Page 18 of Follow Me Down

Chapter Five

Fallon

––––––––

“Knock. Knock.” Thereis a light tap on the bedroom door seconds before Titus’ head pops inside. When he sees I’m decent, he shoves the door the rest of the way open.

“Hey.” I close the sketch book propped in my lap and drop the pencil on top.

“What are you doing?” He steps further into the room.

After we got back from getting my things, Titus and Link went out to the back building to work, so in an effort to distract myself from what the hell I’m doing, I got out my sketchbook.

“Just drawing.” I shrug.

“What are you drawing?”

“Nothing. I’m just doodling really.”

“Can I see?” he asks, crossing the room toward me.

“I’m not very good.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” He leans down and grabs the sketchbook out of my lap before plopping down on the edge of the bed in front of me.

Opening the front cover, he slowly flips the pages, taking in all of my scribbles and sketches.

“You drew this?” He stops on the picture of a wilted rose. The thorns are pronounced on the stem with little drops of blood clinging to the tips.

“Yeah.” I fidget nervously.

“These are really good.” He smiles and I notice a small smudge of grease on his cheek.

“You have some engine grease on your cheek.” I wipe at my face to show him where.

He mirrors my action but only manages to smear the grease more.

“Did I get it?”

“No.” I shake my head, laughing lightly when he tries again but completely misses it. “Come here.” I lean forward and run my thumb along his cheek. His gaze is locked on me as I work to wipe the black smudge away.

The air around us pings with electricity causing my lungs to constrict. What it is about being close to this man that makes me feel like I’m seconds away from spontaneously combusting?

“There.” I relax back onto the pillows stacked up behind me, afraid that if I don’t put some distance between us I might do something really stupid, like throw myself into his lap and kiss his face off.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Thanks.” He nods, his gray eyes seeming to grow darker by the second.

My lower belly clenches.

I swear, I have never had someone make me feel the way Titus does with a simple look. It’s unsettling.

He’s both soft and hard all rolled into one. The perfect contradiction.

“Yeah.” I nod, nervously turning my gaze down to the sketchbook still in his lap.

“You know, I’ve been looking for a design for a new tattoo.”

---