Power Drilled (Roommates, #8)(2)

Somehow, I suspected it was.

But damn, time was passing quickly. Less than half an hour left. This art class gave me something to look forward to, when so many things in my life had imploded. But here, every Tuesday night, I could focus. I could create something beautiful. I could calm my mind and center my focus—or at least I could until tonight. Something to look forward to.

My fingers only shook a little as I sketched the lines of his cock, trying not to think about what it would feel like in my hand. Or my mouth. Or other places. It wasn’t like I was a sex fiend, but this was the first time I’d seen a naked man since my boyfriend left me, and I’d never seen a man this attractive before.

The head was easier to draw than I thought, though I’d never done it before. I’d taken a few art classes during college, but none had involved nude models. The real problem was shading in the lines I’d made. It was hard to create shadows and light on a flat surface, but I did my best.

Probably the way my hips kept grinding against the hard metal stool didn’t help steady my hand.

Gradually, the cock on my paper began to resemble the very impressive one before me. My sketch wasn’t perfect, but I don’t think it would shame Jackson were he ever to see it. Not that that was going to happen. I’d probably throw the paper and possibly myself into a bonfire before letting that happen.

With less than fifteen minutes left, I worked on the shading of his abs. I’d heard my friends describe a hot guy’s abs as an eight-pack, but this was the first time I’d ever been able to count each individual one.

Class was almost up by the time I got to adding detail to his pecs. His nipples were brown and looked like hard little pencil erasers. I’d just finished the second one when Carl announced that class was over.

Disappointment filled me when I looked at my sketch. It was obviously unfinished. I hadn’t had time to add any muscle definition to his impressive biceps and strong thighs at all. I hadn’t even added his goatee and the short beard that lined his strong jaw. It looked like I’d spent all my time on his midsection and ignored the rest, which was pretty much what happened. Of course, I would’ve been farther along if I hadn’t spent the first half hour staring at him like a groupie.

“Next week, we’re going back to still lifes,” Carl announced. The groan from my fellow students may have been from that announcement, or it may have been from the fact that Jackson had just pulled on a robe. The white terry cloth made his skin look extra tan and didn’t detract from his looks at all. I suspected that nothing would.

“Think we can start a petition to get him back here every week?” an older woman named Susan asked me. Her eyes were still on the model as he tied the belt of the robe around his waist.

“I wish.”

The man on the other side of Susan snorted. “Not likely. He’s Carl’s buddy and just did this as a favor. You could tell he’s never done this before.”

“How?” I asked. What more did the job require besides staying still and looking hot? In my opinion, he’d done both those things exceedingly well.

Susan chuckled. “Well, for one thing, he seemed to be undressing you with his eyes instead of the other way around.”

My fingers squeezed the edge of my sketch so tightly that the corner of the paper crumbled up. “What do you mean?”

“Oh honey, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

“But… but he was just staring straight ahead.”

“Yes. At you,” the man next to her confirmed.

Susan patted my shoulder. “Can you blame him? He sure as hell wasn’t looking at me.” She glanced past me and her eyes widened.

“What?” I asked, turning around. But then I saw the answer to my own question. Jackson was walking toward us, his bare feet padding along the concrete floor.

“Good evening, ladies.”

My jaw dropped as I stared at him. Up close, his eyes were almost impossibly blue. And he was tall—taller than I’d anticipated. My ex has only been an inch or two taller than me, so it felt strange to tilt my head up to meet his gaze.

Except I was too mortified to even do that. I’d just spent a good half hour staring at this man’s cock. There was no way I could meet his eyes. Fortunately, his mouth, surrounded by that sexy little beard, was hot to look at, too.

“Hi there,” Susan said, a seductive purr in her voice making me do a double take. She had to be at least sixty, and this man looked no older than thirty. “We’re awfully glad you joined us tonight.”

“Is that so?” The model’s voice was rich and masculine, but not super low. The tone made me think of the kind of man who was at ease whether he was flirting or joking around.

“Definitely,” Susan said. “I’m Susan, and this is Penny.” Her elbow dug into my side, possibly checking to make sure I was still alive.

“Nice to meet you both,” he said smoothly. “And I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything,” Susan breathed. She was definitely better at speaking up in front of sexy strangers than I was.

“It’s my first time modeling, and I’m curious. Would you mind if I took a look at your sketches?”

Susan was already reaching for hers. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Jackson flashed a killer grin as he chuckled. It was a low, sexy sound that somehow vibrated its way through my entire body, leaving pleasant tingling in its wake. Then his body shifted in my direction, and I took a quick peek at the rest of his face. He was looking directly at me.