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

Epilogue 2

Briar — Two Years Later

“Happy birthday, baby! You can open your eyes now.”

I open my eyes to see a grinning Rurik pulling a blanket off a canvas. My eyes widen as he gently pulls me to him, waving his hand over the painting.

“Ta-Da,” Rurik sings teasingly, spreading his arm toward the canvas as if he’s presenting it.

It’s a painting of me.

To a stranger, it shows me having a great time in the middle of a party. But I know where I am in this painting—at Nat and Oscar”s wedding.

How the hell did he even had time to paint this during the wedding?

“What do you think?” Rurik asks softly.

I’m holding a drink, grinning at something. But it’s not the setting that captivates me; it’s how Rurik sees me.

In Rurik”s eyes, I am radiant. Beautiful. The delicate details—my eyes, bright with a subtle shade of mischievousness, the way my hair falls around my shoulders, the gentle curve of my lips, the glow on my skin from all the dancing—are all rendered with such love and care.

I can”t stop staring at the painting, my eyes tracing every brushstroke, color, and detail he poured into this artwork.

Damn, is this how Rurik sees me?

I look like a goddess…

I can’t help but let out a small laugh as I take in the art. Despite how often I’ve seen him paint and how familiar I am with his work, he always enchants me with his talent.

Is it conceited to say that this is my favorite painting of his?

“Wow, Rurik,” I turn around to tell him I love it. “This is seriously the best…”

My voice trails off as I see Rurik kneeling before me.

Oh…

Rurik swallows hard, looking nervous as shit as he says, “This was the day I could no longer deny my feelings. It was the day I realized I couldn”t stay away from you. You drove me crazy that day, Briar. ”

Fuck.

My eyes begin to sting as tears start gathering in them. I release a small sob and shake my head, trying to pull myself together.

He smiles despite his voice becoming shaky. “I want to thank you for barging into my life, Briar. I meant it when I said you ruined me. But in the best way possible. I’m no longer that quiet, polite, starving artist you first met.”

“Rurik,” I drop to my knees with him because my legs can no longer hold my weight.

“You make me feel like a stronger man like I can do anything. I feel like the luckiest man on earth whenever you grin at me. Despite my health, you make me feel like I can conquer anything. You”re my everything, Briar. The moment you walked into my first showcase, you became my muse,” Rurik whispers, leaning forward to kiss me. “My beautiful, crazy muse.”

I’m crying so ugly right now. It’s a miracle he just called me beautiful.

“I love you,” I mumble pathetically, wiping my face with my hand.

“I love you so much, Briar,” Rurik says. “Will you please continue being my muse for the rest of our lives so my inspiration remains endless?”

“Fuck,” I cry out, full-on sobbing.

“Briar Reyes, will you marry me?” He finishes, his voice cracking. “Let me stand by your side as your angel forever. Marry me.”

“Yes,” I nod enthusiastically. “I’d marry you right fucking now if you want, Rurik. In front of Elvis in Vegas, I don”t care. But yes! Yes!”

He gifts me the most gorgeous smile, and I throw myself at him and clung to him. He grabs my face and kisses me hard, biting my lips and groaning when I bite his in return.

“I fucking love you, Briar.”

“I fucking love you too, Rurik.”

I try to tug his shirt off, and he pulls away. I make a noise of complaint, earning a wicked grin from that handsome face.

“Wait, wait,” Rurik says breathlessly as I come right back to unbutton his shirt. “Briar… Oh, fuck,” He groans when my hand cups his erection. “Briar, please.”

His voice sound so desperate, I had to pull away with a grunt. “Ugh, seriously? What is it?”

I take delight in seeing him looking so flustered as he tries to get his bearings. He clears his throat, “I… I wanted to show you something else.”

I sigh, feeling impatient. I just want to undress him and love him as a newly engaged couple, damn it!

“Can it wait?” I reach for him and glare when he backs away.

He smirks, shaking his head, and starts to undo the buttons of his shirt. He pauses when he notices I’m staring at him as if he’s a fine dining buffet ready to be devoured.

I mean, he fucking is. Look at him. So tasty, I want to eat him up and swallow him all.

“Jesus,” Rurik mutters, dropping his hand. “Okay, fine. Want to help me, baby? You keep— What the fuck!”

