Read The Genius and the Muse for Free Online Page A

the other threaded through her hair, tilting her face up as his mouth covered hers.
    She froze, stunned by his sudden move, her temperature soaring as his lips moved against her own. She felt, rather than heard, the whimper escape her throat. Reed’s stubble scraped against her skin, and she returned the kiss instinctively. Her hands lifted to his shoulders, clutching them as he pulled her closer. He kissed her without any hesitation, as if somehow, they had been lovers before.
    Sam finally pulled away, gasping for air. He stared at her, his eyes fevered and needy.
    “Am I dreaming?”
    “No.”
    She stood motionless in the circle of his arms.
    “Fuck.”
    Their eyes were still locked.
    “Reed—”
    “Take your clothes off. I need you in my bed.” His words tumbled out in a rush as he stepped back and gestured toward the far corner of the room.
    Sam’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
    He pulled the messenger bag off her shoulder and pushed her toward the unmade bed across the room. The sheets were rumpled as if he had been tossing and turning in his sleep.
    “The light. Look at the light, Sam.” He mumbled as he pointed toward the small bed. “The moon coming right through the window. Look at the shadows. It’s so bright. It’s perfect. I just need—fuck! I need someone in the bed. A nude. Where’s that lens? Shit…” Reed trailed off, still muttering under his breath as he pulled camera bags apart looking for something and shoving back the dark hair that spilled into his eyes.
    Understanding dawned when she looked at the bed and the moonlight streaming through the open window. It was so bright it cast crisp shadows on the rumpled white sheets, which seemed to glow in the night.
    He needed a model to photograph. She nodded. Sam could understand that, though she was still stunned by his sudden kiss at the door and confused why he thought he had been dreaming.
    “Will you sit for me?” Sam looked up when she heard his voice, plaintive in the corner of the room. His expression was almost manic as he waited for her response.
    “You need a model,” Sam finally said, as he walked toward her with his SLR and a lens in his hand.
    He nodded, bending down at the table to affix the lens to the camera.
    “Just a model?”
    “Yes! Will you do it?”
    “Okay. Sure, I guess. But that’s it.”
    Samantha had modeled nude for both art classes and friends on numerous occasions. She wasn’t especially modest, but she did need to make sure she and Reed were on the same page as far as expectations went. It wasn’t like he’d been very secretive about his interest.
    “Fine. Of course.” He waved her toward the bed. She shrugged and moved over to get undressed. She had to admit, the light was gorgeous and abnormally bright. She completely understood why he wanted to capture it.
    “You haven’t been wearing any tight clothes today, have you?”
    “No, there shouldn’t be any lines—oh, maybe from my panties.”
    He waved absently as he took some test shots of the bed. “That’s fine, we’ll work around it. Nothing around your breasts?”
    “No, I was in PJs most of the afternoon, actually. I just threw on shoes and a sweater to come over here.”
    “Tan lines?”
    “Summer hasn’t started, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
    “Perfect.” His gaze lingered on her for a few moments as she undressed, but she quickly slipped under the thin sheet, and he bent down to move her arms and legs where he wanted to drape the material to cover her.
    Sam inhaled sharply at the feel of his callused fingers on her skin. Though she had modeled before, the heated kiss they’d shared was throwing her off her usually remote modeling demeanor.
    Reed finally reached up toward her head lying on his pillow and slowly pulled the tie from her hair. Sam had forgotten she’d put it up earlier, and she couldn’t help but hold her breath as he gently tugged long sections over her shoulders to trail along the swell of her left