Out of Control (Untamed #2) (16 page)

E
ven before my eyes opened the next morning, I could hear the soft scratch of pencil on paper, the smudge of fingers softening shadows and lines. And I knew—he’d been drawing me as I slept. Happiness flooded me, filling in all the spaces from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. The black hole was gone—in its place was an incredible feeling of wholeness.

I was smiling when I finally looked at him.

My real smile. The one that only Dare brought out in me.

When he glanced up and saw me watching him, he put down his pad, and came back over to the bed. He wore nothing but shorts, and I watched the way his muscles rippled as he crossed the room. I was reaching for him before he got to me, anxious to touch him, needing to feel him, to make certain that he was real.

That we were real. That this was really happening.

My god. It
was
really happening.

“Good morning.” He leaned down kiss my lips.

I laughed and turned my head to the side. “I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet,” I said as he nuzzled my neck, sending shivers over my skin. I tried to roll away, but he trapped me, bringing his face right down to mine.

“I don’t care, Ree,” he said, the most beautiful smile lighting his face. “I’m fucking starved for you. I want you just the way you are.”

“Dirty?”

“And naked.” His eyes darkened. “Very, very naked.”

“And free,” I said, for the first time in my life feeling truly
free.

I stared up at him, my gaze settling on his lips. When he slowly leaned down to kiss me, it was like he was drinking me in, exploring me for the first time. I opened my mouth to welcome him in, feeling my body awaken in all the right places.

And as he slid into the bed beside me, his hands exploring my contours, I finally felt like everything—EVERYTHING—was right in my world.

“So, will you have enough?” I was facing him this time, sitting with my arms crossed over my legs, my long hair tumbling down all around me, sunlight raining down, highlighting the right side of my body.

“Paintings?” Dare said, focusing on the canvas. “Yes. I talked to Jacques this morning and the show is a go.” He looked relieved. “I’ve just got to finish this one, and refine a couple of the others. Should be able to do that over the next few days.”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it—I was so excited about his show. It was a huge deal even if Dare wasn’t acting like it. I knew better.

“So then what’s next for Dare Wilde?” I asked softly.

He shrugged, squinted at his work for a moment, then spoke. “I guess I’ll have to see what happens. Rex wants me to visit some friends of his while I’m in Europe. So, I’m not sure.” He was cautious, not making any plans, not committing.

Not sure of me still.

Not sure of us.

Intellectually, I understood, but that didn’t mean my heart was protected from the hurt.

Because
I
was sure of us. After everything we’d been through, after three years apart, after finding each other again in Paris, of all places…I was sure.

I wanted Dare.

Without question. Without doubts. Without end.

But would he come to feel the same?

Dare’s phone rang. He glanced down at the screen and his face lit up.

“You want to stretch?” He put down his brushes and reached for the phone. “This’ll just be a minute.” Then he tapped the screen. “Dash!” he said, and turned toward the windows. “How’s life as a rock god?”

I pulled my robe around me, grabbed Dare’s mug, and went to the kitchen to refill his coffee and get more tea. I loved being in his space, feeling like I belonged. Almost. Clearly he wasn’t as all-in as I was, and that was okay. I’d hurt him last time—he had every right to tread cautiously.

But standing in his kitchen, feeling at home here…it filled me in a way nothing else ever had.

When I came back to the studio he was still on the phone.

“Amsterdam? I don’t know, man. I’ve got…” He looked at me. “…
stuff
going on.” He laughed and turned his back to me again. “Fuck off. I’ll see, alright? But I’m not making any promises.” He shook his head. “Yeah. Just like you. Whatever. I gotta go. Unlike you, I’m actually working. Yeah, yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it.” Then he laughed again and hung up.

When he turned back to me, his eyes emanated the calm warmth he only ever got from his family. They brought out this deep joy in him that made him shine. I didn’t understand that feeling at all—not from family, not from anyone—but I hoped maybe someday I’d feel it too, and that maybe I’d be the one to make Dare look like that.

“That was my brother Dash,” he said. “His band’s on tour this summer.”

“In Europe?”

He nodded. “We’re supposed to hook up at some point, so he was calling to see if I’d meet him in Amsterdam. I just gotta get through this show first before I can think about leaving.” He looked at me thoughtfully. “See what happens with…the art.”

I busied myself with my belt, not wanting to think about Dare leaving just when I’d finally found him again. “When are Dalia and Dax coming?”

“I have to pick them up from the airport on Monday night.” He didn’t ask me to come along. And I’d be lying if I said that didn’t hurt a little, too.

But I wasn’t family. And he wasn’t sure. And it was fine. Well, fine-
ish
.

At least that was what I kept telling myself.

Besides, the show opened Tuesday night and it would give me extra time to prepare for Dare’s debut. And I could probably use the night off to see Archer again. He’d texted me a couple of times, but I kept giving him noncommittal answers to his invites to play. Now I could make a solid plan with him, which would be good.

Things were coming together.
Finally
.

My life no longer felt out of control.

eighteen

“Y
ou sure you don’t want to go out?” Archer said as he eyed my apartment from the doorway. “I’ll take you someplace nice. Like over in the eighth
arrondissement
.”

“I’d rather eat in.” I walked into the kitchen.

He raised a very skeptical eyebrow at me. “Really?”

