If You Give an Artist a Killer Muse: A Dark Grumpy Sunshine Romance

Chapter 7

Briar

This is not what it looks like. No, I am not moping in bed way past my alarm when I should be getting up and going for a run, regardless of whether Rurik will be there or not. It’s good for my mental health and my overall health, right? But fuck… Okay, fine. I am in bed.

It’s been a week since I’ve seen my angel.

A whole damn week.

A week since I saw him with Fake Barbie, and we exchanged pleasant conversations via text messaging.

Well, it was pleasant for me because I got to talk to Rurik even when I was away with Nat doing work stuff. But he”s ignored my texts and left me on ”read,” which is hella annoying. Doesn”t he know I rarely text people? Aside from Nat and Mr. Rogers, Rurik is the only person outside of work to whom I reach out.

I miss him. Why hasn’t he texted me back? Am I that annoying? Probably. But whatever, he’ll get used to me. I’m just charming that way. I texted him constantly for the past week, and he never replied.

Not even a “leave me alone, Briar” or a “Fuck off.”

Nothing.

Groaning, I toss to my side and recheck my phone, only to see my unanswered texts to him.

ME:

-Hello, you ;)

-Sorry, I can’t meet you this morning on your run. I had work to do late at night, and I overslept. It won’t happen again!

-Hi again! I can’t wait to see you this morning. I miss our morning jogs.

-Where were you, angel? I didn’t see you today :(

-There’s an art festival happening in NJ this weekend. Would you like to come? We could go as friends. I can be friendly.

-Or not ;)

-Why do you work in that bougie grocery store? You don’t seem to be the type who cares if his food is dairy-free, gluten-free, or everything delicious-free. Then again, if you are—no judgment. Are you gluten-free? I can find places in the area of the art festival that can cater to your preferences.

-You’re ignoring me, aren’t you? That’s fine. I can stay inside your text message inbox for however long it takes, angel. Soon, your inbox notifications will be so overbearing that you’ll want to check these messages and reply, right?

-So, how long have you been painting? Have you always wanted to be a painter?

-How long have you been living in the States? I can hear the Scottish accent there, but I sometimes catch a few American drawls here and there. ;) ONE OF US. ONE OF US!

-Hello, the inside of Rurik’s Phone. Lovely to see you this morning. Have you been making sure Rurik does his morning runs? Because I haven’t seen him in forever.

-Have you seen or read Outlander? You can be Jamie Fraser to my Claire. Since you’re a foreigner here, you’re technically an Outlander. Should I change your name to Outlander instead of Angel?

-I’ve been having a blast chatting with you, Rurik’s Phone.

-10/10 would recommend.

So yeah. I may have spammed the shit out of the man’s inbox. That’s normal, right? It’s not my fault he wasn’t replying to me! The last text I sent was last night. What I find interesting is that he hasn’t blocked me yet. I know this because he read all my texts.

The asshole just doesn’t like to reply. The fucking audacity of this man.

Is he one of those people who looks at a text, mentally replies, and says they’ll reply later but forget about it?

My phone vibrates, and I immediately sit up, thinking it was him.

My face falls. It’s not.

Nat:

-Heyyy bitch. Sending you the coordinates for this morning’s job!

I roughly throw myself back in bed, groaning. I don’t want to go to work today; I just want to lie in bed and daydream about Rurik or curl up and veg as I scroll through social media.

Mainly Rurik’s.

I get Nat”s coordinates and enter them into the map. I frown and sigh, letting her know I”ll see her there. Grumbling, I get up and change into my dress, arming myself with my favorite dagger and guns. Being the Charon”s secret weapon is such a chore sometimes.

“Why do you always wear that dress?” Nat asks an hour later when I hop out of my car.

“Because I look fucking beautiful,” I scoff, placing my hand on my hip. “Also, these men should see something gorgeous as the last thing before I kill them.”

“What makes you think you”ll have to kill them?” Nat laughs as we gear up. “What if they give us what we need, and we let them go?”

I raise a brow, “I mean, we can let them go. But where’s the fun in that? What if they decide to come back for revenge or something?”

Nat shrugs, “Let them come. That’s why I have you and Oscar to protect me.”

I playfully punch her arm, “Bitch.”

“Love you, sweetie,” Nat giggles. She turns to face her, her gaze swallowing my black boots and pink skater dress that hugs my waist and flares around my hips. She whistles with approval and nods.

This is what I do.

I make myself look beautiful and seduce the target. I’m the group’s secret weapon because I’m not known enough for people like Dylan to recognize me. Also, they see an innocent, wide-eyed shorty like me and immediately assume I’m harmless. So, I play the virtuous, sometimes clueless girl who begs to be corrupted. Then once I get them to trust me, I get them to fess up, and my favorite part — fuck shit up if they refuse to cooperate.

