Page 26 of Make Me Scream

“No, not at all.”

Maybe I should have been. He did paint me chained and alone, helpless to resist the artist’s gaze…

“I hadn’t painted anything good in a long time,” he says. “When we met, I admit I felt captivated. You have such an expressive face, especially when you’re speaking your mind.”

“Well, thanks,” I scoff, “but you didn’t paint my face.”

Laughing is good — it helps distract from the bubbling boil between my thighs.

“On the contrary, I did — from a bit of an angle.”

“Yeah, a bit.”

His eyes could shoot right through me, they’re so focused.

“I didn’t want to try capturing your face without being able to see it,” he says, brushing my cheek with his fingers. His thumb caresses my lip. “I’d like to get it right.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you ever posed for a painting before?” he asks, leaning toward me, his lips nearing mine.

“As a matter of fact-”

“Hey, Porter!” a man belts, approaching us swiftly. “You’ve got a sick mind!”

Lane pauses. I turn aside, needing to breathe.

Whoa.

Did that almost happen? I could smell the sharp mint on his breath, we were so close.

The man who interrupted us is about Lane’s age, though he looks like a beatnik, dressed in all black except for his red beret.

“Sorry if I’m intruding,” he continues. “You’ve outdone yourself, Lane. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Preston,” Lane says, shaking the man’s hand. “This is Gwen Carpenter, by the way.”

“Hi, yes, nice to meet you,” Preston says to me, barely glancing in my direction as he takes his phone out of his white blazer’s inside pocket. “Lane, do you think I could record a small clip with you for my channel?”

“Later, happily,” Lane replies. “Gwen, we have a lot more to talk about, but I need to mingle with the other guests. Are you free after the exhibit?”

“Yes,” I answer, without hesitation.

Lane smiles.

“Good. Enjoy the gallery. I’ll see you soon.”

Chapter 6

What do you mean, you ALMOST kissed?

My face flushes. I’m hiding in the bathroom. I needed a minute to compose myself after my encounter with Lane.

What if someone had seen? There could be other Mundell professors here, or students! I’ve been so focused on Lane and his art, I haven’t paid attention to anything else.

We got interrupted,I text Joel back.Like, it was going to happen.

It didn’t happen, though, so there’s nothing to worry about.

---