A curtain of moss hung from the branches of a huge oak tree that sat just at the edge of the pond. Tall reeds bowed to the will of the gentle breeze blowing across the pasture.
“It’s a well-kept secret here in Gauthier,” Phil said.
She collected her canvases and painting supplies from the back of Jamal’s double-cab truck, while he carried the easel. She set up her painting area a few yards to the right, using the truck to block some of the breeze.
“Do you mind if I watch, or will it make you nervous?” Jamal asked.
She looked back at him. “I don’t mind.”
Within moments, she was lost in her work. Jamal sat just beyond her shoulder, but it didn’t bother her in the least as she rediscovered everything she loved about what used to be her favorite pastime.
Phil wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she put the finishing touches on the tree.
“We need to move closer,” she said. “When I started this painting, the reeds weren’t this high. I want to make sure I get the water right.”
They moved closer to the pond, setting up shop just outside the drooping moss. Phil dabbed touches of gold onto the canvas to reflect the sun’s rays on the water.
She turned back to find Jamal lounging in the grass underneath the tree branches, his elbows bent, his legs crossed at the ankles. He looked incredibly sexy, his leanly muscled body stretched out the way it was. A work of art.
“You look as if you’re posing for me,” Phil said.
“Have you ever painted a human subject?”
She shook her head. “Just landscapes.”
“I thought all true artists had to master the human form in its natural state?”
Her mouth dried up. She swallowed hard, unable to stop herself from licking her lips. “I guess I can’t call myself a true artist, then,” she said. “I’ve never had the opportunity to paint the human form in its natural state.”
Jamal’s brows rose. “You want it?”
“You offering?”
“Depends.” He stood and toed off his shoes, kicking them a few feet away.
Phil pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “On what?”
Jamal’s eyes traveled the length of her body, the makings of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“What I get in return,” he said. He caught the hem of his shirt.
“We can, uh, figure out a modeling fee,” she said, slightly dazed as she watched him pull the shirt over his head. “Maybe I’ll shave some of the price off my bill for the work I’m doing at Belle Maison.”
An entirely too-wicked grin broke out on his face. He unzipped his shorts and pulled them, along with his boxers, down his legs.
“I think we can come up with something better than that.”
Phil tried to close her mouth, but it didn’t work. A nude man should seem out of place in these surroundings, but Jamal looked as if he was right where he belonged. She’d spent the night in close quarters with his naked body, but this was her first chance to actuallyseehim.
Magnificentdidn’t even come close. He was just the way she liked her men—lean, but sculpted with tight, defined muscles. Even though he had given up baseball years ago, he still had an athlete’s body.
“Where do you want me?” Jamal asked.
“That’s a loaded question,” she answered, and he let out a sharp laugh. “Are you serious about this?”
He spread his arms wide. “What do you think?”
Another loaded question.
