“I wasn’t nervous,” she denied promptly, then changed the subject before he could nose around. “Where’s the piece you did with all of them?”
Edmund perused her until she raised her brows. He pointed at the rolled paintings until she handed them over, then watched him tuck everything in one crate and close it. When he gestured behind the same column that it had come from, she side-eyed him and made a show of marching reluctantly.
“If this is some kind of trap…”
The words fell from her lips as her gaze locked on the painting displayed on the wall, depicting the same image the crowd gave when they posed for him. There was the glitter and the wings, the shiny fur. But the colors he used made it look even more vibrant, bringing them to life and capturing the energy that thrummed beneath. The vivacity of their nature and the darkness within made her heart skip a beat, but even more so were the strokes he infused on the female shifter at the center, boldly standing out over the rest. But the faces were blurred.
“No trap here,” he assured lightly.
She swallowed, guilt shimmering at her defensiveness. Maybe she softened a bit, too. “Why aren’t you wrapping this up?”
“I’m sending those sketches to be sold in Europe. It’s the best place to keep my anonymity and there’s a museum that only displays charcoal work. I’m keeping this one until I can find a suitable museum for it.”
“Aren’t there numerous options in Europe?”
Humor glinted in his features. “Maybe I just want to keep looking at it for now. It might inspire me to do better.”
“This isn’t better?”
“I can’t get the group expression right. Nor the body language.” Something passed over his face. “Those are very important to me. But at least I got a panther shifter to pose for me.”
It clicked. “Do you want me in my bear form?”
The nudge was enough to get him out of his reverie and snap back to his no-nonsense, cheerful state. He rushed off and had her shadowing his movements until he passed clothes on to her.
“No bear yet. The human form is the basest so let’s start with that. Put that on.”
The command left no room for argument, so she decided against it and just got it over with. Alexa grew very confused when she realized she was wrapped in a sack but trailed towards the block he pointed at. The man was already holding a charcoal pencil in hand when she sat and faced him, brows furrowed as he started his strokes.
Just like that, she was forgotten as Edmund lost himself in his world. She watched him work, then glanced around, noting two more paintings of the sea that weren’t there before. A vase snagged her focus but not for long as a sound came from the man’s throat.
“Sorry,” she said, turning back to him. His frown was so deep and miserable, but he waved off her apology.
“It’s not your fault. It’s me. It’s this.”
“Maybe I should—”
“Hold still and not too loud. Please.”
She sat back, his command infused with so much steel that it became instinctual to follow. That didn’t sit well with her, but Alexa remained where she was as he blurred over and was in her face. There was no malice, however, as Edmund wasn’t even looking at her but at her limbs, nose scrunched in contemplation before he leaned over.
He placed her hands on her lap, then at her sides. He nudged her legs apart, the hem of the cloth falling on her thigh. Every part he touched became streaked with charcoal, but the lack of concern made her understand that was part of the plan.
“Comfortable?”
Not too loud, he had said. Even his voice was a velvet whisper.
“Yes,” she whispered back.
His gaze trailed down her lips at her word, studying them. Her throat went dry at the scrutiny, then was stuck with a sound when his thumb pressed a smudge at the corner.
“I apologize in advance if I keep touching you.” Fingers ran down her wrist, where her pulse jumped. Her forefinger traced over her palm, where a circle was formed.
“You don’t….”
“It’s for art. No malice. Everything I do is for my craft.”
That broke through whatever spell he had on her. The only upside was she didn’t react outwardly. The smudging eventually stopped as Edmund straightened, taking his odd warmth and blatant presence with him. He brightened at his last examination, thoroughly pleased. It shouldn’t have made him look even more handsome, but it did.