Lure of Obsession (The Muse Chronicles Book 1) by Lisa Kessler Page B

action and yank her clothes on while she stormed out the door; but for once, she shut it out and kissed him. Her lips lingered on his, and finally, she whispered, “I’ll stay if you want me to.”
    Nate stared up into her eyes without saying a word. Maybe she misread him and he’d been trying to get her to agree to leave, but she swore his body language was telling her to sleep over.
    He reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. “Stay.”
    She searched his eyes. “You’re sure?”
    “Yeah.” He nodded slowly as his lips started to curve. “I’m not through with you yet.”

    Mel gasped, her eyes popping open. How many times would her dreams be haunted by Nia being shoved down the stairs? She didn’t have any tears left to cry, but that didn’t seem to stop the nightmares.
    She stretched, her body deliciously sore all over, and turned to find Nate still snoozing. He was on his back with one arm covering his eyes and the sheet lying over his waist like a loincloth. The scar on his bicep caught her eye. She kissed it gently, but as she pulled back, her smile faded.
    Wiping her eyes, she scanned his torso again. In the stark morning sunlight, she counted eight round burns spread randomly across his chest. Farther down his abdomen was an ugly scar—definitely not the precision of a surgeon. Her chest constricted as she stared at his sleeping face. Who did this to him?
    She rested her head over his heart, and he stirred, lowering his arm to hold her close. Suddenly, he flinched, wide-awake.
    “Shit. Sorry.” He shook his head.
    “Not used to waking up with company?”
    He chuckled, kissing her hair. “Something like that.”
    She ran her hand up his chest, over three of the burns. Was this why he’d left the lights off last night? Was he sensitive about them?
    He twisted to see the clock. “Are you hungry?”
    “Yeah.” She sat up. “Do you have time to eat before you go to work?”
    He nodded. “I brought work home with me. What about you?”
    “It’s Saturday. No school.” She offered a halfhearted cheer and a fist pump.
    Nate laughed. “Now that’s some tragic cheering.”
    “I aim to please.” She leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I don’t have my toothbrush or clean clothes or…well, anything.”
    “Tell you what.” He sat up beside her. “If you’ll start breakfast, I’ll run to the store and grab some toiletries for you. Can you cook?”
    Mel smiled. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
    “Perfect.” He got out of bed, exposing a few scars on his back and legs, too. He pulled on some sweatpants and a T-shirt and stepped into the bathroom.
    Mel wandered over to his closet and selected a black dress shirt for her morning ensemble. She had it almost buttoned all the way when Nate came out of the bathroom and froze.
    She cringed. “Do you have a thing about someone wearing your clothes? Sorry. I should have asked first.”
    “No, it’s not that.” He swallowed and shook his head as a crooked smile crept onto his face. “If this is your ploy to get me back here fast, it’s definitely going to work.” He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, one hand sliding up her leg and under the shirt to cup her ass. “You are so sexy.”
    Mel grinned. “If I didn’t have morning breath, I’d kiss you.”
    He laughed, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” As he headed to the door, he called over his shoulder, “And I’ll be collecting that kiss.”
    Mel wandered into his kitchen and opened the fridge. Food, or lack thereof, could tell you a lot about a person. He had the typical “man staples”—bacon, milk, eggs, a hunk of cheddar cheese, a little bit of butter—but the bottom shelf made her laugh. There was an open package of sour gummy worms. Cute.
    She took out the eggs and bacon and went to work. When Nate came through the front door twenty minutes later, the bacon was almost done and she was whipping up the scrambled