His Work of Art (8 page)

He crossed the room and added his box to the stack, oblivious to the tension between Adam and Reese. “I have my flyer designed and ready for copies. You have a date yet?”

Adam swallowed hard. He hadn't given a date any thought.

“Invite the world it is, then.” Hunter rubbed his hands together like an evil genius.

“I have a date. Reese is coming.” He said it and then hoped Reese would be willing to play along. He stared at her. “Hunter agreed to keep the guest list for our annual New Year's Eve party manageable as long as both Free and I had dates.”

Her eyes were wide as she absorbed what he said. He willed her to understand and not blow this. Last year was a disaster.

“And why would you want a party to be manageable?” she asked. Her tone was still a little stiff, and Adam feared where she was going with this.

“That's what I'm saying,” Hunter said.

Adam shot him a dirty look. “Because last year, our apartment was filled with a bunch of strangers who wouldn't leave. They puked everywhere, broke our table, and got the cops called.”

Her face broke out in a soft smile. “Oh. Well, then, I guess it's good that I'm here to help you hold up your end of the bargain, huh?”

Adam got the impression that he was going to pay dearly for this. He looked at Hunter, who was already opening his saxophone case. “Keep it down tonight, would you? We have work to do.”

“Gotcha.” He winked at Reese, which annoyed Adam. “See you later.”

As they walked back to his bedroom, Reese said, “Your roommate's cute. What's the deal about the date?”

“Hunter always has a date. Always. He believes if we don't have dates for our own party, it makes us losers. Thanks for not giving me away back there. I swear I still smell puke in certain corners of the apartment.”

Her nose scrunched up in disgust. “I didn't need to know that.”

“Anyway, you don't really have to come to the party. He knows I have a date and that's all that matters.” He tucked his hands in his pockets because he really wanted to reach out and pull her close again. He needed to get a handle on this attraction or they'd never get any work done.

“You're in luck because I haven't made any plans yet.”

Damn. He didn't think she'd want to come. “Cool. We start around seven, but you can show up whenever.” He edged back to his stool to work.

“Don't think we won't be revisiting Gunner and Lyrid's relationship.”

He knew he wouldn't get off that easy. As he swiveled into place, Reese scooted her chair a little farther away. She picked up the pages he'd already sketched and began adding text and dialogue. They worked in silence, except for the whiny sound of a blues song that Hunter played on the other side of the apartment. Adam didn't know which was more distracting, having Reese close enough to touch or having her ignore him completely.

He shouldn't have kissed her. It had been a mistake, and he had to keep reminding himself of that. They had a good friendship going, as well as an excellent partnership for work.

Besides, as a couple they would never make it. One look at his parents and he knew that. The thought made him a little sick because it was wrong, as wrong as Reese assuming his race didn't matter. Maybe not to him or her, but to plenty of other people, it did matter. He didn't want the complications that would come from that.

Which made him feel like a total shit.

R
eese tormented herself all week. She couldn't reconcile the steamy kiss she'd shared with Adam with his attitude that they shouldn't have done it. For all the times she was sure that he wasn't interested in her, that kiss said different. Now she was faced with going to a New Year's Eve party with him and his friends and a bunch of strangers. Maybe in the relaxed atmosphere of a party, she could get him to open up to figure out what he was thinking.

She looked at her wardrobe, not knowing what to wear to the party. Nothing screamed
kiss me like that again,
so she'd called Julie to ask for help. She had no idea why she continued to stare at her closet like something would change. Jeans, cargo pants, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. She only owned one dress, and that was for funerals. She needed something sexy.

From the other side of the apartment, her mom called, “Julie's here!”

“Come in,” Reese yelled.

Julie walked into the bedroom carrying a filled garment bag. Reese didn't even own a garment bag. Laying the bag on the bed, Julie said, “I brought a bunch of stuff because you didn't say how formal this thing is.”

Reese shrugged. “A party at Adam's apartment. Not formal at all, I guess.”

“What look are you going for?”

Another shrug.

One of Julie's eyebrows winged up.

“Fine. I want to be sexy. I want him to have to pick his tongue up off the floor. I want him to kiss me like he did last week.”

Julie's arms dropped from where they were unzippering the bag. “He kissed you?”

Reese nodded. “It was so great. Until his roommate interrupted and then Adam apologized, so I let it go.” She was still kicking herself for that. She should've kissed him again and turned his world upside down. But he'd seemed so confused by everything that she'd taken pity on him.

“So our mission is to wow his socks off.” Julie flipped through some of the clothes on hangers, shaking her head or making faces at each as she moved by.

