The Painter's Passion

by Dr. Rebecca Sharp

  No, the only way he could cope was to show her just how perfect she was to him–whether that meant something to her or not; but he had a feeling that it did. What he hadn’t realized at the time was in order to show her that, he needed to open up to her the part of him that had been afraid to feel for so long; what he hadn’t realized at the time was that the only way for him to heal her was for him to love her - and that’s what he’d done, without realizing what his actions truly meant. When she’d let the dress fall, she hadn’t just bared her body to him, she’d bared her heart and her soul. He’d seen her pain and her hurt and only his heart had known what to do and he’d done it - without question, without concern, without any thought to himself or the damage that it could do to him, let alone his friendship with Morgan. Because she meant more to him than anything; she was everything.

  Now, with her here in his arms, feeling her heart beat in sync with his, her light finally managed to break through the darkness that was inside of him to allow him to see the bright truth that was right in front of his eyes: not only was he in love with her, but he was, in fact, worth loving, too.

  She’d been the one to show him that and now he prayed that she not only saw it, but that she felt it too.

  “Pierce.” Her soft voice fell over his chest as she lifted her head to look into his eyes and in their shimmering gold, he saw her love for him.

  Cupping her face in his hands, his gaze held hers. He had said a lot of questionable things over his life, risky things that could’ve destroyed him or destroyed the people around him, but compared with all of them, these next three words would be the riskiest, yet most necessary, phrase he knew he would ever utter.

  “Ana!” they both flinched hearing her name echo through the wide-open spaces of the house just as the front door slammed– a giant exclamation point on the urgency with which she was being called.

  “Oh my God.” She quickly stood and Pierce bit into his tongue at the loss of her warm heat around his arousal. “Tony’s here.”

  Pierce grabbed his sweatpants, yanking them back on as Ana tried to collect her clothes that were scattered around the floor.

  “Shit.” He heard her mutter underneath her breath, stumbling as she tried to pull her pants on.

  “Calm down.” He grabbed her shoulders forcing her to be still for a second. “It’s just Tony and Tash. It’s fine. You just finish getting dressed and I will go down and talk to them. Alright, Princess?”

  She nodded, but there was still a thread of worry in her eyes.

  Pierce bent down and placed a firm kiss on her lips before turning to leave the room. He paused for split second, his hand on the doorframe. “You should probably make a stop in your room to grab one of your own T-shirts.”

  Again, she nodded vigorously. Now was not the time to be letting that cat out of the bag and these were not the people who needed to hear it first.

  “There she is!” He exclaimed, looking at Tash with a rueful smile as he walked down the stairs to where Tony and Tash were waiting in the hall.

  “Where’s Ana?” Tony asked, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve texted and tried to call her, but with no answer.”

  “Not sure.” He shrugged. “Although, she did say she was going to take a shower a little bit ago. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t answered.” He turned his attention to Tash. “How are you feeling? I didn’t think you were going to be the one I was going to have to worry about last night.” He tried to keep his tone lighthearted, seeing that Tash looked like she hadn’t slept very well.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” A small, apologetic smile crossed her face.

  “Don’t worry about it - you know I’m just teasing.”

  “Hey, Tony!” Ana’s voice and footsteps echoed behind him, but he didn’t turn his gaze. “I’m so sorry that I missed your call. I was in the shower and then I lay down for a minute and I didn’t hear my phone.”

  Just like he had done, she quickly addressed Tony and then turned her attention to Tash before Tony had the opportunity to think about her response or question her further. But while she was focused on Tash, he saw Tony’s keys flit between Ana and himself; he could practically see the man’s wheels turning – he was an investigatory agent, after all.

  “Are you alright? Here, why don’t we go into the kitchen I’ll make us some tea.”

  A slight nod. “That would be wonderful. Could I just maybe talk to Pierce for a minute first?” She asked softly as her eyes darted over to him.

  His gaze narrowed on Tash and he had a bad feeling about what she needed to tell him even though he knew it was information that he’d seen coming from the second that she passed out.

  Ana’s mouth opened and closed before she swallowed and nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.” She sent him a quick confused stare before turning back to Tony and asking, “Do you want some tea?”

  They walked down the hall into the kitchen and Tash waited until they were well into the room before she turned and walked into the living room, expecting him to follow her.

  “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  “His voice. As soon as he spoke.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “As soon as I heard that voice, I knew who he was. I knew he was one of Julian’s men.” Her voice broke. “How did you know?”

  “Because you aren’t the type of woman who passes out. And because we knew that the men were there on behalf of some drug cartel. And after the look on their faces, it only took me a second to put two and two together.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What are we going to do? What do I do?” She sucked in the shaky breath. “They saw me – they saw my face.”

  He stayed silent for a moment, clenching his jaw while trying to think how the hell to handle this mess.

  “The two that saw you were definitely arrested.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know if the third man saw you or not before he escaped in the crowd.”

  “So, what do I do?” she asked again softly.

