Page 6 of Perfect Liar
“I’m Will Hastings. You looked rather curious yourself.”
His commanding presence surrounded me. He was power…he was fire. One side of his mouth curved into a seductive little smile as he took my hand.
I bit my bottom lip.
“I’m Ellie James.”
He held my fingers while staring at my eyes, my lips, my body, making my cheeks burn.
“Christ, you’re quite fucking lovely.”
His choice of words, the accent, the gravelly texture layered in his voice, it all captivated me. And then he grinned while kissing the back of my hand, leaving me speechless.
“I should go for now, but I’ll see you again, Ellie.”
My pulse raced. Sweat dampened the back of my neck.
Say something to him, you idiot.
“Will, wait a minute,” I blurted.
But he didn’t wait. He walked away, looking back over his shoulder for just a second.
“I’ll find you again. Quite soon,” he said.
God, the way he moved, the slight swing of his powerful arms, that smirk, his confidence, his authority. All of it stirred up something deep inside me.
My breath caught, and fear flashed through me…
The kind of fear only a beautiful predator could make you feel. Those captivating beasts who could draw us in and make us want to get closer.
I knew better. I knew this man could destroy me.
Still, I chose to find a way to get closer.
CHAPTER 2
Gran’s old clock downstairs struck midnight.
I couldn’t sleep, so I switched on the lamp over my drawing table, rested my pencil on the center of an empty sheet, and let my mind go to work. I grabbed on to an image from memory, and in minutes Will Hastings’s eyes appeared.
As I considered his penciled likeness, something else hit me. His eyes had a clear expression of darkness.
That darkness drew me to him, even on paper. It ignited an energy that drove unexpected visions into my head…me…him…tangled sheets…our sweaty connected bodies.
Shaking my head to clear it, I flipped the page and started a list of things I wanted to accomplish over the next week while staying at my family’s beach house in Lords Point.
Catch up on my sleep.
Prepare for my first year at the school.
Outline my lesson plan.
Submit a request for the art supplies.
Drink some wine.
Sit on the beach.