Page 28 of Blood Secret

“I hit a sore spot, didn’t I?”

I shifted on the chair, glaring at the wall. “I wasn’t aware this was an interrogation. I thought we were talking so you wouldn’t lose your mind.”

“Shut up and stay still.”

I looked over at her. “Excuse me?”

“Damn it.” She threw her hands into the air. “I told you to stay still, so you turned your fucking head.”

“Again with the language.” I stood, suspicion growing as I walked around the easel.

Sure enough, there I was, captured on paper.

“When did you start doing this?”

“Not long after you started talking. You didn’t even notice me tearing off the old page and starting a new one. You were really into your story, and… I don’t know… you were interesting.” She stepped back, hands on her hips, tilting her head from side to side as she had before. “I think it’s a good start.”

Was that how she saw me? That imposing creature, dwarfing the chair it sat on? Was that really how I looked? The heavy brow casting the eyes in shadow, the brooding expression. Faint stubble on my cheeks, setting off the line of my jaw.

I rubbed my face as I studied her work.

“See? I think I did a nice job here.” She traced the straight nose, the way my lips pursed when I was thinking. “You were very deep in thought.”

“I was.”

She had exaggerated my body a little, but not by much. I recognized the broad shoulders and muscled arms, long legs lean with muscle.

There was an air of insolence about that figure, and loneliness. Sitting against an empty wall.

“I hope I didn’t insult you.” She stretched her arms over her head, bringing the hem of her shirt up dangerously high.

I averted my eyes, but not in time to miss the curve of her hips and the place where her thighs met. I had never met a woman so carefree and comfortable with her body.

There was no hint of her trying to attract me, which only made her more attractive.

I wanted to see what else was under that shirt.

“Not in the least.”

It was safer to look out the window and away from her as she worked tightness out of her muscles.

The little bit of sky visible over the top of the neighboring building was beginning to lighten.

She had worked for hours.

“It’s going to be hot today,” she predicted. “Miserably hot.”

She was right. I could feel it, even if it didn’t affect me the way it did her. She flipped on a fan and propped it in the open window, which at least stirred the air around.

“If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be wearing this.” She stood with her back to me, in front of the fan, letting the air run up the shirt and blow it out around her.

“Don’t let me stop you from being comfortable,” I offered, looking her up and down again.

“That’s all right. I’ll live.” She looked over her shoulder, eyeing me up. “You think about things like that?”

“What do you think? You were there when this happened.” I tapped my fingers on that first drawing of the couple in the club. How close they’d been to each other, the raw animal lust in every line of their bodies. “We feel things just the way you do.”

“That’s unfortunate for you.”

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