Colby Colson's cascading raven curls tumbled freely to her bared shoulders in a slightly tangled disarray as her always intense hazel brown eyes scanned her reflection with carefully, critical scrutiny, steadily searching for flawless in her appearance, as she had already decided that tonight, she simply could not settle for anything less than pure perfection. Tonight...a tired, almost agonizingly anxious sigh escaped her...she needed tonight to be glorious down to the very last detail, she had so much riding on Justin's reaction to what she wanted to say to him once he was finally back in her arms after too many weeks away in England, working endless hours as he prepared to open his first European based Precise.
Precise, Colby knew, had and always would be a major priority for Justin...it was, as he often liked to call it, his lifework...the empire he had built from a single, somewhat floundering restaurant his mother had left to him when she passed away, just weeks after she and Justin together celebrated his twenty first birthday.
As Nora Morgan's only earthly possession, Precise had served as the only gift she had to give to her son and as a final promise to his mother, Justin faithfully swore to her that he would make her dream and his come true.
"It started with her, but I had the same vision as she did, only she never had the real chance to make her dreams come true." Justin had shared his thoughts with during a blessed, rare moment when all his guards were briefly lowered. "She did all she could to make a good, happy life for me and even though she will never see it now, I am doing everything I can to keep her vision alive."
It had touched Colby deeply, to hear him say such a thing...to see genuine emotions in his eyes...it wasn't a common occurrence, he tended to keep most everyone at bay and it was only by chance, or perhaps fate, that Colby had managed to connect with him on any level, and at times, she was almost certain Justin resented himself for needing her and wanting her as intensely as he did.
Once, after a particularly passionate bout of lovemaking, he had confessed to her that she was almost like a drug to him...he couldn't resist her...couldn't make himself stay away and even at the most inconvenient moments, her image lingered on his mind, beckoning him to return to her even when he told himself it was best to stay away. To remove himself fully, from her life...she deserved more than he had the ability or the means or even the willingness to give her, or any other woman, as it was his firm and steady belief that no relationship in his life could be long lasting in any sense; it was his belief that any woman in her right mind would, eventually, find herself longing for more than just wild sex and as much as it pained Colby to hold back her thoughts, she had, for nearly two years, managed to refrain from pointing out to Justin that their relationship was based on far more than just intensely magical sex, even if he didn't care to admit as much.
It certainly had not been what he was looking for...she wasn't something she had ever expected to find when he breezed into a small but fairly well established art gallery in an effort to find work he could display in his soon to open third New York location for Precise. He liked, if it was possible, to give up and coming talents a chance to showcase their skill, as long as it fit into the elegant but comfortable décor he always strived for...he settled for nothing but the best when it came to his restaurants, those who knew him understood as much, just as they understood he had a deep appreciation for beauty and there was no denying, for him, at the very least, that Colby Colson was just that, and then some.
He spotted her almost the instant he came in, standing on the far side of the room, looking somewhat lost in her thoughts as she stared up at a stunningly crafted ocean scene so skillfully painted one almost felt as if they were standing on a beach...but the painting itself was just an afterthought for Justin, who paused inside the door to look at the young woman who seemed oblivious to the world that surrounded her.
From the distance, he could see she wasn't tall, no more than five two or three, but she had a classically full figure with heavy breast, a tapered waist and long legs that incased in faded jeans while the red sweater she wore accented her ivory skin as somewhat untamed hair fell to her shoulders in a shimmering cascade.
Her hair, he decided, was the most unusual shade he had ever seen...it was an odd but successful marriage of brown and red that came together to create a rosewood like shade that perfectly framed her face as she turned to look at him, having clearly sensed that someone was staring at her intently and when she did turn, he saw for the first time that her features fit together in flawless summation.
"The painting is for sale, Justin, not the young woman."
At the familiar and only half teasing voice, Justin smiled and turned to find Wendy Ann Lewis, the gallery owner, and a longtime friend standing behind him, her green eyes serious as her flaming red hair tumbled down her back.
"And just because I am curious, do we know who the young woman is?" He did not bother to hide his interest, he had known Wendy too long for that and she sighed as she nodded, looking far less than pleased, which Justin thought odd.
"Her name is Colby Colson and she painted that piece she is standing in front of, as well as several others displayed throughout the gallery."
"So she is an artist?"
"A twenty three year old artist who has been in New York for less than six months and is, I might add, what you might call fresh from the farm and totally innocent." There seemed to be a warning in her words that again made Justin grin.
"Can I ask for more information." He lifted one shoulder. "Is she married? Single? I like what I can see of her work from here, so is there any chance she would be pleased to see it displayed in my latest restaurant?" Business was still on his mind, but so was the girl herself, as Wendy well knew.
"I can assure you, having her work displayed in such a high profile location would be a thrill for her, and as for the other questions..."
"Wendy..."
"She is single, Justin, but she is not like your other women."
"Because she is so young."
"Because she is so young and sweet and innocent and she has suffered a hell of a lot of hurt as it is." Wendy lowered her voice. "Just before she moved her, she lost her mother, in a bank robbery and two years before that, her father died in a boating accident, so the very last thing I want is for her to find herself involved with a man who could cause her hurt, even if he doesn't meant to." Which she knew Justin could do...he could break Colby's heart, and feel bad about it, but it would not change the fact that Colby would be the one in tears, while Justin moved on to the next conquest, as he was so famed for doing.
A ten year long friendship made it possible for Wendy to have a better than merely fair understanding of how Justin handled his affairs...she even knew why he never allowed what passed for his relationships to last for an extended time, and to an extent, she understood his fears, but she still felt a soft spot for Colby that compelled her strongly to once again caution Justin to be careful.
There was more she wanted to say, more she wanted to make Justin understand, if he could, but before the effort could be made a call sounded for her over the intercom system, so she left Justin with a final warning glance and the moment Wendy disappeared into her office, Justin moved across the room to stand beside Colby, who had gone back to looking up at her painting with the most intent expression Justin had ever seen.
For a moment, she seemed unaware that he was near, as she studied the piece until Justin lightly cleared his throat and she looked at him, allowing him to see that her eyes were a stunning hazel brown flaked with golden hints...wide and fringed by thick, dark lashes that were impossibly long, her eyes were just as glorious as her hair and he smiled as she looked up at him and he waved a hand at the painting.
"I hear the artist is very talented." His voice was gentle and warm, totally disarming and what Wendy, and a host of other women would have called dangerously charming.
"Is that what you hear?" When she spoke in a soft, whispery like tone, he could easily detect a faint, southern accent that only added to her allure, much to his surprise.
"Oh, yes. I am certainly interested in seeing more."
The light blush that stained her cheeks told him she had picked up on the double meaning to his words and he felt an odd stirring, as he had been almost certain women in the current day and age no longer blushed for any reason.
