Work of Art ~ the Collection (60 page)

I have a vague sense of my phone ringing, and it wakes me up. I slowly move the phone to my face and blink several times at the screen.
Max.

“Hey, handsome. What’s up?”

“Ava, I need to see you. Can I come over?”

“It’s the middle of the night. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“I’m just wound up. I haven’t slept since Santa Fe. I mean, I’ve tried, but I haven’t been able to. I’ve been painting, and I can’t stop; I’m starting to freak out.”

“Where are you?”

“I’ve been driving around. I’m almost to West Hollywood.”

“Come over. I’ll be waiting.”

I slide out of bed, my naked skin shocked by the cool evening air. I’ve taken to sleeping nude since Santa Fe, only the sheets cradling me as I sleep.

I wrap myself in my pale blue silk robe and wander into the kitchen for a glass of water. I’m glad Riley’s spent the night at Dylan’s, now that Max is headed over. Only moments later, he knocks on the door, and I feel a rush of adrenaline, knowing he’s here.

I open the door. Max looks completely exhausted and wired, and although his lack of sleep has worn him down, he still lights up when he sees me.

I grab his hand and lead him inside before caressing his face. “Baby, you look so tired. Are you okay?”

“I am now. I just needed to see you.” He wraps his arms around me and holds me close. His sigh runs straight through me. I want to chase away his anxiety and smooth out every wrinkle and bump.

“Come, sit down.”

He collapses onto the couch and drags his messenger bag strap over his shoulder. Pulling the flap open, he says, “Here, I brought you something.”

“What is it?”

He hands me two books about Andrea Altman to help me with my research. Something about this simple gesture stirs me to my core.

“Max,” I sigh and crawl over him, straddling him. I gently frame his face with my hands. It hasn’t escaped me that he’s trying to support me in my project with Nick. I graze my fingers over his cheeks and look solemnly into his eyes.

“Baby, what made you think to get me these?”

“I’m always thinking about you, Ava.” He runs his hands across my naked thighs.

I study his face, trying to understand the blur of emotions running across it.

“Besides, I thought they would help you.” He smiles unsteadily, as if he isn’t sure that his gesture was the right thing to do.

“Thank you for the books, Max. I can’t tell you how much it means that you went out of your way to help me.”

His expression is hopeful. “I do want to help you. I want your happiness more than my own now. I fucking love you, Ava.”

“I love you too, Max.” I kiss him softly and run my fingers slowly through his hair. He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the couch, while I make soft circles with my nails across his scalp and feather kisses along his forehead. As he relaxes, I can feel his body and mind open. It’s encouraging to know he trusts me to help him step out of the dark places.

He runs his hands along my back, across the soft silk of my robe, before he pulls me closer.

“I’ve missed you.” The next kiss has more fire as I press up against him. He’s exhausted, yet I can’t help the passion his closeness stirs in me. Sleep, not sex, is what he needs, so I start to move off his lap.

He takes hold of my hips so I can’t move. “Where are you going?”

“To put you to bed. You need sleep more than me rubbing against you.”

“I’ve been awake this long . . . Please keep rubbing.” He gives me a sheepish grin and presses my hand to his arousal straining against his jeans. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to sleep until I get my fill of you.”

I skim my lips along his ear. “Really? Can I make love to you, Max? I’ll do most of the work.”

“Yes, please,” he moans.

As I kiss his neck and run my teeth along his chin, he repeats my name in whispers before he begins to unravel. I kiss him slow and deep, feeling his hardness pulsing as I sink further into his lap.

“I need you, Ava.”

I swiftly remove his shirt and run my hands over his chest. I untie my belt, and as soon as it’s loose, he parts the silk panels away from my naked flushed skin.

His eyes widen. “Oh, Ava.” His voice is strangled with desire, his breath ragged.

As my breasts skim his chest, I undo his jeans with his eager help.

