Judd sits behind me as I work.
My shirt is splattered with paint and my hands are caked in red. It's Christmas Eve, and I'm painting a scene from the Christmas Memories Charity Ball for Penny to auction off.
“Are you always this messy when you create?” he asks.
“Shhh,” I say. “Don't judge my process. You'll scare off my muse.”
He laughs, then clamps a hand over his mouth.
“And yes, I like to use my hands in some instances instead of always using brushes. Art can be messy. Deal with it.”
His phone rings and he steps into the hallway.
“Sounds like fun. Let me ask her,” he says when he comes back into the room. “Do you want to go to Brian's? Everyone's hanging out, playing games and stuff.”
I smile and wipe paint on my jeans.
“Are you challenging me to a dance-off?” I ask.
A corner of his mouth lifts in a sexy, challenging smile. “Maybe.”
I smile back. “Challenge accepted.”
He laughs and tells his friends we'll be there in a few minutes.
I wash my brushes and put away the paints, then grab my coat.
“Did you want to go home and change?” Judd asks as we make our way through the quad toward the parking lot.
A sense of freedom washes over me and I shake my head.
“No,” I say, looking down at my loose, paint-stained clothing. “I'm all good.”
He smiles and pulls me closer.
We make it halfway across the grass before it begins to snow.