Chapter 6
SIX
Reid
My little bird has been inside her darkroom for over an hour. I was getting restless when there wasn’t any sign of her for a while, but I had to remain calm. Dove’s world is behind the lens, and it’s important I let her have this piece of her life.
I can’t let my obsession ruin any happiness she gets from it.
My concern is it’s late at night, and I know she’s had a long day. Normally, this hour wouldn’t be an issue for me, but Dove needs to get her rest. She has no idea what’s in store for her tomorrow.
Earlier tonight, as I watched Dove taking photos, a new sense of purpose filled me as I saw a gleam in her eyes. Dove’s light and fire are part of the reasons I need to observe her so much. It’s addicting to experience it shine through.
I could never forget what it’s like to be with Dove after I first met her, and every moment since has felt the same.
The night I met her was when everything around me came into focus. Up until that night, my days all blended together as I navigated this current situation.
I should be focusing on why I came to this state instead of following this woman around day and night. I’m so close to it all being over, yet watching Dove is taking priority.
All I want to do is be around wherever she is. If it were possible to learn every detail about her, I would.
I rented a nearby motel room just off the path from the mountain she lives on. It’s cheap by the night and now allows me closer access to where she lives to do this. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision last night. I couldn’t go back home to Dossberry and be that far away. I wouldn’t dare try to sleep at Jill’s since Dove’s back in my life; that’s something I’ve been successfully avoiding for the past two months.
Picking Jill as part of my future alibi certainly complicates my relationship with Dove. I can’t simply discard her mother and demand Dove becomes mine. It’ll be more difficult than that to win Dove’s heart. That’s part of the reason I need to take in everything she says and does. It’s a complicated layer to my carefully laid-out plans.
Suddenly, the darkroom door swings open, and Dove comes walking out with something in her hands. She’s studying it as if it holds the answers to all of her problems. It has to be a photograph, making me wonder what exactly it is that has captured her attention.
A jealous pang rushes through me.
I can’t be getting jealous because of a damn photograph.
Dove is engrossed in it, and I can’t help but watch as she flings her long, wavy hair to the side and bites down on her lower lip in concern.
Wait, that’s not concern I see. It’s… Well, this is not what I was expecting. As I watch Dove focus on what’s in her hands, all I see is interest.
Something has certainly captured her attention. Tonight, when I pay Dove a visit, I’ll have to find out what it is and how I can get her to look at me like that all of the time.
Another puzzle piece to me learning about Dove Barlowe.
As I wait for her to finally go to bed, I know I’m restless. I’m keeping my distance until my intentions and plans can all become clear. I’m still figuring out how to keep her once the mess I’m in is resolved.
Dove pauses in the doorway to her bedroom.
The night I get to have Dove as mine in that room will be like a goddamn dream come true.
A disgusting thought pops into my head. I’ve never considered this before. What if Dove is seeing someone? Surely, I would have seen the person in the past couple of days.
As I stew on this newfound thought, I realize it doesn’t matter. If one so happens to pop up, I’ll simply get rid of them. It would just be another complication to deal with.
Dove looks out the window, and it feels as if she heard my inner monologue, even though I know she didn’t. A sly smile appears before she finally disappears into the bedroom.
A few minutes go by, and Dove emerges from her bedroom. She isn’t holding the photograph anymore and has changed into a pair of short plaid pajama shorts and a matching tank top. It’s not meant to be anything sexual, and yet seeing her like this has my cock hardening.
That’s all it takes with Dove. This woman has no idea how much she affects me.
She walks toward her back door, and it looks like she actually locks it again. It would be simpler if she wouldn’t do that anymore.
As she emerges back in front of the main window, she has a blank expression. It makes me sad to see her like this. I wonder what was in that photo that made her feel this way.
The corners of Dove’s mouth slowly curve upward. My sweet girl is grinning out the window.
Well, I’ll be damned, she does know I’m out here. Dove winks and then draws the curtains closed. A few moments later, her silhouette disappears into the darkness as the lights go out.
My chest vibrates in amusement.
