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

Chapter 16

Briar

This is the day I am going to die.

Or am I dreaming? Did my angel just kiss me on the forehead and is now helping me clean his release off of me?

It takes a lot to stun me.

I’m usually the one who stuns people.

So imagine my surprise when I just stand there like a dumb little bitch, my hands out under the running water while Rurik gently scrubs them for me.

This is weird for him, right?

“I asked you a question, Briar,” Rurik says roughly, glancing at me with an annoyed frown. He turns off the sink and grabs paper towels.

“Huh?” I stupidly ask, watching him dry my hands. God, his fingers are so soft... I want to know how they feel caressing my bare skin.

“Briar,” Rurik growls, his voice laced with annoyance.

Okay, technically, I could do all this shit myself. But why the hell should I do that when this is such a rare opportunity?

Rurik Campbell is willingly touching me.

“Oh, sorry.” I blink, then grin up at him. “I got distracted by how heavenly your touch feels, angel.”

Rurik huffs and repeats his question. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“Well,” I hum, standing on my toes to reach his neck. He stiffens as my lips descend on his neck, and I can’t help but grin when he lets out a shuddered breath as I kiss his Adam’s apple. “Remember when we were kids and were told always to follow our dreams?”

“I guess?” Rurik grunts as I pull away.

“Well, you’re mine, angel.”

In every sense of the word. He is mine, whether he accepts it or not.

Just to fuck with him, I cup his dick.

Oh.

My brows raise as I glance up at him. How does he feel a little hard again?

“Stop it,” He snaps, swatting my hand away. I laugh, squeezing his cheeks instead, and he snarls. “Fuck off, Briar.”

“God, whenever you say shit like that, I just wanna drop my panties for you.” I tease as his face turns adorably red.

Jesus. I sucked and jerked him off, yet with a few words here and there, he acts all embarrassed.

“Don’t worry,” I say while I watch Rurik wash his hands. “I want our first time to be on a bed, not in a public bathroom. I don’t care if bathrooms have become our new secret place.”

Rurik scoffs, aggressively grabbing paper towels and wiping his hands clean. He bunches them into a ball, muttering, “We will not have a first time.”

He walks over to the trash bin, tosses them in, and immediately rushes to the exit. I grab his wrist.

I chuckle, walking around him to block his way. “I thrive on challenges.”

“What do you want from me?” he snaps, throwing his hands up and glaring down at me. “We... Okay, we did some things, but why do you want more from me? I can’t give you anything more than I’m ready to give!”

“Then, I’ll wait until you’re ready.” I simply say, taking his hand with mine. “In the meantime, kisses, handjobs, and blowjobs will suffice.”

He scoffs and tries to pull away. My grip tightens as I yank him closer to me.

“You’re insane,” Rurik says as I kiss the back of his hand. He releases a heavy breath when I roll my eyes and let him go. “We are never going to happen.”

“We kinda already happened, angel,” I smirk, crossing my arms.

“I’m not fucking into you.”

“Really?” I dramatically look at my shirt and skirt. “I could have sworn it was you who attacked me first, and I’m pretty sure this is your cum stain appearing all over my clothes.”

He just glares, his eyes roaming all over my body. I chuckle, and his gaze immediately fixates on my lips. Yeah, Rurik can lie all he wants, but I see it in his eyes.

The hunger.

The lust.

He fucking wants me, and I know it. This isn’t just about me being my usual delusional self — I witnessed. Tasted it. So why does he keep fighting me on this?

“Want to grab another drink?” I ask randomly.

“What?” Rurik looks so confused.

“A drink,” I repeat, nodding behind the door. “We’re at a bar. You didn’t finish your drink. Let’s go grab another one and enjoy it.”

But he shakes his head, “No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

He makes an exasperated sigh, running his fingers over his hair. I stare, wanting him to stop so I can do it for him.

Fuck it.

I step toward him, and he freezes, his eyes locked onto mine. We stand toe-to-toe, my chest pressing tightly against his as I lift onto my toes. His hand drops from his head as I run my fingers through his silky waves, gently massaging his scalp. A smile tugs at my lips as he sighs.