  “I don't want to assume that he saw you and send you back to New York and risk putting you in more danger. But I also can't assume that he didn't see you.” Tash’s head dropped and her arms came around to hug herself. “If he did recognize you, you’re in just as much danger here, if not more, because we don't have the manpower to protect you.”

  He clenched his teeth together to stop a curse from escaping his mouth as he watched Tash wipe more tears from her eyes.

  “I'm going to call Sloane, but for right now, we hang tight. Just try to relax. Don't go outside, don’t go anywhere. Just stay put and see what happens.”

  She nodded. And then her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

  The old Pierce would have taken it as his cue to leave and to find someone else to comfort her rather than letting anyone see that he was capable of caring for anyone other than himself.

  That was the old Pierce.

  He stepped towards her and drew her into his arms, holding her tightly as her shoulders shook while she cried.

  "It's going to be okay. We're going to keep you safe." His words seemed too simple for what she must be feeling, but somehow, they must have still meant something because she nodded against his chest.

  “Pierce?” Tash immediately broke from his arms as Ana’s soft, confused tone interrupted them. He turned and saw the twinge of hurt in her eyes, wondering what was going on between him and Tash.

  “I… I’m sorry,” Tash said softly, quickly wiping her eyes and collecting herself. “I think I’m going to go take a shower; I’ll have to take you up on that tea later, Ana, but thank you again.” There was a small smile and then she was gone.

  Ana stood there waiting for an explanation, but Pierce wasn't sure that he could give her one right now. He needed to talk to Sloane first.

  "I’m sorry, Princess. I want to tell you, but I have to make a phone call first.” He stepped towards her, his knuckles lifting up her chin. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” she answered firmly, ev
en though the strength in her voice didn’t quite carry all the way up to her eyes. “Is there anything I can do?”

  He bent down and captured her lips, softly trying to kiss away her doubts.

  “Believe that it’s only you, Ana,” he answered against her mouth. “That I’m all yours.” He pulled back before he gave in to his need to wipe every ounce of doubt from her mind and completely ignore the fate of the woman upstairs whose life could be in danger.

  His words seemed to calm the storm that had been brewing in her eyes, but he would make sure that his feelings for her were crystal clear later.

  “Pierce.” Sloane’s calm voice answered his call as he paced back and forth in his room.

  “We have to talk.”

  “What’s going on? Did you find the painting?” asked Sloane.

  The fucking painting was the least of his concerns right now.

  “No. Actually, I don’t know. Morgan is handling it right now.” He brushed off the question quickly. “I’m calling about Tash.”

  “Hold on.” There was silence for a moment before he spoke again. “Alright, sorry. I wanted to get out of Cyn’s earshot. What’s going on? Is Tash ok?”

  He sighed. “Well, ‘ok’ is a relative term at the moment. Physically, she’s not hurt or anything, but we ran into a small snag. And by small, I mean we need a new fucking plan.”

  “Christ, Pierce. What the hell happened?”

  He knew he was going to get shit for the role he’d played in all of this, but there was no point in hiding or denying it now.

  “I suggested that Tash help us last night in our attempt to locate the thief.” Pierce heard the muted ‘Shit’ on the other end of the phone, but he continued, “There was a masked auction; the party was a disguise to cover up the sale. Morgan was the one we decided to use to make contact with the thief and I suggested that Tash be his date; I thought that the presence of a woman with him might make the thief less skittish.”

  He rubbed a hand over his brow, determining the quickest way to get through everything that had happened only a few hours ago.

  “Well, it turns out we aren’t the only ones looking for this woman – or the painting. It’s a long story and an even longer connection to make, but basically, there were other men there, men who were sent by their employer to take this girl at all costs. They were armed but thankfully, we outnumbered them.”

  “Did Tash get hurt?” Sloane interjected.

  “No. Well, she passed out, but she’s otherwise uninjured. The reason she passed out is the problem. She heard the voices of the men and recognized them as part of Sanchez’s group.” He paused. “And they recognized her. Well, at least the two that we arrested did. There was a third, but I don’t know if he saw her or not before he slipped out with the rest of the crowd.”

  “Fuck.”

  Pierce heard commotion on the other end of the line and figured that Cyn had overheard at least Sloane’s end of the conversation.

  “Alright, let me think.” He paused. “What about the men you arrested? Can’t you find someone to make them talk?”

  “Ana’s guy is trying but I can’t fucking count on that miracle. Plus, who fucking knows many men Sanchez has here or how far his reach extends but based on conversations with some of my contacts, his resources are substantial,” Pierce continued, leaving Loury’s name out of the equation. “She’s freaked out, Sloane, and I don’t blame her. We can’t protect her here if she’s been made – not like Sebastian could back there. But I also don’t want to send her all the fucking way back and put her in a situation that is definitely more dangerous when there’s a chance that she’s still safe here.”

  “Pierce, you’re on speaker.” Cyn’s voice came over the line.

  Great.

  “We need to watch and see, but you need to be prepared that your plans might have to change. And someone needs to tell Sebastian.”

  “Yeah, just let me think for a second,” Sloane replied.

