Tempting the Artist (21 page)

“
Fine. You can have a seat
over there.” Robin pointed to a set of chairs about ten feet
away.

“
I’ll stand.”

“
Suit yourself,” the woman
murmured.

Christina turned and glanced around
the space. She was definitely under dressed. The majority of the
people were men, but there were a few women moving about who looked
as if they were participating in a fashion show.

Humph. I’ll take my
painter whites any day
.

While waiting, Christina roamed to the
receptionist area not wanting to hover over Robin, but made sure
she could still see Luke’s office door. After perusing the artwork
on the walls in the receptionist area, she started to return to
Robin’s desk but froze.

“
Hello, CJ.”

Repulsion knotted inside of
Christina’s gut at the sight of Leroy Jones. Number one enemy of
the Jenkins family and a man she loathed. He stood an arms-length
away, and his sleazy gaze traveled the length of her body before
returning to her face.

“
Funny running into you
here.” He moved closer and Christina took a step back.

“
Hello, Leroy.” Disgust
dripped from her words. She hadn’t seen him in over a year, and now
she wished it had been longer. Clean-shaven and wearing a suit
still didn’t hide the fact that he was a snake. With all of the
headaches he had caused her family over the years, it took
everything she had not to spit in his face. Instead, she turned and
walked away without another word.

When Christina returned to Robin’s
desk, she chanced a glance over her shoulder and was surprised to
see Leroy talking to Gary Rouse. It was never a good sign when two
jackasses, who looked to be friendly, got together.

They walked toward the
exit, but before they turned the corner, Leroy’s gaze met hers.
Christina gripped the bag of food tighter, wanting to look away,
but she didn’t. When he winked and flashed that stupid smirk,
goosebumps covered her arms and nausea bubbled in her throat. The
repugnance she felt toward him rose to a new level.
Scumbag.

Luke’s voice behind her caught her
attention and she turned. He was standing near his office speaking
with his client in the doorway.

“
As I mentioned before,
Miss Jenkins, Attorney Hayden has back to back meetings this
afternoon. Maybe you can stop by another time,” Robin said, trying
to block Christina’s view.

Too late. Luke had seen
her.

He looked her over seductively as if
she wasn’t wearing her work clothes. His signature grin spread
across his lips, and all thoughts of Leroy flew from her mind as
her pulse picked up in speed. Christina didn’t think she would ever
get used to the way her body reacted with only a look from
him.

He walked his client as far as Robin’s
desk and shook his hand, promising to be in touch soon.

“
Hey, baby. I’m glad you’re
here. Sorry to keep you waiting.” His mouth swooped down over hers,
and she melted into him, savoring his enticing kiss. It was
probably a good thing her hands were full. Otherwise, she might
have forgotten where she was and did something unspeakably erotic
to him.

The sound of someone clearing their
throat brought them both back to reality. Luke pulled away slightly
but didn’t remove his arm from around her.

“
I’m starving,” he
whispered close to her ear and she knew he wasn’t talking about
food.

“
Excuse me Attorney
Hayden,” Robin interrupted and glared at Christina, a
be-prepared-to-leave-smirk plastered on her face. “Your next
appointment should be here shortly.”

Luke glanced at his watch. “Thanks,
Robin. Until they get here, hold my calls.” He took the bag of food
from Christina and grabbed hold of her hand, guiding her to his
office. Once there, he closed and locked the door.

“
Now where were
we?”

He set the bag on the table near the
sofa and cupped her face between his strong hands, covering her
mouth with his. A contented sigh slipped from her as Luke’s tongue
explored the inner recesses of her mouth. The kiss, slow and
thoughtful, sent a wave of desire rushing through Christina’s body,
and she didn’t want it to end. She took what he gave freely. Her
arms went around his neck as she felt a sense of urgency with every
swirl of his tongue, touch of his hand, and the feel of his body
grinding against hers.

His hands scaled down the side of her
body, his touch scorching her skin through the material of her
clothing. No other man had ever turned her on the way Luke did, and
Christina knew without a doubt that no other man ever would. His
erection pressed against her stomach, and her need for him
intensified.

“
Ah, baby,” he groaned into
her mouth and lifted his head, his breathing as ragged as hers. She
took a step back. Her fingers touched her lips that were still warm
and tingling from his kiss.

“
That’s not enough for me.
I want more. I want you.”

“
I thought you were
hungry.” She played coy, knowing the look in his eyes told her
exactly what he wanted.

“
There’s a battle going on
within me. Part of me is starving since I didn’t eat breakfast, but
the other part of me prefers to taste you instead.”

When he pulled her back into his arms,
she placed her hands on his chest. “Tell you what. Why don’t we eat
first because I’m hungry too … for food. Then we’ll see how much
time we have afterward.”

After a slight hesitation, he
agreed.

Sitting on the sofa, Christina pulled
their meals out of the bag. The heady smell of onions, garlic, and
basil, immediately greeted her when she took the lid from her
lasagna, her mouth watered in anticipation.

They both moaned when the succulent
spices hit their tongues.

“
You were right, this is
amazing.”

“
I’m glad you like
it.”

Christina had mentioned her favorite
Italian restaurant on several occasions and decided he had to try
the lasagna. When she told him she had a special treat for him for
lunch, of course he initially thought she meant her.

“
You’re awfully quiet. Is
anything wrong?” Luke asked between bites.

“
I’m fine. While I was
waiting for you, I saw someone that I knew talking to Gary. Someone
who I wish would fall off the face of the earth.”

“
Wow, that bad
huh?”

“
Worse. I feel about him,
the way you feel about Gary.”

