Chapter 18
Wren
Igasp as I look around the room. “Teddy, how did you…?”
Two canvases sit in the middle of the room, facing away from each other with paints, charcoal, colored pencils, erasers, and water cups laid out in front of each one. There’s a giant plastic tarp covering the floor of the otherwise empty room—I’m figuring to protect the carpet.
“Just a little online order to a local art store.” He grins, walking past me to sit at the canvas furthest away. “Went and picked it up while you were still unconscious. I know you were paintin’ to make money, but you enjoyed it too, right?”
“Immensely. I just wish you would have told me what we were doing—I would have worn my overalls.” I motion at the cute-but-comfy loungewear set the guys picked out for me. They got me new overalls too, since all of my clothes are probably in the dumpster now.
I feel bad that the guys have to buy me all these things…then the thought of all my savings sitting under the floorboards at my parents house has my gut sinking.
“What’s wrong, Dove?” Teddy frowns.
“I just…all the money I saved while I was trying to get out. I…I left it at my parents house.”
“Oh!” He jumps up, a look of sudden clarity on his expression as he hurries out of the room without a word. I stare dumbstruck after him, before he returns to the room with a wad of cash. “I grabbed it for you!”
My eyes widen. “You did?”
“I added the twen’y five from the sale that night too.” He smiles proudly, before his face drops. “I can’t believe I f’got to give it to you. I’m sorry, Dove.”
“That’s okay,” I smile gently, taking the money and putting it on a nearby table. For so long, it was my focus, building up this pile of paper. And while it’s still good to have, my freedom doesn’t depend on it anymore. I turn back to him. “Alright, what are we making?”
Nearly an hour later, I’m dabbing the final stroke onto my piece. I had been excited when Teddy said he wanted us to do portraits of each other, as I’ve always wanted to paint the butterfly on the front of his throat.
The portrait of Teddy stares at me, his blonde hair sexily tousled, and his teeth bared in an unrestrained smile.
I may have gone a little overboard, because I seem to have forgotten to give him a shirt under his denim vest. I’ve never even seen him shirtless, so I have no idea where that came from.
The longer I stare at it, the more embarrassed I feel. I debate the merit of swiping some white paint on his chest to make up a tank top. But I spent so long doing the shading on his abs…
Teddy’s timer goes off.
“Time’s up!” he announces like a gameshow host, quickly standing. “‘Ands off your brushes!”
Biting my lip, I drop my brush, staring at the painting that I now realize looks like Teddy is about to audition for Magic Mike.
“Do we…reveal them at the same time?” I ask, my voice wavering slightly in embarrassment.
Why am I being so ridiculous? Teddy loves me.
Plus, I’m obviously attracted to him or we wouldn’t even be here.
Unfortunately, I am also, apparently, so fucking horny.
This is mortifying. He’s going to show me his, and I’ll have—wait. Can Teddy even paint? Maybe he drew me as a stick figure and I don’t have to worry about mine.
“I’ll show you mine first.” He grins, before grabbing his canvas off the easel and flipping it around.
My jaw drops.
It’s a completely different style than mine, but…it’s amazing. He completely opted out of the paint and stuck exclusively to charcoal and colored pencils.
“Teddy!” I gasp. “You didn’t tell me you were an artist too. Is that…is that like a…manga art style?”
“Ah, come on, Dove,” he rubs the back of his neck, “It’s nothin’ compared to wot I’ve seen you do.”
“Don’t,” I shake my head, “because I could never do that. Being able to draw in an illustrated style is just as impressive as realism. Each one takes different strengths.”
My eyes scan over the image, lingering on the large, amber eyes and little smattering of freckles on the cheeks. My hair is in two space-buns. “You put me in my overalls.” I grin, glancing at him.
“I…yeah. It’s what I imagine you wearin’ when you’re at you’re ‘appiest.” He shrugs.
I walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up at him. “It’s perfect.”
He smiles, leaning down and kissing me. “Let’s see yours then, yeah?”
I blanch. No. He painted me all sweet and adorable, and I painted him to look like he’s an omega about to go into heat. “I, um…”
He arches a brow. “Oh, come on, Dove. I’ve seen your paintin’s before…”
Teddy tries to go around to my easel, but I hold him tight. “I…it’s not done.”
At my rising panic, a smirk tilts at his lips. “Dove? Wot did you do?”
“Nothing!” I say quickly—way too quickly. Teddy chuckles, walking with ease even as I try to pull him back. “It’s not done yet! Teddy—”
He reaches my canvas.
Fuck.
