Lover's Muse (The Art Models Club) (5 page)

“Okay, so first of all, I know this is very personal, but I can't help you unless I know just how bad your finances are. Would you be willing to share that with me?” Hunter fixed her with those incredible green eyes. Eyes she wanted to swim in.

Amber licked her lips. Again, what did she have to lose at this point except her self respect. She inhaled deeply and twisted her hands in her lap. “I guess so,” she said.

Twenty minutes later, Hunter had created a spreadsheet with all her expenses, debts, and loan money.

“It's not as bad as I thought,” he said, smiling reassuringly. “I mean, you definitely have a financial crisis but your only real debt seems to be the student loans.”

“I just need a job!” Amber wailed, miserably looking at the spreadsheet.

Hunter sat back and tapped his chin thoughtfully with a paintbrush. He seemed nervous, suddenly. “Okay, I have an idea, but I'm not sure what you're going to think about it.”

Amber narrowed her eyes. Suddenly she felt very wary.

“Your rent and utilities are really killing you right now,” he said, gauging your reaction.

“So you're suggesting a cardboard box?” she asked harshly. “A few glow sticks to read by?”

“Of course not!” Hunter snapped. Then he softened his voice. “How about sharing the apartment with Caleb and me? In the guest room,” he added quickly. “We never use it anyway.”

Amber thought with longing of that cozy little room, the modern bath, and the luxurious furniture. The offer was tempting even though she wasn't sure if she should even be considering it with her interest in Hunter. Plus, there was the whole issue of her lease.

“I doubt if I can get out of my lease,” she said slowly.

“Let me handle that!” Hunter said, a bit too eagerly. “I'd be happy to speak with Mr. Hanson.”

Amber stared at him. “How do you know who my rent goes to?”

Hunter smiled easily. “It's on the copy of the check on your bank statement right here.”

Oh, she hadn't noticed that before.

Suddenly, Hunter's cell phone beeped and he quickly got to his feet. “I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay put!” Without further explanation he jumped to his feet, leaving the laptop on the table.

Amanda laughed as he she heard him running down the hallway. She had never seen anyone so infatuated with time. As she waited, she looked over the spreadsheet. Seeing the costs lined up like that was sobering. She made an instant decision. She would drop some of her classes. That would give her time to pick up a part-time job. The bonus was that the money she saved could go towards her food, books and art supplies. She was pretty sure she could keep the loan money as long as she was at least half time. Just making that decision gave her peace. She sat back to wait for Hunter and noticed one of the icons blinking at the bottom of the screen.

A small pop-up box on the bank page warned that the page would time out in 60 seconds. She clicked the box and discovered that Hunter hadn't signed out of her bank account. She glanced at the transactions. Hmm . . .That was weird. She didn't see a section for canceled checks. She searched through the transactions and saw the check in question. But Mr. Hanson's name wasn't on the check. She thought back and then remembered that she had made the check out to the Rental Management Company, not the landlord. How in the world had Hunter known the name? And why had he lied to her? Was this some kind of scam? Was he trying to play her? But why? It didn't make sense but she wasn't letting him leave this room again until she got an answer.

By the time Hunter returned, flushed and even sweating around his temples, Amber had worked up a righteous anger. She coldly watched him place a paper sack on the table.

“I got you a small snack to take to class with you,” he huffed. “I know you don't have time to get lunch this afternoon.” His grin faded as she scowled at him.

“What is it? What happened?”

Shaking with anger, Amber stood up and pointed to the laptop. “I looked at the bank statement and I never put Mr. Hansom's name on the check.” She waited for his response.

“Just a second,” Hunter panted. He walked over to the sink, turned the water on and stuck his entire head under the spray, rinsing his face, hair and neck. When he straightened he shook his head like a wet dog and then raised his tee shirt to dry his face.

Amber involuntarily drew a breath at his taut, smooth stomach. He inched the shirt up higher and higher to dab at his neck with the fabric. Then he stared at her as the shirt dropped back down. He walked over to her, eyes intense on hers.

“Your so beautiful when you're angry,” he whispered.

Amber found her tongue. “How do you know about my landlord?”

Hunter ducked his head. A section of wet hair flopped onto his forehead. “I . . .um . . .did a little snooping.”

Amber wanted to reach up and tuck Hunter's hair back. Instead, she punched him in the stomach. “Why would you do something like that? Don't you know it's creepy?”

Hunter backed away, holding his stomach. “Impressive little punch,” he huffed. “But you didn't give me much choice. I should have just filed an incident report with Student Services. But I liked you and was trying to give you a break.”

