Until Forever Read Free

plain except for the large circular buckle that was painted to resemble gold. Hide boots, sewn on the outer seams like moccasins, were tied off just above his ankles.
    He wore no shirt—the reason for her first surprise, having all those muscles so plainly visible. Perhaps his costume wasn’t quite finished, or perhaps Mr. Hayley’s script called for a bare chest. She had to allow that his was an impressive bare chest, not overly bulging like that of a weight lifter, but definitely well-developed, wide, and finely sprinkled with light brown hair. And makeup had done an excellent job in giving him some scars across his chest and thick arms, supposedly old battle wounds.
    About his neck was a collar or choker of ancient design, a double tier of filigree in the shape of fat connected beads, again made to look like real gold. And he wore his light brown hair long, a bit beyond shoulder-length, which was likely why he’d been picked for the part. He personified an ancient warrior, a Saxon or…a Viking…
    Another shiver passed down her spine. The coincidence was uncanny, that minutes before she had been holding an authentic Viking sword, and here was a drama student in what could definitely be a Viking costume.
    And then his head slowly lowered and he was looking straight at her, likely with spots before his eyes, after staring at the light so long. But Roseleen felt something other than unease now. He had a face that was handsome in a harsh way, but that for some reason she found nearly mesmerizing. His brows were almost straight, and thickest toward the ends. His eyes were deep-set and a lovely shade of clear blue. Strong cheekbones surrounded a straight nose. His lips were on the thin side, and he possessed a very masculine, what could be called aggressive, square jaw.
    He had the makings of dimples if he could manage a smile. It didn’t look as if one would be forthcoming to soften his rather intimidating expression. He was not a happy man. That really had been annoyance or anger she’d heard in his tone.
    The silence had gone on too long as they stared at each other. Roseleen was just aboutto repeat her earlier question when his eyes started a slow path down the length of her body, rested a bit too long on her exposed calves, then just as slowly traveled back up.
    Her blush was instantaneous because men didn’t do that to her. She downplayed her looks, a habit she had developed in high school when boys had started showing an interest in her. She had preferred not to be bothered then. She definitely didn’t want to be bothered now. The way she dressed said so in capital letters.
    The glasses she wore were made of ordinary glass; she didn’t really need them. She rarely used makeup, and certainly never on campus. Her dresses and skirts she wore an exact inch below her knees, and she favored loose designs, either straight or belted below the waist, not just for unrestricted comfort, but so her curves wouldn’t attract roving eyes. Two inches was the maximum she chose for her high heels, and always in plain, square-toed pumps that were as far from sexy as one could get.
    She even wore her straight, auburn hair in an old-fashioned bun at her nape. Barry had once said he loved the natural, deep red tints in her hair. After they’d broken up, she had seriously considered dyeing it black.
    She had just managed to recover from her blush when her visitor spoke again. “You should have waited until you were properly dressed to call me, lady.”
    Back came the blush, because he actuallysounded…offended. She even glanced down at herself to see if one of the buttons on her blouse had come undone, if she had lost her belt without realizing it, or if one of her stockings was slipping. But no, she looked as neat and nondescript as she always did in her wrinkle-free polyester.
    Her glasses had slid down her nose when she looked down. She jammed them back into place now and put on her sternest teacher-is-displeased