Prologue
If I’d ever wondered what it was like to stand naked in front of a room full of strangers, I was about to find out.
Why am I doing this again?I asked myself as I climbed onto the dais, wrapped only in a thin, silk robe.
Oh, right. I glanced toward the ceiling—because I was trying to be more daring, less concerned with what other people thought.
People like my parents.
The only thing they cared about was appearances—attending the right schools, wearing the latest designers, dating the right guys.
All my life, I’d been the dutiful daughter, but I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t be who they wanted me to be, date who they wanted me to date. But I couldn’t tell them that. Just like I couldn’t tell them I’d dropped out of my premed program at UCLA to enroll in art school. That I was giving up their dreams for me of becoming a doctor to pursue my own.
People shifted, chatting among themselves as they set up for class. I tried not to look at all the students, male and female, who formed a circle around me. Instead, I attempted to focus on their materials. The canvases and easels, the paints and brushes. To them, I wasn’t a naked body to be objectified or even judged. I was a collection of shapes to be represented in two-dimensional form. An assignment to be completed.
I knew all this, knew it from my own experience of being on their side of the easel. But…yeah. Being the artist was a heck of a lot easier than being the model. Even though you were still baring a part of yourself through your art, it felt safer somehow, more controlled. As the artist, I decided what I shared—and what I didn’t.
I inched back toward the stool, nearly stumbling to the floor in the process. My cheeks heated, and I laughed nervously as I attempted to sit again. I crossed my legs and arms, feeling a bit naked despite my robe as we waited for the professor to arrive.
When I’d signed up to model, my decision to pose nude had seemed exciting, reckless.Rebellious. But now… I swallowed. Now, I thought I might be sick.
Faced with the reality of disrobing in front of fifteen or so of my peers plus a professor. A professor who had yet to arrive. Which meant… My eyes darted to the door, and I stood. I itched to run, yet my feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
I was seriously having second thoughts when the door swung open and a tall man strode into the room. His dark curly hair shone beneath the lights, and I sucked in a breath when our eyes met. His were the most piercing blue I’d ever seen. I stared, my mind churning with how I could recreate that color with paint. It was probably an impossible task—I’d never seen a color quite like it. But I knew I had to try.
For that brief moment when we stared at each other, I forgot about the fact that I was wearing nothing more than a flimsy scrap of fabric. I forgot about the fact that I was about to pose nude for a class. I forgot about everything but him.
“Good afternoon, class,” he rumbled. “I’m Xander Kline, and I’ll be subbing in for Professor Tate.”
All the air rushed from my lungs. He… I swallowed.Hewas the professor?
He couldn’t be more than ten years older than me, if that. Which also made him significantly younger than almost every other member of the faculty. Not to mention, one of the hottest guys I’d ever seen. My chest tightened. The hottest guy I’d ever seen was going to see me naked, have ample time to study my flaws.
Oh god.
“Did everyone sign in?” Everything after that was a blur as the room spun, and I tried to catch my breath.
“…introduce our model, Kate,” Xander said, and I snapped my eyes to his. I’d completely missed the past few minutes of instruction, and he was now addressing me.
“Yes?” I straightened, trying to portray a cool confidence I didn’t feel.
He cleared his throat. “When you’re ready, please disrobe and choose your first standing pose.”
When you’re ready…The words played on repeat. Would I ever be ready?
I remained rooted to the spot, and hushed whispers spread through the room. Xander stepped closer, and I swallowed. He was tall, taller than I’d realized. Even though the dais added nearly four inches to my height, I still had to lift my chin to meet his eyes.
I kept my gaze focused on his, attempting to block out everyone else. I wasn’t sure it was the best strategy, but it was either that or run. And I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t run. I mean, I couldn’t run.Could I?
“Are you okay?” Xander asked.
I nodded, and a few strands of hair fell into my face. I tucked them behind my ear. “I’m… Yeah, I’m good.” His eyes searched mine—for what, I didn’t know.
I’d never stood naked before a man, let alone a room of people. But I was Kate Pruitt, and I didn’t back down from a challenge.
With shaking hands, I untied the belt of my robe, the beat of my heart blocking out all other sounds. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in.
It’s just him and me.