“I still don't understand why you would need to file a report!” Amber shouted. “All I did was get a little dizzy and sort of faint. Stop using your little student job as a way to get your way with me!”

Hunter froze and his face darkened. “Little student job?” he said, his voice cold. “Is that what you think?” His eyes were like hard pebbles.

Damn! She had gone too far. “I didn't mean . . .” she tried to say but Hunter cut her off.

“If you didn't have English class in a few minutes, I would . . .”

Amber cut him off. “I'm dropping that class later today.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why don't you show me what exactly you would do?”

Hunter looked startled and then grinned, moving closer.

She backed away but found herself sandwiched between him and the classroom whiteboard. She could have fought him, could have gotten away, but he hadn't even touched her. Only those amazing green eyes pinned her there, helpless. She could feel his body heat through his damp tee shirt. Water still trickled down his neck.

Hunter raised both hands and supported himself against the whiteboard. But he still didn't touch her.

Her breath quickening, Amber peeked over his shoulder. “Somebody could come in,” she whispered.

Hunter ignored her. Instead, he moved subtly so that his pelvis was centered over her own, yet again not touching. Finally he put his lips right by her ear. “Say you'll be my roommate,” he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her back.

Amber tried to think straight. She was swept up in the moment, only wanting him to move closer instead of teasing her like this.

“It's too fast,” she hedged. “I'll just be trading rent for my apartment for rent for your place. I don't see how that's helping.”

“You don't have to pay anything,” he said, like it was perfectly normal to suddenly let somebody move into your house for free.

“You don't even really know me,” she objected. “That's insane.”

“It's what I want to do for you.”

She knew he sounded sincere but her past scared her. Wasn't this what her mother would have done? Let some guy take care of her. What was he expecting in return? “I. . .just . . . can't,” she said lamely. “I'll figure something out.”

“You're too damn independent!” he yelled. “It isn't a sign of weakness to let a fellow human being help you out.”

“You have no idea of what I've had to fight for!” she screamed at him. “There was nobody . . .”

Hunter cut her off by shifting closer, his pelvis now touching hers so that all she was aware of was his body and the current of electricity buzzing between them. She told herself to move but her body was ignoring any rational thought. Instead, it betrayed her by pressing forward against his. They were now wedged so close together that she could feel his heart beating. She opened her mouth to object but no words came out. Hunter's beautiful green eyes hypnotized her. 

All her anger had simply evaporated as he calmly stared at her. But as her anger cooled, her body began to warm. She suspected that she only had to shove him away and she would be released. But suddenly she wanted to be pinned to that whiteboard by his body. She wanted to get even closer. The charge between them made her body hum.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, overcome.

Hunter responded by parting his legs slightly so that his pelvis pressed even harder against her own. Reaching down he clasped her hands and raised them above her head. Only then did he lean down to graze his lips on her forehead. He leaned back and regarded her quizzically.

“Again,” Amber whispered.

This time Hunter made a trail of kisses down the side of her neck.

Amber was hyper aware of her body. The kisses were teases that woke up all her sensations. She couldn't believe that she felt so aroused while both of them were completely dressed. 

Hunter moved lower, nuzzling his mouth against her breasts through her bra and thin tee shirt. Then he gently lowered her arms. His right hand fondled her left breast, squeezing gently. Then he surprised her with a gentle chaste kiss on the mouth as he backed away, leaving her shaking.

“Say you'll be my roommate,” he said urgently.

What? Amber's whole body was on fire, ready for more kisses, more touching, more everything. Flustered, she tried to think of a plausible objection. But she was in a state of confusion. She stood, trembling, aching with want.

“Okay, okay,” she answered at last, trying to catch her breath, to return control to her thoughts.

Hunter moved forward again, making her feel faint as he brushed his lips against her ear lobe. “Let me talk to your landlord.”

Okay, this was ridiculous. She reached up to push Hunter away but he moved his lips to hers. This was totally not fair of him! She found herself pressing forward, wanting to get closer.

He pulled away a bit. “The landlord?”

“Fine!” she yelped at last and was rewarded with a long deep kiss that made her legs weak. Wow, she had always thought the “weak-kneed kiss” was some made up story. But right now she wasn't sure if she could have stood up without falling if Hunter's pelvis wasn't holding her tightly against the whiteboard.

She wasn't sure how long they might have stood there like that if Hunter's damn cell phone alarm hadn't sounded. She was tempted to smash it to bits.

