Page 31 of If You Give an Artist a Killer Muse

I drop the flower in the space between us and let him continue reading. We both remain silent as the wind caresses our skins, listening to the sounds of children screaming and laughing while joggers and walkers pass us.

It’s a good thing Rurik is busy burying his head between the pages of his book because he would have seen me snarl or give “quit staring at my man or I will fuck you the fuck up” looks each time he would get longing looks in his direction.

I glance at him and sigh.

His brows twitch, but his eyes remain glued to the pages.

Ugh, I can’t take this. He can’t expect me to sit still like this and not touch him. It’s just blasphemous.

Yawning, I stretch my arms upward, letting my left arm fall on top of the bench, draping it around Rurik's back. Did I just pull the most cliché move ever?

Jesus. What is he doing to me? I’m becoming desperate, and I’m never that.

He stiffens when my fingers lightly brush against his shoulder. He gives me a dirty look, which I return with an award-winning smile.

Without saying a word, he closes his book and gets up.

I blink and jump up. “Hey, wait up!” I yell as I pick up the flower I had plucked and run after him, matching his strides, which is problematic because he is taller than me. His power walking feels like a jog for me just to keep up.

But he keeps walking — Wait, is it just me, or did he pick up the pace?

I glare at the back of his head.

What an adorable fucking asshole this man is.

I pause.

The adorable asshole is fucking jogging away from me now. I don’t know if I should be amused or pissed that he’s trying to run away from me for the hundredth time.

I look down and find a small rock on the ground. Picking it up, I eye the distance between us and pull my arm back before hurling it over my head.

The rock lands on his neck.

He abruptly halts his jog and spins around to face me. If I didn’t know him, I would actually be scared of the look he was giving me. If I were any other girl, I would probably cry, puke, and shit out of fear.

But I’m not, thankfully.

How embarrassing would it be if I performed all three bodily functions at once in front of him? We’re definitely not on that level yet.

“Aww,” I purr as I finally catch up to him. “Thank you so much for waiting for me, angel.”

His dark blue eyes sparkle like diamonds as he glares at me.

“Leave me alone, Briar.” His deep voice drips with malice.

“No.” I sweetly say back.

I watch with fascination as the apples of his cheeks turn bright pink.

Fuck, how is it remotely possible for anyone to be as gorgeous as him? Even while he looks like he’s on the verge of foaming in the mouth, he’s exquisite.

Rurik draws in a sharp breath and closes his eyes. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rubs his chest in slow circles as if I were the cause of literal heartburn.

I frown. Shit, maybe I am a nuisance to him.

“Stop throwing shit at me, Briar.” He snaps, opening his eyes and glaring at me again.

“Stop running away from me, angel.”

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