Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (66 page)

     
"What are
you looking at?" I asked.

     
"…You," he answered after a lingering second. He didn't seem
surprised.
Guess he
did
hear me coming.

     
I moved to
stand behind him. The power had gone out when I was in the middle of looking at
pictures. He had apparently scrolled to the top of my photo library and was now
going through them all. I shifted nervously. The most important thing I'd brought
with me when I had first left home, aside from my iPod and laptop, was my box
of photos. And because I was often on the move and didn't want to chance losing
them, I had made a point to scan every single photo I ever had. I was so
obsessed with having a memory of everything that I even had a separate hard
drive that I copied everything onto just in case.

     
This included
all the baby pictures my father had taken of me, as well as pictures of us both
together. There were some of the old house and even a few of the 'family.' My
father had left me with his digital camera, so Polaroids and film were never an
issue, and my mother had purchased a desktop for me so I could keep busy in my
room. After all those years, the amount of photos had amassed to a large sum.

     
A lot were
taken at school. Plenty featured three kids messing around outside of a tree
house. The number dwindled as the years passed, but there was a major jump
after I left home. I'd made sure to get at least one snapshot of every single activity
I had done with Coops and Jillybean. Disneyland, movies, hanging out at the
mall, karaoke, the Fourth of July, waiting in line at the DMV, and our journey
to the beach - bus ride included. Dale's family was on there, too. His little
sister and parents and everything they represented - board games, big meals,
playful fighting, and familial love. They were a warm, caring bunch.

     
What followed
after that was mostly scenery photos I'd taken when I finally went off on my
own. Then came a few obscure images. It started out by me using my own hands as
a model for a project I was doing. That was when I realized I could also be
creative with photography. It was difficult to try and model myself, but I did
manage to snap some pictures I liked.

     
In these ones,
I rarely showed my whole face. There was one with my side profile as the focal
point. Another that focused solely on my neck. One that placed emphasis on the
hand over my heart, and one taken from the waist up, showcasing my bare back.
All of these images reflected what I was feeling at the time, and a lot of that
had to do with where I was staying when I had taken them - hidden away in the
woods where the sun rarely shined. There was an absence of bright color. A
semblance of loneliness. A touch of femininity. And perhaps a hint of magic and
otherworldliness. I'd taken these photos for fun and hadn't expected anyone
else to ever look at them. The pictures themselves were actually quite lovely,
but I wasn't sure I was alright with Ethan seeing them.

     
But worst of
all were the photos that Noel had taken using my camera - the only ones that
existed while I was going through my 'zombie phase.' My body was always covered
in some way and there was no sign of any sexual activity taking place. But one
look and Ethan would know who had taken the picture. I don't know why I kept
them, but I didn't have it in me to delete them.

     
I looked down
at him carefully, trying to judge his mood. It was no use. He wore a mask of
indifference.
Has he seen them?
"I'd rather you didn't. It's
embarrassing."

     
Finally, he
took a moment to glance up at me. "I don't see how," he replied
calmly.

     
"How long
have you been looking?"

     
He checked the
time on the screen. "A little over an hour now."

     
Over an hour? I
knew I had hundreds of pictures, thousands even, but had he been studying every
single one of them or something?

     
"...Did
you see them all?" I asked hesitantly.

     
"Yes."

     
God.

     
I couldn't
think about that right now. Time to change the subject. "You're probably
going to pass out from exhaustion before the work day is over. Did you get
enough sleep?"

     
"Yes. And
I'll be leaving work early today." He looked up at me again. "There's
an event that I need to attend. Douglas can drop you off at the apartment if
it's before five. The rain will be heavy again tonight."

     
An event? Is
that why he was so off? "I'd rather take a cab. I want to stay and make up
for the time I missed earlier this week."

     
"I'd
rather you didn't stay too late."

     
"The
building is perfectly safe, right?"

     
He stared at me
in silence, waiting for me to agree with him.

     
"Fine," I complied. "I'll probably end up getting tired,
anyway. What time is it?"

     
"Five-thirty. You should probably sleep before you come in to
work," he suggested.

     
"I brought
clothes, I'm going in with you. I'm ready to hurry up and finish."

     
"...Are
you almost done with the mural?" he asked after an extended pause.

     
"It's
getting there. One more week, maybe."

     
He leaned back
in his seat and brought his hand to his mouth, contemplating something. Seconds
later, he stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. Join me?"

