Across the River of Yesterday by Johansen Iris

Author:Johansen, Iris [Johansen, Iris]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Regency, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780553218282
Publisher: Loveswept
Published: 1986-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Four

“Sit still,” Serene ordered as her charcoal pencil traced the line of the strong masculine column of his thigh. It was a beautiful line, she thought absently, graceful and symmetrical while remaining totally masculine. “How do you expect me to get this right if you’re always moving?”

“I’m chilly,” Gideon said plaintively. He stretched lazily, his sleek muscles rippling, before resuming the pose she required of him. “You can’t expect a man to pose in the altogether without getting goosebumps, love.”

“It’s nearly eighty degrees,” she reminded him heartlessly. The waterfall in the background should turn out very well and add to the primitive beauty of the picture. “If you weren’t so tanned, I’d worry about your getting a sunburn.”

He thought for a while. “Well, then, I think I’m much too modest to pose in the nude.” At her distinctly derisive snort he gave her a sly glance.

“First, you ravish my magnificent virile body, and then you make me display my manly beauty for your lascivious pleasure.”

She looked up indignantly. “You speak as if I’m making dirty pictures. This is art!” Then as she met the mischievous twinkle in his brown eyes, she said reprovingly, “Now, if you’ve finally run out of excuses, I’d appreciate it if you’d be still. Getting me hooked again was your idea, and you’re the one who demanded a selection of paintings from which to choose. I’ve got to have a model, haven’t I?” She sighed. “You’re not much, but I guess you’ll have to do.”

“I’d better.” The grin disappeared and he growled. “Because if you think I’m going to let you leer at any other naked man, you can forget it.”

“I do not leer. I’m an artist, not a voyeur.” She scowled. “I’m almost finished. Will you just be still for another ten minutes?”

“Unless I can think of another excuse.”

She would not smile at him. The scamp needed only the slightest encouragement and he’d turn on the voltage that melted her resistance like hot wax. She wanted to get this sketch done.

It seemed he was actually going to let her do it, for he was quiet for the next several minutes while her pencil flew over the sketch pad. Strange how close they’d become in such a short time. She was perfectly at ease with Gideon in a thousand ways, both mental and physical. Though perhaps Gideon was right when he said they had had a head start because of the sense of belonging that had been a salient element of their relationship since the very first night together long ago.

How wonderful to have a lover who was also a friend, she thought dreamily. The passion that had seared them with its lovely flame had not precluded the warm glowing embers of companionship. Though an outrageous amount of their time together was spent experimenting with the physical delight they both found so intoxicating, there had still been time for the exploration of thoughts and personality.

“Serena?”

She didn’t look up. “Yes?”

“I’ve come up with another excuse.”

“I thought you would.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.