Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
“Toren, this is Indy. Indy, this is Toren,” Jett introduces us.
I’m in for the shock of my life when he flips the helmet up and eyes I remember vividly look back at me, only now I’m noticing they aren’t just a singular shade of blue. Where I thought they were pale and clear, similar to a quiet morning sky after a sunrise, today is a whole different story entirely. The blue of his eyes is more along the lines of the deep sea, similar to the ocean back home. Richer, steadier, and holding something beneath the surface I can’t quite put my finger on.
A smile tugs at his lips, changing everything. It’s disarming and has me rocking back on my heels.
“You? No way.” His presence was impossible to ignore then, and it’s even harder now. He’s rock solid, unyielding, like a man carved from strength. My gaze skates down the length of his body as he finishes taking off the helmet, in no hurry whatsoever to respond to my statement. And that’s okay because as he places the protection from keeping sparks being thrown in his face on the work bench, I’m able to continue the perusal I missed out on.
His sharp jaw, sculpted, and almost unfair in its precision gives him an edge of severity that contrasts with the slow sinful curve of his smile, one that promises nothing but trouble. Dark hair, just shy of perfectly controlled, falls in an effortless wave, refusing to be tamed. It suits him. Then he does the last thing I expected. He unhooks the leather coverall, and his body coming into view only makes things worse. Tall, broad-shouldered, built. My god is he built. Every movement is controlled, deliberate—and he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
He isn’t just handsome.
He’s the kind of man people warn you about.
He’s the kind of man that makes you ignore them anyway.
“Yeah, cherry, it’s me. Believe me now?” He crosses his arms over his chest. A light sheen of sweat coats his body, and I’m the one left speechless this time around.
“Okay, I’m out of here. See you around. Nice to meet you, Indy. Hope to see you again, and if you need help convincing this big lug to do what you need, give me a call.” Jett pushes a business card in my hand, and only then do I break out of my revery.
“Well, that wasn’t my finest moment. Please, allow me to apologize.” I could kick my own ass. Never in my life would I have put two and two together.
“This I gotta hear,” Toren says with a voice filled with humor. Though I can’t tell if it’s the kind to appease you or if it’s genuine.
“I’m sorry, sincerely sorry for not believing you when we met at The Social. My name is Indy, short for Indigo. I’d blame my curt behavior on jet lag and thinking alcohol would help, but that’d be a copout.” Alex is going to have a field day when I give her the status update.
“Jett said you’re from a gallery. Whatever you’re here to ask, I’m not interested.” Oh, boy, this is going to be tougher than I initially thought, and something tells me no amount of money Miranda has me throw his way will be nearly enough.
4
Toren
My cousin is a traitor, plain and simple. She’s fully aware of what’s going on here. Hell, Jett’s been trying to get me to show my face for a bit now. I stand firm, even with emails, messages, and the likes asking me to show my face. I’ve gotten more offers than I know what to do with—a private showing, a public showcase, and even high schools from around the country asking if I’d come to show their students my techniques. The last one was tempting, but I thought better of it. The work I need to get done, the way commissioned pieces are being requested, and having this block, it makes a man grumpy as fuck.
I told Jett to keep the schools that requested me on file. When I’m in a better place, I’ll give back. In the meantime, I sent a donation along with a few pieces for the art teacher to show to their classes. It’s gone over well so far, and with any luck, when life settles down, I’ll make a trip.
“They really weren’t kidding when they said first impressions are everything.” Christ, this woman is beautiful. She also has me thinking of breaking all my self-imposed rules. Sure, some of the people around town know what I’m doing. They’re mostly friends. They also know that I don’t want to be in the spotlight, which means they stick to the script. They commission a piece, and if by chance word of mouth gets out because they liked the piece, well, I tell them to refer whoever it is to my website and go from there.