Draw Me In (28 page)

Some
cancers were genetic, that much I knew. I
’
d
always focused so much on Leo and his wine enterprise inheritance that it never
entered my mind he
’
d
be heir to something else
—
something
this tragically unfortunate.

He
nodded.
“
It
’
s called familial malignant melanoma.
”
I shuddered involuntarily because
those three words strung together sounded like he was cursing. Leo pulled the
blanket tighter around me.
“
Mom
got really paranoid one summer when she found a spot on Gio when we were at the
beach, and she made all four of us go in to have any
‘
suspicious
’
looking ones removed the next week.
”
He used air quotes around his words,
like
suspicious
made it out to be
some type of predator. But that
’
s
exactly what it was.
“
She
and I were the only ones to test positive.
”

“
So in the same day, she found out
that she not only had cancer, but her oldest son did as well?
”
That was too much.

“
She did.
”

I
didn
’
t
say anything else.

I
launched at him and threw my arms around his body, probably more to comfort
myself than him. Leo reciprocated and let me just hold him there, wordless. My
unspoken sorrow pulsed through me and I knew he could sense it. I hoped he
could, because it was all he was getting for now. I
’
d forgotten how to talk. Forgotten
how to think. How to do anything other than hold him affectionately in my arms.
This would have to do.

“
Julie.
”
His lips came down to mine and
covered them completely. Warm. Reassuring. When he pulled away he said,
“
I need you to know that I
’
m falling in love with you.
”

That
was probably an accident. There was no way he could mean it. We
’
d only known each other
—
like actually
known
each other
—
a week, max. I
actually felt bad for him for slipping up and saying something like that to
someone me, because I doubted he realized that I would
hang.on.every.word.

“
You shouldn
’
t say that.
”

His
lips brushed across mine again.
“
Why
don
’
t
you let me be the judge of what I think I should and should not say, okay?
”

Fair
enough.

I
nodded quickly and gave him the most passionate, lingering kiss I was capable
of. Even when I pulled away, his mouth still gaped, his eyes were still closed.

“
If I
’
m reading that correctly...
”
he smirked with a playful tone
fitted to his words,
“
...I
think you might be falling in love with me, too.
”

“
I think you
’
re a good reader.
”
I pulled him closer again and
reenacted my previous kiss.

“
I think you
’
re a good drawer.
”
Another kiss.

“
I think you
’
re a good model.
”
Two, three more.

“
Well, unfortunately not as good as
that David of yours with all my stitches and scars.
”

I
shook my head in challenge.
“
No,
David totally has cracks and divots all over him from all the acidic bird poop.
”

Leo
didn
’
t
even have to ask because his face did that all on its own.

“
After 370 years in an open square,
those birds can take their toll,
”
I elaborated.

“
After a few months, cancer can too.
”

Oh,
that was really sad. Too sad for how we should both be feeling right now,
having half-confessed to possibly loving one another.
“
I honestly still think you
’
re flawless, Leo.
”

He
shrugged and shook off my statement like there was no truth held within it.
“
I don
’
t think you should say that.
”

Leaning
in for another kiss, one that made every part of my body quiver, I said,
“
Why don
’
t you let me be the judge of what I
think I should and should not say? Fair enough?
”

“
Fair enough,
”
Leo smiled against my lips.

And
even though none of it actually felt fair
—
that
he
’
d
have to watch his young mother die from the same disease that simultaneously
attacked his very own body
—
it
felt right for us to be like this, together, right now.

I
’
d take it.

And
I
’
d take whatever Leo was willing to
give me, cracks and all.

CHAPTER TWENTY

There
was a man in my bed when I woke up.
 

And
it wasn
’
t
Leo.

At
first I didn
’
t
notice him, with the fluff of the mattress that made it like one of those
Tempurpedic kinds where you could pretty much do cartwheels and backflips
without your sleeping partner even feel the vibration of it.

So
I hadn
’
t
noticed anyone slip under the comforter to join me. I hadn
’
t noticed anyone rolling over next to
me throughout the night, trying to get comfortable. And I hadn
’
t noticed anyone sharing my king-size
pillow, yet that
’
s
exactly what he was doing. Not really even sharing, more like taking it hostage
between two vice-gripping arms and his cheek.

