Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“So the artist just…invented these constellations?” She traces them with her finger.
I nod. “He said he wanted a star map that told stories instead of directions.”
She studies it in silence for a while, her face unreadable, and then says, almost too softly for me to catch, “They look like something ancient. Like if you knew the right words, you could bring them back.”
I have to keep my jaw from dropping. That exact thought crosses my mind every time I look at the Lomax.
She turns to the last one.
“The Sound of Saturn,” I say. “It might be my favorite.”
The fifth planet is crafted out of layered ceramic, its ring smooth and textured like bone, with streaks of fused glass trailing behind it in a wide arc, almost like a comet’s tail. When you look at it indirectly, it looks like the planet’s still spinning, still echoing.
Daniela steps to the side to catch the shimmer of the glass from a different angle. “Why Saturn?” she asks.
“That’s the one she said kept showing up in her dreams.”
“Who?”
“The artist. Juno Reyes.”
“Reyes?” Her eyes widen and the color drains from her face.
I rush to her side, wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Everything okay, honey?”
She doesn’t respond right away. Just stares.
“There was a…man in Colombia. One of my father’s friends. His last name was Reyes.”
I squeeze her shoulder. “Reyes is a common last name. I’m sure there’s no relation.”
She squeezes her eyes shut, shakes her head a bit. Finally she opens them and looks up at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I’m sure you’re right.” She looks back at the paintings. “So… You like stars.”
I blink. I guess I never saw the connection between these three pieces. I just liked them all. They spoke to me. Made me feel…safe.
Just like Ted Tucker did.
Oh, shit.
I attempt to shrug nonchalantly. “Guess so.”
“Me, too.” She looks back to the artwork. “You have an eye for beauty.”
I glance at her then, appreciating her own unique beauty under the soft glow of the lights. “I like to surround myself with beautiful things.”
We end in my large recreation room—or my man cave, as I call it—and settle on the comfy leather couch.
I long to take her in my arms and kiss her deeply.
So when she looks at me, her eyes shining and her lips slightly parted, that’s exactly what I do.
38
DANIELA
Hawk’s lips touch mine. Gently at first, and then he slides his tongue into my mouth.
We’ve kissed before.
Hell, he gave me an orgasm with mere words last night.
But this kiss…
This kiss is leading somewhere.
Somewhere I desperately want to go.
Somewhere I’m desperately afraid to go.
Hawk’s phone starts vibrating loudly in his jeans pocket. It knocks me out of my thoughts and I break away with a jerk.
“You okay?” Hawk asks, his blue eyes etched with concern.
I nod. “Yeah. I’m good. It’s just… I’ve never…”
“Daniela…”
I eye his cell phone. “Do you want to answer that?”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket, checks the caller ID, and rolls his eyes. “Nothing that can’t wait.” He returns his gaze to me. “But Daniela, if you want to wait to do this, I understand.”
I hold up a hand. “No. It’s not that I don’t want this. I do. I mean, I truly do.” I rub at my forehead. “It’s just… I don’t want to disappoint you.”
He laces his fingers through mine. “You could never disappoint me.”
“I may not be a virgin, but I’ve never… I’ve never done anything like this because I wanted to.”
He touches my cheek, trails a finger down my neck, leaving heat in its wake. “I wish I could change all of that for you.” Then he stands, rubs a hand over his face. “If I could crush every man who abused you with my bare hands, I’d do it in a minute and gladly spend my life in prison.”
I reach for him. “Please. Sit.”
He returns to his place next to me.
“I wouldn’t want you to do that,” I tell him. “I wouldn’t want you to spend your life in prison because of me.”
I know he means what he says, though. His brother spent time in prison, so Hawk no doubt knows what incarceration is like.
“I’d do it, though,” he says, “and I swear to God I’m not just saying that. I’d avenge any woman, Daniela, and especially you.”
His eyes are filled with a combination of rage and sorrow. And I believe him. I believe he would avenge me if he could.
“Your father was a monster,” he says. “I hope you know your worth, honey. I hope you know how much you mean to Vinnie, Raven, and Belinda.” He clears his throat. “How much you mean to me.”
I grab him then, bring his lips back to mine.
Again, the kiss is gentle at first, but then he invades my mouth, and I respond. I tangle my tongue with his, wanting, in this moment, to taste every part of him. I run my fingers through his gorgeous black hair, scrape them over his stubbled cheeks, grip his broad shoulders.