Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

down the long driveway to his car. The van slid to a stop down the road. Paxton heard the tires squeal against the hot asphalt. Then he heard a series of gunshots and the sound of the van peeling out.

Paxton reached the end of the driveway with sweat from the humid morning rolling down his face only to find his car shot to pieces. Both tires were flat and he looked up to see the van turning the corner and driving out of sight.

“Damn!” Paxton cursed as he pulled out his phone and called it into Peter.

Tinsley looked in the mirror and dabbed on concealer to cover the dark puffy bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept at all last night. Every time she closed her eyes, and even when they weren’t closed, she thought of Paxton.

She’d been so excited to meet him that first time. Then let down because he’d been kind of a jerk. Not in the mean way, but in the arrogant way. It was like he enjoyed pushing her buttons, so she’d written him off as an annoyance she’d have to deal with since he was friends and coworkers with Peter Castle.

If you want to touch me, you’re more than welcome to.

Over the hours of tossing and turning, Tinsley had realized something about herself. She’d always been the sweet one. Harper teased her about it, but her family always turned to her when they needed a kind word or help.

Tinsley stepped into the strappy, bright green sundress with just a tiny splatter of paint at the hem. Tinsley knew her life had changed because of what she’d learned about herself last night. She’d learned she wasn’t just sweet. Not with the thoughts she had about Paxton last night.

There wasn’t a single sweet thought to be had about him. No, there had been the urgent tearing of clothes, battling tongues, and demanding hands as Paxton seemed to push her harder and higher than she’d ever gone before. Sweet Tinsley was also very passionate Tinsley and there was no denying it.

Tinsley wasn’t new to relationships. She’d been to college and had a few steady boyfriends in the past. She wasn’t terribly experienced with sex, but she wasn’t a novice either. That’s why it surprised her when her dreams had been so . . . charged.

Before Harper married Dare, the two of them would talk about the men in their lives. Harper was a take-charge, no-embarrassment type woman. Tinsley had been envious of her sexual confidence. Harper had once asked her, “You paint with so many colors and so many emotions, how can you be so vanilla?”

Tinsley would bet if Harper had seen her dreams last night, Harper would faint with shock. Just thinking about the way they’d squeezed every bit of pleasure from each other in her dream left some of Tinsley’s concealer running.

Tinsley fanned herself off and blamed it on the summer’s heat and humidity as she left home for the gallery. There was one thing she couldn’t wait to do—paint. She’d get all her feelings out on the canvas and then she’d stop thinking of Paxton Kendry.

Late that morning, Tinsley heard the soft chime go off in the front room of her gallery and set down her paintbrush. She looked at the canvas covered with bold colors. She could feel the energy leaping off the canvas.

“Hello?” a voice called from the front room.

“I’ll be right there,” Tinsley called back as she pulled the smock from her dress and rushed from the room.

She smiled as she walked into the front of the gallery to find a man looking at the art. His arms were clasped behind him. He was in slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing muscled arms.

“Can I help you with anything or answer any questions?” Tinsley asked from behind the man’s back. He turned slowly and Tinsley blinked. She recognized him, but why? He was in his twenties with a pleasant smile, but then she saw it. The bottom of a snake tattoo on his upper arm was peeking out from the rolled-up sleeve and then the nagging memory became clear. He had come into Ellery’s gallery the day Ellery went into labor.

“I sure hope so. I travel a lot for work and have always driven by here so I decided to stop and check out your gallery. It’s beautiful,” he said as he stood tall and smiled kindly at her. Normally it would put Tinsley at ease, but he was acting completely different from the last time she saw him and that sent off some warning bells.

“Thank you. I’m Tinsley Faulkner. I’m the owner.” Tinsley held out her hand and he gently clasped her hand and shook it. The gentle clasp was completely unexpected from someone so muscled.

“Maurice. Maurice Smith.”

“Nice to meet you. Are you looking for anything in particular?” Tinsley asked, getting ready to show him around the gallery. It was clear he didn’t remember her, so she wasn’t going to make him feel awkward about mentioning the last time they saw each other.

“Actually, I’m looking to sell some pieces. My grandmother is very ill and requires a full-time nurse. I’m unable to do it myself since I travel for work. However, my grandmother has an extensive art collection and has given me power of attorney to sell some of it to pay for her care.”

Red flags, warning bells, and the sound of her instinct screaming “Stop!” went off all at once. What is the painting he’s selling? The thought went through her mind right before she was going to tell him, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to selling whatever it was. Then, suddenly Paxton popped into her mind and she knew what she was going to do.

“May I see the painting? I can tell you if it’s something I could sell and what kind of price to expect from it.” Tinsley stepped forward prepared to see the Hamburg he’d shown Ellery. Instead, he held out his phone and