  “Is she ok? Can I talk to her?” Cyn asked.

  This was exactly what he didn’t want to have happen.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. She stayed with one of Ana’s agents last night and just went up to shower. She’s in shock and I think that whatever we decide needs to be told to her in person.”

  “Oh…” Cyn said softly. “Ok, if you think that’s best.”

  “Alright,” Sloane interjected. “Pierce, we can’t watch and wait forever. If someone recognized her, Sanchez will know by now which means that within the next twenty-four hours, you will know whether or not Tash is in danger there.”

  “Agreed.”

  “So, wait until tomorrow night and see if either of those men give up something on Sanchez. In the meantime, I’ll call Sebastian and update him and figure out a plan B if we have to bring her home.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his forehead, his mind already going back to Ana.

  “Until we know for sure, let’s keep this on the down-low. I don’t want Sanchez being spooked into doing something stupid. Not to mention, I don’t want him to draw the connection between Tash and you… because that will lead back to me and ruin all the work we’ve been doing here. Keep her inside, keep her with that other agent, I don’t care; we can’t give Sanchez any more information to work with. We need him to make the next move.”

  “Fine,” he bit out, realizing that what Sloane said meant he needed to keep this from Ana for another day.

  One step forward, two fucking steps back.

  “Keep us posted,” Cyn said.

  He hung up the phone, throwing it at the pillows on the bed.

  Opening his door, he could hear the faint sounds of Tony and Ana still talking downstairs; it sounded like she might have called Gino as well to update him on Morgan and the condition of the thief and see if he was getting anywhere with those confessions.

  Shutting it again, he walked into the bathroom and flipped on the shower. He needed a minute to think. Not to mention, he didn’t care to be in the same room as Tony right now after almost punching the guy.

  Hopefully, by the time he was done showering, Tony would be gone and Ana would be all his.

  He might not be able to tell her some important things at the moment, but he could tell her the most important thing – and that was that he was irrevocably in love with her.

  Chapter 29

  “I still haven’t heard from Morgan, but when I do, I’ll keep you guys updated as to what our next move is – if we even have one,” Ana said calmly to Tony who was standing on the other side of the kitchen island and Gino who was on the phone while waiting at the police station for the opportunity to question the men who’d been arrested last night.

  “Sounds good, I’ll let you know if I find out anything from these men – who they work for, what exactly they want with the girl or the painting.” Gino hung up, leaving her alone with Tony again.

  The lunch that she’d had with him only a few days before now seemed like a lifetime ago – a lifetime that had been consumed with Pierce. Mostly, she was overwhelmed with guilt rather than awkwardness. She felt bad that she’d led him on; she hadn’t done it on purpose – he was a great guy.

  “Everything ok, Ana?” he asked quietly, his stare calmly concerned. “You’ve been very distant since the other morning. If breakfast was too much, too fast—”

  She had to give him something.

  “No!” she interjected, shaking her head. “No, that’s not it. I’m so sorry, Tony. It’s not that it was too much, it was that it was anything. You are… perfect – kind, caring, smart; I wanted… to want you, but I can’t let you continue to think that anything could turn into something.”

  His mouth thinned and she knew that she was hurting him. But, this truth was like a Band-Aid – it stung being ripped off, but it was the only way for him to heal.

  “I’m so sorry, Tony. I didn’t mean for it to get this far. I really tried…” She stopped; more words were only going to make it worse.

/>   He let out a deep sigh. “I understand. I’m sorry if I’ve made this uncomfortable for you.”

  Of course, he would try to apologize.

  “No, no. I’m sorry that I let you continue to think there could be something… when there can’t.”

  He nodded tightly. “I guess you’ll just let me know what’s next then?” Her eyes widened. “For the case.”

  “Oh, yes. Of course.” She rung her hands in front of her, hating to have to hurt him this way.

  He strummed his fingers on the counter for a second before turning to leave. “Ana.” His gaze returned to her. “Is it because of him?”

  She didn’t need to clarify who ‘him’ was. She held his gaze, knowing that she could respond and tell him that it was because she just didn’t feel the same way – and that would have been the truth. No, it would have been a truth. He deserved the truth, which was exactly what he’d said.

  She didn’t respond; she didn’t have to. His eyes found the answer in hers a second later and then he nodded and left. It was only when the front door shut that Ana let out the breath that she’d been holding.

  Ana pulled out her phone – still no word from Morgan. Chewing on her lower lip, she took the steps up to find Pierce and the answers that she needed.

  His door was cracked open, as though he knew she would come searching for him. She heard the showering running as soon as she walked in the room, heat pooling in her stomach at the thought of him naked and wet.

  Shutting the door – and locking it – behind her, she walked quietly towards the bathroom. Pausing just outside the doorway, she quickly stripped off her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. She caught herself smiling in excitement – she’d never felt this beautifully confident in her body before and it only made her more aroused, knowing just what this was going to do to him.

  When she walked into the bathroom, she could see through the fogged glass shower door that he was standing with his back – and delicious backside – to her as he stood rinsing off underneath the rain shower.