Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
He looks genuinely concerned for me.
“Who was that earlier?” Abram asks quietly.
I search his eyes because I can’t tell what he’s thinking from his impassive tone.
My heart dangerously skips a beat when our eyes meet.
His hand is still cradling mine beneath the ice pack, sending tingles to every part of my body.
I bite my lip and lower my gaze.
“Jack,” I reply with a deep sigh. “He’s my landlord.”
Abram blinks up at me, looking a little confused. “What does he want?”
I wish I knew.
I sigh deeply, a familiar sinking feeling settling in my chest.
“I don’t know what he wants from me. He breaks into my apartment under the guise of maintenance, and I feel his eyes on me almost everywhere I turn. The first night I slept in your place…it was because Jack broke into my apartment even after I changed my locks. I couldn’t stay there anymore. I don’t know how he found me here.”
Abram drops the icepack on the ground and runs a hand through his hair in frustration.
He raises his eyes to mine and sighs deeply in frustration.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Me?” I ask incredulously. “I didn’t….”
“You should know how to take care of yourself, dammit.” He rises to his feet and holds out his hand to me. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Where?” I ask, a little distracted by his elegantly long fingers. The delicacy about them did nothing to diminish his manliness… even his fingers were attractive.
“To the police station,” Abram replies as if that’s obvious. “Let’s go and report that bastard to the cops and get a restraining order.”
I shake my head, lowering my eyes from his.
“I can’t,” I say in a small voice.
“What?”
I cringe at his tone of voice. He sounds like I just slapped him in the face. I wish he knew how inconsequential women like me are, even to the police.
I raise my eyes to him again, determined not to be pressured by his beautiful eyes and genuine concern.
“I’ll take care of myself,” I say in a firm voice. “You don’t need to concern yourself with me.”
“What?” Abram says with a mirthless laugh. He runs a hand through his already tousled hair and mutters a quiet curse word. “Too late, darling,” he says and walks out of the store.
I watch him go, feeling mostly numb.
What did he mean by too late…?
Abram looks just like a dream sitting behind his canvas in white, loose pants and a white shirt that’s unbuttoned just enough to give me a glimpse of his muscular chest. His brush moves delicately on the canvas, a small smile playing on his sexy lips.
God, help me. This man is irresistible.
Abram raises his eyes to mine at that moment, and my heart skips painfully, then stops functioning entirely. His smile grows into a knowing smirk.
He can’t read my mind, can he…?
“You seem more comfortable in your dress today, Melody,” Abram finally says.
I swallow the urge to let out a sigh of relief. I glance down at the pretty floral dress he’d made me wear this time and smooth my hands over its soft material.
“I love it,” I reply in a small voice.
I feel my cheeks redden at the admission.
“It does look great on you,” Abram says. “Close your eyes, Melody.”
I promptly obey, helpless against the soft command in his tone.
“Sit back.” Abram’s voice is calming, oddly compelling. “Imagine my lips on yours...”
My lids snap open and my eyes clash with his.
“Wh...Why would I do that?”
It’s not like you haven’t done it before.
It’s times like these that I wish my subconscious would just shut up forever.
“Relax, Melody,” Abram says with a small smile. “This is all part of your work as a muse. I need a picture, but I can’t get it unless you do as I tell you. You just need to let your imagination run as wild as it can go. Can you do that for me, please?”
Something about the daring challenge in his eyes sets off a thrumming excitement in the pit of my stomach.
I suddenly want to indulge in the sinful promises that his eyes hold.
I take a deep breath and slowly shut my eyes.
I lean back on the couch and clear my throat nervously.
“I’m ready now,” I say in a small voice.
“Good girl,” Abram mutters approvingly. “Now free your mind of any other thoughts except me. Imagine the feel of my lips on yours….”
The picture isn’t hard to come up with.
I’ve done it a thousand and one times.
I bite my lower lip as a warring anticipation boils up my blood. A tingling sensation that’s almost physical shoots up my skin as my imagination gets bolder.
“Imagine my hands running slowly up your arms to your shoulders as I pull you closer against my chest.”
Adam’s deep sexy voice filters into my fevered imagination, edging me into a dangerous yet exhilarating place.