by Bella Andre
She mesmerized him, and his body took over, raging hard and tight. He consumed and was consumed. Never before had anyone made him forget time or place. There was only the feel of her, the taste, the scent, the moan in her throat. He wanted her with every cell, every organ.
And he knew she wanted him just as badly. His hands molded her bottom to shift her, and he felt her heat, hotter than her welding torch. Every instinct told him to shove her up on the bench, to take, grab, own, possess. Need clamored inside him. He wanted his mouth on her everywhere.
He might have taken everything he wanted if a cloud hadn't passed over the sun, if the light hadn't changed and woken him up for an instant. Lord knew he wanted to jump into the deep end with her. Wanted to take her hand and fly out over the edge. Wanted to risk everything on the hope that they were the perfect fit.
But only last night, he'd drawn more pictures of his parents. Sketches that reminded him of how brutal toxic love could be. That it could destroy absolutely everything.
Nothing about Charlie seemed toxic. On the contrary, she seemed to be his ideal match. And yet...he still hadn't been able to completely figure her out, still didn't understand why she hadn't been reaching for her full potential until he'd found her in the middle of her junkyard. He'd never felt this strongly about another woman, never felt like he was falling in love before.
And that very fact made him recognize that if toxic love was going to hit him, it would be now, when Charlie already mattered so much to him. He couldn't imagine how hard it would be to fall completely for her, only to have to give her up. When they finally did dive into the deep end together, he wanted them both to truly know enough about each other to take the risk not just with their bodies.
But with their hearts.
Though it was even harder to pull back today than it had been two nights ago, he forced a breath of space between them. Her chest rose against him, as she gasped for the air they'd both lost in their sweet, desperate kiss.
"You..." The word came out raw. Ragged. "I want..." Damn it, he was never at a loss for words. Hell, his job was always having the right words for everything. But he'd never felt this way about anyone, never had to stop himself from moving too fast because his heart was tied so closely to his desires.
She put her hand on his face. The same strong, elegant hand that could create such majestic art. "I want you too." She sucked in another shaky breath. "Just as badly. But--" She lifted her beautiful eyes to his. "I want to be sure."
Trust Charlie to find the words. Exactly the right ones. Exactly the ones he was feeling.
"Soon," he said again, just as he had after their first kiss two nights earlier. "We'll know soon."
She echoed the word "Soon," in a whisper of a kiss against his lips. Even before the day arrived when they finally stripped away each other's walls and became one, for him every other woman had already been erased. Because all along, something told him he'd been waiting for Charlie.
He hoped like hell she'd eventually realize she'd been waiting for him too.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
For the next handful of days, Charlie alternately worked on the chariot...and daydreamed about Sebastian's kisses. Once or twice she did both at the same time, but that was a surefire way to cut right through a finger, so she forced herself to focus one hundred percent while she was in her studio. When she was back in her bungalow at night, however, all bets were off.
She'd been right about his incredibly busy schedule. More than once, she heard the helicopter taking off, and at one point she was pretty sure there was a film crew on the property up by the main house. But though they were both so busy, Sebastian always made sure to find her each day to give her a kiss. Just one perfect kiss each time. So perfect that he'd left her with her head spinning and her lips tingling. And every single time, as he drew back, he said one word.
"Soon."
It had become both her favorite word...and her most hated.
After working on some of her creations for up to a year or two at a time, Charlie thought she had patience down to an art form. But her need for Sebastian was eating through it faster than a plasma cutter.
But for as much as she desired him, she found herself liking him even more. His thoughtfulness knew no bounds. When Wednesday morning came, he had his driver waiting right on time to take them both to Shady Lane for a visit with her mother. She'd hoped Sebastian would steal his kiss in the limo, but he seemed happy just to hold her hand, stroking his thumb over her palm in seductive circles that made her almost mindless with need. And if they hadn't been on their way to see her mother--who would notice absolutely everything, the way she always had when Charlie was a teenager--Charlie might have given in to the reckless urges pumping through her veins and jumped him right then and there on the black leather seat, with the driver only feet away.
Once they were inside the building, Charlie handed the box of beautiful china to Sebastian. "You should give your gorgeous present to her." He didn't have a mother anymore, but he was a man with so much love to give. Charlie was happy to share hers, especially when she knew how much her mother enjoyed his company and attention.
Despite the dingy room, he was almost ceremonial in his presentation of the cups and plates. Sebastian, it seemed, could transcend anything. Two alcoholic parents. A childhood of poverty. Even the less than stellar surroundings of an elder-care center.
Her mother gasped with joy. A joy that, amazingly, seemed to replace the pain for a little while. "Oh, Sebastian." She pressed his hand. "I've never seen anything so lovely."
"I have," he murmured so softly that only Charlie could hear. He looked straight into her eyes and her heart thumped even faster in her chest.
He suggested they drive Francine out to Lake Elizabeth and share their tea and bear claws as an outdoor picnic. The park was only a mile from Shady Lane, and her mother seemed to enjoy the ride in the limo as much as she soaked up the dappled sunlight streaming through the trees on the comfortable portable chairs he'd stashed in the trunk.