“Do you know how good it feels when you’re inside me?” I ask, as I look down and admire him. I stroke him as I roll on the condom, his skin silky, hot, and sheathing steely hardness. No one’s ever made me feel such overwhelming desire. He takes a deep breath as I lift my hips and hover over him.

“Come on, baby,” he whispers, his eyes focused where he’s pressed against me.

I moan as I sink down until he’s completely inside of me.

He takes in a sharp breath, closes his eyes, and his lips curl into a sexy smile.

As I rock my hips slowly, his head falls back, but his gaze never breaks away from mine. He watches my every move as I rise and fall on him.

“This is what I needed.” His hands slide down to cup my ass as he guides me.

I watch him as his mouth moves over my breasts, taking as much pleasure as he’s giving. My movements are becoming choppy and my breath ragged as I feel myself losing control.

Suddenly, he grabs me, shifting my position so that our friction is just right. When my climax hits me, I feel like I’m splitting apart, but I never stop moving, riding him through it.

He moans as he joins me. His hands are firmly on my hips, pushing and pulling as he lets go, his teeth grinding and his eyes wild.

When we’ve crested, he collapses back against the couch, panting, as I settle onto his chest.

He gives me a lazy smile and lets his eyes roll back. “Holy hell. What you do to me.”

“Come on, love, sleepy time.” I take his hand and lead him to my bedroom. By the time I get him into bed and join him, he’s sound asleep.

When my alarm goes off, we’re wrapped around each other, and it takes me a moment to untangle myself and turn off the damn thing. Max barely stirs, and I watch him for a while.

He’s so beautiful when he sleeps, his face calm and peaceful. My heart swells to see him content after his sleepless anxiety.

I lightly run the tip of my index finger across his eyebrows, down his nose and over his lips. He wiggles his nose and slowly opens his amazing gray-blue eyes.

“Ava,” he whispers, smiling.

“Max.”

“I wasn’t dreaming.”

I laugh softly. “But it was like a dream, wasn’t it?”

He nods with a grin on his face.

“I’m going to scrounge something up for breakfast. Any requests, my love?”

He playfully runs his fingers through his hair. “Waffles with fresh raspberries and whipped cream, a double cappuccino, and some fresh-squeezed juice.”

“Humph, how about a granola bar and coffee with vanilla Coffee-mate?” I get out of bed and pull on my robe.

“Oh, you spoil me!”

“Yes, my king. You just lie there in all your splendor and I’ll bring you my spoils.”

I bounce around the kitchen, trying to scrounge up something breakfast-like. I find some raspberry jam, so I make toast, which is as close as he’s getting to waffles with berries this fine morning.

Hopefully I’ll have more warning next time he spends the night, so I can be better prepared. I make two bowls of instant oatmeal and cut a banana into them before pouring the coffee. I load up a tray and carry it back to bed.

“Here we are, my lord,” I tease, as I move the coffee mugs to the bedside table and set the tray on the bed as he sits up. We enjoy our breakfast picnic slowly. He eats his toast and finishes off mine too.

“You’re hungry,” I say, as he finishes the oatmeal.

“Yeah, I didn’t eat last night.”

“Max, you’ve got to take better care of yourself. No sleep . . . no food . . . what the hell?”

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m off my balance since Santa Fe. I see Cara this afternoon, and I’m hoping it helps me get a handle on things.”

“It’s because of me . . . of us.” A feeling of dread creeps up my spine.

Fear flashes in his eyes. “No, don’t say that, Ava. Don’t take that on. Yes, I’ve been on a manic high since Santa Fe. But come on, this”—he gestures between us—”is huge. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“The best?”

“I’m in love. It’s crazy. For the first time in my life, I’m fucking in love.”

I grin. “It is crazy. I’m fucking in love too.”

“That’s my girl.” He takes our coffee mugs and sets them down before pulling me into his arms.

“And part of me never wants this feeling to level out. All I want to do is make love to you and paint, and all the other stuff can follow.”

