Love Stung (Shower & Shelter Artist Collective Book 5)

by Brooke St. James

"Are you trying to kiss me?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

  I shrugged in such a way that meant 'yes'.

  "You have to wait," he said. "Because I've got two presents in here to show you. If you want to kiss me now, you're really going want to do it after I give you these things."

  "The pictures?" I asked.

  "The pictures, and something else."

  "What?" I asked.

  Instead of an answer, he smiled and motioned for me to follow him toward his office. There was a shelf along the wall that had been specifically built for displaying prints. He had all of the photos he had sent me on display in a few different sizes and textures. He even had the photograph of me that I hadn't yet seen and a few random objects like a coin purse and a mug with our pictures on them.

  As I got closer, I realized that there was a gold necklace with one of the photos of Isabel engraved on the pendant. It was beautifully made and I picked it up, staring straight at Drake.

  "This is best thing ever."

  He smiled. "I'm glad you like it. It's a big seller with my clients, so I thought it was a sure shot to get you one of Isabel."

  "You said you only had two things for me, but this is so much." I stared at the line-up of beautiful prints and goodies. The necklace was just long enough to slip over my head, so I did so before situating the pendant on my chest. I smiled as I picked up the coin purse that featured a precious, whimsical photo of Isabel. "Isabel's gonna love this, too."

  "They gave me that and the mug as promotional items when I bought the necklace," he said.

  "How much do I owe you for all this?"

  He squinted at me. "It's a gift," he said. "But it's not even what I was talking about when I said I had two things. The pictures and necklace count as one, and the other thing is over there."

  Drake was leaning casually against his desk, and he pointed to a bookcase. I noticed that there was a square, flat package that had been wrapped in brown paper.

  "What is that?" I asked.

  "Something for you."

  "Do you want me to go over there and open it?" I asked.

  He smiled. "Unless you don't want it."

  "What is it?"

  "I'm not telling you."

  "Where did you get it?"

  "At an art gallery."

  "When?"

  "When I was out of town. I bought it from a gallery in New York. It was something I had seen before, and I called from out of town and had them send it over."

  "For me?" I asked, walking toward it.

  "Yes."

  I glanced at him when I came to a stop in front of it, and he smiled.

  "Why?"

  "Open it and find out," he said.

  I picked up the package and carried it to a little seating area that was near Drake's desk. He just stood there and watched me as if he was curious to see my reaction when I opened it. I carefully began ripping the brown paper, looking at him with a tentative expression. He gave me a nod to let me know I should continue.

  The first thing I noticed was in an ornate frame. The image itself was only about a foot or so square, but the matting and frame made it a larger piece. I looked at it for a split second, but I quickly looked away because the beauty and thoughtfulness of it instantly brought tears to my eyes.

  "Please tell me you didn’t get a wasp painting for me." I said. I shielded it by leaning it against my chest, staring at Drake with my eyes wide open in an effort to make them remain dry.

  Drake grinned at my intensity. "I could tell you it's not a wasp, but I'd be lying," he said. "And, besides, you've already seen it, so you'd catch me in my lie."

  "So, it is a wasp painting?"

  He nodded.

  "Where in the world did you get it?" I asked before I was even able to look at it again.

  "I saw it at S&S about a month ago. I called them after you told me the wasp story. They had sold it already, but Lane helped me track it down, and I bought it off of the owner. It was Lane's wife who painted it. I didn't know that when I called. I just remembered seeing it, so I described it to him. There was a bee, too, but I figured you were just interested in this one."

  I looked at the print. The background of the canvas was painted in browns and tans and had a texture to it that made it look like paper. I peered closer to see if there was actually paper integrated in the painting, or if she had just painted it that way. The wasp itself was done in black. It was a simple outline of a wasp that was positioned in the middle of the canvas with a circle all the way around it—almost like it had been done with a branding iron. It was compelling to look at it and not just because I had a thing for wasps but also because she had done a beautiful job on the painting. It was a gorgeous representation of the peaceful feeling I had experienced that day, and I could not stop tears from welling in my eyes. I couldn't recall a gift I had ever loved so much. I felt like God had told her to paint it for me and then He told Drake to go pick it up. It couldn't be more perfect.