Predictably, Hunter pulled away. At least he had the sense to look disappointed. “I've got to get you home and then myself back to class, Gorgeous.” He spun her around, setting her gently on the art stool before gathering up his things. Then he clasped her hand and hurried her out of the building.

“Can't you just be a little late?” she suggested, struggling to keep up with his long, hurried strides.

“Not my thing, Baby,” he said. But he paused to slip his laptop bag over his shoulder before turning and swooping her off her feet.

“Hey! Put me down!” Amber struggled in his arms, aware of all the snickers around her as Hunter shouldered his way through a throng of students. “I can always run,” she finally said. “Bet I run even faster than you do.”

That did it. Amber found herself dropped abruptly on her feet and Hunter was already taking off.

“Hey, that's cheating!” she screamed after him and then started chasing after him. They were already halfway down the center paved path near the main gated entrance when Amber sprinted off to the side to take the shortcut through the lawn. She was delighted to see that the laptop was whacking Hunter in the side and slowing him down.

“Slow poke!” she yelled his way.

She watched as he paused, slipped the laptop bag off his shoulder and tucked it under his arm like a football. Crap! She turned and fled across the lawn, realizing he had been toying with her.

Sure enough he passed her within half a minute and left her gasping after him. She jogged down to the sidewalk where he was calmly sitting and chewing on a blade of grass.

“Show off!” she muttered as he stood, grabbed her hand, and ran with her to the parked Range Rover. Amber had to watch his smug smile the short drive to his apartment. Correction. Their apartment. As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad to be staying there. She only hoped that Hunter could talk the landlord into letting her out of the lease. She still had her doubts.

“Don't forget your lunch,” Hunter reminded her, setting the paper bag from earlier on the kitchen table.

“Hey, how am I getting to history class?” she asked.

Hunter grabbed a bag of pretzels from a cabinet and a bottle of water from the fridge. “Oh, I'll have Caleb take you. I leave the car near his class. He has an extra set of keys so he can e come home for lunch before his one o'clock class.”

With a small wave, Hunter bolted out the door.

Amber sank into a seat at the table. She was keyed up both physically and mentally. Her stomach gurgled loudly and she realized she was super hungry. She pulled the paper sack closer and removed the contents, appraising the food appreciatively. Thinking she was going to be eating in class, Hunter had gotten her all finger foods. There was a neat stack of pepperoni slices, several types of cubed cheese, crackers, a small bag of sliced apples, and a bottle of water. Smiling she popped a pepperoni slice into her mouth and chewed as she got out her History Syllabus. After missing yesterday, she knew she had to do a lot of reading to catch up. 

She was still drawing when she heard a car pull up outside.

Peering out, she saw Caleb climbing out of the driver's seat of the Range Rover. She stepped away from the window and quickly sat back at the table. She didn't want him to see her spying.

“Hey, Amanda,” Caleb called out to her as he entered the front door and dropped a backpack by the door. He didn't seem surprised to see her. Hunter must have texted him.

“Hi Caleb, how was class?”

Caleb shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I can't wait to get out into the real world though. Sitting through even a good class kills me.”

“What's your major?” Amber asked as Caleb grabbed a soda, cold cuts, and bread from the fridge and sat across from her.

“Art, but I'm focusing on photography,” Caleb responded as he made himself a sandwich. “Did you eat lunch? You can eat whatever you find in the fridge. We share everything.”

“Thanks, I already ate.” Amber continued reading and taking notes from her History book while Caleb ate and checked messages on his phone.

When an alarm on Caleb's phone began to beep loudly, she sat up startled. “Is that what I think it is?” she asked incredulously. “I thought only Hunter had the the alarm thing going on.”

Caleb groaned. “Trust me, this isn't my idea.” He grinned. “You forget to pick your roommate up a few measly times and he commandeers your phone to program it with annoying alarms.”

Amber laughed. “So how long did you forget him.”

Caleb grimaced. “Only twenty minutes the first time. But last week I got caught up in a project and sort of stranded him for over an hour.”

“Oh, I can't even imagine how mad he was!” Amber shrieked, holding her stomach because she was laughing so hard.

Caleb shook his head with a wry grin. “Trust me, there was some flavorful language coming out of his mouth.” He stood up and stretched. “Plus, he also programmed in alarms for all my classes as well. My professors are all confused. I've gone from being the last person to show up to class to the first person. I think it's messing with their minds.”

