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“So, is this the project Gavin has you working on?” she asked as she examined my work table, which had two small bombs and the beginning of a third.
“No,” I said, then admitted, “They’re for you.”
Her gaze rose to mine quickly. “Explain, heathen.”
I let out a laugh, surprised by her quick words. Feeling more vulnerable than I ever did—and an artist’s heart is always mercilessly on display—I showed her the bombs, explaining that they were for the people who had killed her parents.
“What will this do to them?”
“Turn them into a red cloud. So don’t use them until you’re sure they don’t have any information you need, that you’re done with them.”
She nodded. “That was… thoughtful.”
“That was insane,” I corrected.
“Maybe a little bit of both,” she said with a smile. “But I really appreciate it.”
Relief swept through me. Women always wanted Aiden, Domnic and me, but that was different from being with someone who understood you and wanted you anyway.
The big windows sent soft morning slanted light falling across her face, making her skin look golden and igniting the red strands in her brown hair so it looked like fire. All I wanted to do was kiss her.
"Stay there for a second," I said. "I want to paint you. To capture you like that."
She smiled self-consciously but she paused.
I got a pad of paper from the other room and my paints. I would capture that moment, but I'd paint it as I would wish it to be. I started with her hair, accentuating the streaks of fire red. I added her curves, the pert, pointed peaks of her breasts, the gentle swell of her belly. As I finished her hair, I painted her face, bringing out the delicate beauty of her features, the amber in her brown eyes.
I paused, paintbrush in hand. I stared at her face, painting it in my mind. She had been through horrible things. But despite her jaded affect, there was still a warm, bright, exuberant light glowing in her eyes. It was the light of someone who could laugh and make you laugh too, even when there was a storm outside and the world was dark.
It was her smile that made me want to be next to her. It would be hard to be with somebody like her, a trained assassin who tended to be so cold and distant, who would be in constant danger. And yet… the warm heart beating under that hard, pretty shell was worth the pain.
I pressed my lips together. I was falling for her. This woman had stolen into my heart, but it wouldn't be easy for her to love me back.
I stared at my portrait of Selena. It looked like her, and yet I didn't feel like I could quite capture her elusive presence. There was something about her that was magical.
She came to my elbow. "Oh," she said softly. "It's beautiful."
"So are you."
"I'm not sure I look like that," she said with a smile. "I think you flatter me."
I left the painting to dry and turned to her. "The painting is nowhere near as beautiful as you are. I can't capture your spark."
"My spark?" She raised her eyebrows.
"There has to be something special about you, Selena. Because all three of us are falling in love with you."
Selena's eyes widened at my statement, before a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She'd been surprised by the admission, but of course she quickly covered that with her usual glib mask.
"Is that so?" she said, her voice teasing. "Well, you boys might have to fight it out to see who gets me then."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "I don't think it's a competition, Selena. We all care about you in our own way."
She leaned in closer to me, her breath hot against my ear. "And how do you care about me, hmm?" she whispered, her fingers trailing along my cheek.
A shiver rushed down my spine at her touch. "I think you're my muse," I replied, my voice low. "You make me feel alive. Free. and I want to do the same for you."
She pressed her lips to mine, her tongue sliding past them and into my mouth. Our bodies pressed together, the heat between us almost suffocating. Her hands slid across my body, delving up under my shirt to caress my abs, my chest. I ran my hands across the curve of her ass, sliding under the waistband of her pants to cup her perfect ass in my hands. Her hips swayed against mine, her tongue still hungrily teasing between my lips.
