Sorrow's Muse (8 page)

“Oh my God, Julian.” She
lifted her hips, rocking up to meet every surge forward. The slow pace became a
beautiful torture. Each thrust took him deeper inside. She placed her feet
against the bed for more leverage.

“I can’t last much
longer. It’s been too long.” He reached down between them to rub her engorged
nub and swore when she spasmed. “Shit.”

“Oh—Ohhh ...”

He growled long and low
and exploded. Light burst behind his eyes and he collapsed on top of her. After
a few minutes, he pulled out to lie on the bed beside her and moved her body
close. He stroked the sweat-slicked hair back from her face and breathed in
their combined scents.

“That was amazing,” she
whispered.

“It’s all because of
you.” He rolled onto his side. “You turned it into something beautiful. God, I
owe you so much, Colette. Since you’ve been in my life, everything has changed
for the better. It’s like you were my reward for the horrible things that
happened in my life.” He propped himself up on his elbow and twined their
fingers together. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”

“It was never a choice,
Julian. From the minute I first saw you, it was like lightning struck and I had
to get to know you.” She traced his face with her fingertips and leaned in to
kiss him. “Thank you for letting me in.”

He had to be the luckiest
man in the world. “I know you’ve urged me to get out there more, so I wanted
you to be the first to know, Rocco accepted the contract.”

“Julian!” She sat up in
bed and covered her mouth with her hands. “I am so proud of you.”

“You make me feel like I
can do anything, Colette. You’re my muse.”

“What did you say?” Her
face seemed to cloud with concern.

What had he done to ruin
the mood? “I said you’re my muse...Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded her
head. “It’s just, you’re so amazing. I don’t think I have much to do with it.”

Her modesty made him
smile. There is something very special about Colette Starvos.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Julian tried not to let
his nerves get the best of him as he waited for Colette to finish getting
ready. They’d been dating for a while and he knew it was time to move past
going Dutch and step out. He adored her for willingness to do what made him
comfortable, but knew she needed more. Tonight they were venturing out to a
ceramic shop he’d driven by a million times but never had the courage to enter.
This idea felt scary and exhilarating. A part of him considered it training for
what was to come soon with Rocco. He’d begun taking trips to his home to
record.

“I’m ready,” Colette
called, making him smile.

She popped out of the
bedroom in a pair of dark denim skinny jeans that hugged her long, lean legs
and a T-shirt that said
Artists Do it Better
. She’d tamed her hair into
one long braid that hung down her back like a black silk rope. “Sorry, it was
the hair that held me up.”

“I figured as much.”

They linked hands and
headed out of the room.

“Are you going to tell me
what we’re doing?”

“No, that would ruin the
surprise. But I will say we’re leaving the house.”

Her eyes grew wide. “We
don’t have to if you don’t—”

He held a finger up to
her lips to silence her and smiled. “You were right. It’s time I stop letting
others dictate what I do and don’t do with my own life. I write about hope,
love and strength, but all this time, I wasn’t heeding my own advice.” He
sighed. “I’m rectifying that now.”

He opened her door and
they headed out into the light blue twilight falling over the city. A
spattering of stars twinkled in the sky, accompanied by a brilliant crescent
moon. It seemed like a good omen. A short walk to his home led him to his black
Jeep and they were on their way.

When they pulled up to
Hot Pots, she gasped. “I’ve been dying to come to this place!”

“I was hoping you’d say
that. You chose the perfect shirt for tonight.” His gaze took in her T-shirt
once more, lingering on the plump breasts that curved the letters. He licked
his lips and cleared his throat as he exited the car before his dick came to
life. Julian paused and bent down to capture her lips, plying her with a
languid exchange of lips and tongue. They pulled up for air and he kissed her
forehead. “I can’t wait to get you into my bed.”

“I’ve been waiting a long
time to hear you say that.” She caressed his lips with her forefinger and he
nipped at the tip.

“Keep that up and the
only thing getting painted will be your insides.”

“Damn, I love it when you
talk dirty.”

“I know. That’s why I do
it. I’m a fast study.” He stepped away from her and took a cleansing inhalation
of air. “Inside?”