  "What did you say?" I asked.

  "I said she had a bee one as well, but the guy who bought the wasp didn't have it, and I didn't think you were—"

  I shook my head. "No, my goodness. No, it's just the wasp. But even this is too much. I can't believe you tracked it down. Macy told me that girl charges a lot for her paintings, too. I can't believe you even bought this one. It's my favorite gift I've ever been given. After the necklace, of course." I touched the pendant with my daughter's image. "I can't believe how much I love both of these things. I'd usually try to talk you out of doing this much or say you shouldn't have or something, but honestly I love them both so much that I'm just gonna say 'thank you'." I stared at the painting of a wasp again. "You were so right," I added.

  "About what?"

  "About what I would want to do after I saw all of this stuff. I think thoughtfulness might be some secret love potion. You must have known about that."

  He gave me a teasing grin. "You already wanted to kiss me before I gave you any of this."

  "I know," I said. "And now you're making it worse."

  "I'm not usually a real gifty type of guy, but I thought of you with both of these things, and I couldn't help myself."

  "Well, I'm not usually a gifty girl, but I will gladly accept both of these things because that's how badly I want them. Oh, and I ordered the wool for your doll. I got some good stuff. I'm excited to get started on him. I don't know what it cost you to buy these, but I'm definitely not gonna charge you anything for the doll."

  Drake grinned as he moved toward me in a slow, measured stride that had me feeling like I needed to squirm. He stopped when he came to my chair, and then he leaned over me, bracing his weight with his hand on the back of my chair. "I don't guess we really need to keep track, do we?"

  "Of what?"

  "Of owing each other anything."

  I leaned my head against the back of the chair, looking straight up at him. His face was only a few inches from mine and I desperately wished he would just lean in and kiss me. I struggled to steady my breathing.

  "No," I said. "I don't see any point in keeping track."

  "Me neither," he said, staring down at me.

  "Are you gonna do it?" I asked.

  He regarded me innocently. "Do what?"

  I stared directly at his mouth, which made him smile. "Are you?" I asked.

  He shook his head.

  "You're not?"

  "Nope."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you want me to so bad."

  I widened my eyes. "That should make you want to do it," I said.

  "Yeah, but if I wait a little bit, you'll want me to even more."

  "I can't possibly want it more." I whispered. "I hit maximum capacity a long time ago. I'm maxed out."

  This statement made Drake smile and give me a long blink where he kept his eyes closed for a few seconds. He breathed a sigh as if praying for restraint. I wanted to spring out of my chair and kiss him so badly that I held onto the seat cushion just
to make sure I didn't do it by compulsion.

  "You're still not," I said impatiently.

  "Nope."

  I sighed. "Fine. Good, because I don't want you to," I said, trying for some reverse psychology.

  He stood up, taking his hand off of the back of my chair, and stretching as he straightened up. He crossed to the windows, looking out at the city as if considering something.

  "I didn't mean it," I said, standing up with my painting in hand. I set it on his desk so that I could go over to the window and stand beside him. He moved to stand directly behind me, and I leaned into him and turned my face to the side so that I could rest my cheek gently on the spot where his chest met his neck.

  "I know you didn't mean it," he said. "You want me to kiss you as much as I want to do it."

  "Then why aren't you?"

  "Because."

  "When are you?"

  "Soon."

  "Today?"

  "Yes."

  "How about right now?" I asked. "At least right here." I shifted to the side and pointed at my cheek. Drake leaned down and placed his lips on the top of my cheek. His mouth was slightly open, and I felt the warmth of it on my cheek. My heart literally felt warm. I wanted him to stay like that forever. I let out a whimper when he broke contact, and he smiled.

  "Let's go," he said, pulling me toward the door.

