Sorrow's Muse by Shyla Colt Read Free Book Online Page A

stairs. “Come on.”
    It felt almost too
intimate seeing her bedroom. When they cleared the stairs and headed to the
left, he found himself taking a large gulp when she twisted the brass knob on
the white wooden door and pushed it open.
    A large king-size bed sat
in the middle of a room identical to his own in setup, but completely different
otherwise. The light blue bedspread offset by the white furniture with pink
floral accents.
    “Come over here by the
window.” She led him to two comfy chairs with a standalone record player
between them. “Have a seat.” She gestured toward the tan chair, releasing his
arm and he sat down. She took the seat on the other side of the record player.
“When I can’t get inspired, this is where I turn to. What kind of music do you
want to start off with?”
    “Your choice.”
    “Hmm.” She riffled
through the albums. “How about I choose one of my favorites?”
    “Sounds good to me.” He
relaxed into the seat as she put the record on and the strains of Cheap Trick’s
“I Want You to Want Me” reached his ears.
     
    *
* * *
     
    She searched his face for
a flicker of recognition when she played her fourth song. If “In Your Eyes” by
Peter Gabriel didn’t make him think she was interested, nothing would. Colette
sighed. She wasn’t sure if he was clueless or flat-out stubborn. She glanced
over at him and smiled. At least he seemed relaxed in her presence now. it’s
progress, even if it was minimal. A part of her wanted to do something bold,
like kiss him, but she knew it’d be the worst thing she could do.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “Yeah, it’s just such a
good song. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to it.”
    “Songs like this one are
timeless. It’s amazing how well he captured this moment. It takes you to that
sensation of unrequited love.”
    “Have you ever felt that
way about someone?” she asked.
    “Oh yeah, dozens of times
when I was young. How about you?”
    “Once.”
    “Wait, what? What man in
his right mind wouldn’t notice you? Or was it a woman?” he asked. His face
flamed.
    She chuckled and shook
her head. “No, a man—a wonderful, witty, sexy, talented man who doesn’t know I exist.
Mostly, because he doesn’t give himself enough credit. I don’t think he
believes he’s my type.” Their gazes locked and he shifted in his chair. She
willed him to understand the hypothetical person was him.
    He cleared his throat.
“Well, I hope it works out for you. You deserve to be happy, Colette.”
    “So do you.”
    He tensed and she knew
she’d pushed him as far as she dared. “What should we listen to next?” she
asked.
    The mood in the room
lightened as talk returned to music

 
     
     
    CHAPTER
SEVEN
     
    “S he’s
gorgeous, Jay. Where in the world did you find her?” Paul asked.
    “I’m not antisocial all
the time,” he said.
    Paul shot him a skeptical
look.
    He chuckled. “She lives
two condos down.”
    “ This is the
neighbor woman you’ve been hanging out with?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Why the hell didn’t you
mention she was gorgeous with a body for days?”
    Julian shrugged. “I guess
I never really thought about her like that.” Liar! It’s because you didn’t
want him to start sniffing around. The thought shamed him. Paul really is a
good guy. He’d never cheat on Gina, but he’s a huge flirt. Julian liked having
Colette to himself. Pitiful.
    “You like her, don’t
you!”
    “ Shh! ”
    Paul leaned in and
lowered his voice. “Are you thinking of making a move on her?”
    “What? No? Why would I
ruin what we have now?”
    “Because, I’m pretty sure
she wants you too. Haven’t you noticed the way she looks at you?”
    “Like I’m her only friend
in the neighborhood and we get along well?”
    “Umm, no.” Paul shook his
head. “That twinkle in her eyes is attraction.”
    “Remember the last time
we thought that?”
    “You have to let the Beth
thing go. Most people aren’t that shallow and