The Darkness Within Him: The Untwisted series Read Free Page B

Nicholas Jackson would bother with something so, so … well, girly.
    Finally, he turned to face me, still rubbing cream into his hands slowly and smoothly and, if I’m honest, rather distractingly. Why the sight of Nicholas rubbing his hands together like that was making me feel so giddy I had no idea. Reaching sideways, I rested a hand on the wall to steady myself, hoping my action looked nonchalant and casual and didn’t give away just how unsteady my legs had suddenly become.
    As I continued to stare at his hands, a small shiver ran through me at the thought of his fingers doing that to me. How would it feel if they were rubbing across my skin? Probably unbelievably good … As my mind wandered, an incredibly loud swallow forced its way down my throat, bringing me back to reality with a bump. I had to get a grip.
    Abruptly breaking my fantasy, he spoke again. ‘Actually, no.’ What looked like a sardonic smile tugged at his lips. ‘It’s a special mixture containing tiger balm. After playing for an extended time like I have tonight, my fingers get stiff, and this helps relax them. It’s warming and makes them tingle, reducing the ache,’ he explained softly, finally hanging his hands back at his sides.
    Unlike Isla and Anthony, who had seemed to exude a naturally relaxed vibe, Nicholas positively radiated tension. His entire body seemed wound like a spring. His posture screamed authority like I’d never experienced before, making me grip the wall even tighter.
    Now I didn’t have the almost hypnotic sight of his rubbing hands to look at, I finally raised my eyes to his face. Thankfully, I already knew what Nicholas looked like and had prepared myself for this moment, because as well as being an incredible piano player, he was also a very handsome man.
    And I mean breath-taking, heart-stopping, toe-curling good looks.
    As I held his gaze, my heart sped up in my chest and I found myself blinking rapidly, almost in time with its beats. Even though I knew I was staring at him, I couldn’t help it. Dark hair, short at the back but slightly longer on top, fell messily as if he’d recently run his hands through it, and his features were classic: strong jaw, defined cheekbones, and devastatingly dark blue eyes which I now found boring into mine.
    I swallowed again out of nerves, and with the tight ball of apprehension in my throat I realised it had probably been loud enough for him to hear it. Damn, even with all my preparation and intentions of being calm and professional, I still found Nicholas Jackson just as intimidating as all the papers said he was.
    ‘Your playing tonight was superb, Mr Jackson, so beautiful,’ I remarked, trying to break the awkward silence that was hanging between us. Despite myself, my voice was a tad higher than usual.
    ‘Thank you,’ he acknowledged with a short nod.
    ‘It gave me goosepimples,’ I said with a smile, before realising what a stupid thing that was to say. Engage brain before speaking, I reminded myself. Nicholas didn’t respond to my comment apart from a slight narrowing of his eyes as he tilted his head to observe me like some curious science experiment.
    ‘Do you play an instrument, Rebecca?’ he asked softly, and for some reason I was surprised that he had remembered my first name.
    ‘I play the piano, very badly ,’ I added with a roll of my eyes. What I did clumsily with my keyboard at home could in no way be compared to the skilful things Nicholas did with his grand piano. ‘And feel free to call me Becky, everyone else does.’
    ‘Would you like to see the piano here, Becky? It’s a Steinway, one of the best in the world,’ he murmured, and I nodded keenly, wanting nothing more than to escape this isolated room and the strange tension that seemed to be emanating from Nicholas and somehow clinging to my skin.
    ‘Come, follow me,’ he instructed, not waiting to see if I followed, which was lucky because my first few steps were embarrassingly