  Chapter 18

  I spent the next four hours alone with Drake. We went to a botanical garden and sat on a bench near a pond with lilies for over half of that time. He brought me there, and I brought him to a hidden hat store where we tried on what must have been a hundred hats.

  Drake bought two for his studio, top hat and a dark brown fedora with a wonderfully gaudy lavender feather. The top hat was my favorite on him, and the fedora was his favorite on me. It was vintage and beautiful, and Drake said he wanted to buy it for me, but when I refused he said he was just going to purchase it for his studio. I agreed, but I knew he just wanted me to have it. I wore it out of the store because it matched my outfit perfectly and the clerk assumed I would.

  Drake and I went for a walk in the park when we left the hat store. It was a beautiful summer day, and we had an hour or so to spare before I needed to get back home to Isabel. Drake had intentionally left his camera behind, but one time during our walk he got a couple of feet in front of me and turned around walking backwards while motioning for me to stop. I came to a halt in the middle of the path and smiled at him. He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head a little and saying how mad he was at himself for not bringing his good camera. He said he just couldn't bear to see this scene pass him by without documenting it somehow, so he used his phone instead. He apologized for making me stop in the middle of the path, but he said he was compelled to go ahead and take my picture since the lighting was perfect. He told me exactly what to do and what expression to make, and within a few minutes, we were done.

  I had been in touch with Macy and told her that I would be home by 6 with dinner in hand. She said she had dinner plans with Ethan, but that 6 was still a good time for her.

  I still had on the hat when got back to the apartment. Drake and I had an eventful afternoon followed by picking up dinner, and before I knew it, we were about to walk into my apartment.

  We came to a stop just before we walked in, and rather then open the door, I looked at Drake with a sorrowful expression. "We forgot my painting," I whispered. "My painting and all the prints are still at your studio. And we never…" I hesitated, staring at him just the right way so he would know I was talking about a kiss. "All that time, and you never… we never."

  Drake was holding a brown paper bag that was overstuffed with Mexican food, and he smiled at me from behind it. "We never what?"

  "We left my painting," I said. "And you never gave me that other thing you promised. And now we're going to go in there, and Isabel is going to be in there, and it's going to be too late."

  He gave me an amused grin. "I'm betting between the both of us, with all our life experience, we could outwit a four-year-old. I bet I can find a way to kiss you, and she'll never even know."

  "You're going to have to," I said, staring at the doorknob, which was currently turning back and forth sporadically in typical Isabel fashion. I knew she was figuring it out, and it would soon pop open, and, yep, there it was.

  "You're getting kissed tonight," Drake whispered under his breath just as the door opened.

  We instantly turned to stare at Isabel who had opened the door and was looking up at us.

  "Heyyyyy!" she said, mostly to Drake as she opened the door, but then she stared at me, straight at my head. "I love youw hat," she said. "Whewe did you get this hat?"

  "It's Drake's," I said, coming into the apartment. I had been holding my purse and the bag with the other hat, and I set them both down next to the door. Drake was still holding the bag containing dinner, but he paused with me by the door to kick off his shoes before heading to the kitchen.

  "Hey," Macy said, coming out of her room with her hair pulled back in a headband. She was holding a makeup compact in one hand and the little spongy applicator in the other. "Iz was out here playing while I got dressed."

  I passed Macy on my way to the kitchen with Drake, and I kissed her cheek, thanking her again for keeping Isabel. "We brought Mexican," I said. "I think there's a lot if you want some."

  "Thank you, but we're going out for Mexican, actually," she said. She gave Drake a sideways hug as he followed me past her to the kitchen.

  "I got my cast off, see?" Isabel asked, trailing behind us as we came in.

  "Where'd you get this hat?" Macy asked at the same time.

  Drake set down the Mexican food and knelt down to have a conversation with Isabel about her cast while I turned to answer Macy's question.

  "It's Drake's," I said to my sister. I took it off and handed it to her, bending over to shake out my hair before running a hand through it. Macy looked it over. "That's pretty awesome. It looks amazing on you."

