He had too many responsibilities pulling at him to worry about baby-sitting.
That left him and him alone.
"You know, Sunshine, I don't think you should stay in your loft alone."
She stepped away from him. "Believe me, I'm not. I'm going home with Storm tonight."
Talon paused. That wasn't an option either. Her brother was a big man, but no match for a Daimon.
"I don't know, Sunshine. I'm thinking..." Well, he couldn't really say what he was thinking, especially the part that bordered on salaciousness.
But then he didn't have to. She smiled a wicked smile. "You know, if you want me to go home with you, all you have to do is ask."
"I didn't think it would be that easy."
She rose up on her tiptoes and gave him a devilish look. "For anyone other than you, it wouldn't be."
Those words made his heart soar. He really liked this woman. She was bold, quirky, and sassy.
Sunshine took his hand and led him into, and through, the club to a door in the far right rear corner. It opened into the back hallway that Talon recognized from earlier in the evening. On the right was the door to the outside where her car was parked and on the left was the steel staircase that led up to her loft. She headed for the stairs.
Sunshine held tight to Talon's hand as she mentally castigated herself. She probably shouldn't be doing this, especially since two murders had been committed tonight. But instinctively she knew Talon would never hurt her.
He'd saved her life and he'd done nothing even remotely harmful to her.
Besides, she liked being with him. She could take her art supplies with her and get back on schedule tomorrow.
Tonight, she just wanted a few more minutes with him. One more evening to bask in his warmth before she went back to the rigors of her life.
It had been so considerate of him to offer her his jacket. His warmth and scent clung to it, making her want to snuggle in deep.
She entered her loft, gave him back his jacket, and left him by her white and pink striped couch while she went to pack an overnight bag. In all honesty, she'd rather stay with him than Storm anyway.
Storm snored.
Loudly.
Not to mention that the last time she had gone to her brother's place, she'd had to spend two hours cleaning it before she was able to touch anything in the apartment without cringing. He was an absolute pig and he didn't care about making her feel welcome. Rather, he treated her as a live-in servant who should be happy to do for ole big brother.
And ole big brother stunk. Not literally, but in the figurative sense.
She grabbed a change of clothes, shoes, and hair ties and shoved them into her wicker tote bag along with her toothbrush and moisturizer-a woman always needed her moisturizer-then she rejoined Talon.
He stood at the rear of the loft, near the windows, looking through the landscape paintings she'd done of Jackson Square. Her breath caught in her throat.
What was it about this man that was so powerful? His wavy blond hair fell around his face while his two thin braids hung down to his shoulder. His black leather pants cupped a butt so fine that it should be stamped with Grade A Prime on each cheek. And his back... Even with his jacket on, she knew how perfect and well sculpted it was.
She stared at his large, tawny hands that held her work. They were so strong and at the same time tender. She loved the way they had felt on her body, the way his fingers had tasted when she nibbled them.
The man was simply scrumptious from the top of his blond head to the bottom of his black biker boots.
He turned slightly as she joined him. "I like the way you painted the sun coming in over the cathedral. I can almost feel the sun when I look at it."
His compliment warmed her. An artist never heard enough compliments on her work. "Thank you. My favorite is the sunset over it. I love to watch the light fading around the buildings. When it hits some of the signs and glass, it makes them glow and sparkle like fire."
He reached out and cupped her face in his warm palm. "You have such an incredible way of capturing things."
She bit her lip and gave him an impish smile. "Yes, I do." And little did he know it, but she fully intended to capture him as well. At least for a little while.