Emory’s stomach fluttered as she heard the words again in such a vulnerable moment. She nodded as she looked up at Sarah and wanted to respond, to tell her of the strength of her own feelings, but her voice was strangled in her throat, the emotion too powerful. She opened her mouth to try again and closed it in defeat.

“I already know.” Sarah smiled as she tucked a strand of Emory’s hair behind her ear. “I know how you feel, and it’s everything good in this world. I’m so lucky.”

Unable to resist any longer, Emory pulled Sarah’s face back down and caught her lips for another feverish kiss. She tried to turn them for better access to Sarah, to her body, but the once quiet, reserved woman she’d met those several months before was not willing to relinquish control just yet, and it was tantalizing. Instead, she pushed her thigh firmly between Emory’s legs and began to move against her. Emory gasped and felt as if an electric current of yearning had just slammed her system. She arched in response and pushed back forcefully, grabbing Sarah by the hips and pulling her closer still, needing, wanting more of her.

“Not so fast there,” Sarah mumbled between kisses, shaking her hair back, grasping Emory’s wrists, and holding them in place above her head. She picked up the rhythm gradually, and Emory could hardly maintain a coherent thought against the onslaught of overwhelming sensation. With her breathing ragged and her body erupting, she turned her head into the pillow and moaned quietly. Taking the cue, Sarah increased her speed, the pins that held her hair in place loosening and eventually falling out entirely. Her hair cascaded wildly down around her shoulders and the sight alone sent Emory toppling over the edge in a rush of sharp pleasure. Her body stilled and she called out as the orgasm ripped through her. In that moment, she reached up and touched Sarah’s face, holding fast to the connection she felt so deeply until all she saw was her. All she felt was her.

Sarah collapsed into Emory and they lay there, tangled, smiling together.

As her shallow breaths evened out once again, Emory gently stroked Sarah’s hair and her ability to think crept slowly back. “You’ve destroyed me. I’m feeling strangely speechless.”

Sarah raised her head and grinned. “I told you I’d missed you.”

But it was more than just that. Sarah exuded a quiet confidence that was new, surprising, and beyond sexy. Emory turned to face her more fully. “You’re a complex woman.”

Sarah looked skyward in jest. “You noticed.”

“I more than notice you.” She gently shifted Sarah onto her back and a new surge of heat surfaced in her as her eyes met generous curves and golden skin glistening in the moonlight. She ached at the sight of Sarah. She’d always thought her beautiful, but tonight she simply radiated. She descended first to Sarah’s lips and then set out to explore. Kissing, tasting, licking, Emory savored every luscious moment with Sarah’s body.

Sarah was on fire. She had been ever since she’d first touched Emory and her desire had only grown exponentially. She’d been turned on before, but this was a whole new level of yearning and she didn’t know how much longer she could hang on. Emory’s mouth was storming her system and sensation drenched her. As Emory kissed the inside of her thigh, she tunneled her hands into Emory’s hair in an attempt to guide her to what she so desperately needed. Sarah’s breath exploded in a loud gasp when Emory’s hand finally found her, eased through slickness, and began to move at an agonizingly slow pace. Moving her hips in response, Sarah arched upward in desperate search of purchase, of release. When Emory’s hand was replaced shortly thereafter with her mouth, Sarah let control snap. With her eyes closed, she felt the shock of pleasure overtake her, and the past six months flashed behind her eyes like a movie in her mind. As she rode out the glorious release, she remembered the moments, the journey that brought them here, and her heart and her body collided.

With her heart still thudding in her chest like a jackhammer, her body still singing, and Emory’s arms around her, Sarah knew she was home.


*


Seagulls and the sounds of the early tide woke Sarah the next morning, and it only took a moment for her to feel the happiness moving through her in big, warm waves. She sat up groggily in bed and looked around for Emory. The door to the terrace was open and the sheer curtains fluttered in the chilly breeze, a clue to her whereabouts. She crossed the room, shrugging into a T-shirt from the dresser as she went, when something caught her eye. To her right, there stood a canvas propped against the wall. She hadn’t noticed it the night before, but then again, she’d been wonderfully preoccupied. She moved closer, stunned at the beauty, the simplicity of the image, and took a moment to let her feelings settle. She studied the lines, her own features so familiar, yet so new. Was this really the way Emory saw her? She picked up the painting, captivated by the window it offered into the artist’s soul.

