TASTE ME
Page 21
"You did a lot for me," he said quietly.
She gave him a quick smile and began cleaning his face, rubbing away the painted-on whiskers and tufts and spots, finding a clean area on the rag and continuing on to his ears and throat, then his hands. He could put on his regular clothes and even if Petra made her way backstage, she'd never know for sure. No one would be the wiser except his sisters, who'd never tell. If only because there'd be no fun in torturing him after the beans were spilled.
"The judges have moved on," Cress announced from near the curtains. "Man, Angelika looks gorgeous. The photographers are still there. They can't get enough of her."
Julian's eyes glinted at Mia. "Whew," he whispered. "You saved my neck."
She nodded, wondering about Petra. Julian was her boss, in effect. What would she have done with the revealing photos? Probably arranged to have them leaked to the press so that there'd be no doubt that Mia was a bad influence on Silk Publishing's CEO. How desperate and sad. And how hugely Petra had underestimated Julian's courage.
Mia gave him a light kiss, having no doubt that he would face down his board of directors for her, if it came to that. "Did I hear right, or did you say something about love a few minutes ago? I've been waiting to hear that from you, but I want to be sure I got it right."
"You did." He put his arms around her, speaking softly for her alone. "I love you, crazy woman. I love every undignified bone in your body."
She smiled. "That's what I thought you meant."
Cress interrupted. "Hey, Mia. It wouldn't surprise me if you still won, even without a leopard. Wouldn't that be something?"
"I really don't care," she said, as Julian held her snugly against his nearly nude body. The cleaning rag dropped away as she put both of her paint-stained hands on his face. Her heart sang with the love she had for this man, the kind of love that was too exalting not to last, despite their foibles and flaws and outrageous mistakes. "I'll be happy even with seventeenth place."
"I think I can offer better than that," he said. "If you're willing to accept."
Mia kissed him. "I accept."
"Wait," he said with a laugh. "I haven't asked yet. You're always jumping the gun."
"So we'll slow down. We have lots of time. All I need for now is this." With loving hands, she stroked his paint-streaked face. "You love me as much as I love you. I have plenty of proof."
And so it was that while the judges awarded the prizes, and Nikki and Very discussed how much fun it would be to have a kooky artist in the family, and Cress worshipped his zebra-striped angel with adoring eyes, and Petra fumed over how close she'd come to getting the goods on Julian that would prove once and for all how he and the trampy body painter didn't belong together, Mia and Julian simply held each other and kissed. Slowly, sweetly, telling each other with each caress how good it was to know that together they made one.