He didn’t want to only restore other people’s masterpieces for the rest of his life. No, he wanted to create from the images he held inside and bring joy to others with his works.
Wes glanced at his phone and snatched up his keys, then went out to his car and slipped behind the wheel. The gallery would already be admitting people, so he needed to get there in order to mingle. He was the face of the exhibit, after all, and unfortunately, he couldn’t hide away this time.
He stepped into the gallery and glanced around. Soft music played over the speaker system, and the overhead lights cast a warm, deep glow. The only exceptions were the spotlights that lit up the art on display. Waiters moved throughout the crowd with silver trays on their upturned hands, passing out food and champagne while smiling at everyone.
Wes halted in the middle of the gallery and glanced at the paintings that filled the walls. It was all his work. Some of them were of the classic style while others leaned toward a more modern look. He didn't go for one type of art, and it showed in his work. Wes was well aware that it might hurt his art career by putting so many different mediums out, but he couldn't help it. When he created, it was without expectation, and he simply let his brain and hands do what they wanted to do.
Alright, he could do this. He sucked in a deep breath and plastered on a smile. Underneath all of the nerves, he really was excited. There were already so many people there milling around and looking at his pieces, animated in their quiet conversations about them. It was surreal, but a dream come true at the same time.
"Wonderful work," a voice whispered near his ear, making Wes jump and spin around.
"I thought your work at the museum was fantastic, but this,” the man continued as he looked around. “This is so much better."
Marcellus. He didn't look at Wes, but rather kept his gaze fixed on the artwork. There was an awed appreciation on his face like he really got it. Bloody hell. Wes took a breath. He should have known the man would pop up.
Don’t lie. You’ve been kind of waiting for him.
Even before he’d laid eyes on him or heard his voice, Wes had felt that tingling of electricity that his cat shot through his body when the other man was near. It was becoming a bad habit. Apparently, he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping the beast in check.
"What are you doing here?" Wes took a step away from him, and it was harder than it should have been. "How did you know I was going to be here?"
Marcellus had dressed up for the occasion. Instead of the outfit he had on earlier, he had switched to a suite with a white button-up shirt underneath, but no tie, so he got a glimpse of his chest from the few buttons left undone near the collar. He looked elegant and kind of hot. That was a lie. There was nokind ofabout it. This man was absolutely gorgeous.
Wes quickly shook his head. No, no, no. He couldn't be having those kinds of thoughts about Marcellus. He needed to get rid of him if nothing else. Wes took another step back, just in case he tried to reach out and touch him. Wes knew that was insane, but he still couldn't help it. His cat wanted to get closer to Marcellus. Wanted to rub his scent all over him.
"It's not that hard to find an invitation." Marcellus pulled out the invitation that Carla had printed out for him, the baby blue cardstock with silver embellishing glimmered in the light. "It's even easier when your boss, Carla, can’t stop singing your praises and gave me this."
Damn it. Wes was going to kill her. He was grateful that she helped out with distributing them and getting the crowd in that she had, but damn it, he didn't want Marcellus stalking him around his own party.
"Well, enjoy the show," Wes forced out a smile and started to brush past him.
"Wait." Marcellus grabbed his arm and brought him back. "Aren't you going to show me a few of your pieces? I would love to have one or two hanging in my house."
Wes gritted his teeth. What was this guy's problem? What part of leave him alone didn’t he understand?
The part where you don’t want him to.But West told that side to shut the hell up. He didn't even know Marcellus, and he didn't need to be pining after him like some kind of lovesick kid.
"I'll show you one piece, and then you need to leave."
Marcellus clicked his tongue. "That's rude. Don't you think I deserve to see a few more than just one?"
Inwardly, Wes groaned. He didn't want to cause a scene and that was exactly what was starting to happen as people glanced over and stared at the two of them. His cheeks heated. When he glanced up at Marcellus, the corner of the man's lips quirked up.
"You're enjoying this way too much," Wes muttered and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. He tugged him along to a quieter section of the building. "Why are you insisting on following me around?"
"I want to get to know you."
Wes snorted. "Why? Just because you know my brothers? That's a shitty reason to get to know someone, don't you think?"
"That's not the only reason." Marcellus glanced down at him before he smiled. "I've heard a lot about you and wanted to meet you in person, that's all."
Wes folded his arms over his chest. "Okay, so we've met. Great. You can go back home now."
Marcellus tutted before asking, "Why are you so eager to get rid of me?"
How could he explain it to him? It wasn't that he was eager to get rid of him. He just didn't want his brothers to learn certain things about him, and he wanted to live his own life. So why was Marcellus continuing to hound him?
His cat stirred inside of him. It stretched and nipped and tried to speak, but Wes wasn't having that. He closed his eyes tightly and forced the creature away. No, he was normal. That was all he’d ever wanted to be. He wasn't going to give in to the tiger that lounged inside of him. He tried to pretend that it didn't even exist, but it was becoming harder to do that since Marcellus had started to come around.
