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A frown overtook her features and sadness flickered across her gaze. Smiling inwardly, he grasped her hand and gently tugged. "I'll give you a tour. Come on."
She matched his stride as he showed her the kitchen and dining room, library, his office. "Bedrooms are upstairs. I've had Tomas place your bags in one of the spare rooms down the hall from the master."
He noted the blush taking root in her cheeks and leaned down to whisper, "You're welcome to join me anytime."
She lifted her gaze and shot him an amused glare and he shrugged. "Can't blame a man for trying."
The soft laugh that rumbled out of her compelled him to wrap an arm around her shoulders and squeeze her gently to his side. "Come on. We’ve got more to see."
"It's not a red room, is it?"
"Ms. Shipley, what have you been watching?" Everett asked in what he hoped was a teasing and seductive tone.
He thought he pulled it off when her face flooded with pretty color.
"All I know is that when someone of your...social status says there’s more, women the world over should be nervous."
"Mmm," he drawled softly near her ear, noting the way she shivered in response. "Don't worry, dear Isabel. I think you'll like the playroom I set up just for you."
Izzy suckedin and held her breath when Everett's husky words heated her ear and sent a shock wave of warmth through her. The man could read a phone book and sound sexy.
He led her upstairs, pointing out the different rooms, and then held her gaze while he wrapped a hand around the doorknob of the room at the end of the hall. He started to open it only to hesitate and stare down at her. "What?" she asked, her heart pulsing in her throat. “It’s not…it’s not arealplayroom, is it?”
She wasn’t sure whether to be horrified…or mournful at never being able to put it to use.
"Brace yourself."
His words left her imagining all sorts of naughty things in the seconds before his hand splayed wide against the black-painted door. It opened silently and she stepped into the room behind him, gaze down until she forced herself to take a look. A laugh bubbled out of her. Of all the things she'd imagined... "Seriously?"
Everett's husky chuckle sent another shiver through her as she made a complete circle in the middle of the room, taking in the varying sizes of canvases, a wallboard of paints, containers of brushes and palette knives and positively every single thing she could ever need or want to paint and create. “You had me going there for a second.”
He smiled at her.
"If anything's missing, just say the word and I'll have it delivered."
She turned to look at him, her heart cracking open even more despite the danger she tried and failed to warn herself against. Men like Everett wanted well-educated, sophisticated wives, those ready to be the woman behind the man and do whatever it took to help him succeed. Women who led charities and put on fundraisers. She wasn’t that kind of woman. And yet…
She didn't remember taking the steps toward him. Didn't remember wrapping her arms around him, but in the next few seconds, she found herself in his arms, face lifted toward his as she tugged his head down for a kiss.
He accepted the invitation and took control immediately, kissing her until her head swam with all the colors of the paint tubes nearby. When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, it took an entire two seconds before she was able to lift her lashes to meet his gaze.
"Remind me to surprise you more often," he murmured, his voice husky. "That was quite the thank you."
It was quite the present. One she couldn't even express her thanks for because, while she'd loved the idea of coming to New York and touring the galleries, she'd hated the fact she'd had to leave her paints and brushes behind. To do this—be so thoughtful and considerate as to provide them here—he’d had to have spent thousands of dollars to set this up.
It was amazing. He was amazing.
His thumb brushed over her lower lip and his gaze followed the movement. She watched him watch his thumb, saw the way his gaze heated. "I c-can't believe you did this."
"I wanted to."
"And I appreciate it. I do, but…it's too much, Everett," she said, taking a step back to break the spell he'd placed on her.
She might have initiated the kiss but he had definitely completed it.
"Consider it an early Christmas present. I thought you might be inspired after your days out and about," he said.
She felt his gaze on her, watching her, as she perused the brushes and paints and ran her fingertips over the many pieces. "It’s lovely but it's still too much. I mean, I'll only be here a short time. I can only imagine how much it all cost, and I'd hate to see it wasted. Maybe you should return it?"
