Glass Hearts (4 page)

“More than ready,” she replies, jumping off the counter. Maybe I should tell her how we’re going to get there, but then again, it might be more fun to surprise her.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I say as he walks me over to his motorcycle. I asked about calling a cab as soon as we exited the building, but he waved my attention toward his bike. Suddenly I feel nauseous. I’m not a motorcycle type girl. There is no way I can get on that thing and live to tell about it.

I’m in full out panic mode when we stop next to it. Dane looks down at me, and I immediately close my eyes and take a deep breath. I want to be able to do this, but I don’t know that I can. “Do you trust me?” he asks, pulling me in close to his body.

I open my eyes, startled by the question. “Of course, I trust you.”

“Then put your helmet on and get on the bike.” Even when he’s bossy, he’s sexy. Things got a little awkward between us this morning, and I know we need this time together to begin to mend all the broken pieces together. I grab the helmet from him and try to fasten it below my chin when I hear him laughing in front of me.

“What?” I ask, not seeing the humor in me putting on a helmet.

“Baby, you’re putting that on backwards.” Seriously. I wonder if it is too late to talk him into a cab. “Here, let me help you.” He lifts the helmet up from my head and turns it around, quickly fastening the strap below my chin. “See, all better.” I can’t help the smile that plays on my lips as I take in his happy expression. I guess I can do this for him.

He jumps on the bike first and I sit right behind him, gripping him tightly around his waist. I feel my whole body shaking before he even starts the bike. I’m not used to taking risks, but I’m learning that with every one I take, I learn a little more about myself. I’ve already learned I’m stronger and more capable than anyone ever gave me credit for, but I know there is so much more to take away from life.

Dane starts the bike, and I grip him even tighter until he grabs my hand in an attempt to get some breathing room. I try to relax into him, but it’s hard at first. I feel the wind whipping through the hair that hangs from the back of my helmet, and I slowly start to relax.

I can feel the warm, humid air blowing on my face as we weave our way in and out of traffic. I half expected him to jump the curb and take a ride on the sidewalk, but he keeps a steady pace, calming my fears. By the time we pull along side the curb, my body is completely relaxed and I sort of understand the obsession with motorcycles. There’s something freeing about traveling down the city streets without a roof over your head. I’m not ready for a cross-country trip by any means, but I wouldn’t mind another ride on the bike in the very near future.

The building we stop in front of is an older brick warehouse in a rundown neighborhood. The area is a popular spot for art galleries and hosts a show almost every weekend. “You’re the first person I’ve let in my studio,” Dane says, pulling my helmet off my head. The wind carries the scent of him towards me and all of a sudden I want nothing more than to kiss him. Now that he’s back in my life, my lips want to take full advantage of his. I can’t take my eyes away from his mouth. “Alex.”

“Hmm.” I don’t look up; my eyes are still stuck on his lips like glue.

He steps toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Is there something you want? All you’ve got to do is tell me, baby.”

I lean forward, close enough I can feel his breath on my lips. “Let’s go inside,” I whisper, finally locking my eyes with his.

I step back as he licks his lips, never breaking eye contact with me. He doesn’t say anything; he simply grabs my hand and buzzes us into the building. My heart is racing, and I feel a need so deep that only he can touch it. He is the only person who has ever been buried himself so deep in me that he’s seen everything.

I don’t remember going up the stairs to whatever floor we’re on, and I don’t remember him unlocking the door, but as soon as we’re in and the door is shut, my back is against it and his warm lips are all over me. My neck and lips tingle as he moves back and forth between them. I grip the front of his shirt to bring him as close to me as possible. The heat from his body mixed with the heat from mine magnifies the tension between us. “Wrap your legs around me,” he growls as his mouth moves back down my neck. I don’t question; I just do it.

He walks us to the corner of the room where a simple wooden desk sits, and it’s not long before I’m on my back, pressed against the cold wood and he’s hovering over me, lifting up my shirt and kissing down my stomach. Time stands still, and all I can think about is the feel of his skin on mine and the feel of his hair between my fingers. I don’t know how long it will take to make up for all the time we’ve lost…a part of me thinks I’ll never get enough.

Dane quickly removes his jeans before taking mine off to join his on the floor. For a few moments, he stands there drinking in my body. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says. He begins kissing the inside of my thigh, making my breathing speed up as his lips move higher. Right before he reaches the place where I want to feel his mouth the most, he stops. I want to beg him to keep going, but when I look up he’s looking down at me with a huge grin on his face. “Do you know how sexy you are when you want me? It’s written all over your face.”

I sit up and wrap my arms around his neck. Two can play at this game. “Dane Wright.”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Kiss me and don’t stop moving those lips until I tell you to,” I whisper in his ear.

His lips are so close to my ear that I can feel his hot breath. “I can keep moving these lips all day, baby. I can talk to you like this...” He moves his mouth next to my other ear. “Or I can talk to you like this.” Then he moves so his forehead is resting on mine, and his lips are so close all I would have to do is lean forward to taste them. “Or, I can talk to you like this.”