Luke shook his head and dabbed his
mouth with the napkin in his hand. “That’s impossible. You’re too
much of a sweetheart to have the same thoughts about that guy as I
have about Gary.”

“
I don’t know Lucas, my
thoughts might surprise you. This guy used to work for Jenkins
& Sons years ago and caused all types of trouble,” she said
between bites. “He really messed up and crossed the line when he
attacked Toni.”

“
What?” Luke’s mouth hung
open, and his brows slanted in a frown. “When did this
happen?”

“
When she first met Craig.”
Christina told him how Toni had been doing plumbing work for Craig,
and Leroy showed up at Craig’s house. He found out she was there
alone fixing a plumbing job that he had screwed up. They exchanged
heated words, and he attacked her.

“
You’re shittin’ me. If I
were Craig, I probably would have killed that asshole.”

“
Trust me, he wanted to and
probably would have if Toni hadn’t been so shaken up by the
experience. Instead of pummeling the guy, Craig called it
in.”

“
Apparently this guy is not
that bright, attempting to have his way with a woman, and then
doing it at a detective’s home. That’s just plain stupid on so many
levels.”

“
He’s not known for being
the smartest man in town. Or at least he wasn’t when he worked for
us. Now he’s a general contractor and owns a small construction
business. We hadn’t heard anything from him until he tried to sue
Jenkins & Sons, but nothing ever came of the bogus
lawsuit.”

“
Well, hopefully, you guys
won’t hear from him again. As you mentioned earlier, maybe he’ll
fall off the face of the earth … and take Gary with
him.”

Christina laughed, knowing that she
shouldn’t wish something like that on anyone, but she couldn’t help
herself. She didn’t like Leroy, and she didn’t trust
him.

Luke wiped his mouth with one of the
napkins from the bag. “That was delicious, babe. Thanks for
bringing lunch.” He stuffed the empty containers back into the
bag.

“
You’re welcome. I’m glad
you had time for lunch since you often work right through.”
Christina popped a small piece of the garlic bread into her mouth
before stuffing the rest into the trash.

“
How much time do you have
left?”

Christina shook her head and laughed.
“You’re insatiable.”

“
I’m in love.”

Her heart fluttered like the wings of
a bird. He had spoken those words many times before, but for some
reason today they sounded different. They felt different. Maybe it
was because he was leaving town later that night and wouldn’t
return for five days. Since getting back together, they had seen
each other daily and Christina would miss him terribly.

“
I’m in love with you too.”
She stood and reached for his hand. “I have about fifteen minutes
before I have to leave. Maybe you can show me around your bathroom
before your next appointment arrives.”

“
It would be my
pleasure.”

“Would you like to order a drink while you
wait for your party?” the perky server asked Luke. Her Goth look:
black clothing, black lipstick, and a shiny black mohawk, reminded
him of one of many reasons he loved New York. People from around
the world flocked to the city that was a melting pot of cultures,
as well as personal styles.

“
Yes. I’ll have a Heineken
and a glass of water.”

“
Alright, I’ll be right
back with your drinks.”

“
Thanks.”

Luke glanced around his favorite pizza
joint. The appetizing aroma of homemade bread, onions, garlic
combined with a host of other scents of Tuscany had his stomach
growling in anticipation. The food and the eclectic atmosphere made
the establishment one of the most popular lunch spots in Midtown.
His workload had once been so crazy busy that he didn’t get to
frequent the restaurant often, but ordered takeout
weekly.

“
Here you go.” The server
set down two coasters and placed his drinks in front of him. “Would
you like to order or did you want to continue waiting for the other
person in your party?”

“
I’m a little early, so
I’ll wait.”

He was meeting his friend, who was
also a private investigator, Michael Cutter. Luke had hired him on
a number of occasions to assist with his past cases. Unlike some
P.I’s, Michael dug deeper than most and could find a paperclip in a
haystack. The guy had contacts in high and low places, able to get
answers that no one else would think to look for.

After Christina’s photo had ended up
in a magazine regarding her Chicago show, Luke contacted Michael.
Not only did he want answers about the photographer, he wanted to
find out how the news got out about Sasha Knight. Since Luke knew
he’d be in New York for a few days, he suggested they meet while he
was in town.

Sitting next to the large picture
window gave Luke a perfect view of the masses of people on the
sidewalk rushing to get to their destinations. Horns blaring and
people lifting their hands to hail taxis gave him a rush of New
York adrenaline. The energy of the city was already seeping into
his bones, and he had only been there two days.

Luke’s cell phone vibrated in his
pocket. A quick glance at the screen and a smile spread across his
face.

“
Hey, baby. I’m surprised
to hear from you this time of day. Shouldn’t you be elbow deep in
paint right about now?”

“
Yeah, but I couldn’t stop
thinking about you. I figured I’d give you a quick call and then
maybe I can get some work done.”

“
It’s good to hear your
voice.”

“
You too. I also wanted us
to agree to something.”

“
Oh boy. I’m almost afraid
to ask.” He never knew what to expect from her. “What is
it?”

“
We should have a rule that
we can’t be apart for more than three days.”

Luke chuckled. “Now that’s a deal I
can agree too.”

They talked for a few minutes, and his
chest tightened thinking about how he fell in love with her more
and more every day. He had also grown fond of the Jenkins family.
Sunday brunches with them felt as normal as breathing, and he
hadn’t missed one in weeks. Also, bi-weekly outings with her male
cousins and her brother were a regular occurrence. He couldn’t
believe how quickly her family had become the family he never had.
If someone had told him a year ago that he would live in
Cincinnati, be in love with an eccentric artist, and have
intentions of marrying into a huge family, he wouldn’t have
believed them.