Hopefully, Dylan is smart enough to cooperate so I can go home and stalk Rurik’s profile again.

Nat pats my shoulders, “Now remember, the target is Dylan. Get him to tell us where he got his money and their contact info.”

“Got it. Get in there. Seduce the shit out of him – But not actually fuck him. Then, get him to talk.”

“You got this.”

I smirk, “Hopefully, this won’t take long.”

I turn to go inside the room where our target and his friends were busy playing card games. As soon as we enter the room, they look up in alarm and immediately stand up.

“Hi, boys,” I wave, cocking my head to the side. “What are you guys up to?”

“Who are you?” the target, Dylan, asks. I don’t miss how his hand wraps around the gun he’s hiding behind him. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at his obviousness.

“Oh! Sorry,” I giggle, batting my eyes at him and his friends. “I’m Stacey! I’m here to dance for…” I feign confusion, my face flushing with redness. Damn, I should have been an actress instead. I can blush and cry on cue! His friends glance at each other, their shoulders dropping as they relax and fall for the ditzy character I”m playing.

“Yeah,” one of them says, pointing at Dylan. “It’s his birthday. Why don’t you show him a good time?”

I gasp and whirl to Dylan, “Oh! Happy birthday, sexy!” I rush to him and shove him back on the couch. He falls back with a grunt, but I don’t give him time to move as I climb on top of his lap and smile at him. “Sshh, let me give you a very happy gift, please?”

“Yeah,” One of his friends chuckles stupidly. “We’re paying her by the hour, so don’t waste time.”

“Oh! Before I forget,” I turn around and nod toward Nat, who looks nervous and cute in the corner — the character she’s going for tonight, I’m assuming. “She’s currently in training. But I trust you boys to make her feel welcome?”

His idiotic friends stare at Nat with lustful eyes. I focus on Dylan again, knowing Nat’s got them.

“Hi,” I grin down at him. His eyes flash with anticipation, and I almost roll my eyes. Why can’t I just tie him up and demand he answer us? I feel his fingers digging through my hips, and I clear my throat.

I open my mouth to distract the shit out of him, maybe stroke his ego a bit until he tells us the names of the assholes stealing from Mr. Rogers. But before I could do that, my pocket starts vibrating.

Fuck. I forgot to silence my phone.

“You okay?” Dylan asks, not at all looking like he cares. He leans down and skims his nose over my cleavage.

“Yeah,” I discreetly pull out my phone and feel my heart jump with excitement.

RURIK MY ANGEL:

-Why the fuck do you feel the need to text me such bullshit constantly?

I have yet to text him today, so, interestingly, he has decided to reply now.

I grin.

He misses me. He can’t stay away from me.

“You’re sexy as hell when you smile like that. You gonna ride me, sexy?” Dylan”s words make me want to punch him in the face for ruining my good mood.

So I did.

What? He interrupted me while I was about to text Rurik back.

I pull my arm back, satisfied that my punch may have broken his nose. Dylan shouts, and I can hear his friends shouting back, along with the sounds of grunts and gunshots, knowing Nat is dealing with them.

“Really? Briar,” Nat groans after shooting Idiot Two in the dick. “Whatever happened to give him a chance to answer and then maybe let him go?”

“I got impatient,” I say, knocking Dylan out after hitting his head with one of their plates lying on the coffee table.

Half an hour later, after tying Dylan up and shoving him inside the trunk of our car, Nat turns to me. “Thank goodness that’s over,” she says, wrinkling her nose and rubbing the hickey forming on her neck.

I wince at that, “Shit, will Oscar be okay with that?”

She shrugs, “He knows we sometimes have to do things to get shit done. Besides, I would have killed the bastard before he could whip his dick out.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I had no doubt you could handle yourself.”

“I’m seeing him this evening at his gallery.”

“Can I come?”

Nat raises a suspicious brow, “Why?”

I blink and grin, “Because I love this beautiful artwork displayed in his gallery?”

She rolls her eyes, the corner of her lips curling into a reluctant smile. “Oh yeah? So it’s not a person?”

“A person can be a beautiful piece of art.”

“Is that piece called Rurik?”

“Does that mean Rurik is going to be there? Wait, what are you doing?”

“Calling Oscar.”

“Why?”

“To warn poor Rurik.”

“Hang up the phone, or I’ll tell Oscar that one time you shat yourself during your first assignment.”

Nat rolls her eyes and drops her phone. “You’re such a bitch.”

I smirk, “Thank you so much.”

*-*-*-*

There he is. He’s standing, breathing, smiling, fucking alive. So, what’s his excuse for not texting me?

I don’t count the text he sent earlier this morning because what the fuck? The last text I sent was yesterday afternoon, and he decided to grace me with his text this morning.

Asshole.