Reese tried to look over her shoulder to check out the choices, but Julie blocked her view.

“This,” she finally said and straightened while tugging a dress from the pile.

Reese stared at it. Calling it a dress was optimistic. It looked like a tube with a complicated maze of straps on the top. “What is that?”

“Trust me.” Julie took it off the hanger and held it against Reese. It barely reached mid-thigh. Given that Julie was a few inches taller, it probably just covered her ass.

How was Reese supposed to walk in this?

“Just try it on.”

Julie handed her the dress and waited while Reese stripped down to her bra and panties. Julie pointed at her chest. “No bra. It's built in.”

Reese tossed her bra, shimmied into the dress, and tried to figure out how to make the straps look right. Julie tugged and pulled and showed her how it worked. It was freezing in the skimpy dress. Julie dragged her over to the mirror.

The complicated straps wove across her right shoulder, but her left one remained bare. The dress was clingy, but not suffocating. She turned, looking at her whole body, and felt exposed, but she was sexy. “How do you do this every day?”

“Do what?” Julie asked.

“Dress like this. It takes a lot of work and it's not that comfortable.” She turned again, liking the way the material showed off her curves.

“I don't dress up every day. I dress for the part I'm playing. I look professional because I want to be taken seriously. When I'm on a date, I want the guy to wonder what's going on underneath my clothes. But when I'm home watching TV and munching on popcorn, I'm all about my yoga pants.”

Reese laughed. She couldn't imagine Julie looking anything other than perfect.

“You're going to want fancy shoes, so I brought a few pairs. No combat boots with this dress.”

While Reese hadn't really thought about wearing boots, she cringed at the sight of the heels Julie pulled out of the bag. “I can't wear those.”

“Try.” She dropped them on the floor near Reese's feet.

Reese stepped into them, and discovered they weren't as painful as she'd thought they'd be. She took a couple of steps and wobbled only once.

“I think you should come with me to the party. Adam's roommate is really cute.” She probably shouldn't offer Hunter up since Adam said Hunter always had a date.

“Sorry. I already have plans. With my
boyfriend
. You'll be fine. Besides, if I came, you'd have someone to hang out with. This way, Adam will feel bad leaving you alone since you don't know anyone.”

“I don't want a pity date.”

“It's not pity. It's using the situation to your advantage.” Julie shoved clothes back into the garment bag. “Need anything else?”

“I hope not.”

After Julie left, Reese stumbled around in the heels for a while longer to get used to them. When it was time to get ready for the party, she stood in the bathroom and just stared at her makeup. She normally didn't wear much; she was a simple girl. Maybe she should've asked Julie to help with this too.

Her mom walked by the bathroom. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing. I need to get ready for Adam's party and I'm trying to figure out my makeup.”

“I saw the dress. Pretty.”

Reese nodded and continued to stare at her meager pile of makeup.

Her mom sighed. “Come here.” She turned her and pushed her to sit on the closed toilet. “Close your eyes.”

Then she started to apply makeup. She hummed while she worked, and Reese relaxed under her mother's care. Taking care of people was her mom's specialty. “So you like this Adam a lot, huh?”

Reese bit back her sigh. “Yeah, but I don't think it's mutual.”

“Hmm.” Her mom continued to stroke brushes across Reese's face. “Does he treat you right?”

“I just said we're not like that. We're friends and we have fun together, but we're not a couple. As a friend, he treats me fine.”

Her mother's hand tilted her chin up, and Reese opened her eyes. “Well, that's a start.”

Reese smiled. Her mom had pretty low expectations when it came to men. “Treating you right” could mean any number of things, so the guy could still be a total jerk.

She stood and looked at her reflection above the sink. Her mom had given her smoky eyes and a hint of color on her lips. “Thanks. It looks great. One day, I'll even pay attention so I can do this myself.” She brushed a kiss across her mom's cheek and rushed out of the room to get dressed.

She wasn't ready until seven thirty. She didn't want to be the first person at the party, but she didn't want to be so late that she wouldn't be able to find Adam in the crowd. She stared at the present she'd bought for Adam. They hadn't discussed buying each other gifts, and really, this was something practical, but she debated bringing it with her tonight. Ultimately she decided to slide the package into the pocket of her borrowed coat. When she got there, she could assess if tonight was a good idea.

By the time she found a place to park that didn't require a permit, Reese was two blocks from the party. She eyed her completely impractical shoes and wished for her boots. At least it hadn't snowed again, so the sidewalks were mostly clear. She took a deep breath, tightened the coat around her, and flung open her door. Damn, it was cold out.

