MisMatch (A Humorous Contemporary Romance) (28 page)

“Eli, I—”

He put out a hand. “Please, let me finish. I
tried to tell you that day in Malibu that you'd already changed my
life for the better in more ways than I could ever tell you. You
reminded me to have fun again. You’re impetuous and free spirited,
and frankly, scare the shit out of me, but there it is. And that
night, after the exhibition, when you told me about the sculpture,
I knew I ruined it. Instead of saying thank you or telling you how
much that meant to me, I did what I always do—attempt to drug you
with sex. It was the only way I knew to say the one thing that I
couldn’t. I love you.”

A chill settled over Jessica’s body,
followed quickly by prickling heat. Her heart hammered as she
watched his lips continue to move, but she didn't understand a word
past
I love you
.

“Y-you love me?”

“God, yes. I should have just said the words
instead of thinking the actions were enough.”

Her brain stuttered on something he'd said
before his confession of love. “Wait, you said you were so happy
about the sculpture. But that’s Samson's work.”

His bronzed skin turned a pale shade of red,
and he immediately stopped talking. The longer she stared, the
redder he grew. Finally, he shoved his hands in his pockets and
looked away. “Yeah, uh, the sculpture is mine. Samson doesn't
sculpt. I do. It was the one medium I excelled in. It was the only
thing that was mine.”

“You, Eli, did that piece?”

“Yes.” He still wouldn't look at her.

Only then did she understand that he thought
his work wasn't worth anything. When he'd taken her into the
sculpting room at his place, he'd called himself a failed artist.
And she got it. Why he'd given up being an artist for Samson to
shine. He'd never thought himself good enough. “Eli.”

He shrugged. “I’ve never shown anyone that
room. Vince asks why I have a three bedroom place with a room I
never use.”

She frowned. Vince? Exhaling a long breath,
she sank down onto the bed. “You realize we're going to have to
re-have a shit ton of conversations. What do you do, exactly?”

Eli blinked at her several times and shook
his head. “Oh, uh, I work as an art authenticator and retriever for
Banes Insurance. I also consult for the FBI. White collar crimes
essentially.”

“FBI? And Vince is your handler?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded. “Wingman. Got it.”

“I have no right to ask, but maybe you'd be
willing for us to start over. Maybe let me take you on a real date
or two. I've been a complete mess without you. Please say you'll
think about it.”

There. He was hers. Finally, a guy that she
could count on. One who was available, with a normal job. And he
loved her. He wanted to be with her and no one else. She ignored
the twinge of mistrust. He was hers. She loved him. Had since she’d
sold his sculpture work. There was something so tender in it. So
open. She didn't need to start over with him. She might not have
known his name, but she knew him at the core.

Standing on shaky legs, she walked over to
him and laid a hand on his chest.

His eyes were grave. “Sassy, please don’t
tell me to go. I don’t think I can take another night like the one
in the hotel.”

“Eli, I love you. You see past everything
and see me. Of course, I love you.”

His arms snapped around her so quickly her
breath choked out.

“Oh, God. I wasn’t sure you’d ever take me
back. I will spend every minute of the rest of my life telling you
every way I can how much I love you.”

She grinned. “That’s an excellent
start.”

Lights twinkled above Jessica’s head, and
she couldn’t resist a twirl in her vintage Tom Ford chartreuse
dress.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind,
and she sighed into the embrace. “You look beautiful, Miss Stanton.
I’m very proud of you.”

She smiled. “Well, I couldn’t have done it
without these artists I know. Twins. Can you imagine? One this
fantastic sculptor. He was the real find, honestly. The other a
gifted painter with a flair for the dramatic.”

Across the room Samson escorted two models.
Several patrons had already tried to pay for him to do a private
in-home exhibition. Jessica shook her head.

Eli’s voice was a low rumble in her ear.
“Don’t go feeling bad for Samson. He’s having a ball. This is
exactly the kind of opening he’s always dreamed about. Thank you
for helping make his dreams come true.”

Jessica turned in Eli’s arms and kissed him.
“And what about your dreams, Eli? Did I help you realize them?”

The crooked grin was back. “The moment you
said you’d be mine, all my dreams came true. Making me into an
artist was icing on the cake.”

“Will you two love birds give it a rest?
Some of us are currently single.”

Jessica turned to see Vince approaching and
raised an eyebrow at him. “Something tells me your single status is
by choice. What happened to Carla?”

Vince smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on his
tux. “I’m too handsome to be tied down. Besides, now that Eli is
off the market, there will be plenty more women for me. I have to
keep my options open.”

Jessica rolled her eyes, and Eli just
chuckled.

“Same old Vince.” Eli muttered.

His partner grinned. “Well, besides giving
you guys a hard time about the lovey dovey crap, I wanted to tell
you that Jocelyn has agreed to testify against her father.”

Samson chose that moment to come over.
Jessica still did a double take when the two of them were in the
same room. It usually took her a second to tell them apart, but she
always managed it.

“You guys look like you’re discussing
something serious. I figure it’s the case?”

Eli nodded and squeezed Jessica tighter to
him. “Jocelyn is going to testify.”

Samson’s jaw set. “Good. I hope you’re not
taking it too easy on her though.”

Vince shook his head. “Don’t worry. She’ll
still do time, but her testimony will be critical in putting
Michael Ellis away for a long time.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Did she or Ellis
ever say why they went so far?”

Vince shifted his feet before answering.
“Apparently, you weren’t the only one with a drug history. When his
daughter missed out on some scholarships and got involved in some
recreational drug use, she stopped painting. Things got worse after
you went to jail. She blamed herself. She couldn’t create anything
new at that point. She could only copy. Ellis blames you.”

Sam frowned. “But that’s stupid. She made
her own choices.”

“According to Ellis, she was in love with
you.”

Samson shook his head. “What a mess.”

Eli clapped him on the shoulder. “But it’s
over now. You’ve got your dream come true.”

Samson smiled at Jessica. “Thanks to Jessica
here. Thanks for not firing me as a client.”

Jessica smiled back at him. “You’re lucky
your brother is a very good kisser.”

Eli kissed the top of her head. “Looks like
Izzy and Jason have arrived. The press is going insane
outside.”

Jessica craned her neck to check on her
family. The moment Izzy’s gaze met hers, her best friend beamed and
gave her a thumbs up.

Jessica scanned the crowd again. Her mother
and Karl were discussing one of Eli’s pieces. With Jason’s and
Izzy’s arrival Jessica had everything she needed. But still, she
wanted to rub it in Destiny Shane’s face just a little.

Eli whispered in her ear. “Who are you
looking for?”

She blushed. “Destiny,” she said sheepishly.
“I know it’s petty. But she made my life miserable for months. I
wanted to gloat a little.”

Vince cleared his throat. “Well, you can
look all you want, but she’s not coming.”

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.

“She was working with Ellis, having her
artists create multiple prints of their works and selling them at
exorbitant prices, even though they were copies. We’ve got her on
conspiracy.”

“Is it bad that I really want to smile?” she
asked.

Eli shook his head. “Nope.”

Jessica kissed him lightly on the lips. “You
know what? Forget Destiny. I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Eli grinned. “I plan to keep it that
way.”

The End

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