Muse. Sommer Marsden

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       Chapter 7

      She was almost out the door, on her way to her car. Dani had a hankering for a big-ass glass of wine, hell, maybe a bottle. The adrenalin rush had reemerged when she’d been told to put her clothes back on. She’d done it. She had actually fucking done it. She found herself clutching her tote bag and her purse with trembling fingers and her legs felt made of wet spaghetti.

      ‘Hello?’

      She turned, one hand rising to her chest to cover her thumping heart, because this hall had no other classes this evening and he’d scared the hell out of her.

      Man bun.

      ‘Um … oh, hi. Sorry, you scared me.’

      ‘Sorry.’ He shoved his hands into the pockets of his faded skinny jeans. No doubt very expensive jeans that were manipulated and abused to look as if they’d received years of steady use to make them soft and distressed. ‘Wasn’t my intention.’

      She nodded, waiting, heart now pounding like some wild tribal drum. What was this?

      ‘I don’t usually do this …’ He trailed off. She saw, despite his confident personal fashion and roguish straying eyebrow, he was rather shy.

      ‘Do what?’ she prompted.

      He chuckled. It was a lovely self-deprecating, deep sound. ‘Confuse women in the hallway.’ He sighed, leaning against a locker and regarded her. ‘What I meant to say is I don’t usually see women out of their clothes until after I’ve asked them out. This time I’m reversing it. Asking out a woman I’ve already seen out of her clothes.’

      ‘You don’t know my name,’ she said, stupidly.

      ‘You could fix that. You could tell me.’

      ‘Dani,’ she said. ‘Dani Young.’

      ‘Kevin Buck,’ he said, holding out a hand. ‘But I did know your name, remember? The prof told us.’

      She took it but a small laugh escaped her. She had forgotten. Entirely. ‘Buck?’

      He nodded, eyes shining with amusement. ‘Yep. Buck. I’ve gotten them all. Young Buck, Don’t give a Buck, Quick Buck …’

      ‘I’m sorry.’ She shook and released, uncomfortable with how much she liked the feel of his hand on hers. ‘I’ve just never heard that name before. I wasn’t making judgement. Sorry about the names too …’

      He shook his head, took a step back as if to show her how harmless and charming he was. ‘No big deal. It could have been worse. A lot worse. So about that proposal of mine …’

      ‘Going out?’

      ‘A drink maybe?’

      ‘When?’ Had she just asked when? She’d meant to say no.

      ‘Wednesday after class?’

      Dani swallowed hard. Cheryl’s voice was echoing in her head. Her encouragement to explore. When she opened her mouth again she heard herself say, ‘Yes. Sure. That’s great.’

      He nodded – it was nearly a bow – and the samurai bun bobbed. She smiled. A few small tendrils had escaped, and she imagined he liked it like that, but she had the urge to tuck them back into the artfully messy mass he’d created. And to see if his hair was as soft as it looked.

      Instead, she pushed her hands into her jacket pocket and said, ‘I’ll see you at class, then.’

      ‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘Maybe when I’m done I can show you my sketch of you.’

      ‘Oh, I don’t think I want to see that.’

      There went that errant eyebrow again.

      She cleared her throat. ‘What I mean is, I don’t want to see myself. It makes me … twitchy. There’s a better chance I’ll stick with this if I don’t see myself. If I see myself on paper from someone else’s perspective … I’d probably not like it. It would probably upset me.’

      Why was she telling him this? Nerves. It was the only answer she had.

      He moved a little closer and brushed her shoulder with his palm. ‘It makes me sad to hear that. Maybe one day you’ll change your mind,’ he said. ‘You’re spectacular.’

      The next thing she knew she was pushing out into the chilly night. It felt like they’d СКАЧАТЬ