Love's Learning Curves

by Diana DeRicci

  An hour later, his phone rang again. “Acardi.”

  “You are never going to believe this!” Sheridan was fuming about something.

  “What baby?” With much more anticipation than with the last phone call he’d received, he promptly dismissed the bid he was almost done researching for approval.

  “Mona needs a bridesmaid. One of her friends is puking sick and won’t be on her feet before Saturday.”

  He wanted to laugh, but hearing the confused pain in her voice, was able to keep it in his throat. “Don’t tell me…” He left it hanging.

  “You guessed it in one.”

  “Now that is ballsy.”

  She sighed then managed a weak laugh. “I’m flattered that she thought of me first as a friend, but I’m somewhere between shocked and dumbfounded.”

  “She does remember you’re the ex, right?”

  “I doubt she even thought about it that far. She’s not the brightest lightbulb in the room.”

  Dario snickered. Cat fight. He shooshed his cougar when it perked up. “When did she ask?”

  “At the end of class today. We’re done early Thursday for this semester. One more to go,” she murmured as an aside. “It means I have less than four days to get a gown fitted and pretend I give a damn.”

  Dario shook his head as he sat up in his chair. “You said you’d do it? Why?”

  “I did think about saying no,” she admitted. “Honestly, if I don’t go, I’ll look like the wounded ex. Now that she’s done this, if I don’t step up, it’s going to look way too personal. It wasn’t an ugly breakup, so there’s no reason I can’t still be friendly. Damn, but she did put me on a spot, didn’t she?” He heard noises in the background. She must have come straight home and called him. The thud of her book bag, the smack of the refrigerator. It warmed him that he was the first person she came to with this landslide of thoughtlessness.

  “Just tell me when you need to be picked up for the ceremony and I’ll be there.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I was going to take you, right?” She made an affirmative sound. Instead of letting his dick get too happy about that particular vibration, he told her, “Then there’s very little different about this.”

  “Do you have dinner plans?”

  “No.” Even if he had, he’d have cancelled in a heartbeat.

  “Come over. I’ll cook and we’ll watch a movie. I doubt I’m going to have two seconds to myself from Thursday until this is over.”

  It was impossible to get his head back into work mode after talking with Sheridan. Images of her sitting next to him on the couch segued into non-stop hungry fantasies for the woman.

  * * * *

  Sheridan opened the door for him a little after six-thirty. She waved in Dario, the phone still pinned to her ear. She rolled her eyes. Her sister-in-law had been going strong for ten minutes solid. Sheridan cut her off. “I know, Kay. Look, he just got here.”

  “Dinner?” she asked.

  “Yes. Goodbye, Kay.”

  “Love you.”

  “You too, sis.” With a sigh of relief that she didn’t bother to restrain, she hit the ‘enough already’ button, also known as the end button. “Thank you.” She leaned up and touched her lips to his. “My hero.”

  “Oh?” Dario grinned, wrapping his arms around her. “All I have to do is show up and I’m a hero?”

  “No, all you have to do is get Kay off the phone. She’s been reading me the riot act over the bridesmaid thing.” She tucked against his chest, suddenly succumbing to the solid build of his chest and the strength of his arms around her. God, he felt good. He nuzzled the top of her head, letting her relax where she stood.

  “She doesn’t agree?”

  “Yes and no. She’s more ticked that Mona would consider it, without even taking my feelings into account. It’s not going to be easy, but not in the ‘I should’ve had him’ sense.”

  His arms tightened and a palm began to stroke her spine. “What do you see?”

  Closing her eyes, she drifted under his touch. “It’s more a ‘Why two years’ question.” He nudged her forward, walking her backward. She didn’t care. She trusted him. When he slipped away, she opened her eyes and found him sitting on the couch. Tenderly, he tugged her down until she sat on his lap.

  “Better,” he breathed, resting his lips to her temple with a quiet sigh. “Okay, continue.”

  “We dated for two years—Are you sure you want to hear this?”

  “Anything to help you, sweetheart.” The low burn of his gaze told her he meant it. When he brought her closer to let her rest on his shoulder, she went willingly.

  “Okay, two years.” She drew a breath. “Honestly, we just didn’t see that much of each other. He was always traveling. Kay hated that about him. He always had something more important, a client, an account. He’s in marketing. He didn’t make time to attend even their wedding, and I think that was the last straw for me.” She played absently with a button on his shirt front. “It was comfortable, but after watching Rush and Kay, I knew I wanted more. He didn’t.”

  “And when he asked to meet Mona?” he prodded her gently.

  Sheridan shrugged. “I didn’t care. I knew he was going to move on. It was the whole wham-bam-we’re getting married bomb that got to me.”

  “I’m not surprised. It sounds more like a rebound than reality, but it’s their choice.”

  She lifted and gave him a studious eye. “I thought the same thing, to be honest.”

  “And you think they’re happy?”

  Sheridan tilted her head, considering for a moment before she answered. “I think so. I’d like to think so.”

