it’s your job to help her do that. You’ve been biting everybody’s head off all morning. What the hell is up your ass today?”
“It’s nothing. I just…I guess I don’t feel very good today,” she hedged.
“Well, that’s obvious,” Becky replied with a laugh. “Lily, is everything okay? I’ve never seen you quite this grouchy before, and I remember when you tried to come to work with the flu.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It was just sort of a bad weekend.” It had been bad simply because she hadn’t seen her beautiful stranger. She sighed deeply before adding, “I don’t really want to be here right now.”
“Well, you only have an hour left. It should go fast.”
“An hour? What? What are you talking about?”
“Jeez, Lily, you really are out of it today. Don’t you remember? Natalie is going to some medical lecture in Moline this afternoon. She canceled afternoon clinic.”
“Oh my God!” Lily reached out and hugged Becky. “That is excellent!”
For the rest of her shift, Lily had a much sunnier disposition.
After speeding off to the gym and rushing through her locker room routine, Lily quickly stashed her gym bag and ran up the back stairway to the apartment. She could hear the loud music blaring as she climbed the steps. It was another heavy rock song. Hearing the confirmation of his presence sent a wave of heat through her body.
That time, she didn’t even knock.
She went straight for her key, sliding it into the lock as if she lived there. When she felt the tumblers click open her heart skipped a beat. Opening the door slowly, Lily froze.
She thought she was prepared to see him again. She was wrong.
She was not prepared to find her beautiful stranger just as she’d imagined him: shirtless, jeans hanging low on his hips, his well-toned body splattered with various colors of paint. Since his back was to her and the music was so loud, he hadn’t heard the door.
Lily stood mesmerized as he moved his arm back and forth across the canvas in long, rapid strokes. The large brush he wielded was covered in a deep blood-red mixture, and his frantic movements left what almost appeared to be bloody streaks and splatters on the painting. As he shifted to his side, she could see other shapes and figures, one of which looked like an abstract, dangling arm holding a small vial. Although it was still a work in progress, the overall effect was rather violent… and unbelievably powerful.
He
looked powerful. And just as she’d suspected, he also looked sexy as hell.
Moving slowly so that she didn’t disturb him, Lily made her way to the iPod dock on the shelf. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out her own older, less expensive model and turned it on, queuing up a specific song. When his current selection began to wind down, she quickly hit the stop button and pulled his iPod out, replacing it with her own.
Startled by the shuffling noises behind him, Ethan turned around so abruptly that he dropped his brush on the floor, leaving a crimson stain on the wood. He was so surprised by her silent entrance that he was struck immobile for a moment, simply staring at her heatedly with that jade smolder that had been haunting Lily for days.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Lily said timidly from across the room, “but I made my own little playlist.” Clicking the iPod into place and hitting the play button, she immediately felt bolder when the grinding beats began filling the room. “Not that I didn’t love your list of
Fuck Songs
, but I thought it was time I contributed a little bit.”
She watched as his features shifted, becoming aggressive… predatory. Lily could sympathize; she felt the exact same way. Two days away from this man had been too long. She was over being shy and reserved. Now she only wanted to wrestle him to the ground and devour him.
She never once took her eyes from his as she slid her jacket off her shoulders and let it drop to the
“It’s nothing. I just…I guess I don’t feel very good today,” she hedged.
“Well, that’s obvious,” Becky replied with a laugh. “Lily, is everything okay? I’ve never seen you quite this grouchy before, and I remember when you tried to come to work with the flu.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It was just sort of a bad weekend.” It had been bad simply because she hadn’t seen her beautiful stranger. She sighed deeply before adding, “I don’t really want to be here right now.”
“Well, you only have an hour left. It should go fast.”
“An hour? What? What are you talking about?”
“Jeez, Lily, you really are out of it today. Don’t you remember? Natalie is going to some medical lecture in Moline this afternoon. She canceled afternoon clinic.”
“Oh my God!” Lily reached out and hugged Becky. “That is excellent!”
For the rest of her shift, Lily had a much sunnier disposition.
After speeding off to the gym and rushing through her locker room routine, Lily quickly stashed her gym bag and ran up the back stairway to the apartment. She could hear the loud music blaring as she climbed the steps. It was another heavy rock song. Hearing the confirmation of his presence sent a wave of heat through her body.
That time, she didn’t even knock.
She went straight for her key, sliding it into the lock as if she lived there. When she felt the tumblers click open her heart skipped a beat. Opening the door slowly, Lily froze.
She thought she was prepared to see him again. She was wrong.
She was not prepared to find her beautiful stranger just as she’d imagined him: shirtless, jeans hanging low on his hips, his well-toned body splattered with various colors of paint. Since his back was to her and the music was so loud, he hadn’t heard the door.
Lily stood mesmerized as he moved his arm back and forth across the canvas in long, rapid strokes. The large brush he wielded was covered in a deep blood-red mixture, and his frantic movements left what almost appeared to be bloody streaks and splatters on the painting. As he shifted to his side, she could see other shapes and figures, one of which looked like an abstract, dangling arm holding a small vial. Although it was still a work in progress, the overall effect was rather violent… and unbelievably powerful.
He
looked powerful. And just as she’d suspected, he also looked sexy as hell.
Moving slowly so that she didn’t disturb him, Lily made her way to the iPod dock on the shelf. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out her own older, less expensive model and turned it on, queuing up a specific song. When his current selection began to wind down, she quickly hit the stop button and pulled his iPod out, replacing it with her own.
Startled by the shuffling noises behind him, Ethan turned around so abruptly that he dropped his brush on the floor, leaving a crimson stain on the wood. He was so surprised by her silent entrance that he was struck immobile for a moment, simply staring at her heatedly with that jade smolder that had been haunting Lily for days.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Lily said timidly from across the room, “but I made my own little playlist.” Clicking the iPod into place and hitting the play button, she immediately felt bolder when the grinding beats began filling the room. “Not that I didn’t love your list of
Fuck Songs
, but I thought it was time I contributed a little bit.”
She watched as his features shifted, becoming aggressive… predatory. Lily could sympathize; she felt the exact same way. Two days away from this man had been too long. She was over being shy and reserved. Now she only wanted to wrestle him to the ground and devour him.
She never once took her eyes from his as she slid her jacket off her shoulders and let it drop to the
Similar Books
