Foretell by Belle Malory Read Free Book Online Page A

she wore gowns that weren’t from this century. Most of them matched the shade of her dark blue eyes.
    Strangely, I noticed the girl’s lips pouted in almost every image. It was as if she were unhappy. There was one, however, towards the end of the portfolio of her laughing. She held a toddler in her arms, swinging him around. They were playing together. Happiness protruded from that painting. The blonde woman practically glowed with it.
    I sighed while looking over that piece. It was perfect, inspiring and I wished I could own it.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” Rex stood before me, mad as all hell.
    I fumbled with the portfolio, trying to close it. I hadn’t heard him come in, too wrapped up in the painting. “Nothing,” I said, much too quickly. “Sorry, I was curious. Is this yours?”
    He snatched the book out of my hands and stuffed it into his suitcase. “Weren’t you ever taught not to snoop through someone else’s things?”
    “You left it on the seat,” I pointed out. “I was curious. I didn’t realize it was private.”
    Well, at least not until I opened it anyway. But there was no need for him to know that.
    “I left it on my seat-accidentally. That wasn’t an invitation for you to snoop through its contents.”
    “I’m sorry,” I mumbled awkwardly.
    Rex zipped his bag up in quick, heated motions. The muscles in his back appeared tense. I didn’t know what to say to make the situation better. I didn’t know if I could make it better.
    Say something, you idiot, I inwardly yelled at myself.
    “You’re really talented,” I said quietly. I was partly hoping to calm him down, but the other part of me meant what I said. “Your art is amazing. Some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
    “I don’t care what you think, babe. Save your compliments for someone else.”
    My eyes widened in shock over his rudeness.
    I didn’t give out compliments like that lightly, and wasn’t expecting it to be returned with resentment. Yeah, I shouldn’t have been snooping. It was safe to say that I was out of line. But his comments were uncalled for.
    “How dare you!” I spat out angrily, unable to rein in my growing temper. “I was simply attempting to praise your work. Are you really so low of a person to speak to a woman that way?”
    “First off, I don’t see a woman. I see a child. Secondly, I’m here to do a job, not to care about hurting your feelings.”
    I actually laughed. “You think you hurt my feelings, do you? Well you can guess again. It would take a lot more than that to do some damage. You simply shocked me, is all. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. That portfolio there sheds some major light on just how screwed up the inner workings of Rex Constantin’s mind truly is.”
    “Don’t pretend to know me, girl. You don’t know anything about me.”
    “Pul - eez.” I waved my hand in the air. “I can sum you up in about sixty seconds.”
    “I doubt that.”
    I sat up straighter, more confidently, crossing my legs.
    “Wanna test me?” I asked.
    “Okay,” he sighed, sounding more annoyed than anything else. “Enlighten me, babe.”
    I moved even closer, straightening to my full height. He was about to play a game that I was fail proof at. I had years of training by watching people from afar, sizing them up and figuring out what made them tick.
    He was going down.
    “I don’t mind if I do. Let me see if I can guess this right. For one, you’re cynical. You used to be happy and carefree, but that was a long time ago and the world has jaded you since then.”
    “You’re stating the obvious,” he told me. “I’m a gypsy, we’re all a little jaded.”
    I smiled. “I’m not finished. Just getting started, as a matter of fact.”
    He motioned for me to go on, crooking his head to the side in that cocky manner I hated.
    “You treat people, especially females, as if they’re beneath you, because deep down you’re bitter. You’re bitter and you’re angry. Some