My little bird found my photo last night and knows it’s from me. Tonight is filled with interesting developments, it seems. If she knows I left that, then chances are she might know I’m out here in the dark and was last night too.
All day and night, I had been debating going inside to watch her sleep, although tonight, I have been leaning toward going in.
With that wink, I’d really love to show Dove what happens when she plays with fire.
After waiting for another hour, it’s deep into the night. I know that she’ll be fast asleep.
Easily unlocking the back door, I quietly creep into the house. I’m careful not to be loud enough to disturb her sleep.
Sneaking into places is a recently acquired talent of mine that I’ve perfected.
Step by step, my heart races as I know I’m getting closer to my prize. I’m eager to touch her supple, sweet skin again. It’s an addiction I didn’t realize I had until I touched her while she rested.
The door to her bedroom is open, and the lights are all off. It makes it easy for me to come in, almost as if it’s an invitation I’ll gladly accept.
I’m soon locked in, and she’s within sight. The way her chest rises and falls and her eyebrows crease together are alarming. She doesn’t sleep well.
I find the same spot where I sat on her bed the night prior and sit down. Automatically, I start to stroke her knee back and forth to try and soothe whatever nightmare she’s having. If she’s going to be enraptured in the dark, it better be by me and nothing else, including dreams.
Anything that dares to hurt my little bird will face the consequences. There are only two other people who I would do anything for, and now Dove makes the third.
That’s neither here nor there because my touch has started to calm her nightmare.
As I strum on her soft skin, something on her nightstand catches my attention. It’s not the Polaroid that I left last night. It’s bigger and darker. It’s something she left out for me to see tonight.
Without letting go of her leg, I reach forward to grab the photo with my other hand. It’s a picture of me from earlier tonight.
You can barely make it out, but she correctly guessed that someone was with her as she was taking photographs earlier today. She took a risk that it was me and not someone else entirely.
I’m sure Dove is questioning what’s happening; I don’t blame her for wanting proof that she isn’t seeing things. This photograph is the proof she needed that I was out there.
Her own personal savior or nightmare, even I’m not sure what I’ll turn out to be.
I fold the photo in half, stick it in my front jacket pocket, and then return to my easy pattern of stroking Dove. The warmth of her skin is intoxicating, and I just can’t seem to let go.
Minutes fly by, and I know I have to put plans into motion to get more time with Dove. This is it; I have to say goodbye for tonight. Leaning forward, I place a gentle kiss on the top of her head and squeeze around her upper thigh.
As I do, she naturally curls into my touch. Reluctantly, I let go and stand upright.
Before I leave, I pull out the Polaroid camera I took from her darkroom and take a photo of this beauty. One for my keeping and another to leave behind so she gets the confirmation that I was here again.
I want Dove to know that I’m not giving her up, no matter how much she asks me to.
After placing the photo on the nightstand, I take one final look at this beauty and leave Lamb Creek Mountain.
As I head back to my home in Dossberry, I wish I could be staying in the motel room near the mountain again. I need to reach out to my contact to make sure everything is still on track. It’s not time to tell him the extent of how I feel about Dove. That will come soon enough.
“Why does Dove need to join us for this?” Jill whines.
“She is your daughter, isn’t she?” I retort with a cock of my eyebrow.
“Obviously.”
“I need to get to know her then.”
She shrugs with crossed arms over her chest and one leg over the other. With the way she’s twisted away from where I’m sitting, it’s obvious she’s trying to get as far away from me as possible.
As her fiancé, it makes sense that I would want her only child to be involved in our lives. It would have made anyone else other than Jill happy that I insisted she come. It works in my favor that I just so happen to want her daughter everywhere I am.
Jill gives me a tight smile as she glances around the room, surely looking for anyone notable in attendance so she can get away from me.
“She never told me she would come,” Jill admits.
That captures my attention.
“Is that so?”
“She said she needed to go on a trip today. Somewhere else in the state for one of her silly little photos.” Jill scoffs, and a disgusted shiver takes over.
I lean forward with my elbows now on the table and tent my fingers against my mouth to hide my smirk.
