He had no doubt that once he took her to bed, she would want more, but he didn’t want their relationship to be all about sex. He’d been with countless women. None had meant anything to him. He’d been taught to use sex to get close to a target. Azelie may have started out as a target, but she certainly wasn’t one now.
He loved watching her face light up. His sun. He called herSolnyshkuh. His little sun. She was. He had never felt sunlight on him or in him. Azelie had changed that for him. He’d never noticed how good a woman could smell. Or how her curves were so completely feminine, and his body was utterly masculine. She was a shining light. Her smile lit up the room. Celine James was drawn to her not only because she was intelligent and talented, but also because she was a bright star.
The moment the author got up to make her rounds in the room, several other participants hurried over to crowd around his woman. Maestro wasn’t certain he liked that. Two of the five were male. One had a very hungry look on his face. Maestro unfolded himself from the fairly comfortable chair.The moment he did, he drew attention. Physically, he was a big man. Lots of muscle. Tattoos drifting up his neck. A few scars. He knew women found him attractive and most men avoided him.
The moment he stood, Azelie’s gaze was on him. She’d checked with him several times during her visit with Celine James, her eyes on him and a lift of her eyebrow asking if he was okay. He had deliberately put off the vibes for others to stay away. When he did that, he might as well have been surrounded by a wall. He didn’t want anyone to take his attention from Azelie.
It was important to him that she enjoy herself. If Celine had made her uncomfortable, he would have known, and he would have immediately shut down the conversation. Right now, it was important to him that the men move away from her, particularly Hungry Eyes. He didn’t want to be the jealous idiot, but he had little trust in him.
She stood up in the middle of the small crowd that had gathered around her. Blue eyes fixed on him, she broke out into a welcoming, excited smile and practically flung herself into his arms. She gave a little leap at the end of her run and wrapped her arms around his neck, winding one leg around his thigh at the same time. Zero hesitation about showing the others in the room who she was with.
“Thank you, Andrii. This has been the best timeever. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
She lifted her face up to his and he brushed her lips lightly. The touch was featherlight, but he felt the jolt all the way to his soul. His cock reacted the way it seemed to whenever she was near. He fought for control, willing the threatening erection to stand down.
“We could go home,” she suggested. “I could show you my appreciation.”
He was tempted. How could he not be? She sounded shy and yet fearless at the same time. The combination of sultry temptress and sweet innocent was almost too alluring to passup. The event had another hour and a half to go. Celine James had more to give to those who had paid to hear her advice. She planned on critiquing three pages of each of their works. Maestro wanted that for his woman.
He had the feeling Celine would be extremely impressed with Azelie’s talent. He felt Zelie needed to hear others she respected praise her work. Azelie had grown up without compliments. No one told her she was doing a good job. No one gave her gifts or experiences. She fought hard for everything she had. She needed to know how others saw her. He wanted that for her. He loved her shyness, but he wanted her to have self-esteem, to see herself the way others around her saw her.
“You have another session with this author, and I think it’s important. I have every intention of spending the night with you, Zelie. We’ll have plenty of time for you to show your appreciation.” He kissed the tip of her nose, giving her a reassuring grin when her expression told him part of her felt rejected. He had to remind himself she was as new to a relationship as he was, and she expected rejection just as he always expected betrayal. “I’m looking forward to it,Solnyshkuh. I want you to have every moment possible with Celine and get whatever it is you think is pertinent for your work.”
Azelie nodded and reluctantly unwrapped herself from him. He was just as reluctant to let her go, his hands sliding over her as she stepped back. He held out his hand, and when she took it, he led her back to their table, where her pack and tablet were. Others were already moving to their places and pulling out their work in anticipation of the next hour and a half with the legendary author.
When they’d first arrived, Azelie was required to choose three pages of her work to send to Celine James to read. The other aspiring writers had already done so, and Celine had read their work and come prepared with her critiques.
The master class had been closed until Maestro offered enough money and used his voice shamelessly when pleading his case. Fortunately, the woman in charge was a romantic.She was also very susceptible to his voice. The money helped as well. When Celine was contacted, she agreed to allow one more writer into the class and said she could read Azelie’s three pages on her break.
Each person received feedback on their story. Maestro found the entire process interesting. The various writers worked in different genres, and yet the feedback Celine gave each was encouraging and seemed to him to be spot-on. She took her time going over each writer’s entry, talking to them, appearing to be interested and focused and genuinely giving them tips and helpful guidance.
Maestro found himself respecting the woman. She had knowledge of her craft and shared it willingly. She was careful to be encouraging. He was good at body language and the least nuance of a voice. He could tell when Celine didn’t feel a particular writer was very good. She gave them the same attention as the ones she was excited about. He admired her for her ability to find positive things to say while giving them helpful tips to improve their skills.
He was holding his breath when Celine focused her attention on Azelie. After each writer had been critiqued, they gathered their belongings and exited the building so the event planners could begin to break everything down to prepare for the following day’s business. That meant that since Azelie was the last to be critiqued, she had the author to herself.
Azelie admitted to Celine she had previously had three books published and a contract for a fourth. The books were still selling well, and her sales had increased, but not significantly. She hadn’t really done much social media or marketing on her own. The publishing house hadn’t done much marketing on her behalf either.
Maestro found it interesting that most of Celine James’ conversation with Azelie centered around marketing and the publishing business rather than writing technique. She praised Azelie’s work and seemed quite taken with her. Azelie was animated, laughing and at times very engrossed in the things Celine told her.
It was clear to Maestro that her writing was extremely important to her. She might be getting a degree in accounting, but the creative writing classes she was taking were where her passion truly lay.
She was excited and happy, but the moment they got in the car and were headed back to her apartment, she went quiet on him.
“Babe, tell me what’s going on in your head.”
Her gaze touched his and slid away. “It’s just that you’re so amazing, Andrii. I don’t know what I have to give you in return for everything you always seem to be doing for me. I don’t want a one-sided relationship. I’m bringing a man like my boss into your life. You need to worry about him finding out about us before I can safely get away from him. That puts your life in danger.”
“Zelie.” He said her name quietly. They’d talked about Billows already. He was willing to share more about his life, but not in the car.
“It’s more than that. I’m not experienced when it comes to sex.” She turned her head to look directly at him. When his eyes met hers, he read her fears. “I don’t know how to please you, and clearly, you’re very experienced. I don’t want to be a letdown for you.”
He could see the disparity between their experiences was a major stumbling block for her, and he wasn’t going to simply dismiss her concerns. The fact that his enjoyment mattered to her made him happy.
“We’ll take care of your worry when we’re home, and I can hold you while we talk. Is that acceptable for you?”
She nodded, but she did so with a little frown. Just that look made him want to smile.
ELEVEN