Did he notice how he leans his head into my touch?

“You’re going to kill me,” Rurik whispers, watching me.

I kiss his lips.

“Only if it’s death by orgasm,” I bite my bottom lip to stop from giggling like a schoolgirl again. “That wouldn’t be a bad way to go, right?”

His jaw clenches, his brows furrowed as he stares at my lips, and for a moment, I think he”s going to kiss me with that intense look on his face. However, he steps back, causing me to drop my hand from his head.

I can feel the disappointment filling me up again, but I try to force a smile on my face anyway. I clear my throat and look down. “Well. Thank you for the crazy make-out session, Rurik. Let’s do it again sometime. Preferably where you cum inside me instead of my clothes, though.”

“For fucks sake, Briar,” Rurik mutters under his breath as he shakes his head. He brushes past me and heads toward the exit door.

This time, I don’t stop him. I can feel my resolve waning. There”s only so much rejection a woman can bear. I know, right? Me? Who the fuck doesn’t want me, right? I’m fucking awesome.

Rurik doesn’t think so.

I sigh, pulling my phone out of my pocket to open the ride-share app as I hear Rurik swing the door open.

“Well, are you coming?”

I whirl around to see Rurik with his arm extended, keeping the door open.

Wait…

Is he…

Fuckme. I can not stop the stupid grin appearing on my face even if I wanted to.

I knew he likes me!

Rurik’s lips twitch before he rolls his eyes. He walks away and grumbles, “I need a drink.”

I immediately run after him.

*-*-*-*

“Stop looking at me like that, Briar,” Rurik snaps, adorably embarrassed. “And close your mouth. You look like a drooling fool.”

I close my mouth, not realizing it was open.

“Sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “You’ve never gone stargazing?”

“No,” he mutters, looking away from me.

“Do they not have stars where you’re from?”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Rurik sighs, “I just never had the time or thought of looking up at the sky and just staring at it.”

Damn. I feel bad for him.

“Maybe I’ll take you someday.” Not a maybe. I will take him someday.

He just makes a dismissive sound, “It’s fine.”

“So what’s your favorite color?” I change the subject. I push a plate of my truffle fries, noticing how he eyes them despite saying he isn’t hungry.

He stares at the plate for a second before giving in with a sigh. “I don’t have one. They change from time to time.”

He bites into a fry and double dips in the sauce. Normally, I would throw a fit and go on a tangent about bacteria, but at this point, we are well beyond being cautious about exchanging bodily fluids.

“Really?” I ask as I greedily watch him lick his hands. God. Fucking sexy. “But as an artist, shouldn’t you have one?”

“What does being an artist have to do with anything?” Rurik asks, shaking his head. “I mean if I have to choose... Black. Black would be my favorite.”

“Same!” I beam, sitting up eagerly. “Only because black goes well with pretty much everything when I’m putting together my outfits.”

“Oh,” he says dryly. “I thought it’s because it matches your soul.”

My jaw drops, and I stare at him. “Wait.”

He looks up from the fries and raises a brow. “What?”

“Was that a joke?” I grin, reaching forward to poke his hand playfully. “Did I die and woke up in heaven, or did Rurik just make a joke?”

“Shut up, or I’ll leave,” he mutters, his cheeks reddening.

I chuckle, leaning back to watch him stuff his face with the fries I ordered. It’s cool, I don’t mind. Which is kind of freaking me the fuck out because I never like sharing my food. Not even to Nat.

Fuck. I must really like this asshole.

“So, how’s it going with your second showcase?” I ask, trying to get him to keep talking.

I love having him here with me. I think this is the longest we’ve gone with him not walking away from me or him orgasming because of me.

He shrugs, “Fine. No set date yet, but I have a few canvases finished.”

“That’s awesome!” I say, nodding encouragingly. “I’m sure you’ll sell out again.”

I know this because I made sure to purchase all of his paintings to have them all.

Who gives a shit if Old Lady wanted Canvas #2 because it would have looked beautiful above her hospice bed? She wouldn’t have needed it in a few months, so that it would have been a waste. It’s mine now.