Well played, little bird.
I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a plan to see her again, so when I heard about this art auction and luncheon at the Dossberry Country Club, I knew it was the perfect lure.
Photography may be Dove’s art of choice, but she’s an artist. This was my surefire attempt that she would be interested in coming today, even knowing she would be seeing me.
Here I was, thinking the stars had aligned by dropping this auction in my lap the very day I wanted to see Dove, and she’s still managing to escape my preconceived notions.
I grin as I settle back into my chair and kick my leg over the other. If Dove wants me to herself in the night instead, so be it. I’ll see her one way or another.
Taking a meaningful sip of my whiskey, I ignore Jill chatting about the wedding as the auction begins. She’s been talking to her new friend Susan about setting a date. I have no intention of it even getting that far.
The first painting they have up is from a renowned local artist, Myles Tagin. It sells quickly.
I remove my jacket and sling it on the back of my chair before rolling up my sleeves. It’s going to be a long afternoon with Jill. She’s already distracted again, talking to someone who is a friend of Susan’s. This woman looks disinterested, but I wonder how much influence Susan has in this circle that she’s staying to chat.
The woman leaves for her table, and Jill clears her throat.
“What is it?” I ask.
“She’s here,” Jill mutters.
“Who?”
“My daughter.”
She nods her head toward the main entrance, and that’s when I spot my sweet girl walking through the sea of people mingling and finding their tables.
Dove looks like my every fantasy come to life. Wearing a deep-green short dress that shows just a hint of her cleavage but all of her long legs, I drink in the way her body moves seductively toward me.
The clacking of heels draws my attention downward to the stilettos that she wore to elongate her legs. To anyone else, she may be overdressed for this luncheon, but I know this is just Dove’s next move in our game.
She’s showing me what I want and still can’t have. Dove is within my hold, but just not mine quite yet.
“Mother. Reid.”
The hitch in her tone as my name rolls off her tongue would go unnoticed to anyone else, but not to me. I obsess over everything that is Dove Barlowe, and any sign of interest shown, I’m going to save in my mind.
“Isn’t this an odd surprise? You do know it’s polite to accept or decline an invitation, correct?” Jill says with a laugh. There’s no hint of amusement in her tone.
“Given it was a last-minute invitation, I thought I would take my chances,” Dove answers.
“Well, since you’re here. Take a seat,” Jill says.
Getting up, I invade Dove’s space as our eyes connect. The fire burning behind them is exactly what I expected to see today if she did show up.
The way her breasts strain against the top of her dress is hard to ignore. Looking her up and down, I take in how the fabric molds to her thin frame. She’s every man’s dream and, soon enough, my reality.
“Tempting little bird,” I whisper into her ear.
With my hand on the small of her back, I place a kiss on her cheek.
“Reid. Please. Don’t,” she whispers.
As I break away, I notice that Jill is once again paying no attention to us. Turning back to Dove, her breath hitches, and her breasts heave in anticipation.
“What do pretty caged birds say?” I murmur.
I’m so close to her neck that she can feel my breath on her delicate skin. She lets out a whimper before sucking in a deep breath. She didn’t mean to let that one slip.
“Tell me, sweet girl, what is it you don’t want me to do?”
I pull back, and her eyes hold onto mine. Without giving her any more room like I should, I cock an eyebrow and wait for her response.
That fire I love ignites in her eyes.
“Pretty caged bird? Please, we both know that it’s you who’s in my fold,” she says with a smirk and then sidesteps away.
Dove takes the seat right next to mine as a challenge. I grin in approval as I sit down once again.
“I think they like to sing for their owners,” I taunt.
She smirks and looks over her shoulder to see that Jill is talking to someone new.
“Do you disagree?” I ask.
“You’re mistaken.”
“Is that so?”
Our eyes are both burning with intrigue as we spar.
“Wouldn’t the man tied to Dossberry be in the gilded cage? The one who comes slinking by my home thinking he’s the cat when, in reality, he’s the food I’m playing with for amusement.”
