“So, you went through the box of pictures?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “Brick brought them back and I figured if I wanted to understand you better, it was a good place to start.”
I smiled, looking over at the box. “And what did you discover?”
“You love the redwoods. And hamburgers. Every birthday picture for several years was taken at the same burger joint. I sat there for hours, trying to see if I could figure out what place it was, but I couldn’t decipher it.”
“It closed down a few years ago,” I said sadly. “We stopped going there when you—the old you—decided birthdays should be celebrated more extravagantly.”
Silence followed as he looked down at his greasy burger.
“Well, he’s not here anymore—so I say we make new memories.”
“I’d like that,” I smiled widely, remembering the days when birthdays had been celebrated over fries and milkshakes rather than champagne and caviar.
“There’s just one problem,” he said.
“What?”
“I don’t know when your birthday is,” he smiled.
Loud laughter burst from my lungs as I clutched his shoulder, resting my head there as I caught my breath.
“June fifteenth!” I squealed between breaths.
“June fifteenth,” he repeated. “Got it. I’m on it.”
“So what else did you learn about me in that box?” I asked, picking the pickles off my burger as he watched.
“Apparently not enough,” he grinned. “Not a pickle fan?”
“Not on my burgers.”
“Duly noted.”
“Come on! Tell me more—stop stalling!” I demanded, as he snagged my pickle slices off my paper wrapper and tossed them in his mouth.
“Well,” he said, “I noticed that you’re extremely photogenic. After an entire box full of photos of your face, I’m itching to get you behind the lens.”
Finishing up my food, I threw all of our trash into the brown bag and leaned back into the couch, facing him.
“That sounds kind of sexy,” I said, running my fingers down the buttons of his shirt.
His eyes caught mine and I saw just a hint of movement as a tiny smirk pulled at the seam of his mouth. “It could be.”
“Would you photograph this?” I asked, slowly unbuttoning the first four buttons of my blouse, until the sheer lace of my bra began to peak through.
“Yes,” he answered, his voice dropping an entire octave.
“What about this?” My fingers went to the fly of my jeans.
“Wait. Just one second. Let me get a camera,” he said eagerly, running to the other room. He reappeared in record time, with his vintage black and white. He’d also removed his shirt, which gave me a nice view of his lean abs and muscular arms.
“Take off your pants. I want a few in just your shirt and panties.” His breath was uneven, as if he’d just been for a jog. Looking up at him caused my legs to squeeze together in need.
Just the mere thought of capturing my image with his lens seemed to be making him nearly wild. I slipped off my jeans and lay back on the couch, dangling my feet off the edge in a flirty position I knew would send him off the deep end.
“Have you done this before? Shit, don’t answer that,” he said, as the camera started clicking.
I laughed, turning my head away as he hovered above me. “No—I just know what you like.”
“Yes, you really do.”
“Like, maybe a little bit of this?” I asked, unbuttoning my shirt completely and letting it slip from my shoulder. It fell to the floor in a slinky heap. Pushing up on my elbows, I gave him a sultry look as my cleavage was sent sky high thanks to my new, improved position.
“You are so beautiful,” he managed to say as he knelt down on his knees to get a different angle. “Let me just open the windows. I want more light on your skin.”
I watched him move toward the large windows that faced the cliffs, pushing back the curtains that were used to block out the sun when it became too bright late in the afternoon. Right now, sunset was just about to take over the sky, the last rays of the day surrendering to the evening stars.
“Perfect.” His voice followed his footsteps as he made his way back to the couch. “Now, I think you need to get naked.”
I agreed, reaching for the clasp behind me. My bra came undone easily and slowly fell from my shoulders, as the camera clicked away. Raising one arm at a time, I let it fall to the floor as his heated gaze watched from behind the lens.
Wanting him to enjoy this as much as possible, I slowly stood, widening my stance as my fingers slipped under the thin fabric of my panties. August backed up, readjusting the angle to encompass my new position, as the camera continued to click. With a sensual grace I hadn’t known I possessed, I gently slid the last piece of clothing from my body until it hit the floor.