Page 87 of Art of Love
I didn’t know why I even cared about the time.
Why was I even still here?
Here in L.A.
A rustle sounded at the door, and I glanced over to the paintings Stephan and I had done last night.
That was what we did. We weren’t screwing around.
People did what made them feel better in times of hurt, uncertainty, and pain. Artists painted, or whatever their style or technique was.
That was what I did, and I just had someone with me to help me out.
Hunter, however, thought I cheated and that I was just as bad as his ex.
Maybe we’d gotten into this relationship too soon after his last. I didn’t know.
It never felt like that before, but this morning it did.
The rustling sounded again, and the front door pushed open.
Hunter stood there looking at me.
He was soaked.
His white T-shirt clung to his abs, making him look sexier than ever.
This was him, not the Brad Pitt/Thor look-alike. This was Hunter Kane, and even though I knew he would come at some point, I was still mad at him.
He came inside and closed the door.
He left his shoes by the coat stand and came over to me. My eyes never left him.
“I told you not to come,” I said holding his gaze.
“You remember how annoying I can be?” His lips arched into a soft smile.
He kneeled down in front of me.
“I don’t want to talk to you yet.”
“And I can’t be without you.” He reached out and took my hand.
“Don’t say things like that to me.”
“Why, love?”
“I spent last night crying, and I don’t want to go back there.” I didn’t.
“Thank you for what you did for me. You will never know what it meant to me, and let’s address this now. We both know what John wants, so now we can both give it our best shot. We can work separately from now on and just do what we love. Like we said, we won’t let a job get in the way of our relationship, and we agree not to sabotage each other. That’s us, Jia. We showed that we can work as a team. Now it’s time to do the very best we can on our own. So, that’s work, and we’ll say no more about it, except for maybe working out a schedule for the next three weeks.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“You think we can do that? I was practically told I won’t make it.”
“Sweetheart, no one told you anything of the sort. And if they did, they’d be taking the bloody piss. And I wouldn’t stand by and let anyone hurt my bird.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I he went all English on me.
“I was an idiot last night, Jia. It wasn’t that I doubted you. I was scared. I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my life, and last night, I was a coward. I allowed another man to take care of my girl when I saw she was in pain. Can you forgive me for being an idiot?”
