She’d gone from room to room that morning, sketching the designs that had been developing in her head. Everything from color schemes and fabrics to incidentals. It was a gift, a special talent that had her mentally rearranging every room, every house, every place she visited. Except BodyWorks. This place, she had decided right off, was already perfectly done. Her designer’s mind was serenely quiet here.
The rest of her was not. Watching Kieran Callaghan in action was mesmerizing. Hypnotic. He was big, yes. But he was also incredibly lithe, graceful, and, she realized with a start, incredibly lethal. It seemed strange that that particular word would pop into her mind for such an easy-going man so obviously generous with his time. But the truth of it resounded through her like a perfectly pitched bell.
Faith was not the only one in awe. When Kieran made his final bows to his fellow instructors and the spectators, Faith noticed that nearly everyone else had been as mesmerized as she had been. And when Kieran winked in her direction, she felt the heated gaze of a dozen envious females, not to mention the curious stares of quite a few men.
Apparently anyone who warranted the attention of Kieran Callaghan automatically warranted the attention of others as well.
Faith was uncomfortable with the sudden interest, and tugged Matt out of the large room rather hurriedly. It was good to have such a tall son, she thought gratefully as they waited beside the massive potted plant in the corridor. Only the tip of her head was visible over the ever-broadening shoulders of her teenager.
*
It took a while for Kieran to make his way out of the demo room. People were converging from all sides. The demo had had exactly the response he’d hoped for. Judging by the amount of people hanging around the sign-up tables and asking questions, he’d be adding more classes. Though that had been his intent, it was now relegated to the back of his mind. There was only one thing consuming his thoughts now.
Getting to his croie.
She was fast, he had to give her that. One moment she was there, and the next, she’d simply disappeared. The natural hunter in him sat up excitedly. The thought of a brief chase coming on the heels of what had been a flawless demonstration had adrenalin coursing through his veins. Especially when he knew he was guaranteed success. She might elude him temporarily, but he would always find her.
He spotted Matt easily enough. With that burnished brown hair and gray eyes he stood out. Apparently a lot of younger girls noticed him, too. Kieran chuckled, seeing their interested double-looks and murmurs to their friends. Matt, however, seemed oblivious to it all. Kieran remembered those days with a slight pang of nostalgia.
There! Faith was behind Matt, trying to fade into the shadows. That puzzled him for a moment. Why? Perhaps she didn’t like crowds. Then he realized it was probably a good thing she was off to the side. It kept her from getting caught in the throng moving to the next demo as part of the open house.
She was on the small side. He wondered vaguely if her petite stature would be a problem, then dismissed it just as quickly. If she really was his croie, as he suspected, then they would fit together flawlessly in all things.
“That was the most freaking awesome thing I’ve ever seen,” Matt said, his eyes bright with excitement.
“Thanks,” Kieran said modestly. “How about you, Faith? Did you like it?”
She peeked around Matt’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said truthfully. “You were ... amazing.” The color crept up in her face and she turned shyly away even as the beast in Kieran’s chest purred with her praise. He had never been the sort to consciously try to impress a woman with any display of prowess, but standing before Faith, he had the nearly irresistible urge to preen.
Outwardly, he smiled, pleased, and kept the preening to a minimum. “How about some lunch?”
“Oh, no, thanks,” Faith stammered, that restless look back in her eyes again. “We really should be going.”
Kieran frowned. “Why?”
“I wanted to get to the farmer’s market while we’re in town,” she explained. “I was going to leave after I brought Matt in earlier, but I got caught up in your demo...” She shifted her weight from side to side. Quite a few people were trying to get his attention, and at least half of them were clearly unhappy that he was devoting so much of it to her. Too bad.
“Okay,” he said slowly, not liking the idea of her leaving one bit. It was a natural reaction. Now that he knew who she was to him he would always want to be near her whenever possible. It was pure instinct, generated on a level far beneath layers of conscious and rational thought. “I have to stick around for a while, but I can take you over later.”