Chapter Eight

The room was shrouded in darkness when Jon woke hours later. He stretched and rolled but over expecting to find his bed-mate but the bed was empty, again. Did she ever sleep? He glanced over at the clock which read that it was just after three am. Well she can’t be up going to collect glass, Jesus. He flipped the covers off and swung his legs over the bed. Throwing on his jeans, he padded into the living area which was illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp in the corner. No Colby.

“Colby?” he croaked. But no reply came. The faint sound of whirring alerted him as he padded heavily to the staircase. She was in her studio, god damn at this hour? He chuckled making his way down the stairs quietly. He couldn’t talk he was often known to take to his studio in the middle of the night. He navigated the stairs slowly stretching his arms up over his head popping his back as he went. He needed more sleep, he was a mess. But the curiosity of what she was doing had him hooked.

The soft croon of Jazz met him at the doorway so he leaned back against the wood. There she stood at her potter’s wheel crafting with her hands. Oblivious to him, she was in another whole world lost in her art, creating.

Her hands glided across the clay as she spun, pulling it into shape. Jon stood and took her all in, her messy wavy locks were pulled back in a loose ponytail matched with a clay stained t-shirt with the blue faded writing of the LA Lakers blazing across her chest. She wiped her cheek quickly with the back of her hand, Jon couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as she left a big smear of clay over her cheek. But she didn’t care. She was pulling the clay up with both hands as it spun and then pushed it down, creating the hole in the middle. With the palms of her hands on the underside she coaxed it out, and incredibly the lump of nothing was now blooming into a circular shape. What looked so effortless he knew wasn’t.

His thoughts waved away from her craft and to her. What made this girl the way she was? He hardly knew anything about her. Such a free spirit, almost a loner. In the two days he’d been with her he hadn’t heard of anyone coming to see her, calling her. Around her apartment there were no signs of family. Well from what was clear from the deluge.

Yet here she was, beautiful, talented and alone from what Jon could work out. There had to be more to her than just this. Jon almost felt jealous towards her. Not a care in the world and free doing what she loved most, no baggage. She was lucky. He could learn a thing or two from this woman.

The clang of metal made him snap back into reality; she’d finished the bowl and moved over to the steel basin in the corner, scrubbing her hands vigorously. She puffed her cheeks and blew out a sigh. Jon crept backwards into the darkness the hallway offered. He turned and walked back up the stairs crawling back into bed. Tugging the sheet around him he rolled over and closed his eyes. He needed to get the next four hours, he knew he did.

~

Colby worked till around six and then dove into the shower washing the night’s work right off her. She figured she’d grab them some breakfast and wake Jon up before he was due to go back to filming and then go rollerblading and take a nap.

She pulled on her jeans and a black v-neck sweater and left her damp hair loose, falling in ringlets around her shoulders. Grabbing her keys and purse she headed out to the bakery and collecting some breakfast.

“Ah Miss Colby.” Zelda winked shaking a brown paper bag open and grabbing the tongs.

“I assume we’re having breakfast for two?” She asked with a wink and a knowing grin.

Colby smiled, “yeah, you better maker it enough for two again.”

“Have fun last night? He seems like a nice man,” she popped four croissants into the bag before starting on the coffees.

“Yeah, he is a nice man.” With a bit of baggage but who doesn’t have baggage these days?

“Are you seeing him again after today?” Zelda asked.

“I don’t know, probably he’s a lot of fun.”

“You like him don’t you Miss Colby, you like him a lot.”

She pulled out some bills she’d stuffed in her pocket and handed them over to her.

“Don’t be ridiculous Z, a guy like him is not for a girl like me.”

“Defensive are we?” Zelda asked snapping the lids on the coffees.

Colby rolled her eyes “Come on, now you know me Z.”

“Yes I do, and in all the three years or so you’ve been coming in here he’s the first man you’ve really spoken of,” Zelda stated crossing her arms.

“Don’t be silly, you’ve just met him that’s all. I just haven’t cared all that much for relationships it’s not a crime. And this isn’t a relationship. We’re just having some fun for a bit” she reaffirmed scooping up the bag and tray. But Zelda shook her head.

“If you say so Miss Colby.”

Colby laughed and left again. There had been other guys. She just chose not to carry on any relationships with them. She’d never had the time with her work anyway. And besides they’d always get so clingy, ick.

She crept back into her apartment and laid down the breakfast. A soft snore was rumbling from the bedroom so she snuck in and sat on the end of the bed. The sheet was draped across his belly and he was arm twisted half over into the pillow.

“Jon,” she slid her lips over the splattering of freckles on his shoulder up to the base of his neck, but still he didn’t move. “Jonnn,” she whispered her teeth scraping up over his Adam’s apple. He still smelt like the club with a hint of his spicy cologne but he remained still. “Good lord you’re a heavy sleeper huh?” She looked away for a second before squealing when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist by surprise and pulled her down.

“Holy shit!” She giggled as he rolled on top of her, his sleepy blue eyes squinting against the morning light.

