The Genius and the Muse Read Online Free

His name’s Javier?”
    “He’s kind of all three. And call him Javi; he hates Javier. And I’m Reed. Like I said. Why didn’t you and Dee move into that place when it was empty? This building doesn’t have an elevator.”
    She continued to measure him with a slight frown as she cleaned up around her easel. Sam finally pointed toward the large skylights that covered the ceiling. “Light.”
    “Ah.” He nodded.
    She moved toward the small corner kitchen to get a drink of water and drop her brushes in the old soup cans filled with turpentine that lined the back of the counter. “So you just moved to town? And you’re going to Foothill, right? What are you studying? You and Dee grew up together?”
    “Sort of,” he replied vaguely. “And yeah, I’m studying photography. When is she going to be back?”
    Sam didn’t answer, but grabbed a glass from the counter and filled it, taking a long drink and glancing at the man who had settled on the small couch. Between Sam’s art equipment and Dee’s camera gear spread everywhere, the actual living area was pretty small, and Reed more than filled it with his presence.
    She narrowed her eyes, measuring him. Dee said he was good-looking, and she wasn’t exaggerating. If anything, she’d understated it. Reed O’Connor could have been a model. Sam guessed by the stretch of clothes over his body that he’d look pretty perfect without them. She squinted, mentally undressing him and posing him in different configurations.
    “You know, if you want to just hop in bed, I’m perfectly okay with that.”
    Sam looked at Reed, and her lip curled a little. “What?”
    “Well, you’re kind of looking at me like you’re imagining me naked. So I thought you might be, well…” He grinned at her from the couch. “Imagining me naked.”
    She continued frowning at him. “I was imagining you naked.”
    “No use wasting time, then. Where’s your bedroom?”
    Understanding finally broke through, and Sam scowled as she threw the paint-smudged rag at him. “Pervert. I want to sketch you. That’s why I’m imagining you naked.”
    He shrugged. “No problem. You can sketch me post-coitally any time you like.”
    “Excuse me?” Her eyebrows shot up.
    “Of course, you might be too exhausted after…” Reed trailed off with a thoughtful look. “Want to do it before? That could be a real turn on, if you think about it.” He stretched out his long legs and posed. “ Very extended foreplay. I like it. Fine. I’ll extend the sketching invitation to pre-coital nudity as well. Is pre-coital a word?”
    “Wow. Dee wasn’t exaggerating about that part.”
    His eyebrows shot up. “What? What part? Dee and I haven’t ever… you know.” Reed made an obscene hand gesture as Sam rolled her eyes. “Strictly friends. Anything else would be weird. But I’m glad to know my reputation precedes me.”
    “No, she begged me not to kill you before she got back. She also begged me not to move out, since apparently you’re going to be around more,” Sam muttered, staring at him as he stretched out on the couch.
    Reed frowned. “Oh, well that’s not nearly as flattering. I am very good in bed, though, if you wanted to do a more careful study. For artistic purposes, of course.”
    His arms were long, but he was well-proportioned and his coloring was dramatic. If she painted him in color, would a neutral work best behind him? Maybe blue to compliment his eyes? She traced the length of his legs and wondered just how proportional he was before she caught herself.
    “I definitely want to paint you,” Sam said.
    “Getting messy with paint has definite possibilities, too; though the clean-up is something to consider.”
    She shook her head. “Are you always like this?”
    He gave a small, but surprisingly sincere, smile. “Honestly? No. Mostly I’m a moody asshole. But I just finished a big project, slept really well last night—which is unusual for me—and I’m really looking forward