Rurik laughs at something Oscar says, his eyes twinkling as he shakes his head.

Beautiful, handsome, asshole.

“Stop staring at him like some lovesick idiot,” Nat hisses, elbowing me. “Also, close your mouth, weirdo.”

Shit. I didn’t realize my mouth was hanging open.

Ugh, what about him makes me lose control of my own awareness? I don’t know, but it will be fun figuring it out. Figuring him out.

“Go get your fiance,” I grumble, lightly pushing Nat to them.

She throws me an incredulous look but is able to drag Oscar away from Rurik.

Perfect.

I straighten up and fluff my hair before walking over to him.

“So you’re alive,” I say, standing across from him.

Rurik’s eyes widen at seeing me before masking his face with a scowl. “Are you threatening me?”

“Don’t be silly, angel,” I wave my hand dismissively, “Unless you’re into the whole consensual non-consent kink.”

Rurik glares at me and turns to walk away. Silly man, doesn’t he know that I’ll just follow him?

“Where are we going?” I ask as I continue to walk beside him.

He glares at me, “We are not going anywhere. I need to talk to guests and promote an event next week.”

“I can help you,” I say with a shrug. “It’s for the Masquerade of the Arts event, right? That’s exciting! Are you going to include your work? How is it going to work? Is everyone anonymous, and once they win their bid, do you show off your face?”

Rurik remains silent, his scowl deepening. He’s so adorable. I want to squeeze and kiss his cheek.

Would he yell at me if I do that?

I don’t do it. He looks so tightly wound up that he might explode with a slight push.

Maybe a quick peck…

No.

“Come on, angel,” I continue talking to distract myself from jumping him in front of all these art people. “What must I do to get you to like me?”

“Leave me alone?”

“Why would I do that? I said I like you, not that I want to stay away from you. Do you need to make an appointment to get your ears checked?”

“I can’t do this with you.”

“What? Going to the doctor to get your ears checked? I don’t have to come with you.”

“You’re annoying.”

“You’re adorable.”

He makes an annoyed sound, and I can’t help but grin. He gathers some pamphlets for the masquerade event, and I follow suit by grabbing a stack of my own. We each hand out brochures to visitors, answering questions here and there. For a moment, we’re working together as a team. If I had questions about the event to pass on to the visitors, he would answer me. It feels nice standing next to him without having him snap or glare at me.

He’s so sweet.

When we finally have a quiet moment, I ask randomly, “Did you miss me, angel?”

“What are you talking about?” He sighs, sounding tired and annoyed.

“I’ve been texting you non-stop for the past week, and the one time I stopped, you finally replied.”

He frowns and glances at me, and I can’t stop the shit-eating grin on my face as he rolls his eyes.

“You’re really insane.”

“Love the way you flirt,” I say. A growl rumbles in his throat, and I’m not going to lie; it makes me want more. So I continue, “You miss me. Just admit it.”

“Fuck you.”

“Ssssh, angel, people can hear us.” I pause, then quirk a brow. “Unless you’re into exhibitionism.”

He gives this random woman a charming smile, who glances at me and wrinkles her nose. He then hands her a pamphlet and winks, “Hopefully, we’ll see you there.”

She giggles and tosses her hair over her shoulder. “If you’re going to be there, I definitely will. I’ll have to find a nice mask to suit my dress. Are you an artist?”

“Yes, ma’am. Or, I’m trying to be.”

She giggles again, touching his upper arm.

This woman better get her hands off him if she wants to keep her five fingers…

“Oh, I’m sure you’re a talented artist,” She says. “I bet you’re talented enough to sculpt your mask for the masquerade.”

“That’s kind of you, but I only paint on canvases,” Rurik blushes, chuckling as he shrugs. He gives her another one of those charming smiles. “But, thank you.”

I hate that I’m not the reason why his face is brightening that happily.

She fucking giggles again.

I have never wanted to punch a person for existing.

“Leave. Now.” I bark, placing an arm around Rurik’s waist.

He tries to shove me off, but I ignore him and stare at the woman. I may be shorter than these two, but they’re going to learn today never to piss off a 5’2” woman with an attitude problem. Attitude, in this case, is murderous.

“Excuse me?” The lady huffs, literally clutching her pearls. Do people under 50 still wear those?

“That’s so polite of you to ask. Yes, you’re excused.”

Rurik clears his throat and tries to sidestep me. “Thank you for visiting. Please contact Oscar, the art director, or find me again if you have any questions.”

“Or me if you want to get punched in the face,” I add sweetly.

Rurik curses under his breath, turns around, and immediately walks away, his face red and his lips purse tightly. I turn to the woman to see her watching him and snap my fingers in her face.

“Why are you still here?” I ask, waving my hand at her. “Be gone, woman.”

She opens her mouth, eyes wide, then closes again. She repeats this several times until she scoffs and leaves the gallery.