“Don’t worry, Arch. I’m not cooking. I haven’t fallen
that
far.” Not that I didn’t want to learn how, but I knew Archer wouldn’t really understand that. I pulled a couple of plates out of the cupboard as he laughed. “I picked up some takeout from a couple of local restaurants.”

He wandered into the living room and dropped down onto the couch. “So where is he?”

“Dare?” I didn’t have to ask. I knew who he was talking about. “He’s doing a final check at the gallery for his show, then he’s going to pick up his brother and sister at the airport.”

“Christ. Do people actually do that?” Archer shook his head. “Meet each other at airports? That’s so quaint. I wouldn’t pick up
my
brother at an airport.”

I laughed. “That’s because you absolutely loathe Spencer.”

“Yeah.” He smirked. “True.”

“Dare likes his siblings. Loves them to pieces actually.”

Archer’s icy eyes widened as he shook his head. “I can’t even fathom that. I wonder what it’s like.”

I rolled my eyes and threw a napkin at him which he easily caught. “You’d meet me at an airport, wouldn’t you? If I asked?”

He shrugged. “It would depend on what I was doing. Or, more likely,
who
I was doing.” When I put my hands on my hips and gave him my trademark
Archer-is-being-an-ass-AGAIN
stare, he laughed. “I’d send a car for you at the very least.”

“That’s just so…
something
.”

“Well, you are my best friend.” He grinned as I brought the food over and set it on the coffee table.

I lit a couple of candles and placed them on the table between us. “For atmosphere,” I said, sitting down on the floor opposite of him. “I didn’t want you to miss out on all the fancy things you’re used to just because we’re eating in.”

He was silent for a while before saying, “I’ve missed you, baby girl. Things just aren’t the same without you around. When are you coming home?”

I shook my head as I handed him a plate. “If I can help it, never.”

“Reagan! Seriously? What about Harvard? Your law degree? We’ll be there together.”

“I don’t want it, Archer. None of it. I never have. It just took me this long to finally say so.” I waved my hand at the apartment. “I
love
it here. Like LOVE love. It’s fucking amazing to be actually doing something I care about, something that’s important to me.” I lifted my wine glass at him. “You should try it sometime. It’s addictive.”

“So is money.”

“True,” I said. “But that addiction can be broken. This one can’t.” Nor could my addiction to Dare. But I wasn’t going to say that to Archer.

A knock sounded at the door, but before I could get up to answer it, it swung open.

“Is she here? Where is she? Ree!” A vaguely familiar female voice called out.

Dare appeared in the entryway and froze at the sight of Archer and me.

I hadn’t told him we were getting together, and I suddenly realized how this probably looked to him—candlelight, wine, dinner alone. Not good. Pretty bad, in fact. Maybe even fucking awful, but it was innocent. He
had
to know that.

“Dare, get out of the way!”

He stepped aside, wincing as Dalia pushed her way into the room. She tackled me to the ground with a hard hug.

“Oh my god,” she said, leaning back for a second to look at me. “I can’t believe it! It’s really you! In the flesh!” She embraced me tightly again, and I squeezed right back. It felt so good. I’d forgotten how wonderful it felt to be hugged. I inhaled, taking in a deep breath of her. She smelled like soap and sunshine. And love. Dalia always smelled like love.

I pulled away to get a good look at her myself. Three years had changed her. Where before she’d been a pretty teenager, at twenty she was stunningly beautiful—long dark hair hung in waves past her shoulders, she had strong sculpted arms that I couldn’t help but envy, and her eyes were the same amber as her twin brother’s.

“Reagan, you’re even more of a babe than before.” Dax grinned, standing over us both, holding a hand out to help me up. His dark hair stood in the same spiky mess, but the rest of him had changed. He’d filled out since I’d last seen him, and grown at least four inches which I really noticed when he crushed me in a bear hug.

“Okay, okay,” Dare said, peeling Dax off of me, “that’s enough. She’s taken, Dax. I told you that already.”

Dax laughed. “Well, let’s give her a chance. Maybe now that she’s seen me she’ll change her mind about you.”

“In your dreams, Dax.” Dalia hit him, which only made him laugh harder. I smiled so huge at them that my face began to ache. I’d had no idea how much I missed all of them until they were right here in front of me.

Archer had gotten up off the couch, and come around to me. He looked like he didn’t understand the language the three siblings were speaking.

“This is what it’s like,” I said.

He nodded like he was unsure of it all. “I think I’m gonna get out of your way,” he said. And when I opened my mouth to protest, he added, “Looks like you’ve got your hands full. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?”

I glanced at Dare. “Dare’s show opens tomorrow…so…”

Archer held up his hands. “No, that’s fine. Just…let me know when you’re free because I really need to talk to you about something important.” Then he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and left.

Dare had watched our little interaction, and I could tell he didn’t like what he saw. I reached for his hand, and although his fingers laced through mine, his grip felt stiff and rigid.

So I pointed Dax and Dalia toward the table. “We have more food here than we can possibly eat, why don’t you two help yourselves while your brother and I chat for a minute.” I pulled Dare toward my room.

As soon as we were inside and the door was closed, he tugged his hand free.

“What was
he
doing here?” he said.

“We were just having dinner,” I said. “He came to Paris to see me and I’ve only seen him once because I’ve been so busy with my work and the modeling.” His eyes darkened and I hurried on. “Which is what I’ve wanted to be doing, but since you were busy this afternoon and evening, I made plans,” I said, placing my palms on his chest. “I forgot to tell you. That’s all.”