CHAPTER 15
Reese
Passion.
The man exuded a dark and demanding aura that he hid behind his honorable profession and his determination to right all wrongs in the world.
Yet even when I’d been on stage, I’d sensed he was extremely complex, a beast barely able to keep his true persona and intense desires locked away as required.
He’d exerted his dominant behavior over me earlier in the day. While I’d been furious with him at first, the edgier his personality had become, the wetter I’d gotten.
Even now, with every heated look he’d given me, which had been a half dozen if not more, I found it difficult to keep my thoughts on finishing the sketches. Every time I moved in the kitchen chair, I was reminded of both the spanking from the night before and the passion we’d shared.
Being this close to him was a huge distraction.
The scent of his aftershave.
The way his eyes became hooded when describing one of the girls on stage.
And the way his knee pressed against mine when he leaned forward while we were working.
Then he’d called me a good girl. Yes, the words had been spewed during our heated banter, but nonetheless, he’d used the term and I’d been… thrilled. All fuzzy inside. That had also never happened before. Around him, I just wasn’t myself at all.
I could tell he felt the same intense attraction. It seemed everything had changed between us and that only added to the extreme guilt that had left me facing another round of nightmares.
“The sketches are amazing,” Kendrick said after I’d finished the last one.
“Do you think her nose is too thin?”
“I think it’s perfect, including the shadows. You definitely have a way of creating emotion.”
I sat back, stretching, happy that I could contribute, but with every drawing, my thoughts were pushed toward my sister. “Hopefully, they’ll be of use.” I knew what he’d said about the group of people helping him and I had overheard a portion of his earlier phone conversation, but after sharing everything I knew, the entire situation seemed that much more hopeless.
“At minimum, we should be able to identify the girls you were with on stage.” He gathered the drawings and before he had achance to take the colorized version I’d completed of my sister, I rubbed my fingers across her cheek. She’d been so gaunt even in comparison to the last time I’d seen her.
When she’d had pink hair and her preferred black eye makeup, which I’d hated. Now, I’d purchase her an entire decade’s worth of makeup if I could only see her again. I sighed softly and could tell he was watching me just as intently as he’d done several times. After our bantering session, everything had been all business. Which was fine by me. I had no energy left to fight him.
“What’s your sister like?” After all the gruff tones I’d heard him use, the softness of his voice surprised me. So much so I tingled, goosebumps sweeping down my arms.
“Spunky. Opinionated. Hardheaded. She acts like she can rule the world. Fun loving. Energetic. So intelligent and extremely talented.”
“Sounds exactly like her sister.”
While his voice was still warm, smooth velvet dancing across my heated skin, I still threw him a dour look. “We used to be two peas in a pod. She was my little shadow. Even after I went off to college, we remained close, but I had my life and suddenly, the calls and Facetime became less frequent and days turned into weeks then months. Suddenly, I heard from my mom Briana had a new group of friends and was falling short in her classes, even escaping during the middle of the night to party.”
“Typical teenager.”
“That’s what I told my mom, thinking it was just a phase. Blue hair. Tight jeans. Wild makeup. But she started getting into trouble at school, even skipping classes. My parents became verystrict and she rebelled. By then, I couldn’t get through to her. I think she resented me, angry that I had my life and I’d left her behind.”
He sighed, the look on his face as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. “I’m very sorry. Family is extremely important and when there are difficulties, everyone begins to feel guilty, questioning what they could have done. She was lured by the modeling?”
I nodded, remembering far too many details I’d prefer to forget. “On the last call, she mentioned one of her friends or someone had told her she’d make a great model and that she was going to investigate the profession. I thought maybe she was ready to pull out of her slump, so I encouraged her.”
“That’s why you blame yourself. That’s why you were dead set on finding her at all costs.”
“She’s my sister. We had a bond unlike anyone else I know. I’m supposed to be her guardian angel. I failed her.”
Reaching out as if by instinct, he took my hand into his. The same bolt of electricity jetted through me, hot and heavy, leaving a lingering desire that couldn’t happen.
