The Wedding Engagement

Chapter Twenty

Liv climbed out of the car and took a deep breath. “Come on. You can do this. You’re just a normal girl, coming to sit for her portrait. Not someone who can’t kiss the guy she desperately wants without having some kind of mental breakdown.” She looked around, double-checking that none of the neighbors had witnessed that little pep talk. Ironically it wouldn’t have helped her case in proving that she wasn’t having a breakdown. For a moment she could’ve sworn she saw the net curtains twitch in the house next door to Arran’s.

Once she rang the doorbell, she waited anxiously for him to answer. When he did, she had to reach out and hold the doorframe for support because, oh my God, if the guy hadn’t become an extra fifty percent sexier since the last time she’d seen him. How was that even possible when he’d already been one hundred percent sexy?

Arran Adebayo. One hundred and fifty percent sexy.

He smiled as she leaned against the doorframe, staring at him, trying to stand upright on her wobbly knees.

She cleared her throat. “Hi.”

Arran’s smile widened, making his eyes twinkle, and she thought she might drop down dead. “Want to come in, or should I paint you on my doorstep?”

She straightened, managing to walk into the house and not outwardly react to his evocative scent. The memory of him grasping her red hood and pulling her close surfaced. “All the better to eat you with.” A shiver ran down her spine.

“Liv?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Did you hear me?”

She paused in the hallway. “Er, no. Sorry. What did you say?”

He was still wearing an amused smile. “Do you want some tea before we start?”

“Oh, yes, please.” She removed her jacket and shoes and followed him into the kitchen, where she helped him make two mugs of tea, which they took into the studio. “Can I have a quick nosy?” she asked him. There were a few new pieces since she was last there.

“Be my guest.” He busied himself with getting some paints prepared, and it occurred to her that he was acting very naturally. Not like he thought she was unhinged and was keen to run a mile. She relaxed a little, remembering his comforting words at Neist Point. The studio lights were bright in the Saturday evening dusk, casting illumination onto the sofa where she would sit to be painted.

Moving over to it, she took a seat. “It was so cool of Sam and Maya to commission my portrait.” She sipped her tea. “Though a bit weird that I’ll have a picture of myself hanging on the wall.”

He smiled. “It’ll look beautiful.”

Her breath caught in her throat. He kept telling her that she was beautiful, and he made her believe it. Arran Abeo Adebayo was a very charming man. She sighed internally. He was also hot as fuckity-fuck. “At first I assumed you’d be painting me from a photo.”

He shook his head. “It’s better to have a live sitting. I only do it the other way when the person wouldn’t be available to sit for long enough.”

She settled back into the sofa, watching him prep. “How long will it take?”

Arran paused what he was doing to run a hand over his hair. “Depends on how it goes. I’ve usually got a deadline to work to, so I ramp up my schedule to meet it. But if it’s not needed by a certain date, then maybe about six weeks.”

She sipped her tea. “Good thing I have no social life, then.”

He smiled gently. “I’m ready when you are.”

—

Liv tried to stop laughing but it was difficult. “Sorry. I’m doing not well at sitting still.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s okay. I love seeing you laugh.”

Her heart rate picked up. “Thank you.”

There was silence for a few moments while he frowned in concentration at the canvas. It made him look sexy. For goodness’ sake. I think everything he does is sexy. I even thought it was hot when he knocked that paint over earlier.

She cleared her throat. “To be fair, it is you who’s been making me laugh. So…”

He slid his gaze over to hers, eliciting an adrenaline spike. “So…it’s my own fault?”

“Precisely.” She shot him a grin.

Arran smiled as he continued what he was doing.

Liv fidgeted in her seat. “When can I see?”

“In a minute.” He checked his watch. “We’ll stop shortly. Four hours is long enough for today.”

“Four hours? Wow.” Liv glanced at her own watch, feeling the need to confirm the timing. “It only felt like thirty minutes.”

He looked up at her below furrowed eyebrows. “Because I’ve been keeping you entertained with my sparkling wit?”

“Yes.” She held his gaze for a moment and her heart felt as if it was about to beat out of her chest. Why am I not jumping his bones again? Oh yeah. Because I’m an emotional hot mess.

“Okay,” he said, putting down his brush and wiping his hands on a cloth. “You can have a peek. But remember there’s a ways to go.”

Liv practically jumped out of her chair in her hurry to cross the room. She leaned on his shoulder to take in the canvas. There were lines sketching the outline of her hair and shoulders, and her hair was blocked out in a dark mass of waves. The proportions of her face were sketched in.

She opened her mouth in awe. “Wow. It looks like me already.”

He gestured at the canvas. “Next, I’ll start painting in the light and shade of your face, then the tones in your hair. After that I’ll refine your face a little more and paint in the upper body. I like to save the eyes for last.” He glanced into her eyes for a second, then away again quickly, clearing his throat. “Do you need to head off straightaway or have you got time for another cup of tea?”

“Tea always wins out for me.” She helped him tidy away his equipment, then followed him to the kitchen. “Do I need to wear the same top each time I come?”

He smiled. “No, it’s not essential. We can just select what color you want it painted in.”

They made the tea and sat at the breakfast bar together, chatting. She pondered the fact that he’d been very calm today, joking around less than usual. At first she’d worried it was because she’d upset him, but as time had gone on, she’d realized that he was giving her space. And that turned her heart to mush. She just wished she could find the words to explain what was going on in her head—and her heart. But after years of suppressing her negative emotions it was proving difficult to express them.

Her gaze snagged on his mouth as he sipped his tea. The sensation of having his lips pressed against hers was seared into her memory. Absently, she lifted a hand to touch her bottom lip.

“Okay?” he asked, eyeing her attentively.

She dropped her hand. “Yes, thanks.”

He smiled and she recalled him doing so on the night of the kiss, and then her blurting out that he had nice teeth. Cringe.

Despite that embarrassing moment, every time she thought about it, that same delicious heat pooled between her legs, making her squirm in an attempt to relieve the ache. Nobody had made her feel that way with just a kiss before.

She fiddled with her mug. She longed to kiss him again. But every time she considered voicing that desire, the idea of what would come next came to mind. They would no longer be “just friends.” She’d never had a relationship, sexual or otherwise, with someone she was so close to emotionally. She wanted it, but whenever she considered it, a deep, breath-stealing anxiety took hold. She shivered, trying to even out her breathing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, frowning.

“Absolutely,” she replied, closing her eyes briefly as she sipped her tea.

He was watching her quietly. “Can you come back again tomorrow afternoon? Jess will be dropping Jayce off after lunch, but we can do a bit more during his nap.”

She nodded. “That would be great. Then I get to see Jayce too, when he wakes up.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “If you’re sure you won’t get bored doing this two days in a row.”

She managed a smile. “In your company? I very much doubt it.”

He gave her a soft smile, which made her feel like she’d won the lottery.