"I'd like to bring a doctor by to see you, Francine." Sebastian had thoroughly discussed the Stanford hand surgeon with Charlie and she'd agreed to his intervention if it had any chance of helping her mother. "Would that be all right with you?"
"You're such a dear, but it's too late now. All the doctors have told me that."
"If you don't mind seeing one more, I know my friend would be very interested in coming to meet with you." Sebastian poured tea from a Thermos he'd brought, having naturally thought of absolutely everything.
Her mother nibbled her bear claw. "It tastes even better on this beautiful china." She added a sip of tea to her delight. "I've never heard of a doctor doing house calls, at least not in this century."
"It's a personal favor. Unfortunately, he's out of the country right now, so he'll see you in a couple of weeks."
Charlie shuddered to think that Sebastian had probably promised to fund a new wing at the hospital in return. She'd worked to get past her hang-up about his spending so much money on her and her mother...but it was difficult when he only grew more generous by the second.
Her mother squeezed Sebastian's hand. "You're going to spoil me," she said in a singsong.
"You deserve to be spoiled."
"I know what a busy man you must be."
"I'm not too busy to see you."
"We both know that isn't true," her mother said in a soft voice. "You're very special to carve out time we all know you don't have to visit an old woman you've just met. Very special, indeed."
Charlie's heart turned over at the glow on her mom's face--and how moved she could see that Sebastian was by the bond he was forming with her mother. She knew how badly he'd wanted to help his parents, and it wasn't hard to see that he'd channeled that need into helping others.
So despite her lingering guilt at accepting his help, she was doubly glad she'd consented. The look on both their faces was worth everything. If the doctor could find a way to help her mother e
xperience even a tiny bit less pain, it would be all Charlie could ask for.
Sebastian was good for her mother.
And, she thought, as he snuck in his one perfect kiss while her mother's head was turned toward the sun, she couldn't deny that he was good for her too.
*
"Do you need to head straight back to the workshop?"
The limo had just dropped them off at his house, and even though she should have gone right back to work, how could she resist more time with Sebastian? And if she could actually work on the sculpture while spending time with him? Well, that would be absolute perfection.
"Actually, I was thinking about doing a little shopping this afternoon." At his surprised look--he'd obviously noticed she wasn't particularly into fashion--she laughed and clarified. "For parts to use on the chariot." She'd formed the body and haunch of one horse, but she was working on the legs and head, and the chariot still needed its base. He'd already taken off a ton of time and it was a long shot, but she decided to say, "There's both an estate sale and a construction sale this afternoon, if you'd like to come with me."
"Isn't an estate sale basically just a glorified garage sale?"
It was kind of adorable how his nose crinkled at the words garage sale. Clearly, he'd been living in the lap of luxury for a while. Either that, she found herself thinking on a more sober note, or garage sales had been the only "stores" his parents could afford to shop at when he was a kid.
"One person's junk is another's treasure. It can be a goldmine. I adore junk shopping."
"You adore junk shopping?" He gave her his best innocent look as they headed for his garage. "Could have fooled me."
She playfully swiped at his chest. He grabbed her fingers, and lifted them to his lips for a quick kiss that left her skin tingling and her heart racing as they stepped into his enormous, and well-stocked, garage. Not that she could make fun of him for his collection of classic cars, however, considering her personal collection of broken shovels and pipes.
She insisted on taking the truck, but he insisted on driving. It made her hot and bothered to watch him behind the wheel. A man with a truck was just plain sexy, but Sebastian dressed in black jeans and a black shirt behind the wheel of a half-ton pickup was downright meltingly hot.
The day had been absolutely perfect so far, so when they uncovered an array of crockery, including chipped and mismatched china, not five minutes after arriving at the estate sale, she honestly wasn't surprised. Everything Sebastian touched seemed to turn to gold.
There was no reason for the thought to send a shiver running down her spine. No reason to be anything but thrilled at connecting with him the way she had. And yet, if everything he touched turned to gold...then did that mean she would too?
It didn't make sense that she should be so uncomfortable with the idea of breaking out as an artist, as Sebastian had told her time and time again was his plan. Especially when she so badly needed the money for her mother's care. Still, it took some work to remember to smile when she caught Sebastian looking at her strangely.
"Is everything okay?"
His hand was on her face and when she felt his warm touch and looked into his eyes, she knew she must be crazy for having any reservations at all. "Everything's perfect."
His gaze dropped to her lips for one heady, heated moment, before he simply brushed his thumb over her lower lip and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Yes. I want you. Badly.
His grin stole her breath, even before he lowered his voice and said, "God, how you tempt me, Charlie." She could see how much self-control it took to add, "The other thing I'm thinking."
Her breathed whooshed out in a half-laugh, half-sigh. "The mosaic," she whispered. "The china was meant for us." And truly, her heart was fluttering at both the excitement of the find, and from being with Sebastian.
They picked out every piece. Turning them over, she read names like Royal Albert, Rosina, Coalport, Adderley, Rockingham. "This one says, By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen. We should try to break out that part to use. And since they're all broken, I'll offer ten dollars."
