Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Keep close, she warned her cat. She didn’t need Gatita going to sleep on her when she might need her.
He is no threat to you, Gatita said.
Sonia pushed the door open. Stop sulking. You’re going to see your male tonight. I’m not worried about me. I’m worried Bastien might want to arrest Molly. Stay alert.
“Molly, Bastien’s here. He just wants to check in and make sure we’re both all right. Why don’t you come here into the great room?” she called, mostly to warn Molly. After what Molly had disclosed about her attraction to the cop, she wanted to give the woman plenty of time to shore up her defenses. Not that time would help Sonia if Joshua were there.
Bastien caught Sonia’s shoulders and moved her, with surprising strength, out of his way. He strode through her house. The layout made it easy for him as one room flowed straight into the next. He was in her dining room almost before she knew what happened.
“Molly.” His gaze moved over her, taking in every inch of her. “You good?”
Molly’s chin lifted. “Why wouldn’t I be?” She sounded out of breath and a little shy when she obviously meant to sound belligerent. “I may have overeaten. Sonia’s a good cook.”
Bastien glanced over his shoulder at Sonia. She stood in the doorway of the dining room watching them, but the light spilled across her face. His gaze narrowed instantly and he strode straight back to her, catching her chin and turning her face toward the light. “What the hell?”
She pulled away from him and stepped back. “I bit my lip when I fell. It was actually a couple of days ago when I first bit it, but then, this morning…” She licked at the small injury. “I keep doing the same thing. I have a bad habit.” She knew she was stumbling over her explanation, saying too much and making it sound like she was lying.
He swung away from her back to Molly. “This sudden meeting doesn’t have anything to do with Sonia’s lip, does it?”
“No, of course not. Bastien, if Sonia was in trouble, I’d tell you.”
“Would you tell me if you were in trouble?” he demanded.
Molly ducked her head, faint color flushing her face. “I’m boring. I don’t get into trouble,” she hedged.
He stepped closer to her. Sonia’s breath caught in her throat. Bastien’s entire body language screamed protective toward Molly. The man might flirt with every woman alive, but she had never seen him look at anyone else the way he was looking at Molly.
“There’s nothing boring about you, Molly. If you’re in trouble, you need to clue me in.”
Molly looked to her a bit helplessly. Sonia rescued her. “Funny you should say that, Bastien. We were just talking about how, when you’ve been burned, it takes a lot to trust again. That’s the kind of things women talk about over a kick-ass, spicy dinner.”
“Her cooking is kick-ass and very spicy,” Molly stated. “And look at her paintings. Sonia not only can build a house, and cook a killer meal, she can decorate with her artwork.”
He hesitated and Sonia held her breath, willing him to let Molly off the hook. She had to tell him when she was ready, and that would take trust. A lot of trust. Molly didn’t want to be handed over to Blake. Sonia made a mental note to find out his last name and where he was. Until Molly could trust Bastien, she was going to have to be Molly’s protection.
“You paint these, Sonia?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve been painting since I can remember.”
“Were your parents artists? These are good. Really good. Even I can see that.”
She couldn’t help but bask a little. She loved painting, but there was no chance now of ever knowing how good she was. She had no idea if anyone would ever really show her work in a gallery or if someone would really want to purchase one.
“When I paint, I just lose myself in it,” she said. “I don’t paint portraits, although I’ve experimented with them. I especially love nature.” She indicated the three paintings she had on the wall. “When I get to this room and it’s elegant, I’ll shift these paintings somewhere else, but the room was such a mess I needed to brighten it up.”
“You ever show your work in a gallery?” Bastien asked, standing in front of one, studying it carefully. “I know the owner of the most successful gallery in New Orleans. It’s very high-end. She’d kill for a chance at these.”
Sonia flashed a fake smile and shook her head. “I just paint for myself. I’m a carpenter, Bastien, just trying to make a name for myself renovating old houses.”
“Did you really just drop by to see if we were all right?” Molly asked. She stumbled a little over the words and there was an attractive flush on her face, but she managed to meet Bastien’s gaze.