Portrait of Jealousy (The Art Models Club Book 2)
Page 9
Hunter laughed and then made her sit on the sofa.
“Let me open my gift first. I need some clean socks this morning.”
Amber handed him the package and watched as he carefully untied the bow. He slid one finger under the first piece of tape and tugged gently.
“Um . . .Hunter?”
“Yes, gorgeous?”
“What are you doing?”
“Opening my package?”
Hunter looked truly confused.
“Oh, never mind.”
Amber watched as Hunter meticulously removed the paper and set it aside. She bit her lip, hoping he would like the gift.
“Baby! These are awesome!” Hunter exclaimed when he saw the small pile of brushes lying in pale blue tissue paper.
He leaned over and kissed her before holding up each individual brush to inspect it and admire.
Amber watched him with an insane grin on her face.
“But,” he said hesitantly. “These are insanely expensive. Please tell me you didn't get a credit card.”
“Nope! Paid for in cash!” Amber bragged.
“I've been working a lot of extra shifts at the store and saving up.”
Hunter smiled, obviously relieved. He gave her a long kiss.
“Then I'm going to enjoy them even more.”
When Hunter handed her his gifts, she grinned mischievously.
“Now this is how you open a present,” she said, ripping with gusto.
Bits of paper flew everywhere. Hunter laughed and backed away in mock alarm.
Inside the first box was a pair of black, knee-length, soft leather boots.
“Oh, they're so lovely!”
She immediately took them out of the box and put them on, standing to test the fit. They were perfect.
Hunter patted the sofa beside him and held out the next box.
Sitting down, Amber gave him an excited kiss on the cheek and then tore into the next package. This one held a beautiful, gray, well-cut dress with half sleeves and a simple bodice. Just by looking, Amber knew it must have been terribly expensive.
“Hunter, this is a lot,” she said.
“I love it but you spent so much money on me.”
Hunter smiled.
“What, this old thing? Got it on clearance at Macy's.”
He prodded her and pointed to his watch.
“Now, go and get changed quickly so that we aren't late for brunch. We have reservations.”
Amber stood and saluted.
“Yes, sir!”
Then she wriggled her hips as she walked to her room. When she returned, wearing the new dress that hugged her curves perfectly, along with the new boots, she found Hunter looking incredibly handsome. In fact, he looked like a model.
“Wow, I feel like we are playing dress up.”
Amber smiled. “You look insanely hot in that.”
Hunter tucked his hands in his pockets and spun around. His gray, fitted dress pants hugged his hips. A pin striped button down shirt, with the top three buttons unfastened, looked as though it was molded to his chest. He held a matching gray jacket over one shoulder.
He held the other arm out to her.
“This way, Miss Holloway.”
A half hour later, Amber caught their reflection in the mirrored hall of the hotel. She hardly recognized herself. She looked sophisticated and beautiful. For perhaps the first time ever, she felt worthy of Hunter. At least for this moment, Hunter was all hers.
When Hunter told her about the antics of Isabelle Lebas four-year-old twins, and her jolly husband who took care of them during the day, Amber realized how crazy she had been to suspect someone she had never met. Worse, she realized that she had not trusted Hunter, who had never given her any reason to be jealous.
Later, as Hunter admired her self portraits, Amber was able to look at them with fresh eyes.
“I can see how your emotions changed from portrait to portrait,” Hunter said, pointing out the differences in her brush strokes and paint colors.
“Almost like you grew up a bit while I was gone,” he whispered.
“Is that coming from Hunter the TA or Hunter the Lover?”
Amber tilted her head to gaze into those hypnotizing eyes, feeling herself falling into a spell.
“I think Hunter the TA just left town.”
Hunter wrapped his arms around her.
“But even in Paris, Hunter the Lover is always with you.”
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read Portrait of Jealousy. Please consider leaving a review! - xoxo, Amanda
Want to know what happens next? Shades of Deception is out now.
Books in The Art Models Club Series
Lover's Muse (Book 1)
Portrait of Jealousy (Book 2)
Shades of Deception (Book 3)
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About the Author
Amanda has a literary soul and has been in love with books since her early childhood. Some of the first books she ever read were from her aunt's collection of romance novels. The library was a special place for Amanda where she'd escape into the many worlds created by authors. Today, there is always a stack of books on her bedside table and loaded onto her Kindle.
Amanda loves the arts and has been writing stories for almost as long as she has been reading. She has taken many creative writing courses and has published numerous works in children's and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and now setting on her journey writing contemporary romance. Art courses that Amanda took in college provide the inspiration for creating a world of new adult romance in The Art Models Club series. Amanda lives in Texas with her husband, son, and their family dog.
www.AmandaMeadowsAuthor.com
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