Page 120 of The Other Side of Paradise
“Allison.” I reached over the table, and I used the trick I’d learned to get her to tell me the truth—cupped her jaw and turned her head to face me, and she went iridescent, eyes wide, looking at me.
“Stella. Hi.”
“Hi.” I leaned over the table and kissed her quickly, and when she was suitably dazed, I said, “Tell me.”
“The… uh. I was thinking it would actually be perfect for a finishing touch on a painting that, um… well, you know, an old painting that means a lot.”
“Is it the painting of me on your couch?”
“Ugh, yes.” She looked away, blushing harder. “It’s just… detailing in your eyes. The color is good. Like… it’s a verylustrous color, like sunlit amber, and quinacridone doesn’t fade away and lose its shine like other acrylics do, so it’s, um, you know…”
I stared at her a while, smiling wider and wider until it hurt, and I said, “You are literally so romantic. Stop that right now. Except don’t.”
She scratched her head. “I regret opening my mouth.”
“Can we do it right now? We have plenty of time before the workshop.”
“Oh, uh. I mean, yeah. We should set you up with your tools too! Get you ready with your kit so you’re really in a good position to run a workshop. Let everyone know you’re a serious painter.”
“You’re avoiding the topic.”
“Ugh, yes, I am. Okay, fine! Let’s… let’s just do a little touchup. A little overpaint. Detail work. Devil’s in the details. I mean, not that there’s anything devilish about detailing in your eyes. I mean…”
I smiled. She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sorry. There’s something biologically very wrong with me.”
“I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
“Jesus,youof all people saying that about me. Maybe I’m doing something right.”
I really liked this girl. Didn’t hurt that she was very good for my self-esteem.
We got the canvas set up, and Allison was blushing furiously the whole time—I mean, it was a sexy painting, but it was also symbolic of a lot for us. Of her catching me when I fell, when everything else broke away underneath me… and of how we’d always shared our feelings. I mean, I guess I couldn’t speak for her, but I was pretty sure she was on the same page that sex was a lot more than just a fun thing to do with our bodies.
Of course, I still got a little turned on seeing the way Allison squirmed while getting set up with the painting. Between that and the loving attention to detail as she painted the color in on my eyes, bringing highlights to life there and in the highlights in my hair, a few scatterings of where golden sunlight in the painting glowed on my skin, I was a little touchy-feely when she finished, and she softened back against me when I pressed into her back with my hands on her sides.
And she was very receptive when I slipped my hands up under her shirt, feeling her soft, smooth skin.
“Stella… you really shouldn’t do that right now,” she murmured. I slipped my hands around to her front, brushing my thumb over her navel.
“I should if I’m planning on taking you to bed before the workshop.”
“We—we don’t have a lot of time—”
“Consider it a warmup round, then.”
“Well…” she said, clearly wanting it but not wanting to admit that, so I helped her along a little bit, unbuttoning her pants. She moved her hips against me with a small gasp. “Okay. Okay, I should be quick anyway. My god.”
She was, but that was okay—I kissed her deeply and passionately and took her to the bedroom, where I eased her onto her back in that soft, romantic bed, I stripped her out of her clothes and lavished kisses over every part of her body. Took off my clothes and slipped into the strap-on harness, and I settled in between her legs, admiring how perfect she looked spread out underneath me with those pretty brown eyes pleading looking up at me, and I held eye contact while I pushed inside of her until she let her eyes flutter shut with a long moan, and I sank into her, our lips meeting in a long, slow kiss, not rushing anything. It didn’t take long before she quivered underneath me with a soft, tender gasp, and she came undone for me, her eyes softadoration when she opened them again looking up at me. Took off the strap and guided her between my legs while I laid on my back this time, and I indulged in the soft touch of her lips and her tongue as she returned the favor, sending me off to paradise, and it wasn’t long before we melted together at the head of the bed, Allison tangled up in my arms breathing softly, her face against my collar while I peppered small kisses on the top of her head.
“Perfect inspiration for the workshop,” I said, and she snorted, laughing softly against me.
“That’s all this was, I’m sure.”
“Of course. Just looking for inspo. It’s now a course on painting hot naked women.”
“I mean, I’d… I’d attend that workshop.”
