As If You Never Left Me (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF

dark pillowcase, his slightly open mouth. She decided to leave out the vague drooling. Not at all aesthetically pleasing.
    It felt good to draw him, though. Familiar. The movement of the pencil almost as fulfilling as a caress. She sketched his shoulders, the drape of the sheet over his back, the curve of his skull, his mussed hair. The long, straight line of forehead, of nose, the full, soft mouth. It was like touching him. Like making love to him.
    Smiling at the thought, she added one last, small tweak to the line of his chin, then laid the sketchpad aside. She looked at the picture for a few moments, then pulled out her cell phone to call Perry.
    “How are things?”
    “Quiet,” Perry said. “How’s Fine Flatlander Man?”
    “Very Flatlander-ish at the moment. The altitude knocked him for a loop. Thanks for covering for me.”
    “No problem. If a man that looks like that ever shows up on my doorstep, I’ll expect you to return the favor.”
    “There’s more to a man than looks, you know.”
    “I know, but it’s a nice place to start. Is he going to be all right?”
    “Yeah, he’ll be fine. He’ll probably wake up completely adjusted and ready for a hamburger. I’ll drop by the shop as soon as I get him squared away.”
    “You take your time. And when he wakes up, I suggest you do something creative with him.”
    Joely laughed. “Thanks, Perry. I’ll keep that in mind.”
    • • •
    Rey woke shortly before noon, not quite completely adjusted, but definitely on the mend. The chills had receded along with the vertigo, and the headache had faded to a dull throb behind his eyes. He blinked a few times at the sunlight streaming in through the open window, then turned his head, searching for the vague scratching sound that caught his ears.
    Joely sat in a chair next to the bed, her sketchpad balanced in her lap. The pencil in her hand moved fluidly across the paper, drawing long, graceful lines. He couldn’t see the picture from here, but the set of her body and the way her hand moved was a work of art in itself. He cleared his throat and she looked toward him, smiling.
    “Feeling better?” she asked.
    “Much. I guess it wasn’t a bug after all.”
    “I told you.” She straightened, stretching her back.
    “Let me see.”
    “What?”
    He nodded toward the drawing as he sat up in the bed. “The sketches. Let me see.”
    She hesitated, then turned the pad toward him. Rough-penciled lines described the symmetrical arcs of a vase, a simple pattern of columbines decorating the curves of its belly.
    “It’s lovely.”
    She tilted it back toward herself, looking at it with a crinkle at the corners of her eyes. Being critical.
    “It needs a little work.”
    “They were fools to let you go, back in New York. You could have made that company a household name.”
    Her mouth tightened. “They might not have ‘let me go’ if I’d had a better lawyer.”
    He looked away, stung, and she sagged in her chair. “I’m sorry, Rey. That wasn’t fair.”
    “No, it wasn’t.”
    Standing, she tucked the sketchpad into her voluminous handbag. “As long as you’re feeling better, I’m going to head back to the shop. Perry might need the help.”
    He nodded. “Okay. But don’t forget, my car’s still at the diner.”
    “Oh, right. I’ll take care of it for you.”
    He smiled. “I think I like being taken care of.”
    “Yeah, kind of a novelty for you, isn’t it?” Grinning, she headed for the door. “I’ll see you later.”
    “Promise?”
    “I promise.”
    She paused, looking at him, then found herself walking back to the bed. She bent over him and caught his mouth with hers.
    She thought she’d forgotten. But as her lips touched his, she was flooded with the taste of his mouth, not only in reality but in her memory. Her closed lips remembered the touch of his tongue, remembered surrendering, opening to let his mouth take hers utterly, but in the real moment, the kiss remained carefully