“Let’s fit some eating and sleeping into that agenda.”

“Okay. I will.”

I look at the clock. “Speaking of which, I need to jump in the shower and get to work. Why don’t you lie back and rest some more?”

He surprises me by flopping back on the bed. He takes the pillow I was using and curls it under his arm, pressing his face into it and taking a deep breath. “I can still smell you.” He smiles and closes his eyes.

After I’m dressed and ready, I go to kiss him good-bye, but he’s sound asleep again. So I write him a note and leave it where my pillow was.

My love,

Thank you for my surprise visit last night. There’s nothing better than waking with you in my bed.

I miss you already.

Love,

Ava

Just after seven that evening, I pull open my front door and gape at the sight of Max. He’s wearing pressed jeans with boots and a beautifully tailored jacket over a black T-shirt. He’s holding an enormous bouquet of garden roses in various stages of bloom.

He offers them to me. “These are from my garden.” He smiles as his gaze skims over me.

“Oh, these are gorgeous,” I sigh, as I take the flowers and head to the kitchen to find a vase. “I love garden roses.”

He smiles, his head held high. He’s a different man from last night. He looks rested, his eyes are bright, and he’s freshly shaven. I want to run my tongue along the sharp angle of his jaw and taste his gorgeous lips. It’s moments like this that I can’t believe he’s really mine.

He stands behind me as I fill the vase with water at the sink. Pulling my hair back, he gently kisses my neck and inhales deeply. “You look beautiful tonight, Ava.”

I turn around slowly. “And you look handsome, Max. I have to wonder with all this special treatment . . . what are you trying to do to me?”

He laughs as he pushes my hair over my shoulders and strokes the side of my face. “We’re taking it slow tonight, although seeing you like this makes dinner sound very uninteresting.” He slides his hands around to my backside and pulls me up against him.

“What’s the occasion tonight?”

“Anytime I’m with you is special,” he says softly. “But we haven’t been on a real date yet, Ava. So, I’m taking you on a real date.”

“Are we going back to Dupars or The Apple Pan?”

“No, I had something more upscale in mind.”

“But I love those places,” I say with a pretend pout.

“Next time. Tonight, I’m going to wine and dine you at a fine establishment. If things go right, I may even seduce you at the end of the evening.”

“Honestly, Max?” I wave my hand up and down from his head to his feet. “One look at you, my gorgeous man, with your armful of roses, and the seduction was a done deal.”

“You’re not going to distract me, woman. I’m on a mission here . . . real date, remember?”

I raise one eyebrow, sashaying away from him and grabbing my jacket and purse.

Max drives to Hollywood and pulls up in front of Café des Artistes, where he’s reserved a corner table on the patio. The waitress with a seductive smile, tattoos up her neck, and a killer body, flirts with my man unabashedly, and Max doesn’t give her the time of day. He only has eyes for me.

We order a bottle of wine and linger over our meal, holding hands and talking quietly. I don’t know when I’ve ever felt so happy and so adored. We finish by sharing a chocolate soufflé.

Back in the car, instead of going home, Max drives to Los Feliz, winding his car up a hill. I’m curious, but don’t ask questions, so I can prolong the mystery. When we get to the top, he pulls into the parking lot at the Griffith Observatory.

“Have you ever been up here?” he asks, as he opens my car door.

“No.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat.”

He takes my hand and we walk through the planetarium, a great old art deco building perched on a hill above Los Angeles. There’s nothing like viewing the stars and planets to put things in a broader perspective. The various displays intrigue me, but the real thrill is when he takes me to the walkway behind the building.

It’s a clear crisp night and the city lies before us, a jewel box lit from within. It sparkles and hums with energy.

“Wow! This is unbelievable,” I gasp, as I lean over the rail. The view sweeps north to south and all the way to the ocean, a rolling blanket of twinkling lights.

He nods. “It’s one of the best views in the city.”