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My mouth is dry. My tongue swollen.
I could scream.
I make another mark on the canvas.
“Hellie.”
I jump. Grunt in surprise. Nearly knock over the whole set-up, which would be freaking terrible. I turn, glaring.
Erick’s standing in the doorway, watching me.
“How long have you been there?”
“A half hour.”
“You’ve been standing there watching me for a half hour?” I look around, bleary-eyed and only half-conscious. “What time is it?”
“Six fifteen in the morning.”
“Oh. Right.” I rub my face and carefully put down my brush. “Are you here to gloat?”
“No. I’m here to make sure you take a shower and get some sleep.”
I laugh once. “Sorry, but no. I don’t have time for any of that.”
“Hellie, if you push yourself like this, you’ll never finish.”
I gesture at my work. “If I don’t push myself past my limits, you’re absolutely right, I won’t finish. I spent all freaking night on this.”
“You’re getting faster.”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“You will after you’ve slept.” He comes into the room wearing a pair of tight joggers and a t-shirt that clings to his biceps. Freaking guy’s gorgeous. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. I could cook a pancake on his abs and eat it off his tight ass.
Wow, I really am sleep-deprived.
“Maybe that’s a good idea.” I let him help me up. He’s gentle as he steers me into the hallway. I’m shuffling along, zombie-ish, feeling like my brains are going to seep out of my ears. My head’s a buzzing mess of painting techniques. The mother’s face is seared onto my eyelids.
And there’s Erick. The smell of him, warm and spicy, musky and nice. I like the way he touches me. I like how big he is, how muscular and strong. I like how he only smiles when he really means it, even though he’s always hiding behind that face. His mask and his armor.
He takes me back into my room. I kick off my sandals and lift my shirt over my head, tossing it aside. I reach back and unhook my bra without thinking, staggering to the bed. It only occurs to me after the bra drops to the floor that maybe I shouldn’t start undressing yet, since Erick’s still very much in the room.
I turn to look at him. Which is stupid, since now my tits are on full display. My god, I’m out of my mind and I need to sleep.
His eyes stare at my chest. His mouth is open, his gaze sharp, needy. He licks his lips and lets out this incredibly erotic grunt like I’ve punched him in the guts.
I cover my breasts with my arms.
“Shit. Sorry. I’m a mess. I’m on autopilot. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He doesn’t look away from my body, totally unashamed that he’s checking me out. “You’re beautiful.”
“Okay, big guy, go easy.”
He comes toward me. I stay rooted in place, shivering. Suddenly cold, despite the desert heat seeping in.
“I told myself I’d stay under control. I’m not sure I can hold myself to such a high standard.”
