Page 24 of Muzzled

“I’ll suffer with a smile.”

The lights of the theater dimmed and the movie began. A killer line was delivered with impeccable timing and Ryan laughed out loud and spread his long legs in front of him, finally reclining into his seat and placing his hand on hers.

“You good?” he whispered into her ear, a spike of unease shooting through him when she glanced along the walls and aisles before she nodded, laid her head on his shoulder and proceeded to fall dead asleep for the rest of the film.

It was a shame she missed the movie, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt to have her curled up beside him, like she trusted him to guard her when all the buzzing energy which made her seem almost larger than life muted and calmed.

But eventually, the movie came to an end, and he knew he had to pop the quiet bubble.

“Micah?” He ran his thumb over her cheek, worried about startling her awake as the lights came up and the theater began to clear out. “Hey. Movie’s over.”

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering for a moment before they shot open and she sat up, looking around wildly. “Aw, dammit,” she muttered, stretching out her neck. “I’m so sorry. It’s been a long week.”

Standing up, he held out his hand to her. “No apologies necessary,” he said, holding her purse while she straightened her shirt and blinked rapidly. “If anything, I can use this as an excuse to bring you to see it again.”

She laughed as she followed him out of the aisle. “That was my plan all along.” Pausing before she descended the stairs, she ran her hands through her hair. “I really am sorry, though. Next movie’s on me. You can even pick a scary one.”

Taking her hand as they left the theater, he watched her while she hesitated at the door and scanned the parking lot, her eyes holding the same wariness they had when the lights had gone down earlier.

“Everything okay?” he asked, pulling his keys from his pocket and checking the lot over himself for anything out of the ordinary. “You’ve seemed a little skittish tonight.”

“Probably just pre-show jitters.” She smiled, getting into the passenger seat. “I always get a bit squirrelly beforehand. Combine that with too much caffeine and not sleeping a lot, and I’m amazed my eyeballs aren’t vibrating.” She locked her door before he was even seated. “And caffeine gives me those realistic nightmares that stick with you for a few days. How was the movie?”

Waiting for a chance to back out of his space, he kept an eye on the rearview mirror. “Probably one of the funniest I’ve seen in years,” he replied, grinning as a scene popped into his head. “I don’t usually go for comedy, but you picked a good one.”

Flipping her visor down, she leaned forward to check her makeup. “I don’t think I’ve heard you laugh that hard before. My new goal in life is to hear you laugh like that again.” Angling her chin, she examined her lipstick and snapped the visor up. “Are you ticklish?”

“Ah, no,” he said, finally pulling out of the lot. “Alex was the last to try tickling me. It didn’t go well.”

“‘Didn’t go well’ didn’t work, or ‘didn’t go well’ someone got injured?”

Remembering the intense pain that had shot through his own jaw as his elbow had involuntarily made contact with Alex’s, he cringed. “There was a lot of bruising, a lot of blood, and a dislocated jaw.”

“Tickling is out, then.” She laughed, turning in her seat to face him. “So, will you be hanging around the art festival this weekend? Or was your impromptu meeting this evening a precursor to you working for the next week straight?”

Seph’s coy smile drifted across his mind, her pronouncement of ownership over him bringing with it a foreign feeling of resentment. “A big part of my assignment this weekend is actually attending the festival,” he replied, signaling before he turned off the main street. “Can’t complain when your boss insists you spend your Saturday nights listening to good music, eating good food, and watching talented artists work, right?” He pulled up in front of her house and watched her as she scoured the area. Her lips pursed as he got out and opened her door for her. “Expecting someone?”

She shook her head and took his arm, her keys fisted tight in her hand. “Just a little residual nightmare caution.” Popping her door open, she looked up at him. “Would you like to come in?”

Stifling the sudden desire he had to say yes, he shook his head.

He was walking on some thin ice here, too close to crossing a line between what he should be doing and what he wanted to be doing. “I should get back to the motel and wrap up a few things before tomorrow. But thank you.” The disappointment that flashed across her face reflected the surge of frustration in his own mind. “Would it be okay if I hunted you down at the festival tomorrow?”

Her eyes flickered past his shoulder for a moment. “I’d be insulted if you didn’t.”

Her chin tilted up to him and he hesitated before stepping closer and giving in to his rising urge to kiss her. He bent down, his lips brushing against hers just long enough for Seph’s reminder of the cursed thread in his lifeline to echo in the forefront of his thoughts.

It was just business.

With a tight smile, he pulled back and walked away, muttering promises to call her tomorrow.

Chapter Nine

Mike rushed tofinish her braid while Logan reloaded her easel with a fresh canvas. “The pastels seem to be popular tonight,” she murmured, flipping an elastic around her hair and keeping one eye on the growing crowd. “Might as well replenish those first.”

Her assistant opened a new package and arranged the colors on her table, unfolding a few more cloths for her. “Pastorals and water are going fast,” he confirmed. “And anything abstract.”

Nodding, she pulled up mental images of some of her old concept pieces and got to work, forcing her fingers to stay away from the darker colors calling to her. “Maybe put the black and navy away,” she huffed, frustration overtaking her as she continued to reach instinctively for the grays and charcoals. “Light and happy is selling, and I’m just not feeling it.”

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