"Big spender." He stood close enough to nuzzle her hair.
Her eyes closed for a moment as she savored him. "They're going to end up in the trash anyway. It's ten dollars no one else would pay."
Ten dollars was accepted, and they loaded the box in the bed of the truck. "If they break in transit, who cares?" She was, however, relishing the pleasure of breaking them herself. And she couldn't wait to hand over a stack to Sebastian too, so he could work off some of the latent anger she knew had to be simmering just beneath his calm surface.
"Off to the construction sale?" He handed her up into the truck, his touch doing crazy things to her. This was her world, one that no other man had ever wanted to be a part of. But just having him in it with her made the day extra special.
"Yup." She keyed the address into the GPS.
Fifteen minutes later, the contractor trailed them through the lot until Sebastian gave him the stinkeye. The old house had once been a Victorian, but it was stripped down to bare walls and floors. The sun was high in the sky now, and Charlie was glad she'd slathered sunscreen on her shoulders, arms, and neck bared by the sundress. Sebastian didn't even seem to break a sweat.
They found brass pipes that could work for the sinews of a horse's legs, and several different configurations of pipe fittings for the joints. Then she discovered the spools of copper wire, holding one up for Sebastian's inspection.
"The reins," she said, unable to stem the awe from the clear vision she'd just had.
"From copper wire?" He looked more than a little surprised. "I'm going to have to see it to believe it."
Oh, she'd make him believe all right. She already saw the reins flowing out from the horses' bridles as if they were flying. She'd braid several pieces of wire to give it strength and width.
"It could work for the horses' tails too," he said, his tone offhand.
She sucked in a breath on a gasp. "Oh, my God. Single copper strands bunched together." It would seem as though they were blowing in the wind. "The tails will appear to be on fire when the sun hits them." She kissed him soundly on the mouth. "You're a genius."
He took the opportunity to put his hands on her waist before she could draw back. She felt his utter focus and concentration on her. He tucked away a lock of hair, trailing his finger along the shell of her ear.
When she shivered and fell into his gaze, she felt as if she were falling out of her normal life...and into a magical place where there was only his touch. Only his kiss.
Only Sebastian.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Charlie's ability to amaze him never ceased. She found fantastical mysteries in other people's cast-offs. A dirt-encrusted gate could open the door to another world. A length of copper wire transmuted itself into the flapping reins of runaway stallions. He had no doubt she could do it. She saw inspiration in everything.
And Sebastian found inspiration in her.
She came alive when she was working, planning, visualizing. He'd given up on the drawing app and had continued to fill sketchbooks with images of her just like this--her eyes bright, her face shining, her lips smiling. Yet none of the drawings brought him closer to discovering why her work wasn't already world famous. Why she wasn't already a huge, glittering star in the art world. With her talent, beauty, and charm, she could easily command that world, the shining star on top of it all. By now anyone else would have been using his contacts to network, taking anything she could from him to advance her career. But not Charlie. No matter how many sketches he drew of her, he couldn't put his finger on the reason. But he would. Soon. Because Sebastian had long ago vowed never to give up on somebody with potential. Especially when that somebody had come to mean as much to him as Charlie already did.
Since she wouldn't take the money for her mother's care from him--he'd gently offered a few times more to help pay for Magnolia Gardens and she'd just
as gently turned him down--that meant the only other way to help her pay for her mother's needs was to find buyers for the rest of her sculptures. He'd already made several phone calls to that end, but he wouldn't say anything to Charlie until he had a solid bite from a prospect.
"We didn't even spend a hundred dollars," he said as he pulled the truck in front of the workshop and began to unload the full bed. Even lunch had been a quick but excellent burrito off a taco truck. He'd never eaten from a food truck before--why would he, when he had the best private chefs in the world on speed dial?--but with her it had been both fun and delicious.
Charlie laughed as she set the gate she'd found against the studio wall. Admiring her strength--and knowing that she prided herself on her independence--he'd made himself stop offering to carry the heavy stuff all the time. "Why do you think I chose to work in the junk medium rather than expensive canvases or paints or marble statues?"
"Smart woman." He put the delicate and considerably lighter box of china cups and saucers on the workbench. Beautiful woman too.
She'd worn her steel-toed boots in deference to the junkyard terrain and a sexy sundress with minuscule straps in deference to the heat. He'd driven himself nuts the whole day, touching her hair, her face, her shoulders, her neck, anything he could flutter his fingertips across. He hoped he'd driven her nuts too.
"Guess what it's time for?" she asked, with a wicked arch of her brow.
He had a good dozen ideas of his own...all of which involved Charlie naked and gasping with pleasure beneath him. But she wasn't taking off her clothes; she was flicking the lid of the box with her fingernail.
"Smashing up the china for the base of the chariot. It'll be like aggression therapy," she said, a sexy come-hither sparkle in her eye.
"I don't need aggression therapy." No, he needed therapy of a completely different nature, on satin sheets with the night breeze cooling their sweaty, naked bodies. He wanted her badly enough by now to throw all his caution against the wall.