Behind His Lens(70)

“I’m ready,” I whisper in her ear, wrapping my arm around her petite frame and tugging her in close.

She doesn’t speak right away, but when she does, there’s unbridled passion behind every word and I know she’s speaking of her life’s true love. It’s inspiring hearing her expose the very nature of her soul.

“At first you notice the overwhelming amount of blue, right?”

“Yes,” I nod.

“But if you let your eyes study each part, truly let your mind explore the complexities of the scene before you, then other colors begin to appear and demand their presence be known as well. For instance, the sky itself isn’t merely blue. It’s black at its darkest points and then it degrades slowly toward navy and marine blue. Eventually the light from the stars turn the sky to a bright turquoise, especially around the moon.”

I kiss the back of her neck sweetly. “Tell me more.”

Giggling, she leans into me, “The sand closest to the rolling tide is bright gold in the moonlight, but other areas are hidden and shadowed. I’ll use deep oranges and browns to darken and shade those areas.”

I kiss her gently, encouraging her words.

“And white,” she declares proudly. “There’s white everywhere. It’s used to highlight elements or to mix colors into the perfect hues. There’s so much white on a night like this.”

“Most people think that the elements are formed with one pure shade, but everything’s an amalgam of colors mixed in just the right combination. The feeling of the black sky, the emotions it draws out of you as you stare toward the stars. That’s what I want to take back to New York with me.”

I kiss up to her earlobe. “I like hearing you talk about your painting. Will you show me the canvases in your apartment when we get home?”

She nods and her hair tickles my cheek. I want to turn her to face me, but I don’t want to push her too far. I just want to savor every moment.

“I’m sorry if I scared you earlier,” I apologize, nuzzling her neck.

Her warm hand finds my arm beneath the blanket and she runs her fingernails gently back and forth across my skin. It’s a subtle act, but it feels intimate, like something a lover would do.

“You didn’t. I was really glad you held your temper as long as you did,” she sighs. “I can’t blame you for getting upset after he grabbed me.”

“Does your arm hurt?” I ask, pushing up off the bed to inspect it.

She glances down at the mark, an indecipherable expression marring her serene features. “No. Not really, and I’m thinking the redness will fade by tomorrow morning.”

I look down into her wide blue eyes, trying to discern any hidden pain. “Good.”

“We should go to sleep, Jude,” she smiles, turning her head and laying her check back down onto her pillow. I find my spot behind her once again.

“I don’t think it’ll be possible with you lying so close,” I admit, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent.

“I know. My body feels like I’ve just had three cups of coffee.”

She sighs and I know she’s being truthful because I can feel her quick pulse against my finger as I spin small circles under her tank top. I should stop and pull my hand away. After all, it won’t help either one of us get to sleep, but her warm, sexy body is too enticing to ignore.

“We’ll have to think of other things,” she declares softly.

“Hmm… like what?”

“I don’t know. Nuns, babies… something really gross,” she laughs.

I smirk even though she can’t see it. “None of those seem like good options to me.”

“Shhh… we’re supposed to be sleeping,” she laughs gently, pushing her face into her pillow playfully so her golden hair is all I see.

“Goodnight, Charley,” I relent, pulling her in tight and cocooning her against me.

“Night, Jude.”

…

Charley

Warm breath and soft stubble caress the back of my neck, just behind my ear, and I careen toward the sensations greedily. The action is instinctual, like the hardwiring of my DNA acknowledging its complement strands. Even in my dreamy state, when his lips find my skin with soft nips, a hum sounds from the back of my throat. His persistent touching forces consciousness to begin to filter in. I hold off as long as I can, trying to stay in the brief moment of blissful emptiness, where there is only us: Jude and me.