“You’re shit, did you know that?” she teased rubbing her hands flat down his arms, across his biceps as he dipped in to give her a lingering kiss on the lips.

The smirk spread across his face “My specialty is being a shit.” He pushed back her hair dropping a kiss on her forehead. She smelt like the sweet mint he was getting used to.

“So do you ever sleep?” he asked.

She chuckled, “miss me huh?”

“A little,” he admitted.

“Aw, that’s sweet. I worked half the night. I got inspired. It happens all the time at random times. Who knows maybe you inspired it?” She rubbed her hand along his spine.

Jon’s laugh rumbled in his throat, “Maybe, can I smell coffee?” he asked hopefully sniffing the air.

“Of course, I got us some breakfast figuring you’d need a good start to the day” she rolled off him and stood up from the bed.

He sat up and stretched his arms up above his head hearing the bones click “You are an Angel,” he yawned and moved to his side of the bed, shucking on his jeans and padding into the living room with her.

“More pastries! You’ll have me doing double time in the gym. I haven’t been for two days either” he said patting his stomach. “Which is again your fault,” he inspected the contents of the bag.

“Oh please, it’s flat as a pancake. If I can eat this and not put on any weight you can too,” she slumped into her chair with the latte in hand.

Jon sat on the couch and took a bite of the buttery goodness “Roller blades huh?” noticing they were laid out on the floor, laces strewn ready to go.

“Yeah, that’s how I keep fit” she said popping the lid and licking the foam from the underside.

Jon leaned back and crossed his legs in the chair. “So what do you say you meet me after work tonight? There’s a nice Spanish restaurant near the studio.”

She shrugged as she took a bite from her croissant “Sure why not” she didn’t have much else planned for the day in-between work.

Jon pulled his cell phone out from his pocket and flipped it open “What’s your cell number? In case I run late or something” he said punching the keys with her name.

“I don’t have one” she replied with a chuckle as his face dropped. “What? I’ve never really needed one” it was true. She just hadn’t had the use for one.

“You run a business and you don’t have a cell phone? Jesus, OK what’s your home number here then?” he asked dumbfounded. Most days, more so at home his cell was glued to him. He punched in her number as she reeled it off. Snapping it shut he looked around “I noticed that you were using ledgers for your orders. Please tell me you use a PC or laptop to store your files on.”

“Nope, no cell phones and no computers. It’s fine. I’m doing alright without them, really.” She’d given thought to a laptop but just hadn’t got around to it.

“You do know how to use them right?” he asked with an impish grin.

Her frown deepened before he took cover when a cushion hurled his way across the room. “Ok. Ok, just checking….” He stood up and dusted his jeans off. “I just thought it might help, you’ve got a shit load of talent here and you could make a lot of money.”

She cocked her hand on her hip. “Who says I’m not making money now?” She gave him a sly grin, sure she made enough to get buy from her more traditional glass pieces, but it wasn’t what really made her the money at all.

“I didn’t, I just thought – “ her grin had changed to a smirk, one he was beginning to know very well when it came to her.

“Ok, what is that look for? And why don’t I trust you?”

She moved across the room to him, and hooked her arms around his waist pulling him towards her. Her lips teased his bottom lip, Christ his fuller bottom lip did things to her that weren’t natural.

“Why don’t you trust me?” her fingers slid up the sides of his arms to his neck as his eyes followed her every move.

She cupped his cheeks in her hands and scraped her thumbs across his jawline. “When you first started music, was music enough to get you buy or did you have to do something else to get buy until you made it?”

Her lips hovered about his, fuck he was hard as a rock already. What the hell was she playing at now? His thumbs hooked into her jeans tugging her closer but still she kept her lips out of reach.

“Yeah – of course. I had part time jobs at first… why?” God, where this was going he had no idea.

“Right, so maybe I do something on the side…” Her eyebrow cocked as she licked her lips.

He swallowed hard, no fucking way. She wasn’t? “You’re not?”

She chuckled now pressing her lips against his but not to kiss, but to speak. “No, I’m not…but I do make things… naughty things….” Her tongue edged along his upper lip. “Glass things.”

His eyebrow winged as his eyes popped. “You do huh?” Good fuck, of course she did.

“Can I see?”

She winked and withdrew herself away from him and checked her watch. “You’re going to be late, you better go. Where am I meeting you again?”

He wasn’t going to do it, fall under that damn spell again.. no no no. He could do this. Just walk away… leave her hanging you pussy. That would make a change wouldn’t it?

“Ciagala about eight, I’ll call you here if I run late with good warning.” He swallowed hard and jammed down craving he had to take her right then and there.

“Sound’s great, I know the one in Russell Square right? Well I need to get moving before it gets busy out there, Makes it like a dodgem track with too many people around,” she moved from the chair and grabbed her roller blades.

He laughed. She was intriguing, no one could ever argue with that. She went from hot to casual in seconds. And it drove him nuts.

“C’mon then, let me walk you out.” He gave her a grin as her eyes sparkled. What the hell did she make? Was she going to show him? Great, now guess what you’re going to think about asshole? All damn day. Just perfect.