As I Breathe (One Breath at a Time: Book 2) (32 page)

“
No. It was long ago when I lost her.”

“
How long ago was it when she—” I hesitated. Damn, why do I have such a loose tongue? I was ruining any chances that he’d find me more than interesting.

“
Many decades ago,” he said, nodding.

“
Again, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry,” I lied my butt off. I liked this man so much already; I wanted to know everything about him. This was so unlike me. Since the ordeal with Jordan I was slow to put my heart into the line of fire.

“
I don’t mind.” He flashed me a reassuring smile that made my knees wobble.

“
I love hearing details about other people’s lives.”

“
From what I understand, in the brief moments, before I came into this world the sky grew dark and gray. A thick fog swept over the city and a sudden down pour of rain came...along with my cries.
Voilá,
here I am,” he said, smiling.

His eyes filled with a strange sincerity, a seam of light entered into them, I could see the gray parts now appeared lighter than I had previously thought. Stunning, defined rings around the irises, so jet-blue they could be mistaken as black. Ominous eyes that seemed to change color.

“Oh my, it seems you’ve inherited your mother’s gift of poetry. You tell that with a spark in your eyes.” I openly flirted, flashing him a coy smile.

“
Thank you, she would have been pleased to hear your kind words. She thought my name was very apropos, considering.” He stopped short, shrugged in an exaggerated manner and clapped his palms together. “Well, there you have it. That’s my story.”

“
You miss her don’t you?”

“
I do. I can still see her soft hands in my mind to this day.”

“
That’s so sweet.”

Greyson flashed down at my hands. “They were long and slender—petite like yours.”

Suddenly, I felt the need to fidget. “Awe, thanks. May I ask about your father?”

What was I doing interviewing him?

Greyson shook his head. “He’s gone,” he faintly snapped. A shaky smile rose to his expression. “God bless his soul too.” His tone softened, but still it was cold, empty and didn’t sound like much of a blessing.

“
I’m sorry you have suffered such losses. I couldn’t imagine losing one of my parents.”

“
It’s okay—my father’s one good contribution, to me, was that he loved my mother. Which made him a good man, and I loved him for that one reason alone.” A dark expression settled in his smoky eyes. Hmm, I sensed there might have been a conflict that rose between him and his father. I wondered what had happened. But, why would he reveal his dirty laundry to a complete stranger? He didn’t seem the type that would besmirch his father.

Maybe another time he’ll share his family secrets, I hoped, and then let it go.

“Well, I think it was clever how your mother chose your name. Thanks for sharing, Greyson...” I paused awkwardly, wishing I had never asked anything about his father.

“
Please, call me Rain, most of my old friends did—do.” His breath caught. “Most of them do,” he said, correcting himself.

“
Okay, then Rain it is. I love the rain!” I couldn’t believe I said that. I wanted to drown myself in one of the spas.

“
I am glad you do,” he said then winked at me without missing a beat, adding. “One day I intend to rain all over you.”

How suggestive! Did he really say that? What do I say? Let it rain!
If only I was fearless I would have, but he may have taken that wrong. Even if I was teasing...I didn’t have the nerve. Then again, he had the nerve, so why shouldn’t I be so bold?

“
Uh...” I said long-winded, for the lack of words, feeling my face turning crimson.

Damn, Rain’s confidence poured out like a strong waterfall, steady, bold and unwavering. I wished mine had flowed that freely. Instead, I gawked, shivered inside and blushed a lot.

“Brielle...I am teasing you,” he quickly piped in, smiling down at me. He must have seen the look of shock written all over my face, not to mention my lack of response.

“
Mr. de’ Bluche, you have a clever sense of humor...very witty.”

“
Perhaps..., when I
hand delivered
you, your receipt.” His brow arched in the damnedest sexiest way.

“
Oh that; the double entendre.” I giggled and waved my hand into the air. “Sorry, it’s just—your hand—well, it...I mean, you actually
hand delivered
it to me,” I said half-wittedly, fumbling my words.
Here I go again.

From the first moment I met Rain, I’d spoken as if I had a silly crush on him. Everything about me was magnified, my voice, my breath, and the heat coursing through my veins. This coquettish behavior was not like me. My voice didn’t even sound like my own. My pitch was reaching notes I didn’t know it could. I sounded like a teenage girl, hanging out backstage at a concert, behaving gaga-goo-goo over a rock star she had just met. There wasn’t a moment I wasn’t smiling, and I couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off my face.

Rain’s smile broadened, revealing his pearly white teeth. A mischievously wry expression touched his lips and settled in his eyes. He radiated confidence. From my perspective it was apparent that he knew he had a mesmerizing effect on me. I believed he liked that he was able to rattle my nerves to some degree.

Even when our conversation turned toward business, he had an effect on me. I felt spellbound by his presence. I went on and on, prattling about how I wanted to remodel my bathroom by adding a bathing tub, which would complete my dream bathroom.

I explained my bathroom dilemma. “It doesn’t have to be a spa with all the bells and whistles. I certainly don’t need the finest jet system that’s on the market. Just something simple that fits the space...maybe—uh, never mind. Right now, all I have is a stand in shower so anything is better than that...I’m sure you get the picture.” My blushing began again, especially when my eyes caught his expression.

A little
Zoolander
sexy pout formed on his kisser. His eyes slowly narrowed and went slightly upward. I wondered if he was imagining me naked in my shower.

