Page 114 of Intolerable Bishop

“Just listen. You’re the black side, and Ren is the gold side. Each is an entirely different part of a singular whole. I feel complete with both of you. If I lose either of you, I would feel like I lost half of myself.”

“Fuck. I love you. I’ll talk to you when you get back,” Liam said, and hung up.

I closed my eyes, wanting to call him back so I could reach through the phone and punch him. What the hell was that?

Arms wrapped around my waist, and Ren kissed my back.

“Was I too loud?”

“No.” She kissed my back again, and I shuddered. “Was that Liam?” I nodded. “Everything okay?”

“I’ll see when I get home,” I said, turning around in her arms. Ren’s eyes searched my face. She opened her mouth, and I put my finger on her lips before she could say anything. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I promise.” She didn’t look convinced, but I dropped my lips to hers to keep her mind off Liam and my mind off whatever the hell that conversation meant. Liam knew where I stood. I had been completely honest with him from day one. If he refused to bend…then, I guess I had my answer about how important I was to him.

Gripping her ass, I pulled her in close and groaned as she rubbed against my hardening cock. Fuck, I couldn’t get enough. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist, and I walked us blindly to the bed. Laying her down and breaking the kiss, I stared into her eyes, which might be chilly in color but held a warmth and fierceness that was unrivaled.

“You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” I said.

“Is it bad?”

I shook my head. “No matter what happens, we’ll be alright.” Reaching up, she cupped my cheek, and I soaked up her touch. “I promise.”

4:02 PM

Ren

I wasn’t sure what Liam had said to Theo last night, but he was different today. I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it was that was different, but there was something. His eyes held a weight that wasn’t there yesterday.

He pulled open the door to the Seattle Art Museum, otherwise known as SAM. Everyone that I heard talk about it today had managed to confuse me as they referred to it as SAM when we mentioned that we weren’t from the area. “Oh. you must really check out SAM…don’t forget to see SAM…SAM is a must-see while you’re here.” I was going to make a conscious effort not to use abbreviations with anyone I didn’t know anymore. I’d spent most of the day thinking that some guy named Sam was really damn popular.

As soon as we walked inside, I stared up at a massive banner announcing a dinner being held here at the end of September. The dinner itself didn’t intrigue me, but what it was for did. I pointed at the banner.

“Do you know anything about this?”

“Yeah, they hold it every year. All the top athletes from the country being considered for spots on teams are invited.”

“So, you need an invitation. Huh. Has Nash ever gotten one?”

Theo shook his head. “No, not that I know of. If he had, he’s never said and never gone.”

I couldn’t see that. It was Nash’s dream to compete in the Olympics, and this seemed like something he would be all over. “Who runs it?” Theo pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “I know that man. He used to come to my house a couple of times a year to buy my mum’s paintings.” I looked at Theo and bit my lip.

“Do you want me to reach out? See if I can set up a meeting with Mr. Paval?”

“Would you,” I asked, an idea forming. I had no idea why I was thinking about doing this, but Nash’s birthday was at the end of the month. I was either going to get him something or shoot him. Both were tempting. As much of a jerk as he could be, he also had his moments. Letting me stay at the cabin, training me, even his texts made me smile, so the gift won out.

“Sure, are you trying to get Nash a ticket?”

“Are you a mind reader?” He smiled.

“Great minds is all. I’ll see what strings I can pull with my family name to get a chat, but I don’t know Mr. Paval. You’re going to have to sweet talk him.” I nodded as he walked away and got on his phone. He came back a few minutes later. “He’ll call me back. He’s in a meeting.”

“You’re serious?”

“Don’t look so surprised. I have mad skills.”

I laughed as he took my arm, and we walked over to the man taking tickets. Theo showed him ours, and we were waved through. There were so many incredible exhibits that I didn’t even know where to start. Instead, we walked hand in hand as we slowly wandered from one section to the next, admiring the paintings and sculptures. We chatted about what we liked or didn’t like and what feelings the images provoked. Having someone to talk to who appreciated art as much as I did was like a breath of fresh air. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about it since my mum died, and it made me feel like I was still connected to her.

“Let’s go this way,” Theo said, nodding toward the impressionism exhibit. I hesitated for a second. “What’s wrong?”