  "It's hers," Drake said, stopping his conversation with Isabel so that he could chime in. I looked down to find that Isabel's hands were in Drake's, and my heart felt like it got tugged in that direction. "She wouldn't let me buy it for her, so I had to lie and tell her I was getting it for myself."

  "You said you were getting it for your studio," I said.

  "Yeah, but it was really for you, obviously. I mean, it clearly looks better on you than it would on anyone else." He looked at Isabel for reinforcement, and she nodded in agreement. Macy was standing next to me, and she had been secretly pinching the back of my arm while Drake was speaking.

  "I'm gonna make plates," I said since I was too nervous to comment about the hat.

  Drake sat down on the kitchen floor with a huff as if he was super exhausted, and Isabel came to sit right next to him.

  "I got to babysit a baby bulldog today named Dawlene, and she tee-teed on the wug and got in twouble. Then I took hew on a walk with Zoe, and we let hew meet anothew dog. And we went to Nana and PopPop's, and I had a tummy bug."

  "I'm gonna finish getting dressed," Macy interjected, since she wasn't sure when Isabel would stop. "Ethan should be here in a few minutes."

  Drake and Isabel sat on the kitchen floor together and talked about bulldogs, and tummy bugs, and the joys of a castfree arm while I portioned out our Mexican food. I asked Drake what he wanted and how he wanted it, but he assured me that he wasn't a picky eater and I could just make his plate however I wanted.

  Ethan came over, and we talked to him for a little while before he and Macy left for the evening. It was still surreal at times having a famous actor for a soon to be brother-in-law. He stole some chips from Isabel's plate, and I got the oddest sensation at the sight of Dr. Morgan Craig eating my daughter's food. I saw Ethan and Drake standing next to each other, having a conversation, and I realized that I was equally starstruck by both of them, and that I was completely in love with one.

  Ethan and Mac
y didn't hang out long, but Drake stuck around after they left. We put together a puzzle with Isabel and watched a little television, and the next thing I knew, it was 9pm. I had always tried to keep Isabel on a strict routine, so she knew 9 o'clock was bath time, and she reminded me of it before I even said anything.

  I was kind of sad when she brought it up because I thought that maybe my time with Drake would be over—like bath time would somehow mark the end of our evening. Drake was sitting on my couch, and I had been sitting on the floor but had inched conveniently close enough to him that my back was touching his legs. It was during this wonderful, magical time that I did not want to end that Isabel reminded me of bath time.

  "It's bath time," I said, turning to stare at Drake from over my shoulder.

  "Does that pertain to me?" he asked with a serious expression.

  His question made me smile. "I don't guess it does. I just assumed you would… I don't know what I assumed."

  "Are there no post-bath visitors?" he asked.

  "What's post-bath?" Isabel asked.

  "Post means after," I said. "And, yeah, you're welcome to stay around, I just didn't want you to get bored sitting out here. I usually read to her a little bit after bath, and then she goes to sleep."

  Drake stood up, rubbing my back in the process. He offered me a hand, and I let him help me to my feet. I nervously dusted off my bottom even though there was nothing on it.

  "I've been with your mama all day, so I'm going to let you ladies go on with the rest of your evening."

  My heart sank. I didn't want him to go. I knew he was serious about leaving and that he was doing the right thing, but I hated the thought of him saying goodbye.

  "I have to work until about 5 o'clock tomorrow, but I think you should come to my apartment after that," he said, looking at me. "Your painting and prints are at the studio, but I'll take them home with me, and you can come by and pick them up."

  "Both of us?" I asked, whispering so that Isabel couldn’t hear.

  He nodded and held open his hands, and gesturing with his fingers for Isabel to come give him a hug. "I'm glad you got your cast off," he said. "I'm gonna take you to the gym with me—get you some time on the rock wall." He flexed his own forearm, and Isabel giggled and reached out to squeeze it. "I gotta go," he said. "And you need to take your bath. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Won't I?" He looked at me, and I nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow," he repeated. "I'm gonna tell your mama goodbye. You run ahead of her, and she'll follow in a second, okay?"