Free Lover's Muse (The Art Models Club) by Amanda Meadows Page B

house.” He grinned. “And that's a direct quote from lover boy there.”
    Amber blushed but Hunter simply laughed. “We weren't making out.”
    “Yet,” countered Caleb. “But I'm going to be nice at this momentous occasion and take your Range Rover and go see a movie. Right after we eat, that is. If you two can keep your hands to yourself that long.”
    “A date?” Hunter asked. “The girl from the other night or is there a new girl in your life?”
    Caleb clutched his chest. “Careful, Hunter, I don't want Amber to get the wrong image of me. I can't help it if the ladies find me irresistible.”
    Hunter simply laughed and tossed Caleb the keys. “Just remember to make it home in time for class tomorrow.”
    “As though I could forget with that damn alarm you set on my phone,” Caleb muttered, but he was smiling.
    True to his word, Caleb left as soon as the Chinese takeout had arrived and all three had eaten. As soon as he was gone, Hunter was suddenly all business. 
    “How much homework have you done for Art Class?” he asked.
    “Homework? Now?” Amber was incredulous.
    “I'm serious, Amber. Ben checks homework on Thursdays. He's fanatic about it being completed on time.”
    “Then I'm in trouble,” Amber sighed. “Because all I've managed so far are some sketches of my hand.”
    “Then let's get going,” Hunter announced cheerfully. “I'll be your model.”

Chapter 11
     
    Amber followed Hunter into his room with a pounding heart. Surely he was just going to be posing with his clothes on. So why was she sweating and blushing?
    Hunter's bare feet padded across the dark wooden floor. For the first time, Amber noticed paint flecks spattered across the broad wood planks. Well, that explained the lack of carpet in his room.
    Hunter stopped in front of an easel and clipped on a blank sheet of drawing paper. From a nearby workbench she hadn't noticed before, he opened a drawer and pulled out a box of charcoal pencils. He walked over to a closet and pulled out a large skeleton that hung from a pole.
    “Mr. Bones?” Amber said, with a giggle.
    “What? Oh, no. This is his cousin, Bob,” Hunter said, trying to frown but not quite succeeding. “I can't believe you would mix them up. You've probably hurt his feelings.”
    “My apologies, Bob,” Amber said, trying to keep a straight face. “You're much more handsome than Mr. Bones.”
    Hunter unhooked Bob from the pole and placed him on the floor.
    Amber watched, amused, as Hunter pulled over some cushions and small boxes  and began to drape Bob over them. When he finished, Bob was posing like any other model with two knees sticking up, his skull tilted to the side and arms flung behind his head.
    Hunter stepped back, eyed his work, and then approached Bob to make some minor adjustments. When he was finished, he looked back at Amber and winked. “Bob and I have a special relationship,” he said, grinning.
    “I see that,” Amber said. “I certainly hope Bob isn't jealous of me,” she added cheekily.
    Hunter paused and she watched his eyes light up. “You know, Bob's been wanting to get out into the world and see more things,” he said carefully. “If the right opportunity came up, I think he'd love to take up residence at college. Pal around with his cousin, you know?”
    “Sometimes moving out of your comfort zone is a good thing,” Amber said, aware that she was suddenly referring to herself.
    Hunter grinned and then turned to the easel, suddenly all business. “Okay, so I want to have a little lesson on proportions with the assistance of Bob. Watch as I use simple shapes to get started. As he spoke he quickly sketched a series of triangles, circles, and rectangles on the page.”
    Amber stood close as he held up his pencil at several intervals and then made small markers on the page. Once he was done, he drew thicker lines to make the shapes flow together into the human form. He wasn't drawing the skeleton, but rather an imagined human