I
had absolutely no clue who this foreign dude was under my covers. Not gonna
lie, this was weird, even for me.

 
“
Pssst,
”
I whispered, pressing a fingernail
into the bare shoulder of my newest roommate. His skin was dark
—
obviously tanned
—
and his blond hair
was cropped short above his ears. I
’
m
sure he had a face, but I couldn
’
t
currently see it.
“
Pssst.
”

There
was an audible grunt, followed by a swat of my hand. The guy literally just
smacked me. I dug my nail harder into his flesh, leaving a crescent-shaped
divot in his skin because he kind of made me angry. Not necessarily the being
in my bed part because there had to be a logical explanation for this, but
because he was so rude and grunty towards me. Obviously not a morning person.

I
decided to go the route of quietly rousing him from his slumber, turning the
other cheek and trying not to harbor any hard feelings toward him even though
he sort of was a grouch.

“
Hey,
”
I said, my voice a sweet, hushed
whisper. The way a mom wakes up her child. But apparently I was trying to wake
up a hibernating grizzly.
“
Hey
you. Wake up.
”

“
Don
’
t think for a moment I won
’
t burn this place down!
”

Wait.
What? That seemed a little extreme, even for someone who evidently hated wakeup
calls. Someone needed to get this man some coffee, pronto.

He
pumped a fist into the air like a threat and growled,
“
I
’
m sick of your trickery and lies and
your good for nothing sorry ass!
”

“
I
’
m sorry, but I think you have the
wrong per
—”

“
I will
end
you!
”
Wow, he was getting angry. And I was getting scared because this was escalating
quickly. First arson, now murder.
“
Do
you hear me?
”

“
Yes!
”
I squeaked. There was suddenly a
mouse trapped in my throat that did my talking for me.
“
Loud and clear.
”

“
I suggest you back away slowly and
don
’
t
ever show your face around these parts again.
”

While
it was a decent suggestion since he
’
d
threatened to torch the place, I couldn
’
t
follow it. I had every right to be here. If anyone should be packing their
bags, it was this guy.

“
Hey,
wake
up
,
”
I pleaded once more, this time
wrapping my hand over his shoulder to shake him awake. That didn
’
t work, and instead he flung me off
of him with unrestricted force and bolted upright. The comforter slipped down
his body, revealing a bare, muscled chest that looked almost as good as Leo
’
s. I caught myself on my elbows and
skittered backward to the foot of the bed, gaining some distance, trying not to
admire him because I was still so irritated
—
and confused
—
by the situation.

Now
that I could see his face, it was obvious he was still in some sort of
sleep-induced trance, his features pulled taut, but his eyes somewhere not in
this realm. He had that glazed over expression in his vacant brown glare,
though his words held more emotion than I thought possible for what appeared to
be just a bad case of sleep talking.

“
Listen,
woman
!
”
Hey now, no one talked to me like that, even in their dreams.
“
I suggest you take your pretty little
self and pretend you didn
’
t
see what just went down here.
”

Was
it weird that I suddenly felt like I was in an old western movie? Because his
drawl, his words, and the way he addressed me like I was a piece of meat was
similar to a scene that should take place in an old, rundown saloon. Then he
could at least blame this little event on the alcohol. The way things were, I
couldn
’
t
really fathom his excuse.

“
So just turn around and walk your
—”

“
Now you listen here, Butch Cassidy.
”
I got off of the bed and backed up
several more feet. Reno stood just at my back, and even though I knew he couldn
’
t offer me any real protection, it
felt like he was there for the moral support I needed. I gave him a grateful
smiled and then turned to the stranger and seethed,
“
I suggest
you
take
your
ass and
pack your bags before I run you the hell out of town!
”

I
hoped that would do it.

Unfortunately,
he kept things going, like I was just reading my portion of the lines in our
Hollywood script and it was now his turn.