Finally.

Sighing, I turn around and try to look for my angel.

Where did he go this time? I continue handing out pamphlets to new visitors walking in and feel my annoyance increase with each minute I”m away from Rurik’s side.

“You know, maybe practice smiling and less glaring while handing those out?” Oscar suggests.

I turn around to grin at him. “I’m smiling.”

He raises a brow. “Where? On the inside? You’re glaring at every person who walks near you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you shoot laser beams out of your eyes.”

“Whoops,” I shrug, giving him the rest of the pamphlets. “Where’s Rurik?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you lying?”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know,” I scoff. “Because you and Nat have been trying to keep him from me. Why do you guys do that?”

Oscar sighs, his eyes darting around the crowd until he finds Nat’s. “It’s not that we want you away from him. It’s just…”

I wait. When he doesn’t continue, I groan. “It’s just what?”

“You know, it’s not our place. We just think…”

“Did you skip elementary school?”

“What?”

“I’m just wondering because I could have sworn we were taught to finish our sentences when conversing.”

Oscar glares at me, “You’re such a bitch.”

I grin widely as if he had just given me the best compliment ever.

“Oscar, stop flirting with me when you have Nat.”

“Listen, Briar. It’s not in my place to say, but Rurik is one of my good friends, and he has this…”

I can’t hear whatever the hell Oscar is saying because I spot a familiar dark head of hair making his way to the back room. All at once, I feel a surge of positivity wash over me, lifting my spirits significantly.

There he is!

“Why the hell are you smiling? Did you hear what I said?” Oscar’s annoying voice interrupts my thoughts.

“Sssshhh, Oscar. Go away.” I grumble, “Go kiss Nat or something.”

He lets out a string of curses as I walk away from him, my attention zooming in on the only man I have eyes for.

*-*-*-*

I poke my head inside the room, looking around until I spot Rurik in the corner, stacking boxes on top of a table. I’m tempted to run and jump on his bones, but this is one of those times when I can pay attention to him without his usual glares and snarls.

He looks entirely focused, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his beautiful forearms. Fuck, how can forearms make me go fucking feral? A sigh escapes my lips before I can stop them, and it grabs Rurik’s attention.

He whirls around to face me as I gently close the door.

I grin, “Hello, angel.”

Rurik”s gaze lingers on me briefly, his Adam”s apple bobbing as he swallows. I moisten my lips, and he runs his fingers through his hair before sighing deeply. His eyes flicker with frustration and anger as he shoots me a piercing glare.

Ugh, he’s so handsome.

I just want to lick every inch of him until I taste every bit of him.

I slowly walk up to him, not missing how his eyes darken as he backs away. His back hits the table, and he stumbles, making him grunt.

Fuck, what a sexy sound that is.

What other sounds can he make?

I stand toe-to-toe with him, inhaling deeply when he lets out tiny bursts of breaths. The intoxicating woodsy spicey scent of his is fucking mouthwatering, and I want to swallow him whole. I stand on my toes, my nose brushing against his Adam’s Apple as I breathe him in.

“What the hell are you doing here, Briar?” His voice comes out roughly.

“Ssssshhh,” I whisper, placing my hand on his shoulders because I need to balance myself from the way he’s so close and smelling so divine that it’s making me dizzy. “Unless it’s something along the lines of ‘yes, Briar, fuck me,’ I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Fuck off, Briar. Get out of my face, or you’ll see what happens...” He trails off, his voice coming out in whispers.

“Why, what will happen?” I chuckle, “You still haven’t told me what will happen, and I’m dying to see whatever that is, angel.”

I feel his fingers tangling around my hair and brace myself, thinking he will pull my head back. But he doesn’t.

Hmm…

“Leave me alone —”

“Shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you.”

“I said leave me alone, Briar…” He growls, the sound vibrating against his chest.

I stare at how his Adam’s apple moves again as he swallows hard. Fuck, I still want to bite his throat. I want to hear more of those delicious noises he makes. I want more of him.

“And I said,” My lips are barely brushing against his. “Shut your fucking mouth, Rurik. Unless you do want me to do it for you.”

My hand instinctively finds its way to his throat, curling around the back of his neck, my fingers grazing his warm skin. Rurik’s eyes widen, his lips parting in anticipation. A low, primal noise, filled with desperation and raw desire, escapes him.

Fuck.

The fucking noises he makes.

I can”t resist any longer. The need to taste him, to feel him, consumes me entirely. I need this asshole. I’ve always wondered what other noises he could make if I pushed him a bit more.

And I’m about to find out.

I press our bodies together, pulling his face toward mine as I surge forward, our lips colliding with a force that sends a jolt of electricity through me.

Oh.

Oohhh. Shit.

Is this what Eve tasted when she succumbed to the serpent”s temptation?