Take Two: An Erotic Romance (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

know why, but the image of this young man sitting at the
desk stirred a strange feeling in me. I felt suddenly very shy, aware of my own
body, the messiness of my hair, the size of my hands and my feet, the way I
walked. I wondered what his face looked like. Would it be gentle and kind, or
tan and open? Although I could only see his back, I imagined his eyes as an
intense electric blue, full of laughter and energy. His mouth would curve
upwards, and his teeth would be just the tiniest bit crooked. I made an
internal bet with myself that he was handsome, and I just had to see for
myself.
     
    Incredibly hesitantly, I took a few silent steps forward and
tapped the stranger on the shoulder, like a mischievous child playing peekaboo.
He turned around suddenly, startled by the unexpected contact, and I jumped
back too, alarmed at having surprised him.
     
    Strange electricity seemed to surround us as he took in my face
and my stance. I was enraptured by the way his light blue eyes softened after
his initial surprise, taking in every aspect of my face, from my wide green
eyes and unruly hair to my petal pink lips, open in a little ‘o’ of wonder.
Time seemed to slow as we both took each other in, taking our time to explore
each other’s faces. He was handsome – incredibly so, even more so than I had
imagined. His face was delicately tanned and smooth – he couldn’t be more than
a few years older than me. His mouth was currently set in a look of
concentration, but the slight quirk of his lip showed that he could be
self-deprecating, humorous, even comical. His nose was a perfectly straight
line, and his eyes… his eyes drew me in.
     
    Slowly, as we looked at each other, he reached a hand towards my
face, using his fingers to gently tuck a wayward strand of dark brown hair
behind my ear. It was a small gesture, perhaps meaningless, but it sent a jolt
of electricity through me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on
end. From any other stranger it would have been intimidating, invasive. From
him, it felt… natural.
     
    “I see you two have met,” a dry, pleasant voice interrupted us,
making us both start horribly. We pulled away from each other, and the strange
boy rose from his chair.
     
    “Hi Andy – I was just –” he began in a pleasantly deep, warming
voice.
     
    “I hope you gave my niece a proper introduction, Mathis,” Andy
said, a note of warning in his voice.
     
    “Y-yeah.” Mathis shook his head a little as if trying to clear
water, and then turned to me with a charming smile which made my heart flip
over. “My name is Mathis Côté. I’m your uncle’s apprentice. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He held out his hand. I was reminded of the time Uncle Andy also taught me how
to give a proper greeting.
     
    I took his hand, my heart thudding to the rhythm of a runaway
train as his warm hand enveloped mine. “H-hi. I’m A-Amanda Taylor,” I
stuttered.
     
    “Amanda.” Mathis savored the word in his mouth. “It’s good to
finally meet you.”
     
    ***
     
    It was two weeks before I saw Mathis again for more than a few
minutes at a time without my uncle’s presence. He hadn’t been exaggerating when
he described himself as Uncle Andy’s apprentice; all of his time was devoted to
his work with Uncle Andy, whether it was studying books, helping Uncle Andy
with his investments or poring over pages and pages of information on the
computer. I spent most of my time reading outside in the grounds or lying in the
grass, thinking about what they were doing shut away in the office, what Uncle
Andy was saying to Mathis and vice versa. What was he like? I knew that he was
polite, hard-working and extremely studious, but aside from that, I was deeply
curious. Did he like to run? Did he laugh at the same jokes as me? Did he have
hopes and dreams and interests like mine?
     
    “What are you thinking about? You look so serious!”
     
    My eyes flashed open and I scrambled up from the very