it, but because you actually should want to.”
“I do want to, but it’s not that easy.” Chet’s eyes turned stormy and his features pinched. If Nina was right in reading him, he actually did feel real regret. “I can’t just call him up and ask him out for drinks after being away for so long.”
“Why not?”
“How would it look if it was you?”
“If it was me, I wouldn’t want my brother to be a stranger for the rest of my life. I’d be glad he was making an effort to reach out to me.”
Chet slowly nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. Alright, I’ll ask him, but it’s not my fault if he turns me down. In fact, I half expect him to.”
“Are you going to eat that steak now? You don’t want it to go to waste. I don’t want it to go to waste. You know, because I don’t believe in it having to die in the first place.”
“I wouldn’t have ordered it if I knew you were offended.”
“For all your enlightenment, I’m surprised you’re not a vegan.”
“Maybe I’m also weak.” Chet flashed her a far too handsome smile. His eyes twinkled with amusement and she realized, with a sinking feeling, that he actually enjoyed sparring with her. He liked when she tried to be difficult. She made a note of it and decided that their next date, if that word even applied, that she’d be overly sweet and beat him at his own game.
As she dug into her Greek salad, with extra zest, Nina tried to pretend she wasn’t half looking forward to it, but she knew she wasn’t a very good liar. Not even when it came to lying to herself.
CHAPTER 5
Nina
“So, how did your hot date with my brother go?”
Shane, she knew, was dying for an update. She’d invited him out for ice cream at their favorite little fifties style walk up as soon as she was out of class the next day.
“What are you getting? I’m thinking about the cherry cheese cake.”
“That’s the same thing you always get.”
Nina shrugged. “Maybe I like being boring. Half the flavors are gross. I don’t want to pay for something I don’t like.”
“This is ice cream we’re talking about,” Shane said incredulously. “There are no gross flavors.”
“I disagree. That maple walnut one was disgusting.”
“That’s because you hate maple and you hate walnuts.”
“Well I had a craving for it that day and it was horrible.”
“It wasn’t. I know because I ate it for you so that you could go back and get the cheese cake one.”
Nina grinned. She almost didn’t mind the huge lineup in front of them. It was hot out and the line was moving at a snail’s pace. The ice cream place wasn’t in a good neighborhood. It was only a few blocks away from her apartment, which was the best feature around here.
Despite the fact that there was all sorts of dubious activity taking place on the streets over, and that the small red and white building was in desperate need of new siding or fresh paint, people from all around the city still came and lined up to try the ice cream. Many of the flavours were homemade. The place also served the best ice cream cakes and burgers in the city.
“So… are you going to answer my question or are you going to keep evading.”
Nina rolled her eyes. “You know, I was really hoping to get halfway through my ice cream before we started talking about all the serious stuff.”
“Why not do it now? Then we can actually enjoy our dessert.”