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She blinked and frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t mind staying awhile longer.”
If you stay any longer, I’ll fuck you before the night is through. “That’s okay. I’ve got other things to do anyway.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll just go get dressed and get out of your way.”
He turned away from the look of hurt pooling in her eyes, waiting until he heard the soft click of the dressing room door before he tossed the sketchpad on the table and jammed his fingers through his hair.
What in the hell was he going to do about Kaitlyn? How was he going to keep his distance from her, knowing what he knew, hearing what he’d heard?
As difficult as it had been before, the possibility of painting her without wanting to take a taste of her loomed like an impossible task before him.
If he ever needed strength, now was the time.
Because God help her if he touched her. He’d ruin her life, and that he just couldn’t do.
Kaitlyn stared out the window of her condo and watched the flurry of activity with a wistful smile. A male and female robin had moved into the small birch tree next to her patio. As they gathered discarded twigs and grass to build their nest, she shook her head at the feeling of jealousy that stabbed her middle.
Even the robins had found someone to love, to make a life with. Her destiny had been pounding away at her lately like an incessant discomfort she couldn’t pinpoint. She sensed her time was approaching, that her fated love would soon make himself known to her.
Could it be Brett? After all these years, was it possible she could end up with the only man she’d ever fallen in love with? Hope filled her, but she tamped it down. It wasn’t going to happen and all the wishing in the world wasn’t going to make it so.
Brett. Oh, God, she’d been so reckless! Embarrassment over what she’d done last night spread heat over her cheeks. What was she thinking, masturbating in his bathroom like that?
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Even worse, she’d been quite vocal about it. What if he’d walked back into the room and heard her? What if he’d come to the door to knock and discovered what she’d been doing? The thought both appalled and made her cross her legs, clit quivering at the image of him standing at the door listening to her fuck herself.
Would he have been excited? Or disgusted?
Tonight she had to go back there. Brett had called and told her to be there at five this time. A quick glance at the clock told her she had about an hour before she had to leave. Maybe this time she should take out her vibrator and fuck herself to a quick climax before she went over there.
Right. Like that would help. One look at him and her panties would be wet, her nipples erect and her mind rushing through possible scenarios of how she could throw herself at him.
“You’re pathetic, Kaitlyn,” she said to herself. “Hopelessly pathetic where Brett is concerned. You really need a man.”
Someday she’d have to get over him. Asking him to paint her naked had been a stroke of idiocy. She never should have gone down this road with him. But she had and now she’d have to see it through. And hopefully behave herself.
Brett seemed like a normal healthy male. Though since Amanda died she’d never seen him with a woman. Not even out on a dinner date. They traveled in the same social circles, so they ran into each other often. Each time he was alone.
Maybe he didn’t want to love and lose somebody again. That seemed like a normal reaction. Then again, it wasn’t like Amanda had died recently. It had been six years, and Brett was in the prime of his life.
Oh hell. He was prime. Tall, dark and handsome didn’t even begin to do him justice. With his great body and sexy dark eyes, he probably made women cream as they passed him on the street.
A shot of pride mixed with jealousy struck at the thought of Brett being ogled by passing women.
“He’s not yours, you moron.”
“You really need to get another roommate, sis. Talking to yourself is not good.”
Kaitlyn jumped at the sound of Shannon’s voice. She jerked her chair around and glared at her sister’s smirking face. “Dammit, Shan! I have got to get that key back from you. You scared the hell out of me!”
Shannon sauntered in and slipped into the chair across from Kaitlyn’s. “Not my fault you’re dwelling in fantasyland and didn’t hear me come through the front door.”
She turned her head away and looked outside, staring at the tiny little buds on the trees. Spring would soon be reborn. A soaring shot of pulsing electricity coursed within her, like an adrenaline rush. She shuddered and turned to Shannon. “I need help.”
Shannon’s face changed from one of teasing mirth to frowning concern. She reached across the tiny table and grabbed Kaitlyn’s hand. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“It’s Brett.”
“Ah. So what’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing. Something. I don’t know what it is and that’s my problem.” She extricated her hand and stood, folding her arms across her middle and moving to the bay window to stare outside.
“Okay, I can sense how tense you are. Take a deep breath, calm down and focus your thoughts. Then talk to me.”
“He’s painting my portrait.”
Shannon’s brows rose. “Really. So you got him to start painting again.”
“Yeah. Reluctantly, but he agreed. Only to save my virtue,” she finished with a half-smile.
“Kait, did you ask him to do a nude of you?”
“Yeah.”
“That was subtle,” Shannon teased.
“Well, I had to do something!” she shot back. Something to get his attention, to make him notice her.
“I’d say that’s something. Though I’m surprised he agreed to paint you since he hasn’t picked up a brush since Amanda died.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “Oh, he didn’t agree, not at first. I had to arrange for another artist to paint me first.”
“You’d really let some guy you didn’t know paint you nude? You’re braver than I am.”
“I didn’t want to, but when I asked Brett and he gave me a firm no as an answer, I really didn’t have any other choice. Then when I started to disrobe, Brett fired the artist and said he’d do it, but only because Aidan would kill him if he allowed another guy to see me naked.” Though she was convinced his agreement was based on a lot more than placating Aidan.
“Okay, sounds to me like you got exactly what you wanted. So why are you unhappy?”
“Brett started the painting last night.”
“I gather it didn’t go well, then?”
“It went fine. Sort of. He didn’t paint me, he just did sketches and took pictures for placement. I didn’t even get to take the robe off. Maybe he doesn’t want to see me naked. Oh, I don’t know. Saying it out loud sounds stupid.” She shook her head and waved her hand. “Forget I said anything. It’s probably just a raging case of PMS or something.”
Shannon snorted. “Well, that might be, and it might be something else. Why do you think he made you leave the robe on? Do you think if it had been another model he’d have no problem asking her to disrobe?”
“The thought had crossed my mind. After all, he pushed me away when I threw myself at him before.”
“Well, honey, it’s a damn good thing he did. You were seventeen and he was nearly twenty-one. Aidan would have killed him. Or Logan would have. Or, God forbid, Dad. It wasn’t your time yet and Brett knew that.”
“So he told me. I think he just wasn’t interested and was letting me down easy by using the age thing as an excuse.”
“Are you blind? I see the way he looks at you when you’re in the same room. I’m sure everyone else does too.”
Kaitlyn turned to Shannon. “How?”
Rolling her eyes, Shannon said, “Like he’s Adam in the Garden of Eden and you’re the forbidden fruit.”
She shrugged. “I think he just looks damned uncomfortable when he’s around me.”
“Probably beca
use he’s trying to hide the hard-on he gets whenever you’re within twenty feet of him.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes widened. “He does not!”
“Like I said…blind. It’s obvious he’s uncomfortable around you because he wants something he doesn’t think he should have.”
Could that be true? Did Brett see her as forbidden? And if so, then why? She wasn’t seventeen any longer and short of throwing herself on top of him and begging him to fuck her, she’d given him every signal in the world to let him know she’d be receptive. “Why do you think he feels that way?”
“I have no idea. Maybe it’s because he’s been friends with Aidan for so long that he can’t see jumping you and alienating his best friend.”
