Free How Sweet It Is by Kate Perry Page B

made him glance at her. “Do you want to listen to music other than classical?”
    She blinked as though surprised. “I do.”
    “Then just listen to it.” He lowered his head to run the sandpaper gently over the piece, trying not to notice the way her fingers slid over the chisel.
    “I think I want to listen to pop music,” she said finally. “Have I told you I have a daughter? I wonder what she listens to. She’d probably hate whatever I chose simply out of principle.”
    “What’s her name?” he asked, despite himself. Her face animated in a way that captivated him when she spoke of her daughter. The sandpaper crinkled in his fingers as they clenched with the need to get his charcoals and sketch her.
    “Chloe. She’s sixteen and so fierce. But underneath her shell, she’s soft, and I don’t want anyone to hurt her.”
    The way she’d been hurt, Finn heard between the lines.
    Viola sighed. “Chloe is special. She’s so smart, so unique. I think you’d like her, because she says what she thinks. Do you have children?”
    The question startled him into looking at her. “Of course not.”
    She shrugged. “You never know. You may be single now, but any man who’s over forty—”
    “I’m thirty-eight,” he said, oddly affronted.
    “—likely has at least a marriage and children hidden somewhere.”
    “I don’t.” He took the chisel out of her hands and set it on the table.
    “You’ve never been married,” she stated rather than asking.
    “Good God, no.”
    “Hm.”
    “What does that mean?” he asked, staring at her.
    “Nothing.” She pursed her lips. “Do you need help?”
    He imagined her hands brushing his, and he started to go hard. “ No ,” he replied emphatically, sanding with determined vigor.
    Pulling her stool closer, she said, “We’re a family of girls. I have five sisters. I mean, six.”
    “You have a sister you forget?” he asked, glancing at her.
    “We have one we didn’t know about until a year ago. She’s one of us now, but sometimes I still lose count. Six is a lot of sisters. Do you have tequila?”
    He raised his brow.
    “I like tequila. It’d help me relax.” She undid a button on her blouse, fanning herself.
    “You don’t need to relax,” he said weakly, transfixed by her pale cleavage. Any more relaxed and she’d be naked, and as much as he wanted that, he didn’t want it even more.
    To distract her—and him—he said, “Why did your ex-husband leave?”
    She froze and he immediately regretted asking, even if it had the desired result.
    He didn’t expect her to reply, but then she lifted her head as though fighting for pride. “He found someone he loved. It turned out that had never been me.”
    What an arse.
    “Do you think that’s code for leaving me because I was lacking?” she asked softly.
    “You’re not lacking,” he said without needing to think about it.
    “I suppose it’s a matter of opinion. I found him lacking, and I never did anything about it. What does that make me?”
    “Loyal.”
    “It’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?” she replied, sounding thoughtful.
    If he ever ran into the tosser, he’d hit him. “No, it’s not.”
    Viola smiled. “You’re sweet, you know? How do you feel about macarons?”
    “I don’t have any.”
    “I do.” She got up and fetched her purse. As she returned, she opened a little bag and held out a bright green cookie. “It’s pistachio. Do you want one?”
    He hated pistachio, but she looked so eager that he said, “Yes, please.”
    Smiling happily, she brought it to him. Then she sat back on the stool.
    He ate his in one bite so it’d be over quickly.
    Viola, on the other hand, ate hers slowly, making sex noises, like someone was eating her and she loved every second of it. As she finished the last bite, she glanced up and caught him staring at her. She tipped her head, not speaking until she finished chewing. “I was enjoying it,” she said unapologetically.
    He shifted, his