Amber quickly gathered up her books. “I guess I better get used to getting to class on time as well.” She followed Caleb out the door.

Caleb was able to find a parking spot off campus and they walked towards class together before Amber headed to the right for her history class and Caleb continued straight toward the Science Building. “Head for the fountain in front of the Student Union when class is over,” he called out. “That's where I meet up with Hunter before we go home.”

Not even the professor was in class when Amber walked into the room. Sighing, she got out her notes and continued reading. She also checked the attendance policy in her syllabus. Fortunately, the policy was lenient. Showing up was apparently optional, as she soon discovered when only about half the students eventually wandered into the room. At some point, Amber realized the lecture came directly from the book so she continued reading and taking notes at her own pace. By the end of class, her fingers were cramped and aching but she had covered a good bit of material. As she gathered her materials, she was surprised to see Megan from art class.

“Hey, I didn't know you were taking this class,” she said, smiling at the red haired girl. Megan was the sort of cute, shy girl who often got overlooked.

Megan smiled back. “I just added it. I saw you taking notes like crazy so I was hoping I could borrow them and get caught up.”

“Your welcome to copy what I have,” Amber told her. “But I missed yesterday's class. To be honest, I'm just taking notes from the book now because the instructor seems to be going straight from that.”

“Thanks, that's good to know.” Megan swung her backpack over her shoulders. “In that case, I guess I'll just follow the book as well.”

Megan followed Amber out of the classroom. “So, I've been dying to ask you if there is anything between you and Hunter,” she said, reaching up to push her red locks behind her ears as they exited the building.

“I'm not really sure,” Amber replied, laughing. “He's definitely cute but I heard that he doesn't keep girlfriends. What's up with that?”

Megan's face wrinkled up as she considered the question. “Well, some of the girls say he's afraid that he's chased just because of his money.” She shrugged. “There's probably a little truth in that. Some of the girls going here are definitely on the prowl for a husband.”

“Are you serious?” Amber gaped at her. “I mean he does have a nice apartment and a Range Rover. But I'm sure his parents must help out.”

Megan laughed. “Honestly? You've never heard of his family? The Webbs are fabulously wealthy and a big benefactor here. Hunter's grandparents gave money for the library when it was being built.” Megan paused to adjust her backpack. “I get the impression Hunter doesn't care about the money so much. I think he's just hoping to concentrate on his art. He's really good.”

Amber stopped when she saw the Science Building, trying to get her bearings. Although she had studied the map several times, she still had to think about where she was going.

“Which way are you headed,” Megan asked. “I have to go to the library.”

Amber hesitated. She really wanted more of a scoop on Hunter. But she wasn't sure if either he or Caleb had more classes after this one. She didn't want to make either of them late.

“I'm headed for the Student Union,” she said, reluctantly. “Guess I'll see you in class tomorrow.”

As the two parted ways, Amber tried to match the little she knew about Hunter with the fact that he was supposedly super rich. What was up with the worn jeans and paint-splattered tee shirts. Was that his way to try to hide his wealth? Or did he simply not care about things like that?

By the time she reached the Student Union, she felt as though a stone was lodged in her stomach. What if Hunter thought that she was after his money? Here she was, completely broke, and now he was giving her a place to live. What if he later he thought it was all a ploy on her part?

“Hey, Amber, where are you going?” Hunter shouted.

Looking up, Amber realized that she had passed the fountain. She turned back, giving him a small wave. Caleb was about twenty feet away and held a Frisbee. While she walked back, they threw it back and forth.

“Is something wrong?” Hunter asked as the three of them walked back toward the car.

“Too much history jammed into my brain,” she said, smiling, shaking off her anxiety.

When they reached the grass lawn at the front of the campus, Caleb jogged off to one side. “Let's play a little Frisbee before we go back. I have a ton of homework and I need to clear my head.”

Hunter looked at Amber. “Are you game?”

“Are you sure you can compete with me?” Amber stretched her arms and did a couple of deep knee squats to limber up.

“Only one way to find out,” Hunter said, grinning.

For the next half hour, they ran around like little kids, laughing when some of Hunter's throws overshot their heads. Caleb threw the Frisbee into the shrubs twice and grumbled as he got scratched up trying to retrieve it. But it wasn't until Amber accidentally threw the Frisbee into the street and the guys  had to hold up traffic both ways so she could get it back, that they decided to quit for the day.

Out of breath and still laughing, they all piled into the Range Rover. “Hey, we have a coupon for Chinese takeout for dinner tonight,” Hunter said, rummaging in the glove compartment. “Are you guys interested?”

