“Don’t move.” Slowly, he walks to me, his eyes locked on mine with each step. The heat of his gaze coats every inch of my flesh.
“Turn around.” His voice comes out rough.
I do as he asks, twirling once. When I face him again, he grabs my waist and yanks me to him, crushing his mouth to mine. My knees go weak as his tongue outlines my lips and gently slips inside. I’m thankful he has a tight grip when I grow dizzy and lean into him for support. He breaks the kiss but keeps his lips pressed to mine in a way I’ve come to love.
“You are fucking breathtaking. The sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my entire fucking life.”
“That’s a lot of fucking.”
“Have you looked in a mirror? I can assure you there’s more fucking where that came from. You’re not leaving my side tonight. Looking the way you do, I’ll be in trouble.” His eyes can only be described as smoldering as his words singe my skin.
I make a mental note to send the saleslady and my mom flowers and vow to trust them the next time I have an event.
“God, you even smell perfect.” He kisses across my cheek to my ear. “Exactly how late can we be and Logan not kill us?”
“Any other night, we’d be safe, but tonight, he may murder me,” I say breathlessly as he nibbles gently on my earlobe. Then I think the wrath of Logan may be worth it if Nick keeps it up.
“We can’t have him murder you on the night of our first official date. I have plans for us.”
“You do?”
“Oh yeah.” He backs away, linking my hand with his. “So we’d better go.”
My conversation with Bizzy races through my mind.
“Ummm, we haven’t slept together yet.”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter. Give it a few days.”
“Grace?” Nick squeezes my hand.
“Yes?” I snap back to reality.
“You okay?”
“Absolutely, why?”
“You seemed to check out for a second. You lost all focus. I’ve noticed you do that a lot.”
Oh my God, this is so embarrassing. I really need to get control over my thoughts. “My family calls it Grace Space…”
“Is Grace Space good?”
“It can be. I honestly don’t even know it’s happening.”
He stares at me a beat then kisses my temple before leading me to the door. The gallery is the last thing on my mind as I wonder what plans Nick has in store.
No amount of planning could have prepared me for the turnout and response to the event. This is by far the largest crowd we’ve had, and the best news is, the guests are buyers. Logan and I have already sold over a dozen pieces, large and small.
True to his word, Nick hasn’t left my side all night. He’s been recognized by almost everyone, but to my surprise, they have been respectful of his space. A few of the men have tried to talk about the upcoming game, but Nick has expertly answered the questions and turned the focus back to the purpose of the evening.
I’ve always considered the gallery to be spacious, but I’m thankful to Logan for setting up tables outside. They allow for people to stay and mingle and thin out the crowd. No one seems to want to leave. Socially, this is the place to be on a Friday night. At least, that’s what the reporter in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Tribune reported this morning, and it rings true.
“Sweet Peach, I’m very proud of you,” Nick whispers in my ear from behind, his arms resting on my waist. “This is quite a showing.”
Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I lean into him comfortably. “You helped,” I point out.
“I took directions from the boss. That’s not too much.”