Alright, I’m not that much of a bitch. I only snagged the paintings. He”d only crafted five of them. But damn… I genuinely adore every single one. They”re my solace, especially when I”m home alone.

Which is pretty much every damn day.

Gazing at his paintings eases the loneliness. Especially the painting of his little slice of paradise. His sculptures and photography pictures had sold on their own by other people because he’s just that fucking talented.

See? I can share what’s mine.

Except not Rurik, though.

But Rurik’s face drops, and his shoulders rise as he shrugs nonchalantly. “I think I was just lucky for my first showcase. I doubt it’ll happen again.”

I frown. “Do you care who buys them?”

His brows furrow as he licks the saltiness from the fries on his lips. I want to grab his face to lick his lips for him.

Jesus. Calm down, girl.

“I mean,” He shrugs again. Almost shyly. Jesus, he’s so fucking cute. “I would love to meet anyone who supports my work.”

I sigh, contemplating his words. Would he feel weird around me if I told him I bought all his paintings? We didn’t exactly have a good relationship back then.

Not that what we have is any better, but it’s something.

“Well then,” I clear my throat and grin at him. Rurik looks at my mouth briefly before his eyes narrow when I hold my hand. “Hi! I’m Briar. I bought your paintings from your last showcase.”

Rurik stares at my hand and blinks.

“What the fuck, Briar.” It wasn’t a question, more like a statement.

My grin only widens as I wave my hand like a little pest. “What?”

To my surprise, he slowly takes my hand and shakes it once. “It was you?”

“Me, as in the person who bought all your paintings? Guilty as charged,” I say, wrapping my fingers around his despite his attempts to free himself. “Only your paintings, though. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space in my apartment for everything else.”

But Rurik stares at our intertwined hands, and his Adam’s apple bobs up and down from how hard he”s swallowing.

“Thank you,” He whispers, his voice strained. “Uh, thanks.”

“Thank you for sharing your talent with the world, angel,” I say, lifting his hand to kiss the back before releasing it in case he spontaneously combusts from the attention.

“Can I ask why?” He tucks his hand under his legs as if afraid of touching something.

“What kind of question is that? I saw some beautiful paintings, so I bought them.”

“Oh.”

“You’re so cute, Rurik.”

“Don’t.”

“Wanna get out of here so you can be reunited with your glorious paintings?” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully. “They’re scattered all over my apartment. I’d love to give you a tour.”

Rurik swallows hard, his expression uncertain. “Uh…”

“After you give me a tour of you,” I add with a suggestive wink. “Preferably naked.”

Rurik’s eyes flash, but he scowls. “It’s too late to deal with your shit, Briar.”

“Then come over, and I”ll tuck you into my nice, warm, comfy bed.” I purr, sipping on my drink like a damn lady.

“Damn it, Briar,” Rurik groans, closing his eyes as he rubs his face. He looks so done with me that I almost feel bad.

Almost.

After a few moments of him muttering to himself and cursing under his breath, he lowers his hand from his face, his expression one of defeat.

I feel a surge of hope as his gaze meets mine. Those captivating blue eyes reflect a mix of fear, curiosity, and, most significantly, desire. It simmers just beneath the surface of his irritated demeanor.

My face breaks into a stupid grin.

He’s so in love with me. I just know it.

“You’re such a walking migraine.”

Okay, maybe he doesn’t love me. BUT. I’m slowly getting to him, and that’s better than nothing.

Rurik stares at my lips before looking away with a huff. “If we do this—”

“When we do this. Sorry, go on.”

He glares at me. “If we do this… I have some ground rules. Boundaries we need to set, I mean.”

And that is how I died.

Yup, this is the moment I died.

I”m dead.

Ow! Nope, that sting as I dig my nails into my palm says otherwise.

Oh god.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Girl, chill the fuck out before you scare him.

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod. Oh. My. God!

It’s happening. It’s finally fucking happening!

I lift my chin, forcing myself to look calm and collected. “Okay?”

Rurik inhales deeply, then exhales, as if he”s still uncertain about what to say or can”t quite believe he”s agreeing to whatever this is.

