Dirty Neighbor(33)
“Why are you telling me this?”
“When it comes to Elisha, I want you to consider it being all or nothing,” Andrew said. “Elisha hides it well, but she is an all or nothing kind of woman. She deserves it as well.”
“She’d make an amazing mother,” Brant said.
“She would, but she would make an even more amazing wife. Consider that, Brant. You care about her, and you may even love her. Don’t hide what you want. Elisha works well with the truth.”
Chapter Eleven
One week later
They had seen Sean leave together, and now they had the pick of each other’s places. Sean hadn’t wanted to leave, and Elisha did miss him. It had only been twenty-four hours, but his personality was huge. Seeing Sean off had been the first week that she’d missed going to her sister’s for dinner. She cooked for herself and Brant. They had shared a meal, and spent the rest of the night having sex. Well, she’d started to think of it as making love.
Brant had asked her to stop by his studio as there was something he wanted to show her. Monday was proving to be a slow day, and she’d given Anna the rest of the day off. They were still cleaning up for Danny, getting ready for a show in two weeks’ time, and it wouldn’t be long until they had finished. He had decorators in, and she and Anna cleaned away the mess they left behind. Brant had invited her as his plus-one, and as his girl. Every time she thought about it, she got giddy.
Their relationship had taken a turn, but she didn’t know what to make of the turn they were experiencing.
Knocking on the door of his studio, she waited. The closed sign was on the main door, and she wondered how he was selling his artwork. She now owned three of his pieces, and she loved each and every one of them.
“You’re late,” he said.
“What? I was busy.”
He tugged her inside, locking the door again.
“You’re being really secretive at the moment,” she said.
“Come on.” He took her toward his main creative studio where all the work happened. She’d seen him drawing in little books when they were alone. Last night, she’d been snuggled up against him as he drew. He didn’t show her what he was working on, and she did her best not to invade his space.
“I want something from you,” he said. “Actually, there’s something I want to show you.”
“You’re talking really fast, and I’m kind of struggling to follow.”
“You inspire me, Elisha. I want to remember our time together, and, you know what, it is just easier to show you.”
They walked into a main room that was filled with light, and had several canvases covered with blankets.
“Okay, nothing so far to scare or startle me. What’s going on?”
Brant started to remove the blankets, and Elisha gasped at what he was showing her. There were several drawings of her. One of her asleep, others were of her body, like her leg, and then the curve of her breast.
“You’re drawing me?”
“Don’t be mad. I just can’t move on. I’m not going to show these to anyone. This is for me, and me alone.”
She placed a hand over her mouth, and looked around at the six drawings. “I’m not mad. I’m honored.”
“I want to draw you, Elisha, naked. I’d like you to model for me, if that’s possible.” He moved toward the far end of the room, and started pulling a chaise lounge toward the center of the room.
“You want me to get naked so that you can draw me?”
“Yes.”
Biting her lip, she stared at several of his art pieces, and couldn’t help but admire his skill. He was really talented, but then, that was why she now owned several of his works. “I don’t know.”
“Elisha, please. You inspire me, and this is how I see you. No one will see these. They’re mine.”
“What about the erotic section you have on display downstairs?”
“This is for us.”
She wanted to. Elisha wanted to give him everything. “Yes. I’ll do it, on one condition.”
“What’s your condition?”
“You’re naked with me.”
“Baby, that’s not a problem for me.” He gave her a wink, and started to remove his clothes.
Taking a deep breath, Elisha watched as Brant got undressed, removing her clothes at the same time. He really was a perfect specimen of a man. She loved watching him get naked, and the way his body moved. Brant was so confident that being around him filled her with confidence.
“Where do you want me?” she asked, standing completely naked for him to see.
“I want you on the chaise lounge, babe.” He took her hand and led her toward the rather uncomfortable looking seat. Brant eased her into the position he wanted to draw her, with one of her arms across the side of the lounge and the other spread across the back. One of her knees was bent toward the ceiling, and the other lay partially open.