“You’re right. He’s adorable.”
“God, your ass is perfect.”
“How’s your shoulder doing? Are you in any pain?”
The bandage wrap has been off of Jason for about four days, which is both a good and bad thing. It’s great because that means he’s healing, but it also makes him think that he’s better than he really is. His bones are not completely healed yet. He still needs to be careful.
“I’m great.”
“Are you sure?”
I gently smooth my fingertips across the area.
“I could prove it to you in a hundred different ways in my shower right now. There are four shower heads in there and it’ll feel like I’m fucking you under a waterfall.”
“No, thank you.”
“You just wanted to have sex with me two minutes ago.”
“Safely, in this marvelous bed.”
“I thought you wanted to broaden your horizons. I’ll lift your ass up in my hands and fuck you properly against the marble. Your feet will never touch the floor.”
“We tried three unique positions last night I’ve never even heard of. I think I broadened my horizons enough for this year. Let’s save something for the honeymoon.”
He laughs heartily and smacks my ass.
“Get up I want to show you something,” he tells me.
He tosses me a Nighthawks jersey to put on. It’s black and gold with a number seven on it and hangs like a dress on me. I follow him in bare feet and greet Mittens in the hallway.
“Hi, girl.” I lift her up in my arms and carry her with me to wherever we’re going. “Did you sleep well?”
“What sleep? She was stalking poor Astro all night.”
“She’s predatory by nature. That’s why I don’t have any mice in my apartment.”
“Whatever, enabler.”
We walk inside another closed room and the first thing I notice are all the windows. The spectacular view overlooks the Eastside of the city, and I can see why he brought me here. He has several easels set up with works in progress, including a sunset view of New York from the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Wow, this is your studio.”
“You could call it that. It’s my happy place.”
“I love it.”
He walks over to a painting that is covered with a large painter’s cloth. When he lifts it, I recognize myself. It’s a nude oil painting of me, sleeping on my side, with a smile on my face. It’s a gorgeous likeness, and it doesn’t escape me, it’s how Jason must see me.
As beautiful.
“When did you do this?”
“I painted this from memory after the first night we were together. I knew then that you were something special, and I had to capture it on canvas.”
“You made me look really… pretty.”
“I told you I see you for who you really are, Adrienne, and I will spend the rest of our lives showing you who that woman is. She’s a healer. She’s a boss bitch. She’s the most beautiful woman in the room.”
