Page 2 of Drew

Finally. Turning, Drew nearly swallowed his tongue as he got his first sight of her in something other than a bulky sweater and leggings.

In a slinky black dress that exposed one long slender arm and bared the opposite well-toned leg, Alyssa stood looking magnificent. Big gold hoops hung from her ears, and silver dangles encircled her wrists. Her heels gave her unnecessary height. She was gorgeous. As a shifter, he’d known many beautiful women. Their kind were muscular, fit and firm, and proud. But until Alyssa, he’d never met a woman who called to him on such a fundamental level.

At first, Drew wondered how she’d snuck up on him. His sense of smell was excellent, and her natural sweet scent had drawn him in at the coffee shop yesterday. Tonight, he should have been able to smell her long before now. Drawing a deep breath, he realized it was perfume, a warm and spicy scent with a hint of coriander. It was sexy but didn’t fire his blood the way her natural scent had.

Callum nudged him. “Art.” He snorted.

Alyssa’s gaze darted from him to his beta and back again. “I hope you gentlemen aren’t bored.”

“No, of course not,” Drew lied. Callum snorted again. Drew amended. “Maybe a little out of our element. This is my business partner, Callum.”

“Hi.” Callum directed his usual, charming smile toward Alyssa as he held out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Alyssa Mayer.” She exchanged greetings politely.

Tucking his hand into his pocket, Callum asked, “When Drew said he wanted to see the exhibit, I gotta admit I wasn’t sure what to think.” His grin spread. “How’d you two meet?”

Alyssa tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. “At the coffee shop yesterday. He grabbed my coffee by mistake.”

Callum laughed. “Did he?” Likely, Callum knew Drew’s mistake had been a purposeful act to gain her attention. Mischief was in his eyes, but he said nothing.

Alyssa tilted her head to the side, watching them both. “I take it this, much like yesterday, isn’t your cup of coffee either?”

Rather than admit any of his less than flattering opinions on her fellow artists, Drew replied simply, “You mentioned you paint landscapes. I don’t think I’ve seen your work yet.”

“Come.” Her heels clicked on the floor as she motioned for them to follow her. “I’ll show you.”

He tried not to stare at her ass as she led the way through the gallery, but his gaze kept dropping. Despite her heels, she moved with a natural grace, and he found himself admiring her toned legs and the sway of her hips.

When he caught Callum staring at the same fine features, he gave him a subtle shove. Around a laugh, Callum leaned over to whisper, “I knew it wasn’t about the art.”

She trotted into yet another room, and toward the first painting, her bare leg played peek-a-boo with each step as the black fabric danced around her. “Everything in this room is mine. They’re highlighting my work this evening. As a new member of the community, I’m extremely grateful.”

“Now, this is more like it,” Callum exclaimed as he and Drew studied the first few paintings. “This stuff, I understand.”

Drew glanced over and caught her watching him as he examined each piece. “I’ll admit I don’t know the first thing about art, but these are great.”

She beamed. “Thanks. I like to find inspiration in nature.”

Drew looked back at the paintings. There were a few cityscapes and the occasional barn or hunting cabin, but mostly, her work displayed various forests and nature scenes. Though he didn’t understand art, he could tell she’d brought the trees to life with each brush stroke. He could almost smell the pine needles and dirt. They were earthy, real.

“I’m fortunate that I found Zelda.”

He glanced over. “Zelda?”

She nodded, her gaze focused on a canvas depicting a wagon wheel leaning against a fence row. “She’s the gallery owner.”

It was a small town, likely, he’d met Zelda before, but he couldn’t place the name.

“She’s also my landlady. When I first showed up in town, she was at the supermarket, and I overheard her speaking with the cashier about needing a new tenant. We got talking, and one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was showing her my paintings.” Alyssa sighed happily. “It was like destiny or something.”

For a moment, he stared at her, taking in her long nose and dark brows, the light pink eyeshadow over her lids, and the dusky hue of her lips. Drew swallowed back his longing, cleared his throat, and replied, “Sort of like when I ran into you yesterday.”

She turned abruptly, blinking at him. He waited, wondering if she would confirm or deny what he already knew—she was his destiny. She surprised him by placing her hand on his forearm. He still wore his winter coat, and her light touch made him wish he’d used the coat check. “I’d like to show you something.”

There were a lot of things he hoped she wanted to show him, like all the bits her dress covered, but Drew schooled his lust. Suppressing a growl, he nodded. “Lead on.”

Blushing, she moved away from him.

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