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“You’re interesting. Your features are well-proportioned. I’d like to pull you apart and see what’s beneath.”

“I’m not interested.” Nell grimaced. It sounded like he wanted to experiment on her. She’d had enough of that kind of treatment from aliens.

“That came out wrong.” Rane rubbed his forehead. “You’re beautiful. I want to create beautiful things.”

“I’m not going to be anyone’s object to be stared at and studied.”

“I could immortalize you on canvas. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“I don’t want to be immortalized in anything. Find yourself some other sucker to paint.” Nell was almost yelling. She took a deep breath. “Listen, I’m sure some Earth woman will love being your muse, but that’s not going to be me.”

She turned and barged past Kwon, ignoring Rane as he called for her to come back. This Olickie was crazier than she was. Nell wanted nothing to do with him, no matter how many times he called her beautiful.

Chapter 8

The half-finished sketches lay scattered around Rane’s studio.

It had been two days since dancing in Nell’s class, and he found himself haunted by her image whether he was awake or asleep.

He couldn’t get her dance out of his head. It wasn’t just that it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen; it was the way Nell had moved, pushing power and raw emotion into every thrust and shimmy. He found himself growing hard at the memory.

Rane had to see her dance again. He’d also sensed that, when Nell danced, she felt happy. That frantic panic she kept tamped down inside her was gone when she moved to music.

It had been a beautiful sight. And it had led him to try to capture it in all the sketches around his feet.

Some he hadn’t even bothered to finish. They were not good enough to be considered art and did not do the soft curves of Nell’s body justice. A few sat before him that captured a particular position Nell had held when she’d captivated the class in those few breathless, sexy moments.

Rane had been able to paint and draw all day after being given a rare day off from his diplomatic work. The diplomats were going to Starland for some R&R. More like gambling, drinking, and paying desperate women to spend time with them. So long as they were out of his hair for a while, he didn’t care what they did.

It gave him time to paint, and he’d been happy to do so as soon as he woke up.

Painting also helped when he had confusing feelings and needed to capture them on a canvas. It was a side-effect of his ability. He sucked in the emotions of Councillor Agrave, making him feel the same way. He was like an emotional sponge, and most of his current emotions were murky and left him frustrated. Painting got those feelings out. He needed clarity, so he could think clearly about Nell.

She’d gotten under his skin and stirred emotions in him he had never felt. It was a combination of protectiveness and desire. He still wanted to help her. Something was going on beneath that calm veneer she locked in place whenever she was around others.

Nell wore a good mask, and to the untrained eye, anyone would think she was doing well and was content in her life.

With his enhanced empathic ability, Rane could tell that wasn’t true. It pained him when he was around someone in distress and who refused to get help. His heart would race when he felt someone’s internal torment. He’d never encountered such distress in a human before. She must be in agony.

Maybe Nell danced as a way to help herself. She dropped the mask and simply let go. He would be happy to dance with her as much as she wanted if she found it helpful.

He nodded to himself. Dancing with Nell was something he’d enjoy very much, to be pressed up against those curves and feel her skin slide across his.

Rane set to work on another sketch of Nell. It showed Nell with her arms over her head and chest thrust out; her eyes were shut and mouth parted.

This human had no idea how hot she was. Rane wanted to help her awaken those feelings. But first, he had to convince her to stay in a room with him for more than five minutes without freaking out when they got close. So far, he’d failed at that mission.

“So, this is where you sneak off to.”

Rane’s shoulders rose as he recognized his boss’s voice. He sketched a couple more lines. “I don’t sneak. But I admit I didn’t ask permission to use this space.”

“Another infraction of the rules. Why am I never surprised to learn of that when it comes to you?”

Rane fixed a smile on his face as he turned. Cowes being here was the worst situation. “Have you come to admire my work?”

“I always admire your work when it involves a diplomatic success.” Cowes walked into the studio.

“Take a look. These are the pieces I completed recently. They’re Earth landscapes. If you find something you like, I can have it framed, and you can take it home.”