“Do you know what happens in this panel?” Holden tapped a picture of a blood-splattered Kat standing over the body of the man who pulled the trigger on her brother.
She furrowed her brow, a shiver running up her spine. “Of course, I do. I wrote and illustrated it. How could I not? Kat got what she was after…her revenge.” She touched her throat, glancing at the door. “She got what she was always after.”
Holden chuckled, turning his head and smirking at her in a way that told her he knew she was full of shit. Her bottom lip quivered as he shook his head. “No, this is when Kat realizes she doesn’t feel any better. Avenging her brother hadn’t filled the deep hole in her heart. Look here.” He tapped the three-panel set. “Look how small Kat looks, enveloped in all that darkness.”
A tear rolled down Mary Allison’s face. Why is he doing this to me? Putting her hands up in front of her, she waved him off while wagging her head. “I don’t need to see it again! I fucking drew it. I know how small she felt, how cold, how empty, how sick. She found no solace. She was more broken and alone than ever. I’m glad you and the rest of the readers liked it so much, but I don’t need to see it again.”
“Okay,” He made the move she dreaded most, flipping through a few pages and spread them out again.
Don’t do it. Don’t say it. As fast as her wishes circled the bowl, they might as well have been toilet paper.
“The guy helping her here.” He pointed at the scene, acting as if Mary Allison wasn’t the one who had created the damn thing.
“Jefferson…that’s his name.” She held on to one of her red curls as if she were grasping a lifeline.
“Yeah, Jefferson, he doesn’t want her to go, and in this scene… God, it was hard to read. My gut was wrenching. You are so talented… The way you were able to put that distance between them with your illustration and just a few words. It seemed as if those two would never understand the way they each felt about the other.”
Holden’s eyes danced and he flashed a smile so gorgeous Mary Allison would have swooned if she weren’t so upset. “Stop. You’re sounding more like an obsessed fan than my editor.” Being spot-on doesn’t make it better.
He chuckled while lifting and dropping his eyebrows. “Can’t I be both?”
She tilted her head and sighed. “She was aching for him but couldn’t bring herself to tell him.” She met his gaze, her pulse racing as she realized the irony.
“And he felt the same way. She was about to walk out the door and live a crappy life based on obligation and guilt, and his heart was breaking.” Holden spoke as if he understood Kat and Jefferson as well as she did.
“She was almost out the door.” Mary Allison glanced at the exit but turned back to him with a confirming nod.
“It was silent as a grave until he let out a long, yearning sigh and—”
“She looked back over her shoulder.” The words slipped through Mary Allison’s lips like a prayer.
“They both felt the electricity buzzing through the air between them and rushed to each other.” His gaze never left her face as he offered her another pearly white-toothed smile.
“They clung to each other all night as the thunder and lightning crashed and rumbled.” Her chest heaved as her breath hitched in her throat.
“But in the morning when he brought her coffee, the sun was shining through the window.” Holden’s husky voice made her weak in the knees.
“Yeah, I remember because…I wrote it.” She emphasized the last part of her statement to illustrate the absurdity. “Why are you—?”
“I’m sighing loudly here.” He reached out of her.
A shiver ran up her spine and she held her breath, frozen with a mixture of fear and fascination. As his hand brushed her shoulder her arm seemed to warm and tingle down to her fingers.
“You can’t convey the feelings you did here if you don’t understand how it feels to be alone and angry. I’ve been there! I understand. I won’t leave you in the dark.” He tapped the picture with his finger as he wagged his head.
Her heart racing, she grabbed him by his lapels with both hands. “You better not be screwing with me,” she warned before pulling him forward and crashing her lips down against his.
He pulled from her grip and rid himself of his blazer before cupping her cheek and kissing her. She closed her eyes, concentrating on his smooth lips as his hands tangled in her hair. He pulled her closer as their tongues met in a twirl of wet warmth. She wrapped the arms around his neck, her breasts pressing against his hard torso, her nipples hardening beneath the thin material of her bodice.
She ran her fingers across the closely cropped hair at Holden’s nape. Every sensation seemed amplified by her desire even the tickle of slightly rougher texture that faded into longer, smoother hair. He planted on her waist with fingertips pressing into the silky fabric of her dress and creating warm pliability against her skin. His fresh, sweet scent filled her nostrils as she tasted his mouth.
Without warning, Holden grabbed her shoulders and pulled away from the kiss and headed for the exit. She swallowed as panic filled her gut. He’s doing it again. Hot and cold—I can’t. Her head spun as she wished a black hole would open in the floor and suck her into the abyss.
Holden returned, grabbing her around the waist from behind, his lips by her ear. “I locked
