The Falcon Ridge Series Book 4: Art of a Girl

(Chapter song ‘Everything You Want’ by Vertical Horizon)

BASTIAN

Luke doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He may have predicted his own mating, but if he thinks he’s some sort of relationship psychic, I have news for him. Though, there are times when I feel drawn to Sammy. I can’t deny what her presence has done so far.

I won’t overthink it. She's just a really nice woman who’s beautiful and talented. That doesn’t make her special.

Though, lately, I feel like I'm stalking her almost. I do need to cool it down.

As I meet her for lunch, I try to ignore the way she looks as she watches me slide into the seat across from her. I’m starting to notice little things. The way her nose crinkles a little when she talks. The ways her fingers almost dance through the air when she’s making gestures.

No…Jackson knows shit. Bastian, get it together. We don’t drool over women, they drool over me. I need to remember that.

"How did the meeting go?" She pulls out her napkin and gracefully lays it in her lap.

“It…was a meeting. Alpha business.” I smile as I straighten my cutlery.

“Alphas are pretty busy.” She clears her throat and casually looks around the room.

“They are.” I sit back and watch her. I can't get over how effortlessly beautiful she is to me.

"Alpha Jackson seems like a nice man." She says as she picks up the menu beside her plate and peruses the choices.

"Trust me. He's not as nice as you think." I scoff.

"Well. He seems like he is to me." She continues to read.

I lean on the table. "Ok. So, what do you want to eat. Anything you want."

"Anything?" She looks at me, raising a brow.

"Anything you want?" I insist.

She smiles coyly and sets the menu down. I feel a challenge coming on. "Ok. Angel hair pasta with pesto sauce. Tomato bruschetta. Roasted stuffed mushrooms. Red wine and a triple scoop, chocolate fudge sundae."

She arches a brow and stares me down with a smirk.

"Done." I slap the table and call over the chef.

"No way. It's not even on the menu." Her brows go up.

"Remember. I'm the Alpha. If you want angel hair pasta, I will get you that pasta." I wink.

“No, Bastian. I was just…”

“Eh.” I hold a finger up to her as the head chef to the kitchen stops in front of me. I tell him everything Sammy wanted. “Whatever you have to buy, charge the house. And…add it to the menu.”

“Yes, Alpha.” He bows slightly, turns and leaves.

Sammy leans on the table. “Bastian, I was just being smart. I didn’t want special treatment.” She whispers harshly as she looks me over.

“Nonsense. You’re a friend and I treat my friends very well. If that’s what you want, then I will provide. The best that money can buy.” I grin.

“Ok.” She sits back and looks uncomfortable. I can tell she’s not used to being spoiled. I can change that.

She picks at her plate and glances up at me every once in a while.

“What?” I question.

"What are you doing?" She eyes me.

"Nothing. Just having lunch with my lovely decorator." I gesture to her.

She nods. "Yes, I know. Why?"

"I can't have lunch with you?" I give her an innocent look.

She sits forward. "Well, considering a few weeks ago I was a low class decorator." She smirks.

I rub my neck. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that. No. Look. I felt bad for changing the plan on you and I just wanted to make it up to you."

She tilts her head. "Well, thank you, Bastian."

The way she says my name is like it's being sung by angels. I never thought I'd be so enthralled by a woman just saying my name.

We spent the next hour and half talking about hobbies and life in general. Once our food arrived, we ate, tossed jokes back and forth and raved about the food. She’s turning out to be a really great conversationalist. There’s a lot we have in common. We both have an appreciation for art and music. We both have a taste for fine dining and the cinema. She’s getting more stunning as the time passes. Could Luke be…

After lunch, she wanted to go back to work, but I wasn't done with her yet. I needed to find out more about her. I needed to find out why she's so mesmerizing to me.

I escorted her to the back of the common room where a few sofas are situated around a large stone fireplace. The arched windows give a great view of the property to the forest in the back. She side eyes the windows as she sits with me. I can see and feel her apprehension. It must be intimidating to sit with the Alpha and being in her position in the pack. Not many get to sit where she is right now. I can see her thinking things through.

I allowed her to bring her wine glass with her. “Just relax. Seriously. We’re just two friends casually talking." I chuckle.

She sips her wine. “Sure.”

I get comfortable and bring a leg up on the couch as I lean on the back of it. I watch her slip off her heels, face me and tuck her legs under her as she mirrors my position.

I prop my head up with two fingers and motion my glass to her. "Tell me about Sam. Who is she?" The room is quiet right now, so we both feel a bit of intimate privacy. I’m starting to really like this. I’ve never felt the need to behave this way toward a woman. Most times there’s very little talking or me talking about myself.

In fact…I don’t think I’ve ever seriously asked a woman to tell me about herself. This is getting very strange.

She runs her fingertip around the lip of the glass. "There's not much to tell really. I was adopted by my family at 8. I grew up with a wonderful family who encouraged me to go to school became a designer."

"And when you're not designing?" I ask.

"I paint." She shrugs.

"An artist? What’s your subject matter?” I knew she had artistic talent from her designs, but a painter? I’m even more curious now.

"Landscapes, portraits. Whatever I feel." She supplies. She seems very shy to talk about it.

"Where do you sell? What gallery? Where can I see these paintings?” I drop my arm on the back of the couch and take a drink.

She giggles nervously. "Oh, I don't sell my paintings. No one's even seen them."

"I'd love to see them." I motion between us.

"No. I'm not that good." Her cheeks turn a little more red.

I bet that’s completely untrue.

"Can you draw?" I ask.

"Um... Yeah?" She looks at me with those big, doe eyes.