“I'm surprised you think you have to ask,” Caleb said. “You know I would never turn down Chinese food.”

“Sounds good to me,” Amber said. The Financial Aid Office had given her a debit card with the remaining loan money. She would have to see about getting some groceries, though, rather than eating out so much. Whether Hunter accepted the money or not, she was certainly going to offer to pay for her share of dinner.

She was surprised that Hunter would use a coupon if he was so wealthy. Part of the act? Or was Megan wrong and Hunter was just an ordinary college guy. She couldn't just go up to him and ask if he was worth gobs of money could she? Hmm . . .A better way might be to simply Google him later.

After they got home, Caleb grabbed a drink and an apple from the fridge and headed to his room to study. “I'll be in the cave until dinner time,” he said, disappearing around a corner.

“The cave?” Amber asked, raising her eyebrows.

Hunter laughed. “That's the name I gave his room. He has the the blinds drawn all the time so it's dark and gloomy in there.”

He grabbed a couple of drinks from the fridge. “Come on and I'll show you my room since you haven't seen the whole place yet.”

Amber followed him into a large, comfortable, bright room with an adjoining bathroom off to the side.

“Do all the rooms have their own private bath?” Amber asked in wonder. This place was even more expensive than she thought. Again, all her anxieties about money and being dependent on someone else surfaced.

As if reading her mind, Hunter studied her for a minute as though about to make a decision. “Yes, all the rooms have their own bathroom.” He sat on the bed and stared out the window as though he couldn't look her in the eyes. He sighed. “My parents bought this house when I started college here. After I'm gone, they'll rent this part just like they rent out the bottom.”

“Wow, that's really generous of them,” Amber said, at a loss for words. “You know, I can still chip in, right? I don't want to take advantage of you.”

Hunter turned to her, his eyes shining. “You really mean that, don't you?”

“Of course I do!” Amber snapped. “Just because I . . .” she tried to say but was stopped when Hunter leaped off the bed and kissed her.

“That's what I like about you, Baby,” he said when they came up for air. “You're not trying to get anything from me.” He smiled sadly. “I don't meet a lot of people like that.”

Suddenly he paused, looking curious. “Did you know about me already?” he asked.

Amber was honest with him. “I had no idea about your family's money until today,” she said. “Somebody . . .um . . .in one of my classes mentioned it.”

“Oh, I'm sure they did,” Hunter said, his face hardening.

“No, it wasn't like that,” Amber said, aware she had just inadvertently hurt him. “She said you were a great guy and said she thought you were right about some girls . . .” Damn. She was making this worse. “Look she told me what a great guy you are. Let's leave it at that.”

Hunter suddenly sensed an advantage. “So, you'll really stay here then?” he asked shyly.

Knowing she was beaten for the moment, Amber just grinned. “Yes, I'll stay. I'd have to be an idiot to want to go back to my apartment after sleeping in that luxurious bed.”

“What? You don't want me to repair the camping mattress?”

“Only if you are planning some actual camping trips.” Amber laughed. “My back was taking a beating on that thing.”

She started circling the room. The white walls were bare with the exception of large sketches that had been tacked up with push pins. There was a huge king-sized bed pushed aside in the corner. The rest of the room was obviously being used as an art studio with several easels set up. She suddenly had the horrifying thought of nude models posing in this room. She couldn't even look at the bed once that thought crossed her mind. Turning, she tried to find something to anchor her attention to. Then she saw a small wooden plaque above a plain dresser against the wall. She went closer for a look.

The engraving was a quote that read: “Though a living cannot be made from art, art makes life worth living. It makes starving, living.” – John Sloan,
John Sloan on Drawing and Painting.

Hunter came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulders. “I've always liked that quote, which I guess is weird coming from a rich kid. But I guess it fits how I feel about where I come from. I don't care about making gobs of money. I just want to be an artist. I think I would do it even if I didn't have my parents helping me out.”

Amber turned to smile at him. “I have to say that I feel like that, too. Well, except for the rich parent part!” She ran her fingers along the engraved words. But drawing does take me somewhere else when life gets crazy. And, yeah, it can make you forget you're hungry for a little while.”

Hunter turned her around and looked at her grimly. “But no more going hungry, okay?”

Amber tried to lighten the mood. “Okay, okay, I'll be a regular little piggy.” She oinked loudly and skipped away, inviting him to catch her.

“Come back, gorgeous little piggy,” Hunter yelled, following her.