  A devilish light hit his gaze. “Want to show them that you’ve moved on too? I know a guy who can do it in style.”

  She thumped his chest with a harmless fist. He groaned through deep laughter, creating a ball of warmth in her stomach that infused her limbs and heart. “Just being with me will be all I need.”

  “Then, you have me,” he purred. The words were sweet and low, but it was the heat in his eyes that created a lustful shimmy to slide down her spine. Her fingers flicked through the short ends of his hair at his nape, scraping her nails delicately over his skin. When he closed the distance to meet her lips with his, she sank into his embrace.

  Chapter Six

  Unable to do much to help her clean after dinner, he’d ambled to the living room for the couple minutes she needed, but his interest got the better of him after seeing drawings and sketches pinned to her walls. He hadn’t taken a lot of time to look too closely, since he’d mostly been picking her up or dropping her off. Curious, he strolled to her workspace and felt his jaw slowly drop with shock and awe at the detailed artwork surrounding him.

  When he heard her coming closer, he asked, “Is this for your classes?” Dario stood in front of Sheridan’s computer. She’d tacked several large full frame images of dragons, lions, cars, scenes that could be for any of the latest movies, even people, to her work board. Some were dramatic, others were so life-like, he felt like he could reach out and touch them.

  “Different stills that I wanted to put together for the demo reel I have to submit for my final this week.” She came up beside him and he curled an arm around her.

  “These are gorgeous. You’re very talented.”

  She blushed, tucking against his arm. “The programs do a lot for us, but there’s things that require an imagination and eye, and a bit of talent.” He grinned with her when she smirked.

  “Like?”

  “Shading and lighting, texture, and putting together a final composite.”

  “What are you studying to do with it?”

  “Matte painting and concept art.” She named them each, showing him different images that showcased the skills she’d been learning and honing. “We also have to show that we can do motion, integration, corrective color on shade and lighting, and a ton of other stuff, then when it’s all done, we send it to employe
rs.”

  “What kind companies hire for this?”

  “Gaming companies, movie production companies, advertisers. Almost everything created now for movie or TV has some level of computer art generated layering in it. Games are all computer generated.”

  “Where are these places?” he asked, feeling a little nauseous, fighting to keep it out of his voice. He was very interested in what she was doing, what it could do for her. She couldn’t leave, but he couldn’t hold her back from her dream job, either.

  She curled into his side, both of them looking over her wall. Her desk was equally covered with papers, books, drawing tablets and more electronic technology than he could possibly name.

  “A lot of them are in California, Hollywood. New York. I’m hoping to find something closer to home, though. The money is out there, but I don’t want to be that far from Rush. Right now, I’m doing freelance work, and I have aid money to support myself. My parents had set aside some too, in case one of us went to college. Rush used a little to go to the academy, but he also qualified for grants because of our living status.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Your parents must have been wonderful people.”

  “They were.”

  “What happened to them?” he asked, studying her features. It seemed to be the only time she had a hard time answering him when she wouldn’t look up at him, the hesitation in her answer pronounced. She’d only briefly mentioned them Sunday night over dinner.

  “My dad was in a bad accident, and Mom couldn’t take the grief. She died following him.”

  He felt her pain and curled her closer. “They must have loved each other very much.”

  She swallowed then nodded. “They did. High school sweethearts.”

  His gaze continued to sweep her wall. “If you found something close, that paid well enough, you’d be happy?”

  “Thrilled. I don’t need much. Just living expenses, for now anyway. I might need to update my programs as they improve, or my system, but that’s not going to happen until I actually find work and learn what I need to do that job.”

  Pointing at a design that had grid work, he asked her what it was.

  “That’s 3D modeling. We start with a basic drawing, and then import the 2D concept into the 3D workspace and sculpt a polygon model, like a clay sculptor on a wheel, only drawn. From there you add textures, shading, lighting and finally, render, which presses the layers into one finite image.”

  He nodded, amazed at her skills and her knowledge. He’d been a numbers whiz, without a creative bone in his body. From what he was looking at, she was truly talented. He brought her up for a slow kiss.

  “This is really gorgeous work, Sheridan.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and followed the wall, the same as he. “I love doing it. I’ve been a drawing nut since I could hold a pencil. Used to fill my homework spirals with drawings rather than homework.”

  He chuckled, seeing the amused gleam in her eyes. He could see the mischievous child she had been in that playful light in her eyes. “You ready for that movie?”

  “I’m ready if you are.” Leading her to the couch, she scooted up beside him and that’s where she’d been for the last half hour.

  Dario held Sheridan tucked snug into his side. Dinner had been lighthearted, teasing and he’d never seen a more beautiful smile than hers. He wasn’t even sure of the movie’s name. Didn’t really care. Just that he had her beside him. Her hand rested comfortably on his thigh, her head on his chest.

