seriously.
Shoving back his chair and balancing a foot on his knee, he waved at her to begin. ‘Shoot.’
She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, pen poised over her notepad in readiness. ‘Okay. Beer or wine?’
He raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Tequila body shots.’
Heat rushed up her neck as a vision of him licking salt out of her belly button slammed into her head. She pushed it away quickly, hoping her expression hadn’t given her away. She didn’t want him to know how much he was getting to her.
‘Favourite animal?’ she ploughed on, not looking up from her pad.
‘Tiger.’ He growled and she glanced up to see him making clawing gestures with his hands.
She fought to keep her smile under wraps. ‘Favourite way to travel?’
‘Asleep.’
She sighed. Yup, he wasn’t going to make this easy on her.
‘What?’ he asked, holding his hands up in mock offence. ‘I hate travelling—it’s tedious. I try to sleep through all my journeys.’ He leant forward in his chair. ‘I’m guessing you’re one of those people who don’t believe in power naps.’
‘I can’t sleep during the day.’
‘What, never? You should practise. It’s a useful skill.’
‘I’m usually too busy working in the day.’
He grinned. ‘Yeah, well, if you sleep as badly as me you need to master afternoon napping.’
‘Have you always slept badly?’ she asked, intrigued by the small snippet of personal information he’d let slip.
He shifted in his chair, switching his legs over and propping the other foot on the opposite knee, obviously annoyed at himself for slipping up and offering her a lead into something else he didn’t want to discuss.
‘I’ve always had strange sleep patterns.’ He didn’t look at her and she wondered why. Judging by the sudden tension in his body she’d swear he was lying.
‘What is it that keeps you up in the night?’ she pushed, determined to pursue this until he gave her something interesting she could use in the piece.
He glanced back at her, his expression now teasing. ‘Usually the hot woman lying next to me.’ He shot her another grin, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘Right. So what? All the partying you’ve become so famous for is to help you sleep? Wouldn’t it be easier to take a sleeping pill?’
‘I party hard to have fun. You’ve heard of that, right? Fun.’ He gave her a slow, lazy smile as if he knew exactly what she did for fun. She thought about all the quiet nights in and cringed a little.
‘Sadly, I don’t have the opportunities or resources that you do,’ she said, trying to keep the giveaway clip of indignity out of her voice.
Instead of responding, he got up and left the room, leaving her staring after him.
What the hell? Was this how he was going to act whenever she started on a line of questioning he wasn’t comfortable with?
Before she had chance to get up and follow him out, he reappeared, sketch pad and pencil in hand.
Her stomach did a slow dive. ‘What are you going to do with those?’ she asked dumbly, suddenly hot with worry. He wasn’t going to start sketching her now , was he?
‘I needed a little predinner snack and these looked delicious,’ he said, his voice laden with sarcasm.
Jess bristled. ‘Do you really need to start doing that right now, here at the dinner table?’
‘Why not? You brought your work to the table. Why can’t I bring mine?’
She had no answer for that. He had a point.
Flattening her hair down with hands that no longer felt as if they belonged to her, she shuffled up straighter in her seat.
‘Look, Xander, I’m not really comfortable...’
‘Don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything differently, I just had an image I wanted to get down before I forgot it. I have to grab these little flashes of inspiration when they strike. Unfortunately, my muse isn’t something I have any control over.’
‘A bit like your libido,’ she muttered, staring down at the table, unwilling
Shoving back his chair and balancing a foot on his knee, he waved at her to begin. ‘Shoot.’
She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, pen poised over her notepad in readiness. ‘Okay. Beer or wine?’
He raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Tequila body shots.’
Heat rushed up her neck as a vision of him licking salt out of her belly button slammed into her head. She pushed it away quickly, hoping her expression hadn’t given her away. She didn’t want him to know how much he was getting to her.
‘Favourite animal?’ she ploughed on, not looking up from her pad.
‘Tiger.’ He growled and she glanced up to see him making clawing gestures with his hands.
She fought to keep her smile under wraps. ‘Favourite way to travel?’
‘Asleep.’
She sighed. Yup, he wasn’t going to make this easy on her.
‘What?’ he asked, holding his hands up in mock offence. ‘I hate travelling—it’s tedious. I try to sleep through all my journeys.’ He leant forward in his chair. ‘I’m guessing you’re one of those people who don’t believe in power naps.’
‘I can’t sleep during the day.’
‘What, never? You should practise. It’s a useful skill.’
‘I’m usually too busy working in the day.’
He grinned. ‘Yeah, well, if you sleep as badly as me you need to master afternoon napping.’
‘Have you always slept badly?’ she asked, intrigued by the small snippet of personal information he’d let slip.
He shifted in his chair, switching his legs over and propping the other foot on the opposite knee, obviously annoyed at himself for slipping up and offering her a lead into something else he didn’t want to discuss.
‘I’ve always had strange sleep patterns.’ He didn’t look at her and she wondered why. Judging by the sudden tension in his body she’d swear he was lying.
‘What is it that keeps you up in the night?’ she pushed, determined to pursue this until he gave her something interesting she could use in the piece.
He glanced back at her, his expression now teasing. ‘Usually the hot woman lying next to me.’ He shot her another grin, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘Right. So what? All the partying you’ve become so famous for is to help you sleep? Wouldn’t it be easier to take a sleeping pill?’
‘I party hard to have fun. You’ve heard of that, right? Fun.’ He gave her a slow, lazy smile as if he knew exactly what she did for fun. She thought about all the quiet nights in and cringed a little.
‘Sadly, I don’t have the opportunities or resources that you do,’ she said, trying to keep the giveaway clip of indignity out of her voice.
Instead of responding, he got up and left the room, leaving her staring after him.
What the hell? Was this how he was going to act whenever she started on a line of questioning he wasn’t comfortable with?
Before she had chance to get up and follow him out, he reappeared, sketch pad and pencil in hand.
Her stomach did a slow dive. ‘What are you going to do with those?’ she asked dumbly, suddenly hot with worry. He wasn’t going to start sketching her now , was he?
‘I needed a little predinner snack and these looked delicious,’ he said, his voice laden with sarcasm.
Jess bristled. ‘Do you really need to start doing that right now, here at the dinner table?’
‘Why not? You brought your work to the table. Why can’t I bring mine?’
She had no answer for that. He had a point.
Flattening her hair down with hands that no longer felt as if they belonged to her, she shuffled up straighter in her seat.
‘Look, Xander, I’m not really comfortable...’
‘Don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything differently, I just had an image I wanted to get down before I forgot it. I have to grab these little flashes of inspiration when they strike. Unfortunately, my muse isn’t something I have any control over.’
‘A bit like your libido,’ she muttered, staring down at the table, unwilling
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