I let go of him as he stills, his eyes roaming the canvas. The way water droplets glisten on his bare chest. The eyes that are clearly screaming “fuck me now”. If Teddy wasn’t standing right in front of me, witnessing my absolutely lust-filled tribute to him, I might have been proud of the work.
“Dove?” His voice is rough, and then he turns to look at me. “You forgot something.”
I…what?
Embarrassment takes a backseat while my pride as an artist surges forward. “What did I forget?” I frown, peering between him and the canvas.
He bares his teeth in a smile as he lifts his shirt up to reveal his extremely toned torso.
The torso that is absolutely covered in tattoos.
I swallow, taking in the ink covering his flesh.
More monarch butterflies, like the ones on his arms and neck, some flowers, but mostly black, almost tribal-looking designs with splashes of bright color.
The green dragon that runs up his right arm extends to his chest, and before I realize what I’m doing, I’m reaching out and touching it.
Definitely didn’t put those in the painting.
He hisses through his teeth as my fingers brush against his skin, but when I startle, jumping back, he catches my hand, pulling it back to his abdomen.
“You don’t ‘ave to be ‘fraid to touch me, Dove,” his voice is husky, “I just di’n’t expect it to feel so good.”
I can feel his eyes on me as my hands roam over his skin, and in the next instance, he’s pulling his shirt off completely.
My throat goes dry.
“Do…you have them anywhere else?” I swallow, glancing down at his pants.
Smirking, my alpha unbuttons his trousers, before dropping them to his ankles. Muscular thighs covered in ink greet me, and I find myself in complete awe.
“Those must have hurt,” I murmur, my fingers reaching down to brush over his thighs. I find myself dropping to my knees, inspecting the tattoos on his legs with fascination. It must take a very talented artist to make art look good on a non-traditional canvas.
“Not too terribly,” he grits out, and then I realize I’m eye-level with his cock, completely hard in his boxers.
I stare at it, the space between my thighs growing warmer by the second. “I don’t think I’d ever be strong enough to get a tattoo.”
“It’s not about bein’ strong,” his voice is strained. “It’s about withstandin’ the pain. An’ you’ve got plen’y of experience there.”
“Pain…” I murmur, my eyes still firmly fixed on his throbbing dick. Black tea with cream and sugar smells so damn good, it’s almost like I’m powerless to stop myself as I reach up and brush a hand over his underwear.
He hisses again, and then I’m being dragged up and held against his body. “Are you tryin’ to kill me, Dove?” He peers into my eyes, his intense green gaze peering right into my soul.
I will him to hear the truth of my words. That I’m tired of waiting, and I want him. “I…I want you Teddy. I want you to be my first, and I want you to show me what to do. You talked about tasting me…I want to taste you. And I want you to…to fuck me.”
His eyes screw shut tight, and he lets out a huff of breath. “Fuck, Dove, I would love nothin’ more. But you—”
“Don’t,” I shake my head, “don’t you dare turn me away. Not unless you don’t want me.”
His expression, which had been previously warring between desire and uncertainty, turns determined. “I want you.” His words are a vow.
So, I step away, pulling off my clothes. My hands nearly shake as I lift my top over my head, and Teddy curses softly, his eyes roaming over me. Emboldened, I step out of my pants and remove my bra, and as I approach Teddy, drop to my knees.
“Fuck, Dove, why don’t you—” he cuts off when I reach up and grab his cock though his underwear.
The thick length pulses once, sending slick straight to my panties, and I look up at him. “Show me what to do…please?”
Teddy’s voice is rough as he hooks his fingers under his waistband. “First, we take it out.”
He pulls the waistband down, and his cock springs free.
It’s…different than I expected it to look. But it looks like it would feel so, so good.
“How do I hold it?” I whisper, looking up into his eyes.
“Like this,” he chokes, his hand grasping the base.
I put my hand next to his, my fingers just barely meeting as they wrap around him.
He lets out a hissed, “fuckin’ hell”, as I start to move it up and down, recalling what I’ve read in my romance novels.
“Is this okay?” I ask, looking up at his face, wrought tight with pleasure.
“Fuck, yes,” he groans, before reaching down and putting a hand over mine, squeezing a bit tighter. “Just a little firmer—fuuuuuck,” his head drops back when I follow his directions, and it’s turning me the fuck on to see Teddy completely undone like this.
I’m mesmerized by the small bead of fluid leaking out of the tip, and before I realize what I’m doing, my tongue darts out to lick it off.
Cream and sugar explode on my tongue, and then I’m surging forward, sucking the entire head into my mouth. “Fuck, Dove—” his voice turns strangled as I keep moving my hand, my tongue running up the underside of his shaft.