“
You know I can
’
t do that.
”
Did I? Truth be told, I didn
’
t know
anything
when it came to this guy. Just that he was quite
attractive, unreasonably angry, and had somehow stumbled into my bed in the
middle of the night. Oh, and that we were now having some sort of theatrical
showdown in my bedroom.
“
You
know I have to answer to the sheriff.
”

“
Well, there
’
s a
new
sheriff in town,
”
I challenged, my hands hooked onto my hips as I tried to make myself appear,
and sound, as intimidating as possible. I puffed out my chest, expanding my
ribcage with a huge breath for courage.
“
And
her name
’
s
Jules and she doesn
’
t
take any lip from anyone, especially the likes of you, you hear?
”
With a stomp of my foot, I sneered,
“
So you best go and take yer lazy,
good for nothin
’
,
sorry behind and hightail it out of town before I
—”

“
Julie?
”

Locks.

Right
.
As in, they don
’
t
seem to have any in this Villa.

“
Oh thank God, Leo!
”
I lifted my hands skyward in relief.
“
I very nearly arrested this cowboy
for breaking and entering with the threat of manslaughter.
”

Leo
laughed, which was odd because I was secretly hoping the whole jealous
boyfriend shtick would play out. I mean, I did have a pretty damn good-looking
guy in my bed. That should at the very least make him get those wrinkles of
confusion under his brow.

“
I see you
’
ve met Walker.
”

So
not Butch Cassidy. I had to wrap my brain around that for a few seconds.
“
If by sharing a bed and then some
strange western scene qualify as meeting, then yes. But since I
’
m pretty certain he
’
s still comatose, I
’
m not sure we can classify this as an
actual meeting.
”

 
Leo disappeared into the adjoining
bathroom, and when he returned he held a crystal glass of tap water in his
grip.
“
Would
you like to do the honors?
”
He asked as he extended his arm toward me.
“
Because I know you
’
re quite good at throwing drinks on
men.
”

I
did sort of want to douse this guy in water. But now that I knew he had a name
and therefore probably an identity, I didn
’
t
feel right in waking him up so suddenly that way. Whoever he was, Leo obviously
knew him, and maybe he deserved a few more minutes of sleep. It was pretty
clear that whatever dreams he wrestled with during the night most likely didn
’
t leave him feeling too rested come
morning. He was a fighter in the ring of his own brain. That had to take it out
of you.

“
Hey, let me try something else.
”
Leo
’
s widened eyes gave me the go-ahead
and I took two more steps toward the bed, my hand drawn and raised in the
imitation of gun.
“
I
’
m giving you to the count of three
before I pull the trigger
—”

“
I told you, I
’
m hear to talk to the sheriff
—”

“
One,
”
I hollered, raising my voice and
tacking on that fake southern accent once more.
“
Two...
”

“
I don
’
t mean any
—”

“
Three!
”
Taking the crystal glass from Leo, I
crashed it loudly to the floor and Walker simultaneously slumped over in the
bed in what had to amount to the most impressive, dramatic sleep talking/acting
event I
’
d
ever been a part of, even considering this was the
only
one I
’
d
ever been a part of. It truly was award winning.

All
three of us were quiet for a pause.

“
Well that was something, Sheriff
Julie,
”
Leo admitted as he crouched down to scoop up the shattered remnants of the
glass. There were at least twenty pieces of broken glass strewn in a three-foot
radius like glittering jewels, a mosaic of crystal.
“
But now you
’
re O for 2 when it comes to the
Carducci crystal. Not a good record.
”

I
slammed my palm to my eyes and kept it there for a moment to shelter myself
from the inevitable embarrassment that accompanied this whole scene.
“
Please don
’
t tell me that was another expensive
glass.
”

“
Okay,
”
Leo smiled. He swept the remaining
shards into his palm with the other hand.
“
I
won
’
t
then.
”

“
You do realize that being in a
relationship with me is turning out to be quite costly. I mean, I
’
m seriously racking up the bills.
First dry cleaning, then shopping sprees, and now glassware.
”

He
pushed back up to stand and fiddled with the glass in his hand, stacking the
smaller pieces on top of the larger ones so carefully it was as though he was
playing a game of Jenga.
“
And
don
’
t
forget a year
’
s
worth of coffee before I actually even met you. But in all honesty, I
’
d say it
’
s paid off quite well for me.
”

I
laughed, grateful he could find the humor in it. It was definitely there, just
hidden under some unfortunate circumstances.
“
So Walker, huh? What
’
s his deal?
”