Evanescent Ink (Copperline #4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she?
    Anytime .
    Maybe she meant it like, “Let’s do it again sometime.”
    As the afternoon wore on, nothing seemed to make sense.
    She really wasn’t all torn up about sleeping with me. She didn’t act awkward. She didn’t hold back or seem standoffish.
    She didn’t overdo it, either. She smiled like she had before and joked with me like she had before. She brought me a cup of coffee and watched me work when she was in between her own clients, but she did the same with Neil.
    Just like nothing had changed.
    No more and no less.
    It was driving me up the fucking wall.
    Clear through when the last client left. Raven did her usual nightly process, standing at the front counter to check through the appointments for deposits paid and who still owed what. Neil left, and she locked up behind him. Finally, she’d finished up and came back to grab her coat and purse. She was just going to leave and not say another word about it.
    By that time, I had everything completely gnarled up in my head. Maybe Maggie’s rejection had me a little raw and on edge, but I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable suspicions that began to creep into my mind. I’d been absolutely schnockered, but I thought it had been amazing. She’d been amazing.
    Considering I’d been so smashed, though, maybe I’d been… less amazing?
    Or not at all amazing.
    Or amazingly bad .
    Fuck.
    Every thought exponentially built on the last. My ego took a dive as I tried to clutch it like a shield. I told myself it was good that she seemed so unaffected. It would only cause problems if she really wanted me. She was my employee. I was still all fucked up over Maggie.
    Every argument I could muster swirled through my mind.
    Yet, as each hour of the day had passed, I ached a little more for something to show it had touched her somehow.
    Across the small room, I watched her reach for her purse. Her skirt was a little longer than yesterday, so I could only see up to her knees. At that point, those sexy tattooed lines disappeared underneath the hem.
    But the movement reminded me a bit of when she’d leaned over the counter the night before. Of running my fingertips up her thighs.
    I finally had to say something. It bubbled out of my mouth before I could stop it.
    “So, was it as good as I thought it was?” She halted her movement and tipped her head towards me a tiny bit, not really looking at me, but definitely listening. “Because I was pretty bombed, but I remember thinking… it was fucking amazing.”
    Slowly, she turned to face me, studying my eyes. Not saying anything at first. She slowly stepped closer to my desk and leaned a hip against it. In an uncharacteristic bout of what almost seemed like shyness, she looked down at her hands, smoothing her fingertips over her polished black nails.
    “It was,” she quietly responded after a moment, “for me anyway. I can’t really speak for you, but you seemed to enjoy it.”
    A wave of relief crashed through me. Knowing I hadn’t been found lacking affected me more than it should have, but I couldn’t help the boost it gave my ego. “It’s all a bit hazy, but what I do remember… damn…”
    She smiled with what seemed to be a little pride, but something warm there also. Something almost foreign coming from her usual remote persona.
    “You'll be a hard one to top, Drew.” She didn’t smile when she said that. She didn’t blush or act all girly. Her words held a sincerity that reflected in her eyes. In her stance. In the catch of her breath. A split second later, it was gone, replaced by a wry smile. “I’ll probably have some pretty disappointing sex for a while until I get over it.”
    It had been good for her, too.
    Thank fuck!
    That shouldn’t have relieved me so much, but, holy hell , it did.
    “I wish I remembered more,” I murmured as I stood. She didn’t move away when I rose, when our bodies were suddenly so much closer together. The dark, rich scent of her perfume filtered through the air