Rain and I had become quite acquainted in the first moments of meeting. Thanks to my utter lack of trepidation in invading his personal boundaries, ice-breaking questions and his confidence that screamed:
Bold we go
! He had a way of making it easy to talk to him. Still, though I trembled inside.

My nerves actually settled when I was distracted with taking care of business. Every second I had spent with him revealed something new and unpredictable.

He showed me several spas that would work with what I described to him. I was most embarrassed when I blurted out that his prices were a bit beyond my tight budget. In Paris, negotiating prices when making a purchase or talking about money or the lack of having it was considered taboo.

He kindly overlooked my etiquette faux pas and totally agreed with me that his prices were not within most people’s budgets. Rain winked and it felt so seductive to me.

We stood there for an awkward moment of silence, just staring into each other’s eyes. Perhaps it was only seconds, but it felt as if I’d fallen into forever where time and space didn’t exist. However, I didn’t miss that he had slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a dainty skeleton key.

He turned his head toward the back of the store then toward me and smiled sagely. “I have something very special to share with you.”

Inquisitively I repeated, “Special?”

“
Yes, I’ve been waiting a long time to show you this,” he winked. I didn’t mind at all that he was flirting with me.

He held out his large long hand then wiggled it a bit, indicating that I should take hold of it.

I wondered what he meant by his comment, waiting a long time?
Was he implying that I had talked too much? Why would he have something special waiting for me, and what was the key for?

I felt a bit puzzled, even so, that didn’t matter, without hesitation, I reached out and received his hand. When the palms of our hands collided, an electric shock ran through my entire body. It was as if his soul entered into the center of my throbbing heart and for a split second, it hurt so good. He turned and smiled at me in this exact moment. I wondered if he too had felt the hurt so good sensation.

When he smiled, his eyes darkened to velvet gray with flecks of light that twinkled like the Northern star.

I had become more and more enchanted by his charm as the moments flew by. A stranger, indeed, but I wanted that to change.

If he had chosen for me to do so, I would have followed him into an abyss of no return as a slave girl would her master.

-33-

No Return

He led me to the back of the store and down a seemingly endless corridor. The walls were painted black and heavily textured
.
It was very dark save for violet pin lights that hung down from the ceiling. The lights emphasized the strands of gray in his coal-black hair.

The further we walked I could feel the air shift to a cooler temperature.
Is he taking me to a place of no return?
My pulse quickened, and every so often I caught myself glancing over my shoulder. Keeping close to him, my footsteps matched his one for one.

What was I doing following a stranger into the dark? It was drilled into me not to do anything remotely like this growing up. Here, I was jeopardizing my own safety. My behavior was foolish, perhaps even dangerous. Yet, I did it anyway. I was explicitly breaking all my rules with him. The thought of my naivety made me rethink my poor judgment. I pulled back on his hand slightly.

“I’m not sure about this Mr. de’ Bluche,” I said formally with a shaky voice.

He turned to me. “It’s okay...I promise you won’t regret it. You will fall in love with what I would like to show you.” He gazed at me with an expression that I could not decipher.

Fall in love?
I repeated inwardly.
Was there anything he could show me greater than himself?
I was already falling for him. I couldn’t imagine anything that could top the butterflies that already fluttered in my stomach. His expression didn’t give away what that might be.

“
Okay. I think...” my voice trailed off to a raspy whisper.

He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “It’s just a few more paces ahead.”

I felt paralyzed, yet my legs kept moving forward. Quieting my breath, I listened for any voices inside that might have alerted me to retreat. The only feeling that stood out was intense curiosity to know where he was taking me. And what I would love.

At the end of the corridor, I could see a large wooden door. With each step closer to it, my nerves grew with imminent anticipation. What was behind that door?

I felt the palm of my hand become moist against his. Surely he felt it too, sensing my steeping apprehension. With every other step, he glanced back at me and lightly squeezed my hand in a comforting way.

When we reached the arched door, he slowly opened it and turned to his side, his back against the frame of the door. He raised his arm, still holding my hand as if we were in a dance.

I followed his lead and dipped below his arm as I entered the room. My eyes widened in awe. I looked around in mute amazement.

The room was dimly lit with an array of candles. I had never seen so many candles in one place. It felt cozy, cool and damp all at once. I could hear the sound of running water in the distance.

“This place is beautiful. Where exactly are we?” I breathed.

“
It’s my private chamber.”

“
Interesting name.” I flashed my eyes around making sure there weren’t any shackles attached to the walls from previous visitors. No chains or handcuffs to be seen, only exquisite oil paintings showcased in protective glass, and framed photography hung on the walls amongst large potted plants.

“
Your artwork is lovely and so extraordinary.”

“
Thank you. They’re just a handful of many other items I’ve collected through the years.”

“
Very Nice. The photography is beautiful too...did you take them?”

“
Yes,” he humbly admitted.

“
Another hobby, huh?” Rain tilted his chin slightly upward to agree. “You have a great eye. These are very impressive,” I said, scanning his work, wondering if this was what he wanted me to see.

The photos were close-ups of different still life objects. My eyes continued to scan them all. I was particularly drawn to the one of a woman. She was dressed in a 1940’s outfit. Her face was obscured by a shadow. “Well, you couldn’t have taken this one. The woman in the photo...is she your mother when she was young?” I glanced toward him.