She nodded her head and
they walked from the back parking lot to the front of the building and inside
the store. It was a weekday, so there were only a few other groups of people,
none of whom paid them any attention when they stepped inside.

The chime of the bell
above the door alerted the woman in the blue smock to their new business. “Hi,
have you two been here before?”

“Hi,” he said. “We
actually haven’t.”

“Well, welcome. Follow me
over here and we’ll go over the rules.” She led them over to the wall that
housed a sink and shelves full of different colored paints, brushes and
sponges. “We offer a lot of things, but our most popular is the ceramic items
to paint. You can also make your own pottery, but you have to book a spot in
the sessions in advance. That happens every Monday and Wednesday. ”

“We’ll have to keep that in
mind for later,” Colette replied, excitement gleaming in the depths of her
eyes.

“Wonderful! I’ll get you
two pots with water and sponges. After you choose your colors, you’ll pick a
table, decide what piece you’d like to decorate and wet it down completely
before you begin to paint.”

“Simple enough,” Julian
said.

Before too long, they
were settled at a table in the back with a coffee mug and a flower vase. There
was something almost therapeutic about being in public this time around. There
were curious glances, but none were malicious and the whispers that occurred
shortly after their arrival died out in the first five minutes.
I can handle
this.
Thoughts of fitting in fell to the wayside.

Julian focused on the
sixteen-ounce mug he’d decided to paint black and decorate with a white mustache.
Creating with Colette felt natural and familiar, as though it was something
he’d been doing his entire life. He’d never been one to believe in love at
first sight or people being meant to be, yet he had no doubt this woman was his
soul mate. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and the three words
that had been etched on his heart resounded in his head.

I love her.

The
aha
moment hit
him like a punch to the chest, stealing his breath. He sucked in air and set
down the paintbrush. His hands trembled and he pushed his chair out and stood. “I’ll
be right back. I’m going to the bathroom.”

Time
seemed to distort as he made his way to the back, opened the door, locked it
and turned to peer in the mirror.

When did this happen
?
His image in the mirror looked pale.
I look like I’m entering the early
stages of shock.
It was one thing to be falling and another to surrender.
He’d never been in love. Julian fought back his initial instinct to run. He
needed to see this through if it killed him and with the way his heart was
trying to burst out of his chest cavity, it just might. He turned on the
faucet, splashed his face with the lukewarm water and patted it dry with the
paper towels available.

Get it together, Sorrow.
This is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Don’t ruin it. You’ve been
doing so well.

He knew the kind of man
Colette deserved. He tried to be that person, but it was damned hard. He’d
grown bitter over the years, maybe even a little resentful. It wasn’t an easy
mode to snap out of. It scared him in a way, how close he’d gotten to giving up
on everything but his music and maybe Paul.

You don’t have to tell
her right away. Sit on the L word for a while.

Calmed and with a game
plan, he felt ready to head back to the table.

*
* * *

Colette watched Julian
rush to the bathroom, completely bewildered by his sudden exit. She’d been on
edge since he called her his Muse and this wasn’t helping one bit.
Could he
know? Who could’ve told him?
The angry flash in Calliope’s eyes popped into
her mind. No, her sister wanted to see her happy and right now she was.
She
wrung her hands, unable to continue painting. The closer she came to saying, “I
love you,” the closer she came to telling him the truth. She didn’t take Julian
as the type to not mind being lied to.

“Sorry about that, too
much water.”

“No worries.”

She forced a smile and
returned to her painting, feeling as if she was standing on top of quicksand.

They completed their art
between stints of conversation and headed back to the car with a receipt to
show when they picked their items up after they were kiln fired.

“We have unfinished
business to tend to,” Julian whispered, making her smile.

Little by little, he was
coming out of his shell to take the lead.

“Do we? Refresh my
memory.”

“A little matter of you
in my bed.”

“Oh, that one.” She
laughed.

He flashed her a cheeky
grin, turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.

Desire made her limbs
heavy as she massaged his knee, slowly crept up to his inner thigh, then
stopped just before she reached the part of him she knew he wanted her touch
most.

His breath grew ragged
and his body tensed. “Minx.”