     
I hated
repeating exact outfits, but I didn't know what kind of mood I would be in when
I'd made the choice yesterday. As a result, I had brought my
when in doubt
ensemble. It was exactly what I'd worn during the interview. As I slipped my
black pumps onto my feet, I instantly felt business-savvy. I was still
clueless, but at least I looked somewhat professional.

     
"You look
lovely," Ethan said as he walked out of his closet. His suit was an
extremely dark navy blue, but he had yet to put the jacket on, granting me full
access to the waistcoat that hugged his svelte form closely. I licked my lips,
ignoring the fact that I was still sore and wishing I could take him right here
and now. Or rather, wishing that he would take
me
right here and now. I
watched as he absentmindedly pulled on a dark red tie. When I realized it was
the same tie I'd stolen for our hide-and-go-seek game, I smirked. Eyes
gleaming, he gazed back at me with a knowing look.

     
"You look
deliciously edible," I replied as I jumped off his bed. "You know, I
have a bit of a thing for waistcoats." I bit down on my wet lip,
continuing to gawk unashamedly at his gorgeous body.

     
"...Do
you? Just how much of a thing?"

     
Enough that I
already felt moisture beginning to pool between my thighs. Enough that my body
would probably accept him if he were to enter me right now without a single
touch of foreplay. I wanted to wrap my arms around his clothed torso and bury
my head in his neck as he pounded into me. I wanted his scent all over me. I
wanted him to mark me again as he had the night before. "…Enough to
distract me," I answered a little too late.

     
His gaze
darkened as he began sauntering towards me. Grabbing my chin with his fingers,
he forced me to look him in the eye. "I can see just how effected you are,
Kitten. No point in being coy."

     
"Well, if
I told you
exactly
what I was thinking, you'd never get to work."

     
"You have
a point," he agreed. Lowering his head, he kissed me, his hands moving to
take hold of my waist and pull me against him. I reached up and ran my fingers
through his hair, moaning slightly when his tongue entered my mouth. "I'll
never tire of that sound," he sighed, pulling away.

     
Before I let my
hands drop, I quickly smoothed out his hair and returned it to its immaculate,
straight and breezy state. "...Perfect. How are we doing on time?"

     
His eyes
lingered on mine before eventually lowering to check his watch. "It's
still a bit too early to head in. We'll get some breakfast and eat in my
office."

     
Not only did he
get us breakfast, but he also picked up a lunch for me since I completely
forgot about packing one myself. We sat comfortably on the floor of his office
eating on the coffee table.

     
"What kind
of event are you going to?" I asked. "Is it gonna be fancy?"

     
"I
suppose. They usually are," he replied. "And it's a fundraiser for a
children's hospital."

     
That didn't
sound too scary. "What exactly goes on at one of those things?"

     
"Lots of
mingling, mostly. Music, dancing, one or two drinks, and then food. It all
feels rather arbitrary, but it provides a feel-good environment for those who
can easily afford to donate larger sums."

     
Oh
.
"So all the extravagance is just a market strategy thing?" I always
thought it was odd to spend so much money on funding one of those kinds of
things when it could've been used as a donation instead, but now it made sense
if it was a means of profiting even more.

     
He nodded.
"Exactly. It also provides easy grounds for making new connections. At
some point, there'll usually be a speech or two, sometimes even an
auction." Pausing, he reached over and wiped a bit of whipped cream off
the corner of my mouth with his thumb before quickly taking it into his mouth.
"On the surface it might seem fun, but in reality it's a bit tedious, even
if it is for a good cause. But as I said before, it's necessary when it means
good business opportunities."

     
I smiled, glad
that I was finally hearing more about his life away from me. But then I
remembered what he had told me the previous week - about how he would've liked
to bring me along with him to such kinds of events.

     
…Maybe one
day?

     
Sighing
inwardly, I knew it was time for another distraction. "Hey, you didn't
send Douglas to pick me up yesterday, did you?"

     
Ethan stopped
mid-bite and looked at me, his expression turning serious. Almost accusing,
even, though I couldn't imagine why. "What makes you think I sent him to
get you?"

     
Well, that
wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
I shifted nervously. "Um…I don't.
I was just wondering if you did. Guess it was just a coincidence." His
somewhat harrowing gaze was making me both uncomfortable and nearly
inarticulate. I set my fork down, no longer hungry.