Chapter 13

• Devin paced by the painting for what was probably the fiftieth time. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What the hell is wrong with me? I went there to get rid of her and instead I fixed her tent and gave her free run of my space. He stopped and stared at the painting, the exact image of the woman he had just spoke to. Rayne? Not, rain, but the way she pronounced it, Rayne. The summer storm had brought Rayne, which was too ironic—even for him.
• He stepped directly in front of the painting and leaned in until he was looking at her face. He squinted at it. How? How the hell did I paint her so precisely? It was as if he’d been holding a photo of her in the other hand. What the hell was going on? Did he want to know, probably not, but he was going to find out.
• His eyes, without permission, skimmed over the image of her body. He’d gotten each curved proportion dead on, but that wasn’t what had his guts churning like a tornado. This feeling was caused by her eyes. They were so pale, so reflective, so not the color normal humans had. Am I being paranoid? Most likely. He knew ordinary humans had blue eyes, but hers weren’t the normal blue, just as his weren’t any typical hue for humans. Yet, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her eyes and wonder. His clan had pale eyes, the purebreds that was, and he’d never seen anyone not a part of his gene pool with a shade so pale. That shade. He glared at the canvas again.
• Shaking his head, Devin tried to rid it of the ridiculous thoughts. He stomped over to the window and leaned on the sill, looking out trying to find peace. Perfect! He’d told her where the lake and shower were and now, as he looked out the window to stop thinking about her, there she was, walking along the shore on her way to the shower. His body hardened just seeing her. He looked down, as if it were a foreign thing. Judging by the bulge in the front of his jeans, his body really liked her. “What is going on?” He shook his head again, and looked back out the window. “Who are you and why are you messing with me, just by existing?”
• Devin scowled as she went into the building. Dare I open the window, or will I smell her again? Never having been a flower man, one smelled as sweet as the next, so why did he know she smelled of gardenias and why did it get to him the way it did? Hesitantly, he opened the window and inhaled a quick snort. No gardenias. Good. Fine. That was more like it. So, if he didn’t want to smell her or see her, why was he still standing here watching for her to come out of the building? He backed away a few feet, but his traitorous eyes were looking out the pane of glass. I’m losing my bloody mind, that’s it. My mother was right and being here alone this long has affected me adversely. He drew his brows together to the point it was uncomfortable. The last thing he was going to do was admit his mother was right about anything. Doing that was the same as waving a sign and telling her to start hooking him up with every damned woman that had potential to further their line. Huffing out a loud breath, knowing, just knowing he was on the right track with that thought.
• Rolling his shoulders, he tried to get the tension to drop away. He took a few relaxed steps then found himself perched against the window ledge, not to watch for her, just to lounge and think this through. “When I’m ready, I’ll find my own woman.” He crossed his arms and nodded. “If she’s not one of my own, then that’s fine.” He shrugged, “My sister’s mate was accepted and he isn’t one of us.” Devin rubbed a hand over his forehead. His mind was going in ten directions and he didn’t like it. He’d originally left because of women of his own kind. He’d gone away to gain control and a new perspective until he was ready to find a mate that he wanted—not just because his body said to. He looked back towards the shower building where the petite Rayne was still inside. “You’re undoing my resolve, Rayne. I can’t be messing with you and keep my word at the same time.” He ran a hand through his hair hoping it would help to settle his mind. She had him so messed up he wasn’t able to think straight. “You’re not my kind. I’d smell it if you were.” He looked back down at the building. “But the way you smell does something to me, and until I know why you are going to stay out of my head.” He snorted. “Devin, you’ve lost it and should go back to bed and stay there until your brain has returned.” He wasn’t in the habit of talking out loud to himself.
• Just as he started to turn away from the window a scent drifted in the window. Gardenias, and it was much stronger than before. His vision zoomed to the building to see her standing and looking out at the lake. She was only wearing a towel! Why hadn’t she taken clothes? She couldn’t just wander around in a towel for god’s sake! Even as he told his head to turn away, he was taking in every inch of flesh he could see. She had legs that were perfectly shaped and just the right length. Put some heels on those and just her legs alone would be able to stop traffic and have every male mesmerized. A perfect ass wasn’t enough? She had to have legs that I’d love to lick and caress. His already hard erection pulsed at the thought.