“I have to keep things
interesting, so you don’t get tired of me.”

“Col, I don’t think you could
be boring if you tried.”

She ran her hand over his
stiffness and squeezed.

“God!”

She began a gentle
massage that had him squirming in his seat. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” he rasped.

Her pussy pulsed. She
rubbed her thighs together to ease the ache and gasped. The sensation only
fanned the flames of want. He pulled into his driveway and she practically
ripped the seat belt off in her hurry to escape the car.

They walked to the front
door.

He pressed her body
against the cool metal door, devouring her with a hunger she echoed. He gripped
her thighs, lifting her up and she snaked her legs around him, hooking her
ankles at the base of his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding
on tight when he hitched her up and dug into his pants for his keys.

He unlocked the door,
pushed it open and walked into the house, making her feel as though she weighed
no more than a feather despite her six-foot height. He kicked the door shut and
rested her body against it.

“I can’t wait, Col.”

“I don’t want you to.”

He fumbled with the top
button of her jeans, yanked down her zipper, pushed her jeans and her drenched
underwear down around her knees. “Are you ready for me, baby?” He reached down
between them, testing the wetness of her pussy. “Yes, you are.”

She whimpered at the
husky quality his voice had taken on. There was pride in those three words. It
made something warm build in the pit of her stomach.

He pressed a finger deep
into her womb, hooking his finger and hitting the spot that made her jerk.

“God, Julian.” Was that
her voice, so whisper soft and whiny? This man had branded her as his, body,
mind and soul. No one else could ever make her feel like this.

His busy fingers worked
her erogenous zone like a thief with a safe. He nudged her pleasure point one
last time and she crashed over the edge. Blackness swirled behind her lids as
she rode the wave, safe and content in his arms.

He slipped inside,
filling her to the brim with one deep thrust that went to her heart. She arched
her back, biting her tongue to keep the words, “I love you” at bay as he moved
inside her. Sweat ran down her back and beaded on her forehead.
Thump
,
thump
. Her body hit the door. The scent of their lovemaking acted as an
aphrodisiac. Julian had never felt so hard or thick inside her channel and sex
had never been this mind-blowing. “Harder, please.”

He tilted her hips,
allowing deeper penetration. The slap of their skin meeting filled the air. “Like
that, Col?”

“Yes!”

“I want you to come with
me this time.”

Her legs shook, her lungs
heaved and the familiar pressure began to build once more. “I’m almost there.”

“Me too,” he said through
gritted teeth. “Open your eyes, baby.”

She forced her eyes open.
The strength of the emotions visible in his hazel orbs made the air around them
sizzle. Her pussy gripped him like a vise, liquid spurted forth and her body
shook. In a chain reaction, his body tensed. He emptied inside her and she was
transported to a new realm of pleasure. This connection was why she’d made this
journey.

“My legs are shaking. I
can’t keep us here like this much longer.” He pulled out and her pussy gave a
flutter of protest.

Colette lowered her legs
to the floor.

“We definitely need a
shower,” Julian said.

“Agreed.”

“Come on.” He took her
hand in his and they walked to the bathroom. He turned on the shower spray and
helped her inside.

“This feels amazing.” The
steamy spray hit her skin and she stepped back to make room for Julian. She
grabbed the body wash from the shelf, popped the top, spread some on her hands
and rubbed it into his chest. The scent she’d come to associate with him filled
her nostrils.

“Why haven’t we done this
before?” he asked, sighing.

“Not sure.”

He took the soap from her
hands, placed it back in the shower shelf. Julian slid his slippery hands over
her body. “This may be the most fun I’ve ever had in a shower.”

She giggled. “Ditto.” She
let her slick hand move down to his semi hardened member and gripped him
tightly. She stroked, pleased when his body jerked and grew stiff.

“What are you doing?”

“Having one last hurrah
before bed,” she whispered against his lips.

“God.” He leaned back to
rest his head against the wall behind him.

She increased her
stroking speed. He looked beautiful wrapped in the throes of passion with his
eyes closed and his lips parted. The utter surrender and trust he was showing
her warmed her heart, as his grunts set her pussy ablaze.