Chapter 17 - Violet

Nile led me down the stairs to his room, rubbing circles on my hand as we walked. The moment the door was shut, he pulled me in by my bare waist and kissed me. My breasts pressed up against his chest, warming me. The kiss was gentle at first—questioning, even—before our passion began to take over and erase our hesitation.

His hands moved to my breasts, cupping them firmly as I kissed his neck. My hands took in every inch of his skin with abandon, and his did the same to me. We moved slowly with each other, taking our time with our explorations.

Somehow, we made our way to his bed. Nile laid me down gently, removing my pants, and then my underwear. He lingered over my thighs, knees, and ankles as he did, kissing each spot as the clothing was removed. His stubble rubbed my skin lightly with each touch and sent goosebumps cascading across my skin.

"Take yours off, too," I said, rubbing my foot on his covered thigh as I watched him from my reclined position.

The awkwardness and hesitation that once existed between us had disappeared now. All I could think about were his hands on my body and his eyes on me.

"Yes, Luna," he said seriously. "Anything for you."

I shivered at his subservience as he removed the remainder of his clothing and stood facing me at the edge of the bed. I hadn't intended to order him around, but something about the way he followed my directive was causing me to feel even more attracted to him.

"Your wish is my command. What would you have me do next?" Nile asked. He said it without a hint of humor, and I knew he meant every word. I bit my lower lip as I stared at his naked form, awaiting my next instruction.

"Come here," I beckoned to him with my hand, urging him to join me on the mattress.

He slowly lowered himself next to me, trailing his hand from my ankle up to my waist as he did. When he was lying down, I wrapped one leg around his hips, pressing myself closer to him. His hand continued to travel up my body, moving from my waist to my breast, cupping my neck with his powerful hand, and ending with his thumb on my lips. He pulled my bottom lip down gently, opening my mouth before he replaced his thumb with his mouth. Our kisses picked up where we had left off, passionate and excited.

"Violet, I want you," he whispered into my ear. His teeth nibbled my skin gently, and my breath quickened.

"You have me," I whispered back.

Nile grasped behind my knee, pulling me on top of him as he rolled onto his back. He stared up at me with wonder as I tossed my hair behind my back, exposing my breasts to him fully as I straddled him.

Lifting myself up slightly, I grasped his erection, resuming the hand job I hadn't given him in the studio. He moaned as I worked his shaft up and down.

"I want all of you," he said gruffly.

"Then take me," I replied.

In the studio, he had promised to be slow and intimate, and he moved purposefully and with an obvious look of concentration on his face as he did his best not to rush things. With strong hands, he grasped my hips, positioning my opening over the tip of his penis and lowering me until he was inside me.

It was my turn to moan as I felt his thick manhood thrusting into me. His thumb found my clitoris, rubbing it firmly but carefully as I increased our tempo, burying him inside of me repeatedly.

If I thought our encounter in the garden had been hot and heavy, it was nothing compared to what I was experiencing with Nile right now. Our bodies moved in sync with each other—a perfect dance of passion and trust. I felt a throbbing in my core as I came closer to the pinnacle of my release.

Using my thighs as handles, Nile pulled himself into a sitting position before wrapping his hands around my back and up to my shoulders. I arched my back as I felt his erection penetrate deeper than ever at this new angle. My heart beat faster as our bodies moved together, quicker and more urgently.

"Look at me," Nile said, tilting my chin down until our eyes met.

My lips parted as I focused on maintaining eye contact. Our breathing became shallow as we struggled for breath, moving faster and faster until we finally climaxed.

My fingers dug into Nile's shoulders as waves of pleasure coursed through me. I collapsed into the crook of his neck, unable to keep myself upright any longer as my legs shook beneath me. He held me tightly, keeping me from falling over while I recovered.

"That was amazing," I said, using his shoulder as a pillow.

He chuckled lightly. "You can say that again."

I moved off of him and lay down on the bed, pointing my toes to stretch my legs. Nile lay down next to me, tracing his fingers along my collarbone. I turned my head to look at him and saw that he was staring into my eyes.

"Vi," he said quietly. "Will you stay?"

I knew what he was asking, but I hesitated. The last time I had fallen asleep with him, I had woken up alone. While I knew in my head that we were mated for life, my body still felt the trauma of that rejection. My muscles tensed as I considered it.

