Free Whirlwind by Layla Chase Page B

gaze stopped on a particular feather. A small version could be blended into the braid tat around her ankle. Maybe she’d return here tomorrow and have the work done. As she turned, a dark shadow disappeared around the corner. Unsure of what she’d seen, she blinked and looked again but found nothing.
    For a few more minutes, she meandered through the exhibition hall, but so wild was the itch of being observed, she barely focused on what the other vendors offered. Without a clue of the reason, Senna returned to her booth, ready to close up for the day.
    While stacking the brochures, she heard the scuff of approaching footsteps. She pasted on a smile, ready to face whatever question the potential client had. Raising her gaze, she looked straight into the coal black eyes of the tall stranger.
    Heat flashed between them, dancing in an arc like a lightning bolt in a summer storm. Her insides sizzled with pure, elemental lust, and desire quivered low in her belly. “Any particular reason you’re following me?”
    His eyebrows lowered, and he crossed thick arms over his broad chest. “Not following. Observing.”
    She resisted gaping at his corded muscles at play when he moved. The man held himself like a wild animal on the prowl. “When you observe from more than one location, I call that following.”
    He shrugged, a sexy glint lit in his dark eyes as his gaze roved her figure. “A better quarry would be hard to find.”
    Oooh, a smooth talker. She straightened and jammed her thumbs into her front belt loops. Life, through the regretful experience of Billy ThunderCloud, had taught her to stay clear of charmers like him. “Was there a question I can answer? Mr…?”
    “Call me Chev.” The corner of his mouth quirked up.
    “Chev. Unusual name. Did you have a question?” Before she could stop herself, a flirty smile creased her lips. “Maybe something about my work?”
    “Maybe.” His assessing gaze held hers for a beat longer then his stance relaxed and he stepped to the table. For several moments, he flipped through the album containing photos of tattoos she’d created. Each movement of his hand caused a wristband of silver carved with intricate designs to catch the light.
    Unable to pull her gaze from the movements of his toned arm, she watched his fingers trace several designs on the page. Her mind strayed to thoughts of his caressing fingers outlining the tattoos on her skin and the heated sensations his touch might create. She shivered and her nipples beaded, pressing against the confines of her bra.
    His gaze connected with hers, and a black eyebrow angled in question. “You okay?”
    Honestly, she wasn’t sure. With lips pressed tight against a more revealing answer, she could only nod. Why was she reacting to a stranger in this carnal way? Probably because she’d been so focused on building her business that her last date occurred more than six months ago.
    She tilted her head and grinned. “I’m fine. So, Chev—” she jerked her chin toward the photo album “—see anything you like?”
    His hand stilled, and he cut her a sideways look, his gaze sweeping across her breasts then trailing over her face. “That I do.”
    A flash of warning rippled through her, but she ignored the tip. His sexual innuendo was a power move, and she refused to be intimidated. “Which is your favorite?”
    For an instant, his eyes widened, then a corner of his mouth curled. “I won’t know until I’ve tried them both.”
    She gasped, and her traitorous body reacted to his blatant come-on. The almost-black eyes that smoldered as his gaze raked her body heated her blood. But she didn’t care. A woman needed this in her life. Her nipples drew into tight buds, and she pressed her thighs together against the tingling that pulsed in her core.
    “Can you recommend one over another?” A lock of thick black hair fell over his bronze forehead. When he lifted his left hand to push it back, his shirtsleeve hiked up, exposing a