Boston Avant-Garde 6: Chiaroscuro by Kaitlin Maitland

Author:Kaitlin Maitland [Maitland, Kaitlin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Multicultural, Contemporary, Menage
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2013-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Mattie emerged slowly from sleep. Her bed was deliciously warm. It was tempting to sink back into unconsciousness for just a little longer. When she dreamed, it was possible to imagine she wasn’t alone. She could fantasize about a man who would love her, be her partner, raise children with her, and not leave.

“Good morning, love.” Lars’s sleep-roughened voice nearly caused her to leap out of her skin.

Her eyes snapped open, and last night’s events came rushing in. She wasn’t alone. Lars was lounging in her chair with his feet propped on the mattress, and Owen’s body was generating the inferno of heat keeping her toasty warm.

She scrambled into a sitting position, trying to avoid Owen’s bulk. Not an easy task since he was hogging most of the bed. Her queen-size mattress wasn’t long enough for his big frame, so he was sprawled corner to corner on his belly. His shoulders were etched with muscles, tapering to a sleek torso and a dip at the base of his spine that hinted at his exquisitely formed ass.

“Beautiful, isn’t he.” Lars’s words were more comment than question.

Mattie’s fingers itched to touch him. She longed to run her fingers through Owen’s thick black hair and smooth it away from his handsome face. He looked vulnerable in sleep, less like a statue and more like a man.

“I’ve never seen him sleep this deeply before,” Lars remarked. He gave her too-small bed a rueful look. “We took turns, for obvious reasons, but also to make sure there were no uninvited visitors. Owen was only supposed to let me sleep for two hours but gave me four instead.”

Lars appeared uncomfortable, as if he’d shirked his duty. Mattie had the thought that it must be exhausting to be constantly trying to live up to an unnecessarily lofty set of expectations.

“What?” he asked. “You’re staring.”

She had absolutely nothing to lose and maybe even nothing to gain, so why not just tell him what she thought? “I was just thinking that it would make me crazy to spend my whole life trying to be who everyone else wanted me to be.”

“Meaning?”

She frowned. What did she mean exactly? “When I first met you, you were running yourself ragged trying to make sure Selena was safe and happy. Your investigation consumed your whole life and you seemed”—she searched for the right word and came up blank—“resigned, I think. It was like you enjoyed working for Interpol, but it’s just a job. And Aasen International is the same way. You’re just okay with it.”

He actually looked amused, but there was something else lurking beneath the sarcastic slant of his brows. “It’s a job. Being passionate about it isn’t a requirement.”

“No, but it makes life a hell of a lot better.” Mattie wished she could make him understand. “What are you passionate about, Lars?” Her gaze drifted toward Owen’s sleeping form. “Aren’t you passionate about him?”

“Is that what you keep waiting to hear?” His expression was utterly devoid of emotion. She couldn’t tell anything about what he might be thinking or feeling.

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