Believe it, angel. Stop fighting the inevitable, damn it!

“If we”re going to do this… IF, Briar. If we do this,” He ignores my eye roll. “We”re not telling anyone about us.”

“Not even our mutual friends? Oscar? Nat?”

“No. I don”t want anyone to see us together alone, either.”

I cross my arms. “What if I want to hang out with all four of us?”

“No.”

“What? But people could just assume we”re all friends.”

“That’s too bad,” Rurik says like he’s being freaking fair. “That’s one of my rules.”

Fuck your rules, Rurik.

“Noted,” I smile sweetly. “I can be your dirty little secret, angel. Next?”

“Since we can’t have anyone know, I suggest we meet up only late at night.”

I nod. That works for me because of how random the Rogers call me. “That works. Anything else?”

Rurik”s lips press into a thin line. “This is just physical, okay? We are not going to be friends, we are not going to have any sort of relationship, we are nothing to each other. Do you understand?”

This fucking asshole.

I swear, if I didn’t want to fuck the hell out of him and make out with his tasty lips, I would have probably punched his face in and told him, “You’re lucky someone like me is into you.”

But I won’t do that.

“Fine,” I mutter, feeling more annoyed than excited now. “Anything else, Your Highness?”

His nostrils flare slightly, and his shoulders tense visibly. “That’s all I can think of at the moment. I’m sure I’ll come up with more in the future.”

Ugh, why did I want to get inside his pants again?

“Do you have any boundaries?” He asks stiffly, clearing his throat.

Yeah. Fuck your rules.

Boundaries, Briar. He has boundaries.

“Yeah,” I clear my throat. “Tell me you missed me.”

Rurik’s eyes widen, “What?”

“You heard me, sexy.”

His face flushes pink. “No.”

“Is that a ”no, I don’t miss you,” or a ”no, I won’t answer you”?”

Rurik”s voice took on a sharper edge, laced with irritation. “No.”

I feel like I could spit hellfire with how pissed I am right now. But I’ll be chill. I won’t push him. I’ll be good and wait. I’ll make him answer me eventually.

I just roll my eyes at his monosyllabic answer. “Fine.”

He exhales a sharp breath and swallows hard. “Is that all? You must have more.”

“I’m sure I’ll come up with more in the future,” I throw his words back at his face. I pull out my phone from my pocket and quickly send him my apartment address. “I just texted you my address. Want to come over tonight?”

His phone vibrates, notifying my text, and his brows furrow as he reads it. He sighs after a few seconds, and our eyes clash.

I don’t like the look on his face.

“You know what?” Rurik sighs. “I don’t think we should do this. Now that I think about it, it’s a bad idea.”

This motherfucker.

This time, I can’t contain my frustration.

I roll my eyes, let out an exasperated groan, and snap at him. “You know what, Rurik? This whole hard-to-get, push-and-pull game you love playing between us is getting fucking old. I want you. You want me. So what’s the issue?”

Rurik”s posture stiffens. “I don’t know, Briar.” He leans forward so only I can hear, “Maybe it’s the fact that you go around killing people.”

“Oh, please,” I scoff, waving my hands dismissively as if the last few seconds of our conversation should be fucking erased. “Some people drink and gamble, others kill. No biggie.”

“Briar,” Rurik growls deeply, his eyes glaring at me so intensely that I just want to smother him with my mouth.

“Rurik,” I mock, leaning forward until our faces are so close. I could count his lashes and see a little scar above his left eyebrow.

God, he’s so fucking beautiful for an asshole.

His eyes dart over to my lips, and they linger. His brows furrow as if he’s concentrating on it. I lick my lips, and his eyes narrow with intensity.

“Shall we seal the deal with a kiss, angel?” I whisper, my lips just barely touching his. “Or are you going to run away like a little bitch again?”

He scoffs, puffs of his breath hitting my face as I inhale it. Despite the drinks and fries he ate, he still smells mouthwatering.

“Fuck you, Briar.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Rurik,” I can’t stop my wicked grin. “You will.”

His hand lunges forward, seizing the back of my neck until our lips collide.