I rip his shirt in half. “What? You said I could help.” I grin, kissing his Adam’s apple. “I’ll buy you more shirts…” I stop, noticing a small white bandage over his chest. “Rurik,” I start slowly, feeling a tiny drop of dread as I look up at him. “What happened? Oh God, did—”

He kisses me, forcing me to stop talking. “Gently pull the bandage off, baby. It should have healed by now.”

I frown but did as he ask. With shaky fingers, I slowly pull the bandage off inch by inch, keeping my eyes on his face to check for any signs of pain. As soon as it’s completely off, I look down at his chest and gasp.

He got a tattoo.

It”s a tattoo of a flower with five pink petals and a center of tiny yellow stamens, and surrounding the rose are green leaves with a thorny stem. It”s a fine-line tattoo, but the shading makes it look more delicate and beautiful.

What the fuck? This is… Oh my God. This is…

“It’s a briar rose,” Rurik murmurs, watching me.

“But I thought you couldn’t get a tattoo because of your heart?” I look up at him, blinking. “Angel, the bacteria that can enter your bloodstream, it”s risky—”

“Briar,” Rurik interrupts with amusement.

I scowl. Ever since he came out of surgery all those years ago, I may have been overbearing at first.

I followed the doctors” instructions to a T. I measured everything he ate, made sure he took all his meds, and monitored his heart rate daily.

Being given another chance to be with Rurik was a gift I did not take for granted.

“It’s been a couple of years, and I got an all-clear from the doctors,” Rurik shrugs, kissing my forehead. “I wanted something of you permanently on me, Briar. It”s near my heart, too. A reminder that my heart still only beats for you and belongs to you.”

Fuck.

Can I fuck him now?

I really want to. He’s so goddamn cute, and damn it…

I love him so much.

“Briar?” Rurik asks, concern flashing on his features. “Do you like it?”

I stare at it. “I fucking love it, angel.”

Relief floods his features, and he laughs, “Good. Good. I thought I did something wrong for a second when you didn’t say anything.”

“Rurik,” I laugh, folding the sleeve of my shirt.

What are the odds we both had the same idea…

His eyes zoom in on my wrist and widen at the bandage covering my skin. Before I had time to react, he’s on me. His hands are on my wrist, and his breathing comes out harsh and heavy, “Briar, please don’t fucking tell me you did it again. Please, Briar.”

I frown. What the fuck? This is definitely not the reaction I expect of him—

“Please, Briar,” Rurik continues. “I told you to come to me if things are bad again.”

Understandment dawns on me as he freaks out over the bandage on my wrist.

I wait for him to look at me before I sigh, “Things haven’t been bad since your surgery, Rurik.” I gesture to my wrist, “Things have been so much better since I told you about the cuts and stuff.”

His brows furrow, and he nods. He looks at my wrist, “What is this?”

“Care to do the honors?”

Rurik looks hesitant for a second. The last time he saw my wrist, the scars finally faded enough to be easily covered with makeup. Every time we make love, he would make a point of kissing it.

Every.

Time.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he mirrors my actions and gently peels the bandage off my skin.

He sucks in a sharp breath as he realizes I had the same idea as him.

Only my tattoo consists of vines shaped into an infinity symbol, with our initials in interlocking hearts on either side.

“Briar,” He breathes, his thumb ghosting over the fresh tattoo. “When did you get this done?”

“Yesterday while you were with Oscar at the gallery,” I say. “I went with Nat. Like you, I wanted something about us forever on my skin, and I thought an infinity symbol was appropriate.”

He lifts my wrist and gently kisses it. “It”s perfect, baby.”

I bit my bottom lip, “Thank you.”

Rurik looks at me and says, “I love you.”

I swallow hard. I can never get used to hearing him say that. Rurik is one of those people who believes actions speak louder than words. I can feel the love in how he kisses, touches, cooks, cleans, and does everything he does with me.

However, I think he can tell I’m one of those people who needs to hear him say it. His actions are enough for me, but I love that he ensures I hear those words daily.

“I love you, too.” I grin as he stares at our new tattoos. “Do you like seeing our initials on my skin? I added them because of something you said.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rurik”s grin spreads slowly, his eyes sparkling as they trace my face. “What did I say?”

I grin, reaching up to my toes to kiss his chin. ”We”re endless,” I say, looking up at him with a grin.

“That’s right,” Rurik murmurs, pressing our foreheads and hands clasped between us. “We’re endless.” He presses his lips on mine, kissing me gently as we enjoy the moment.

I guess Amaura was right about an angel who would be watching over and protecting me.

I was given Rurik, and I will forever love him.

My artistic angel, the love of my life.