I can’t take it anymore as I grab his head in my hands and pull his lips to mine. I feel him smiling as I devour him. Our lips have this amazing ability to touch without really touching. They’re feather light, yet I feel so much. When our bodies finally connect, I feel the pressure building. All the time spent teasing each other wound my body up so tight that when it finally releases, it’s like an internal firecracker. Dane lights one spark, followed by another, until I don’t think it’s possible to feel anymore. His eyes never leave mine, burning with intensity. I rub my hands over his firm chest. When I move my hands down toward his stomach, his breath hitches causing me to wrap my legs around him a little tighter. He’s close; I can feel it. I kiss his neck, right below his ear because I know it drives him crazy. It’s all it takes before he’s burying his head in my hair, saying my name over and over as he quickly thrusts into me. My eyes meet his as he grips my hips tight and releases into me. His lips brush against mine before he collapses on top of me, working to catch his breath.

I still can’t believe I ever willingly walked away from him. I can’t imagine what I’d be feeling right now if he hadn’t given me another chance. He is my life.

He rests his chin on my chest as I run my fingers through his hair. “Well, this is my studio. I hope you like it.”

I smile. “I like what I’ve seen so far.”

“I bet you do,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. He has that cocky smile on his face that I used to hate. Well, maybe I never hated it, but it drove me crazy. It still drives me crazy.

“You know I do,” I say, smiling up at him. His wild, just-had-sex, hair is making me want to pull him to me again and never let him go.

He runs his hands through my hair before kissing the spot between my breasts. “Get dressed. I’ll show you the rest,” he says, standing up to pick up our clothes.

I start to pull on my clothes, and for the first time I notice all the sculptures around the room. By the look of it, he’s been spending most of his time in this studio. He has sculptures of at least fifty couples engaged in activities from dancing to embracing to kissing. He has an amazing talent, and I have no doubt that he will go far in his career. I’ve dreamt of living in a large studio apartment with him. It would have high ceilings and brick walls as well as bright lighting to showcase his sculptures and my paintings. It’s not a dream anymore; it’s something I can really see happening.

Dane hands me a pair of safety glasses. “Here, put these on.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “Manly art, remember?” he says, cocking his head to the side.

“I remember,” I say, smiling up at him.

“Well, get those on and let’s get started.”

I do as he asks and follow him to the side of the room that doesn’t have a window where he has all his sculpting tools set up. I watch as he pulls on a pair of yellow gloves that go all the way up to his elbows. This guy’s sexy as hell, even with shop glasses and welding gloves.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask.

He points toward the corner of the room. “Stand back over there. I have to shape this a little bit, and I don’t want anything flying at you.”

I walk to my assigned spot and watch as he moves the tool back and forth, making one of his signature couples. I can see him being famous someday, a man known for his romantic sculptures. He’s very intense as he works; it’s fun to watch his face scrunch up as he tries to create his next masterpiece.

When he’s done with the couple, he stops and grabs another smaller piece of metal in a slightly different shade, using it to make a heart. He places it in front of the couple and stands back, putting his hand on his chin to study it. “Does it look too perfect to you?” he asks, keeping his gaze fixed on the sculpture.

“How do you mean?” The sculpture is perfect but the way he says it makes it sound wrong.

“I mean, do they look too happy?” he asks.

“No, it reminds me of us,” I reply, stepping closer to get a better look. The couple looks very happy and content.

He smiles. “Good, that’s exactly what I was going for.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything. You should know that by now,” he replies. Dane has always been very honest with me. It’s one of the things I love about him.

“Why do you sculpt couples?” I ask, glancing around the room. There are couples everywhere. It’s as if he wants to capture every possible movement and emotion two people can feel together.

“I was so alone growing up and I hated it. I try to show unconditional love in my art. Like us, for example, we’ve been through so much, but we’re still here. There will be dark days, I can guarantee that, but there will also be sunny days. It’s just life,” he answers. “I want to capture all of it just in case I never see it again.”

His eyes wander around the room like he’s not quite sure how I’ll react.

I think it’s beautiful.

“Did you work on any while we were apart? I mean, I know it wasn’t a good time for you, but I was wondering if I could see them?”

He looks down so that I can’t see his eyes. “I sculpted a lot, but it was mostly work for the hotel and exhibit. I only sculpt things I want to remember, and the pain of the last two months is something I want to forget.”

“Me too,” I say, wrapping my arms around his stomach. When I need to let go of a memory, I paint it, but I don’t paint it to be a replica of the darkness. I paint it to let go of the darkness. Sculpting seems to do the same thing for Dane.

We spend the rest of the afternoon creating a spot for me next to the lone window in the studio. With Dane, I have an acceptance I’ve never had, and his support means everything to me. I chose him, and he reminds me why all the time.

I begin to work on my first painting when I feel his arms wrap around me from behind. “You ready to go for another ride on the bike?” he asks, nuzzling my neck.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

There’s an old saying that you can’t know what it’s like to be me until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes. My life would require more than a mile.

I used to try to hide my problems and pretend that everything was okay, but the negative feelings built inside of me until I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to medicate the pain away.

And it worked.