Free Tempting the Artist by Sharon C. Cooper

the water. Maybe she wasn’t the only one experiencing a
certain type of heat that had nothing to do with the temperature
inside the loft.
    “ So are you ready to tell
me what happened back in New York?”
    No , is what she wanted to say, but she knew it was now or
never.
    “ I can show you better than
I can tell you. Follow me.” She had her keys out and was standing
near the locked bedroom door when she realized he hadn’t moved from
his spot near the kitchen counter. They stood staring at each other
and though she wasn’t sure what he was thinking, she could guess.
At this point, he didn’t know what to expect from her. “I promise I
won’t hurt you,” she cracked and pushed the door open, disappearing
inside.

Chapter Six
     
    Damn.
    The last thing Luke needed to do was
follow Christina Jenkins into a bedroom. Any bedroom. The woman was
like his kryptonite. It was already taking everything he had not to
pull her in for another kiss. There was no way he would be able to
keep his hands off of her in a bedroom. After the kiss at the bar,
he was tempted to pull her into a nearby bathroom to finish what
they had started. When she suggested they leave the bar, he
followed behind her on autopilot. He would have followed her to the
ends of the earth to indulge in whatever she offered.
    When Christina stepped into the
bedroom, he took a deep breath and followed. She had said earlier
that nothing would happen that he didn’t want to happen. Surely she
knew him well enough to know what he wanted to happen.
    He stopped short at the open door, and
his mouth went dry. This was not what he expected. Luke didn’t know
how long he stood at the door gawking at what lay beyond the
threshold.
    “ I swear to you I never
lied about anything except for when it concerned my work or the art
shows.”
    Luke roamed around the intimate space.
Some of Christina’s half-truths, like why she insisted they visit
so many galleries each time she visited New York came to mind. He
was sure that if he thought hard enough, other moments would
trigger a memory of when she might have lied to him.
    Shocked by what he was seeing, and
unsure at the same time, Luke stepped farther into the room.
Paintings of all shapes and sizes, landscapes, abstract and even
nudes littered every available space. Some were even sitting on top
of drop cloths covering the floor and propped against the wall. But
there was one piece that drew him like a magnet to metal.
Breathtakingly striking, a masterpiece sat on an easel more
magnificent than any work of art he had seen at any
gallery.
    “ If you haven’t guessed it
yet, I’m Sasha Knight.”
    Well, I’ll be
damned .
    So many instances of their times
together made sense now. Luke didn’t know whether to be pissed by
the fact that she had lied to him on more than one occasion or to
bow down to her extraordinary talent. She had a gift, a serious
gift if she had created everything in the room.
    He continued to peruse the
artwork.
    “ How long have you been
painting?” He glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see her
standing near the door, her bottom lip between her teeth,
insecurity shining in her eyes. He had no idea what that expression
was all about, but he planned to find out before he left there
tonight. “I guess a better question would be, when did you start
working with canvas?”
    She had once told him that she started
her painter apprenticeship months after graduating from high
school. But this, his gaze swept over the paintings again, this
went way beyond anything an apprenticeship could offer.
    “ I’ve always been
fascinated with art, either drawing or paintings. I didn’t start
getting serious about my work until about five years ago.” She had
taken a few steps toward him, but still kept her
distance.
    Luke had an overwhelming desire to
reach for her hand and pull her closer, but he resisted. The fact
remained she had lied to him. But, why?
    “ When I first started, I
did one or two projects