"I've been dreaming of spending the night with you for so long," he admitted. "If you don't want to, I would understand. But if you did…"

"You want me to stay?" I clarified.

Nile wrapped both arms around me, pulling me into a hug and resting my head on his chest.

"I want you to stay," he assured me.

"Then I'll stay," I answered, holding onto him in the darkness.

We shimmied our way under the covers, and I felt him reach out to pull me against his chest once again. My heart felt torn by everything that had just passed between us. I had meant what I'd said about the sex being amazing, but I was confused by what had changed Nile's mind about me. I had always believed he felt nothing for me after the way he'd abandoned me in the forest. How could you leave someone you cared about in such a callous, unfeeling way? But maybe I had been wrong.

I replayed the night over in my mind as I fell asleep to the sound of Nile's steady breathing and the feeling of his body pressed against mine.

***

Nile was still lying next to me when I woke up in the morning, but in the harsh light of day, I felt more exposed than ever. He had said good morning and tried to kiss me, but I brushed him off. I got out of bed quickly and went to my room to get ready, telling him I needed to get to work.

Now that I was standing in the studio talking with Walter, I wondered if I had made a mistake in leaving so quickly this morning, but it was too late to change that now. I could only focus on what was happening right now. And that happened to be pretty exciting news.

"Phyllis and Margaret both have asked for commissions from you," Walter said.

"You're kidding," I replied. "Both of them?"

Although I had finished one of Walter's requests last night, I still had the second one to work on. With two more paintings on the docket, I wondered if I would have time for anything else.

"Actually, Phyllis wanted two. I left the details on the counter over there, but you'll want to call them to discuss your fee," he said. "Speaking of fees, what do I owe you for this beauty?"

I gave Walter my quote, and he disappeared into the office to write me a check. He had been impressed by the quality of the work as well as by how quickly I'd completed the painting for him.

The landscape now sat on an easel facing the studio's front door. Anyone who came inside would see it before they saw anything else. I was still in shock that my work was getting this much attention so quickly, but the reality of it was starting to sink in. It seemed that I might be able to make a career out of my passion after all.

Walter returned in a moment with the check and some more news.

"I just had a phone call from a buddy in Salt Lake City," he said. "I sent him a picture of that painting you did, and he wants to talk about getting a Violet Pinedale original as well. Here's his phone number. I said you'd give him a ring."

"Wow. Thank you, Walter. Thank you for believing in me," I said sincerely.

"Your talent speaks for itself," he replied. "But if you don't mind still working for me here, I have some store work for you to do this morning."

I nodded my head. "I wouldn't dream of quitting on you, Walter."

Secretly, I was glad of the break from my sudden success as an artist. I was ready to do some monotonous shelving and cleaning for a few hours.

By the end of the day, I felt like things were going back to normal when I heard the bell ring from the front door. Walter was working the counter while I categorized backstock in the supply room, so I didn't pay much attention to the customer until I realized it wasn't a customer at all. Nile opened the supply room door, entered quickly, and shut the door firmly behind him.

"Nile? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We need to talk," he said sternly.

"Can it wait? I'm almost done here, and then I'll be heading home," I said.

"No. It can't wait, Violet," he began. "Last night was a turning point for me, and I thought it was for you as well. When you left this morning, I told myself that maybe you were just having a bad morning, but the longer I thought about it, the more upset I got. It's all I've been able to think about today."

"What do you have to be upset about?"

"Every time we get closer, you run away from me," Nile said.

"Wow," I replied sarcastically. "Deflect much?"

"Excuse me?" he said.

"You keep accusing me of being the one to put distance between us. You're conveniently forgetting that I'm not the one who left!"

I was trying to moderate my voice, but I was tired of having this same conversation over and over again. It never went anywhere, and he never took accountability for what he had done. It was like he just expected me to ignore my feelings about the past and move on.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't want to go?" Nile said.

"If you didn't want to leave, then tell me what happened," I said, throwing up my hands in exasperation. "We've been through all this before. Until you're ready to talk about what really happened and tell me the truth, then your assurances mean nothing."

Nile paced back and forth in the storage room, finally coming to a halt in front of me. "Fine," he said defeatedly. "I'll tell you the whole story."

"Sure you will," I said skeptically.

"Violet, I left to save your life," Nile said.