  Relaxed now, she wore a loose yellow shirt that covered her to her hips and cream colored jeans that stopped below her knees. She looked like spring. He wound a length of hair over his fingers, back and forth, savoring the silken weight. Several times, he’d had to pull his attention to the front of the room to the TV. It was hard to not grasp for peeks of her breasts. Fleeting hints of flesh beneath the collar, and the occasional tease of rose pink satin.

  He drew a breath, stretching a few muscles, trying to make his jeans fit a little less tighter. It didn’t help. She made him hornier than a sixteen year old kid on his first date.

  “You okay?” Her breath flowed over his shirt, skimming his skin and his heart thudded in answer.

  “Yeah.”Though it was a bald-faced lie. She twisted to peer up into his face, leaning more against his body with a shoulder.

  He wrapped an arm around her, supporting her as she snuggled into him. Her sigh of contentment made all his discomforts worthwhile. Thick lashes brushed over her cheeks as she found a position to rest. Watching her, he simply gave up on paying attention to the TV. It just couldn’t compete with the woman in his arms.

  His cougar batted at his sides, wanting out, wanting to meet her, but he knew he couldn’t. One, it was too soon. Second, he had to give her a chance to understand. He knew she was his mate, but even with nature nudging him, her heart had taken a beating. There was no way he was going to jeopardize any part of this. Gazing at her, his vision stroked her from her eyelashes down her cute nose to her lips. The echo of his heart pulsed through his veins again.

  There was no way around it. He loved her mouth. Sexy pink lips. This late at night, they were bare, pale and natural. Without an ounce of effort, the dream he’d awakened to floated over his memory. The gliding in and out of his cock between those very supple and succulent lips. Each teasing flick of her tongue. Heat, wet and torturous, enflamed his skin as she sucked him. In the dream, she’d taken him deep. He’d awakened when he’d almost climaxed. From a dream.

  Shit.

  He closed his eyes, trying to calm the slam of hunger that rose up out of nowhere to crash over him. Burying his nose in her hair, he thrashed inside to not fall off the precipice. He must have made a sound, or tensed. Sheridan straightened to look him square in the face.

  “Dario?” Concern clouded her expressive eyes.

  “I think I better go,” he mumbled, fighting to stay where he was, to not let his real needs, or the depth, show. The alternative was to throw her to the floor and rip her clothes from her body, to claim her until neither had a breath left in their bodies. If he touched her, the thread of control that was pulled so tight it was strumming, would snap.

  She quickly slid away from his side, her eyes sweeping to the floor. “Okay.”

  He froze, her backpedaling reaction sluicing ice water over his lust. “Sheridan.”

  “It’s okay. It’s getting late. Didn’t mean to keep you so long,” she rambled. He could fight the worry and win. It was the roiling self-doubt emanating from her that sliced him like a red-hot blade right out of the forge.

  Fuck.

  He practically fell from the couch, landing on his knees in front of her. “Baby, look at me.” When she didn’t, rather leaning away, he reached and fisted his hands gently in her hair, halting her retreat. It was painful watching her try to ball into herself, withdrawing deeper every second. “Don’t do that.” Searching her, he knew he was going to have to explain it.

  “I under—”

  He brought them close, shutting her up with punctuated kisses. “Shut. Up.” He nibbled at her lips. “It isn’t you. Never, ever, think that.”

  As though she were rising from behind the tempest of a receding storm, her lashes rose, exposing dark, glistening, questioning eyes. He stood, bringing her with him until he held her chest to chest, her feet on the floor. He refused to let her go until this was cleared, because he knew like a bad vine, this one doubt would continue to plague them until she began to believe in what he saw.

  “My imagination got the better of me,” he admitted. The tension in her shoulders slackened in minute hitches. “I’m trying to not push you into anything, Sheridan. I want you to want me as much as I want you.” He snickered in a self-deprecating way. “Hell, I want you so much, I hurt.” More tension eased out of her. She was listening. Holding her by her arms, he studied her, waiting.

  “Tell me what it was then. What did I do wrong?”

  He grow
led. “I swear, I’m going to kick his ass. Did he tell you, make you think you did things wrong? Make you feel like you weren’t doing things good enough for him?”

  She shrugged then hunched in on herself. Sonofabitch. He sucked in a deep breath. Okay, this wasn’t the time to deal with that. With a bent finger under her chin, he made her meet his gaze. “Sweetheart. Take your hand and put it over my zipper.” She blinked in shock and he laughed. “Okay, no I don’t mean it that way. I want to prove something to you.”

  Hesitantly, she did, gradually forming her entire palm over his cock. The explosion of lust and desire that assaulted him stole his sanity for a split second. God, to have her touch him skin to skin? He’d come unglued. Steeling himself with another drawn breath, he explained, “Do you feel that? Do you understand that it’s you doing that to me?” His heart pounded fiercely, throbbing in tempo with the blood now rushing to fill his aching length. “Last night, I had dreams about you. At least one of them woke me up. Just because I got the hard-on to go away Sunday doesn’t mean it kept its distance. The dream that woke me up was sexy as hell.”