I don’t snap the photo. Instead, I toss my cell back over to my pile of clothes.
“I thought you were going to take a pic of me?”
“I will. One day.”
She laughs. “You know I have that painting of me nude, right? I don’t mind showing off my body for art.”
“Yeah, well, this is for my spank bank. Not sure that’s considered art.”
Ara’s laugh slays me. I swear it’s the best sound in the whole wide world.
“So.” I rub the back of my neck. “What have you been working on?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Ohhh a secret project?”
She saunters over with this wicked little glint in her eyes. “Yyyyup.” She pops the p in her answer. “Wanna spank me for not telling you?”
Nope. I want to kiss her again. Which is exactly what I do.
“You really never do get soft, do you?”
I shake my head slowly. “Not since you came into my life.”
“This might make grocery shopping awkward.”
I glance around and see she’s got a half-empty bowl of Skittles on a stool. I stroll over and pluck a red one out and pop it in my mouth. “Is this all you’ve had to eat today?”
“Mmmm. Yeah. I’m not too hungry.” Her stomach growls, saying otherwise. “Okay, so myself just called myself out.” She tosses her hands up. “Damnit.”
“You got lost in your artwork?”
“Immediately.”
That’s a good thing, right? Yes, for her mind. No, for her body. Maybe I should grab her something from the burger joint down the road. “If you’re on a roll, I can leave. I don’t want to derail you.”
“You can’t derail me, Glitch. Not this time.” She taps her temple. “This project is solid. I won’t lose it.”
“Should I…” I point to the door.
“Only if you’re taking me with you.” Ara grabs her clothes from the floor. “If I stay, I won’t leave, and I really should take a break. I want to paint this one carefully.”
“Stepping back is good. Gives you time to process.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m dying to know what it is.”
“RIP you, then.” She wiggles back into her clothes, and I’m forced to do the same. “I’m sorry,” she says, pointing at my now paint-stained t-shirt and jeans. “Your clothes are ruined.”
I pull my shirt back from my skin and frown down at it. It’s covered in paint only because I got dressed while I was still wet. And I hadn’t wiped much off with that towel she’d given me. “It’s an improvement.”
It’s a wreck. I love it.
Ara dumps her brushes into a jar and adjusts her messy bun. “What did you take a pic of your leg for?”
My grin goes a mile wide. “A secret project.”
She flips me the bird and saunters to the door. I follow her. Flick off the lights. Let her lock up.
“You ready to meet my family now?”
Ara frowns. “I wanted to shower and change first.”
“Nope. We’re going together, just like this.”
Chapter 21
Ara
We pull up to the most adorable little house with blue siding, a papasan chair on the tiny front porch, a half-dead plant that’s only got a few blooms left, and a wind chime made with feathers, sticks and I think bamboo shoots.
I’m nervous. Meeting family is a big deal. I haven’t gone this far with any boyfriend since high school and that doesn’t count. Everyone knew me back then and I’m far from home now.
Glitch grabs my hand and laces our fingers together. I swear whenever I feel uneasy, he picks up on it and does something subtle to reassure me. Like now, when he gives my hand a squeeze. I can’t believe how natural we are with each other. Annnnd I can’t believe I’m about to walk into his sister’s house covered in paint, with no underwear on.
Glitch insisted on keeping them at his house, so I’ve been commando all damn day. It was nice, until now.
“Relax.” He jiggles my arm. “She won’t bite. I promise.”
“What if she doesn’t think I’m good enough for you?” The words tumble out as we stand on Erin’s porch. Glitch turns me to face him. “Never think that about yourself, Ara.”
But I do. I always have. I’ve never felt good enough, not until the day I got my first commission on my own and that’s been a while. My insecurities keep trying to land on my shoulder and whisper bullshit in my ear. However, when Glitch glowers—and I do mean glowers at me—my system resets because I know better. I do, damnit. I’ve made it on my own. I’ve gotten this far. I’m pretty awesome, actually. I’ve got a concept I’m working on at the studio, and I have the hottest boyfriend in the universe.