She turns her body as I do the same. “Do what?”
“Don't discredit yourself like that. Art can’t be taught, it can only be felt. There are plenty of people who try to learn it and lack natural ability.” I pause for a second, calculating my moves before following through on the thought. “You are incredibly talented, El. It's not something you should let go to waste.”
Emotion washes over her expression as she stares at me for a breath. She blinks, as if she’s pulling herself from the moment and drops her gaze to the wooden floorboards beneath us. “It’s a nice thought, but I don’t even know how I would go about trying to get my art out there.”
I watch her as she lifts her head back up and gives me a sad smile. I’ve witnessed a multitude of emotions on Ella’s face since I’ve met her and I think I’ve just encountered the one I dislike the most. The one I never want to see dancing in her irises again.
“Austin’s cousin owns a gallery in the city.” My mind drifts to Vera. I’ve met her before at Austin’s house. “She's an art dealer and has a lot of big spending, high profile clientele.”
Her eyes widen and her lips momentarily part as if my words surprise her. She clamps her mouth shut and swallows roughly before shaking her head. “I can’t ask you to say anything to Austin.” She looks down at her hands, picking at her nail bed. “If his cousin has clients like that, I’m sure they have specific tastes or are looking for specific pieces.”
Irritation pricks my skin—not because of her, but because of whoever ruined her confidence. I can’t help myself and I don’tbother to control my actions and abruptly close the distance between us. Sliding my finger beneath her chin, I tilt her head backwards until she’s looking up at me.
“I swear to God, El. If I ever meet the man who made you feel this fucking small, it will not end well.” I pause, letting out a ragged breath as she stares back at me with doe eyes. “You are talented. You are smart. You are insanely beautiful. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that your dreams are attainable.” I slip my fingers beneath her jaw, trailing them across her flesh. “Tell me, darlin’. Whatareyour dreams?”
Her throat bobs as she swallows hard. “For Chloe and I to both be happy and healthy.”
“What else?”
She blinks twice. “For us to be safe.”
The muscle in my jaw ticks at the thought of her feeling unsafe, but I don’t visit that topic… not now. “What else?” I press. “You don’t want to work in a restaurant and bar forever. What is your dream career?”
A soft breath escapes her. “I want to own a gallery. I want my paintings all over the world, hanging on the walls inside people's homes.”
Relief floods me as she finally speaks her true dreams out loud. I want her to reach past the stars. To wrap her delicate fingers around them and pluck them from the sky. Every single star belongs to Ella Daniels.
“Can you do something for me, El?”
“Maybe,” she says gently as the corners of her mouth twitch. The moonlight above shimmers within the depths of her eyes.
My hand cups the side of her face, my thumb softly stroking her cheek. “Finish the paintings you haven’t finished. Start new ones. Just paint until your fingers stop working.”
“And then what?”
I smile at her, my mouth inching closer to hers. “Then you watch as the stars align and your dreams come true.”
“The stars aren’t aligning if you’re playing God with my dreams,” she breathes against my lips as they drift across hers.
“Maybe I point a telescope at the stars that deserve to be seen,” I murmur against her mouth. “What happens after that is beyond my control. Your art will speak for itself and I won’t need to play God.”
Ella surprises me as she steps closer, pressing her body flush against mine as she lifts her arms and encircles the back of my neck with her hands. Her mouth crashes into mine, her lips soft and plump as she kisses me with tenderness. There’s a part of her that is hesitant, like she doesn’t fully trust herself in this moment.
With one hand caressing the side of her neck, I drop my other to her waist and hold her tightly against my body. I ignore the way blood rushes to my cock, knowing damn well she can feel the hardness pressing against her. The movement alone supports the confidence Ella was struggling to wrap her mind around.
The tips of her fingers dig into my skin as her tongue sweeps along the seam of my lips. Without a second thought, I part them, letting her in. Gone is the hesitancy she was once feeling. Instead, Ella takes what she wants. Her tongue dances with mine, both of us caught up in the moment as she breathes me in.
Our surroundings fade away and it’s the two of us. Nothing else matters. The water laps against the pillars under the pier. The moon casts its glow across us and bounces off the surface of the lake. Ella has me completely captivated. She’s stolen my heart—her and that blue eyed little girl of hers—and she doesn’t even know it.
And I won’t be the one to tell her until the timing is right.
There’s a vibration that sounds as if it’s off in the distance. As my mind is pulled away from the moment between us, I realize it’s coming from her pocket. Ella breaks from my lips, but she doesn’t move away. Her lips are red and swollen and she looks up at me with a dazed stare.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, blush creeping across her cheeks. I smile to myself, knowing I’m the one who put it there. “It might be Iris.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Ella,” I assure her, taking a step away to give her space. Chloe is her top priority, as she should be. I am more than okay with being second place to that little girl.
She pulls her phone out of her pocket, her eyebrows pulling together as she looks at the screen. “Maybe it decided to block her information,” Ella wonders out loud as she answers the call.