I shoot her a toothy grin. "Wait here. Don't move." I get up and run to my office. I grab a pencil and pad of blank paper and run back.

I sit back down and hand her the paper and pencil. "Draw something for me."

She shakes her head and tries to hand it back. "Bastian. Really, I can't...."

I push it back to her. "Please. Humor me. Just this once." I give her pleading eyes and nice smile.

She sighs. “Ok.” She gets comfortable and readies the paper. “Don't move." She looks me over, then pencil met paper and I watch the end of it dance through the air as I froze myself in my spot. This was actually exciting. I’ve never been drawn before.

Her hand works fast. The area fills with the quiet scratches of lines and shading. She occasionally glances up and back down to the paper as her pencil tip floats around the paper.

After a bit, I look at her. "Ok, stop." I demand and hover a hand over hers. She raises her head, stitches her brows together and I remove my hand. "Show me."

She smashes the pad to her chest. "No, Bastian. It's not done."

I hold my hand out and crook it as I raise a brow. "Don't care. Hand it over." The corner of my lip ticks up as she looks around the room and back at me.

"No. No way." She shakes her head as she protests.

"Sammy." I playfully warn and crook my hand again.

Her mouth goes small and she shakes her head no as she leans back from me.

It’s cute that she thinks she can stop me.

With almost lightning moves, I stand and snatch the pad from her. I turn to her and put it behind my back.

"Bastian! No!" She stands and tries to reach around, but I move out of the way as she blows a frustrated breath.

I hold finger up as I try to keep a straight face. I look at her and tilt my head. "Ah! You will sit with me and we will look together. Is that clear?"

"No, Bast...."

"Eh. No arguments. Don't make me pull out my Alpha." I warn.

She sighs in defeat, scowls and I guide her to sit on the couch.

She sits down with me and I hold the pad to my chest. "Ok. Ready?"

She covers her face with her hands. "No."

I laugh. "Ok. I'm going to look."

She continues to cover her face as I look at the drawing. “Oh…Um...” She's whines in response to my reaction which has me side eye her and laugh.

As I go over the partial drawing of me, I'm amazed. "Sammy. This is..." I shake my head as I study how accurate it is. Even for a rough sketch. The human face is complex subject, but…she nails it. I’m impressed.

She drops her hands and hangs her head. "It's awful. I know..."

“Far from it, Sam.” I lean to her eyes. “Your lines. Your shading. It's amazing. Did you go to school?" I study my face further.

She shook her head. “No. I probably shouldn’t call myself an artist because I didn’t…”

I sit back. "What? You don’t have to go art school to be an artist. A lot of creativity can't just be taught. There has to be a talent there. You have it and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. I want to see your paintings."

She sits back and points to me with a warning. "No. I draw the line there."

"Sammy." I lower my head a bit while locking her eyes.

"No, Bastian. Forget it. My paintings are mine." She folds her arms and furrows her brow.

I chuckle and shake my head. “You’re cute when you’re defiant. I'll see them someday." I smirk. "But this..." I hold the pad up and tear off the picture. "Consider this one sold." I pulled out my money clip.

"No, Bastian. I can't take your money." She protests.

"Nonsense. A good artist should be paid for her art. Is 300 good?"

Her brows shoot up. "300? For a sketch?”

I scrunch my face. "You’re right. What was I thinking?" I pull out more money. "500 and not a penny more." I grab her hand and the instant I do, I'm hit with a static tingle that fires up my arm. It makes me pause. Static shock. I shake my head and slap the bills in her hand.

"Bastian…" She tries to hand it back.

I push her hand away. "No, Sammy. I insist. Don't insult me."

Reluctantly, she takes the money. She turns her head to me. "You're different."

"How do you mean?' I raise a brow.

She looked me up and down. "I don't know. Just…different."

As I looked into her brown eyes, I'm starting to think that this thing I've been feeling isn't just me. I see something. I just don't know what.

I set the drawing aside and fix my suit jacket. “There is one other thing I require to…seal the deal on this drawing.”

“What?” She replies cautiously.

I side eye her. “A date.”

“Excuse me?” She tilts her head and gives me a curious look.

I turn to her. “Go on a date with me. One date. I promise you'll have a great time.”

She gets a little crinkle in between her brows. She looks me over. “No.”

I huff a laugh. “No? What do you mean no? You’re turning me down?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” She says firmly.

“Sam…” I’m kind of shocked.

“No, Bastian.” She gets up and starts for the common room door.

“Sammy?”

She walks to the ballroom and I follow right behind her. “Why not? You won’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll pay and take care of everything. Top notch restaurant. Limo. Fine food. Dancing at the best club money can buy. I’ll even pay for your dress and jewelry if you want. A date with me is magical, Sam…”

She spins around and makes me stop in my tracks.

“And that’s why I can’t go out with you, Bastian.” She shakes her head and flops her hands out to her sides.

“What? Why?” I’m so confused. I literally offered her the world here.

She places her hands on her hips. “You just…” She lowers her head and shakes it. She raises her eyes and meets mine. “You think you can just toss money around and it changes things. You think you can just buy my affection. I’m sorry, Bastian. Thank you for taking an interest in my art, but love? It doesn’t work like that.”

She turns and walks into the ballroom.

I watch her close the door behind her. “Who said love?” I hold my hands out and question.

I turn away and walk back out to the foyer. I don’t understand it. Did she actually reject me? What girl doesn’t want the princess treatment? They all do. I thought, maybe, she was just playing before, but is she really not interested in my wealth? I have the looks, the status, the personality… Is it all really a turn off for her? If that’s the case, what does she want? I feel like I’m in new territory here. For the first time in my life, I don’t understand women.

I think I need help.