“It was the first thing I wanted to paint. I was a little out of practice, but in the end, it came out just the way I wanted.” Sarah turned to Emory, who stood in the doorway to the terrace. She wore a light blue silk robe and looked sated and beautiful after the night they’d shared.

Sarah shook her head slightly in wonder. “I don’t know quite what to say. It’s stunning.” And she meant it. She’d seen Emory’s work in subtle manifestations, but nothing like this. Nothing so complete. It was true. Emory was beyond gifted.

“Have you seen the subject? How could it not be?”

Sarah met her eyes in all seriousness. “That’s not what I meant. How did you do it, capture me this way?”

“Well, I happen to love your face, your hands.” Emory pressed a delicate kiss into her palm. “The way you move. I had dozens of images of you sliding through my head, moments of you attached to my heart, so I just picked one.”

Sarah looked back at the painting, for the first time noticing the glow on her cheek. “This is from our first night together, isn’t it? In front of the fire.”

Emory nodded. “That was the night my life changed.”

Sarah nodded and caressed her cheek. “Mine too.”

Emory looked down at the painting “I’d say you could have it, but I don’t think I’m willing to let it go.”

“That’s okay. I was kind of hoping for joint custody.” And giving in to the temptation that had been with her since she awoke, she slid her fingers into Emory’s sun-streaked hair and pulled her in for a kiss that left them both breathless and stumbling back to the bed.

Epilogue

Six months later


The gallery was still bustling as they approached the last hour of the showing. Intense-looking people dressed to the nines perused the various pieces that lined the walls as waiters moved about the room with trays of champagne and canapés.

Emory felt the butterflies in her stomach enter into a last dance and sighed in relief that she’d almost made it through. It was one thing to head up a multimillion dollar company, but quite another to have your art, your innermost expression, on display for the world to see and critique at will. She’d be lying, however, if she said it wasn’t exciting at the same time. Because it really, really was. As she sipped her champagne in the corner of the room, she heard a patron’s voice behind her.

“I can’t stop looking at it,” the male voice said. “On each reexamination, I see something I hadn’t noticed before, but by far, the most intriguing aspect of the piece is the way the artist juxtaposes nature against the urban landscape. I mean, look at that and tell me it’s not thought provoking.”

“Find the gallery owner,” his female companion said. “Let’s see what it’s listed at.”

Emory hadn’t been able to contain the small smile that grew steadily on her lips as the evening went on. She knew the opening’s success would hinge on how many of the pieces actually sold, but for her, it was enough to hear that others appreciated her work, saw value in something she’d created. It came with a certain kind of gratification unlike anything else she’d experienced. The rush was palpable, indescribable, and immediate. She realized very quickly that she could get used to this.

“There’s the famous artist now!” Emory smiled in recognition of the familiar voice and turned just in time to feel the arms of Yolanda Matamoros envelop her in an all-consuming embrace. Yolanda, Emory had come to discover in recent months, gave the best hugs in the history of the world.

She felt herself light up. “I’m so happy you both came. You didn’t have to, you know.”

“Are you kidding? And miss all this? Never. It’s an important night for you.”

Roberto placed a hand on her arm. “Your work is beautiful, Emory.”

Yolanda thrust a camera at him. “Take our picture, Berto. I’ll say I knew her when.” Emory wrapped an arm around Yolanda and smiled warmly into the lens.

“We’ll let you get back to your show,” Roberto said. “We’re off to see the rest of the paintings. See you Sunday for dinner?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” And she wouldn’t. She smiled after the people who had become her surrogate parents, still surprised at how much they’d come to mean to her in such a short time. She made her way into the next room, where most of the work was displayed. The lights were dim, and mellow music emanated from the classical guitarist in the corner. She hadn’t made it but ten feet into the room before Grace was at her side like a rocket. “Emory, only two paintings are left.”

She smoothed the back of Grace’s hair and looked down at her. “That can’t be right. Who told you that?”