She hurried down the block, wind whipping at her. Her toes were instantly numb. Who the hell dressed like this? It was crazy. When she got to Adam's apartment, she could hear music through the door. She rang the bell and when no one answered, she turned the knob. The door opened to warmth and noise.

Inside the hall she stood for a minute, just absorbing all the heat she could. Then she proceeded to Adam's apartment door. Again, she turned the doorknob and let herself in. She eased through the door and took in the sight of the crowd. For a party that had supposedly started only an hour ago, it was definitely in full swing. She scanned the partygoers looking for Adam.

Hunter found her first. “Hey, you're here. I thought maybe Adam was playing me.” He reached for her coat. “I'll put this in Adam's room for you.”

Reese thought about it. She was still really cold. “I'll take it. I know the way. Do you know where Adam is?”

Hunter pointed to the corner of the living room. “He's over there doing tattoos.”

“Tattoos?”

“Temporary ones. He does them every year. He's really good.”

Reese undid the belt of her coat and let it slide open. The warmth of the room hit her. Hunter stared. She blushed under his scrutiny. “What?”

“I want to see the rest.” He smiled without being lecherous.

She slid the coat off and hung it over one arm. Then she took a turn. “Anything else?”

Hunter let out a whistle. “You might want to find Adam before anyone else takes notice.”

“Sure.” She knew she looked good, but she'd never been one to draw attention from every guy in a room. She headed toward Adam's bedroom with her coat, the package of pens banging against her thigh. She debated whether she should take them out now or wait.

Her plan of dumping off her coat in Adam's room was interrupted when she felt someone staring. She looked up and over her shoulder. Her gaze met Adam's.

He held a woman's arm in his hand, marker poised over her skin, but his full attention was on Reese. He mumbled something to the woman in front of him and released her. Then he walked toward Reese, taking no notice of anyone else around him. His staring was a million times worse than Hunter's. She edged away from him and continued on to his room.

Before laying her coat on his stool by his desk, she removed the neatly wrapped package.

From the door, Adam said, “Hey.”

“Hi.” She turned and held out the box. “Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, uh . . .”

Her hand wavered. “I know we didn't say we were exchanging gifts. I just wanted to get you something small to say thanks for helping with my project.”

“I have something for you too. Hold on.” He went over to his closet and pulled out a gift bag. “I'm not good at wrapping.”

They made the exchange and Reese didn't wait for him to open his present. Inside the bag, she found a couple of notebooks, identical to the ones she preferred to write in, and a Batgirl bobblehead. The sound of paper tearing made her look up. “I hope they're the right kind. I figured by the time you're done with all the coloring for our books, you'd be ready for a new set.”

He flipped up the lid on the box of pens. “They're perfect. Thanks.”

“This too.” She held up the bag, and wanted to say more, but had no idea what.

He stood close, and he continued to let his eyes wander over her, like he'd never seen her before. Of course, he'd never seen her like this, so in a way, she was new.

“I hear you're a tattoo artist, huh?”

He licked his lips, which made her insides flutter.

“Just markers for fun.”

“Do one for me?”

“Um, sure. What do you want?”

She turned and set her bag on the floor next to the stool. She stepped closer. “You decide. I trust you.”

A slow grin eased across his face. “I know exactly what to do. I've been toying with an idea for Alexis. You can be my practice canvas.”

Something about the way he spoke made her knees weak. “Okay,” she whispered, knowing no other words would make it out of her mouth.

He spun the stool behind her. “Sit. I'll be right back.”

Grateful to give her legs the break they needed to hide their wobbliness, she scooted onto the stool, and tried to keep her dress from sliding inappropriately high. She tugged at the hem as Adam left the room. While he was gone, she took a few slow, deep breaths.

He returned with two markers: one black, one silver. “You sure you trust me?”

“It's only marker, so it'll wash off eventually.”

He came closer and his thighs brushed her knees. He reached out and touched the bare skin above the strapless side of her dress. “I'm thinking right here, where Alexis was hit with the power of the meteorite.” His fingers trailed up and over her shoulder. “And then it'll continue over here.”

His touch was gentle and sensuous. Her heart raced and she struggled to keep her breaths even. Trying to appear unaffected, she said, “Let's see what you got.”

Adam brushed her hair off her shoulder and the cool cap from the marker glided across her skin. Her breath caught. She had no idea what imaginary lines Adam saw, but she knew that look on his face. He was picturing what would be there. A couple of times, the marker ran into the top of her dress. Both times, he huffed in frustration.