me.”
She gulped audibly and Quinn dropped his arms, releasing her.
What was wrong with him? He couldn’t talk to her like that. It was too fast. She must think he was a creep like Mr. Skinner. He’d never said things like that to any woman before. It was like he hadn’t dated before, what with all the mistakes he kept making with Larissa.
He cleared his throat and turned to the back of the cave where he’d set the blanket down. The cavern extended a fair distance inside the hill and had plenty of area free from the misty water drops.
The shelves he’d made so many years ago stood against the back wall, holding his secret treasures. His brothers and sister had loved coming here with him to swim and explore the trails, but this hidden cave was the reason he had come by himself so frequently.
“I’ve never shown anyone this place,” he told Larissa when she came to stand beside him. “Now you’ll see all of my secrets.”
“Your secrets, huh?” She grinned up at him before squinting into the shadowed shelves. “What’s back here? It’s too dark to see. I hope it’s not the bodies of other girls who learned your secrets.”
“Not exactly.” At least she was in good humor again after her scare. Chuckling, Quinn grabbed the kerosene lantern off the top shelf and the plastic bag holding a box of matches. Within seconds, he lit the wick and turned up the flame, illuminating the area.
“Oh, my goodness.” Larissa stepped closer, inspecting the shelves. “Did you paint these?”
“Yes.”
The clear plastic covering the canvases made it hard to see the details, but all his best work was here, just as he’d left it the last time he made the trip to the cave. The day he decided to give up his dreams of being an artist to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“It’s been a long time since I even picked up a sketchpad,” he admitted while Larissa studied each painting. “It used to be an escape for me, one I loved very much.”
She ran her fingers over the plastic protecting Quinn’s favorite picture. “This is Shadow standing by this waterfall, right?”
“I think that’s my best work.”
Larissa reached out blindly, grabbing his hand as she continued studying the paintings. “Why don’t you have these hanging in your house? Or heck, put them in an art gallery. These are great, Quinn.”
Warmth flooded through him at her praise. It had been a long time since anyone appreciated his talents, at least talents that didn’t deal with expense sheets or hiring and firing employees. “I’m glad you like them.”
“I love them.”
An idea struck him, but he didn’t know if she would agree to it. He fumbled his hand across the bottom shelf, pulling out the sketchpad and set of charcoal pencils inside yet more plastic bags. Even if the paper was a bit yellowed with age, it would serve his purpose.
“Larissa, can I ask you for a favor?”
She nodded.
“It’s been a long time since anyone was interested in my art, but I really have the itch to draw right now. Can I sketch you?”
“Me?” The flickering light from the lamp shone in her widened eyes. “I’d be honored.”
“Excellent.” He pointed at the blanket. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to go grab the chocolate-covered strawberries and bottles of water. We might need a snack before I finish.”
***
L arissa plumped the blanket against the wall, waiting for Quinn to return. She’d known she was falling in serious like with this guy almost from the moment he showed up at the massage studio this morning to rescue her from Mr. Skinner, but this? There was certainly a romantic side to Quinn, hidden away but definitely there. Seeing his secret self, learning who Quinn really was, Larissa knew she could fall for him—hard.
It was obvious Quinn liked her too, since he kept trying to move things far past the realm of mere friendliness. The only question that remained for her was the biggest one. Would Quinn be critical
She gulped audibly and Quinn dropped his arms, releasing her.
What was wrong with him? He couldn’t talk to her like that. It was too fast. She must think he was a creep like Mr. Skinner. He’d never said things like that to any woman before. It was like he hadn’t dated before, what with all the mistakes he kept making with Larissa.
He cleared his throat and turned to the back of the cave where he’d set the blanket down. The cavern extended a fair distance inside the hill and had plenty of area free from the misty water drops.
The shelves he’d made so many years ago stood against the back wall, holding his secret treasures. His brothers and sister had loved coming here with him to swim and explore the trails, but this hidden cave was the reason he had come by himself so frequently.
“I’ve never shown anyone this place,” he told Larissa when she came to stand beside him. “Now you’ll see all of my secrets.”
“Your secrets, huh?” She grinned up at him before squinting into the shadowed shelves. “What’s back here? It’s too dark to see. I hope it’s not the bodies of other girls who learned your secrets.”
“Not exactly.” At least she was in good humor again after her scare. Chuckling, Quinn grabbed the kerosene lantern off the top shelf and the plastic bag holding a box of matches. Within seconds, he lit the wick and turned up the flame, illuminating the area.
“Oh, my goodness.” Larissa stepped closer, inspecting the shelves. “Did you paint these?”
“Yes.”
The clear plastic covering the canvases made it hard to see the details, but all his best work was here, just as he’d left it the last time he made the trip to the cave. The day he decided to give up his dreams of being an artist to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“It’s been a long time since I even picked up a sketchpad,” he admitted while Larissa studied each painting. “It used to be an escape for me, one I loved very much.”
She ran her fingers over the plastic protecting Quinn’s favorite picture. “This is Shadow standing by this waterfall, right?”
“I think that’s my best work.”
Larissa reached out blindly, grabbing his hand as she continued studying the paintings. “Why don’t you have these hanging in your house? Or heck, put them in an art gallery. These are great, Quinn.”
Warmth flooded through him at her praise. It had been a long time since anyone appreciated his talents, at least talents that didn’t deal with expense sheets or hiring and firing employees. “I’m glad you like them.”
“I love them.”
An idea struck him, but he didn’t know if she would agree to it. He fumbled his hand across the bottom shelf, pulling out the sketchpad and set of charcoal pencils inside yet more plastic bags. Even if the paper was a bit yellowed with age, it would serve his purpose.
“Larissa, can I ask you for a favor?”
She nodded.
“It’s been a long time since anyone was interested in my art, but I really have the itch to draw right now. Can I sketch you?”
“Me?” The flickering light from the lamp shone in her widened eyes. “I’d be honored.”
“Excellent.” He pointed at the blanket. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to go grab the chocolate-covered strawberries and bottles of water. We might need a snack before I finish.”
***
L arissa plumped the blanket against the wall, waiting for Quinn to return. She’d known she was falling in serious like with this guy almost from the moment he showed up at the massage studio this morning to rescue her from Mr. Skinner, but this? There was certainly a romantic side to Quinn, hidden away but definitely there. Seeing his secret self, learning who Quinn really was, Larissa knew she could fall for him—hard.
It was obvious Quinn liked her too, since he kept trying to move things far past the realm of mere friendliness. The only question that remained for her was the biggest one. Would Quinn be critical
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