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"It doesn’t matter" She pulled her hand free and slipped out fro distance between them "It shouldn’t have happened"

"Maybe it should’ve" Lucian shook his head as he turned toward her, pulling up his pants Sorateful for "Have you even considered that?"

"Why would I?" She threw her hands up in disbelief "I work for you--for your faestured at hi"

His brows snapped together "Who cares if you’re an employee or not? That doesn’t matter toher arms, she took a step back "The world doesn’t work that way Other thingsup the distance between them in a blink of an eye "That is exactly hoorld works"

Julia gaped at him, because seriously, how in the world was she supposed to respond to that?

But then he shocked her oncethe sides of her cheeks, he lowered his head and kissed her--kissed her like he had the first time And stupid, stupid, stupid Julia didn’t push him away She opened up to hiarden

Lucian still held her as he said, "And Ms Hughes? You’re in ers and the side of Lucian’s hand There were faint black s his bare chest Streaks he had no idea how they’d gotten there His eyes were tired and the cra any better, but as he sat back and really looked at what the last several hours had given hi up the paint for charcoal had been a brilliant idea

There was just so with charcoal Maybe it was because the fingers were closer to the canvas and were involved in the shading and etching of finer details It was a roht, waraze roamed over the canvas

He’d started on the sketch fro to drink or eat Hours had passed and even though there were no s in this rooo

Julia stared back at him; the exquisite line of her jaw and the lush lines of her lips were rendered in dark gray ses and strokes He’d captured the look on her face moments before she’d realized what she’d done with him

Her broere relaxed and her eyes heavy-hooded The lashes had been hard to perfect, but it had been the slight curl of her lips that had taken hiht It was that half smile he’d seen, relaxed and pleased Just the tiniest twist to her lips, and it had been the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen

The rest of her had co on her side, her head resting on a s to the side, exposing one calf Her stomach and chest were bare, the soft swells etched and shaded with charcoal She was a Venus, his own personal Venus

Ms Hughes would probably smack him if she ever saw this

One side of his lips kicked up

It would be worth it

Dropping the charcoal on a nearby tray, he rose and lifted his arhta es since he spent the better part of the night squirreled away in his studio

And doing so noas like a reawakening

Maddie and he got their talents froive life to any drawing, whether it was done with a plain pen or theelse that set him and his sister apart froe of clothing, he headed upstairs The craziest thing happened as he jogged up the steps A weird mixture of nervousness and anticipation assaulted him His steps slowed as a frown pulled at his lips