I grin widely, and Dove reciprocates.
“Which one was it that brought you out here?” I ask.
“The Mount Leaf .”
I rack my brain to remember which one it was from the website.
Of course she wants the eerie one that would make any ordinary person feel unsettled. A landscape painting of a forested mountain, just like the one she lives on.
There’s only one problem—that’s one of the paintings that has already sold. Dove’s eyebrows go inward as she studies my expression, and then she glances around the room.
“I missed it?” she croaks.
Disappointment washes over her, and she slumps forward.
“Are the Myles Tagins hard to get?”
“Hard?” she mocks.
With a shake of her head, I see that she’s still disappointed.
“That’s putting it mildly. He’s impossible to find. I was surprised he actually donated one to the club. Someone must know him personally.”
Dove slouches in her seat, debating her next move.
“Don’t slouch,” Jill chastises.
With that, Dove is brought back to reality. She paints on a pretend smile and squares her shoulders back.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I unfortunately have to head out for my trip already.”
“To where?” I interrupt.
Jill and Dove both snap their gazes to mine.
“It’s already late in the day,” I say to try and smooth it over.
“If you must know, I’m working on my next exhibition. I have wildlife to capture across the state.” She throws it out as if it’s a challenge.
“Be safe. You never know what’s out there in the middle of the night,” I answer.
“I always am.”
She gives me a tight smile and stands.
“Enjoy the rest of your day,” she says to Jill and me.
“Good luck,” Jill scoffs.
Dove turns back to head out the entrance when Jill stops her from leaving.
“What is it?” Dove asks.
“Don’t wear that color green again. It does nothing for your complexion,” Jill answers.
“Thank you, Jill,” Dove responds with a strained smile before disappearing.
Jill shrugs one of her shoulders and focuses on the latest painting up for sale.
“That was a bit harsh,” I say.
Jill looks stunned as she faces me.
“Harsh? I’m just being her mother. If I don’t tell her, then no one will.”
“She looked beautiful.”
“No, she looked washed out. She’ll never find a husband at this rate.”
“I get the feeling Dove isn’t looking for a husband.”
“She should be; otherwise, all she’ll be is wasted youth who once had a pretty face.”
Jill gives a disgusted shake of her shoulders.
“Jill! I wasn’t expecting you here today. Why didn’t you tell me?” Susan asks as she approaches our table.
“Susan!” Jill chirps.
“I’ll be back,” she says to me and then stands to talk to her new friend.
“Are you sure you have to go out of town?” Jill asks, perplexed.
We’re parked outside her home. Another night when she wants to come back to mine and I’m using traditionalism or travel as an excuse.
“Duty calls. I have to leave for Arizona tonight.”
Jill huffs as she searches through her purse. Retrieving her keys, she holds them in the air and shakes them.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay for a few minutes?”
“I really can’t tonight, sweetheart.”
I rarely call her that, but it always does the trick to make her compliant. She’s used to me needing to leave for days on end. I never tell her where I’m going or why, and she never asks. Business seems to suffice as a reason.
“Call me when you get there.”
“I will,” I lie.
I won’t; I never do, and she’s well aware. This relationship is as two-dimensional as any could be. Without even trying to kiss me, she gets out of the car and slams the door.
As I watch her walk away, I know she’s frustrated that I didn’t try to kiss her before she got out.
I have kissed her before, but I can’t now that Dove is back in my life. It’s been only a few days, but it feels wrong no matter how badly I need to keep up appearances.
Backing out of the driveway, I head directly to the motel. It’s where I’ll be staying tonight. I’ll go unnoticed by Jill in this part of town.
Earlier this afternoon, Dove said that she had to leave for another trip to take photographs for her upcoming exhibition. As much as I believe she still needs to take more photos from different parts of the state, I don’t think she really had to leave that quickly. I have a feeling she’ll be home tonight whenever I get there.
Parking at the motel, I quickly head into my room to change. Another night of all-black casual attire, watching Dove from the shadows to learn everything I can.
I’ll make my case for why she should be with someone like me soon enough.