“What? You don’t like the song? I think it has a great beat. Let’s dance.”
He left his camera on the tripod and pulled her into his arms. She was laughing her real, happy laugh by the time he spun her in a circle and dipped her low. She even kicked up a leg. “You are crazy. You know that don’t you?”
He spun her again, this time letting go. “Dance for me, Nitro.”
“Who told you…?” She shrugged. “I haven’t been Nitro in a long time.”
But a moment later she closed her eyes and moved to the music. Young and free. She even recreated their dip, her lithe, strong leg kicking past the white robe in an utterly sexy way.
Breathless when the song ended, she faced him—and his camera—disheveled, gorgeous. The shoulder of the robe had slipped low. Keeping in mind his limited number of shots he adjusted the angle of the fabric to give him a little more shoulder. “Look toward the windows. You’re thinking about me. What we’re going to do when we’re done here.”
She moistened her lips. Her eyelids lowered in a sensual, pouty way.
“Good. Great. Hop up on the day bed. I want to try a different background.”
She did as he asked. He made the adjustment, changed the angle of his reflector slightly then stepped in front of her. “Do you feel safe?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then, it’s time to push the envelope. Turn to face the backdrop then slip your arms out of the robe and let it pool at your waist.”
He got the camera ready as she moved into position. Her strong, beautiful back nearly broke his heart.
Click.
She stiffened, as if the shutter had been the tip of a whip. She looked over her shoulder.
“You have no idea how beautiful the proud and dynamic curve of your back is, Mia. But like every woman I’ve ever known, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Pull them back slightly. That’s my girl.”
She blinked and swallowed. Moved by his words, he could tell. He had more for her, but he wouldn’t say them again.
“Turn my way now, but I don’t want you to reveal too much.”
He walked to the bed to position her arm in a way that he could see the sensual roundness of her breast but nothing else. “That is sexy in a way that defies explanation.”
She looked down as if curious about what made her breast sexy. The look was so disarming he nearly lost it. Luckily, he held the remote in his hand and caught the image with a click.
“Hold that pose while I adjust the camera,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion. He hid his emotions behind the camera, taking time to adjust for a shadow here, a freckle there.
“Good. Now give me a languid look. Go to your safe spot. That Mia place where nobody can touch you. Every woman has one. Go there, baby.”
He moved in closer taking care not to crowd her space. The faraway look in her eyes was heartbreakingly Mia. This was the money shot for him. The way he’d always remember her if she sent him away.
He knew that was her intention. He’d known it all along, but when he heard from Ren this morning that she’d lost the lot, Ryker knew the end was coming sooner rather than later. She’d paint him with the same brush as every other man who took something from her. She didn’t see them together forever…or even for the winter.
He didn’t blame her. What about him said: husband material? Stepdad? Mate?
Nothing.
“Are you okay?”
He blinked, coming back from his self-absorbed distraction. “Yes. I’m ready for color.”
The next hour passed in what felt like minutes. In addition to the nudes, he’d given her three changes of clothing: a hot chilies apron in the kitchen with nothing underneath, a frilly red teddy that made her giggle when she put it on, and the oversized t-shirt he’d gotten from Emilee that said: Bump, Set, Spike for a Cure.
His last photo was one of her tracing the printed word “cure” across the flat of her belly with her fingertip.
“Perfect. All done. You were amazing. My best model ever.”
She laughed and shook her head, obviously refusing to take his hyperbole seriously, but he meant it. She’d changed his life.
He just didn’t know how to make her believe him.
Chapter 13
‡
Two weeks later
Ryker pressed his ear to the door of his room. The sound of women’s voices was palpable. His little rental house/jewelry shop hummed with activity and it wasn’t even eight a.m. He grinned and took a deep breath before opening the door.
“Good morning, wedding people. Are we ready for the big day?”
“Are you ready, Mr. Photographer Man? That’s what everybody is wondering?”
Tonya was the most outspoken of Bailey’s Dazzling Minions—the artisans who created jewelry from Bailey’s designs. Tonya continued to tease him about being homeless. “Did you find that camera in a dumpster?”
“Yup. Just this morning. Lucky me.” He clicked her photo—once, twice, three shots. Her look went from surprise to humor to coy pose. They both laughed.
“Print me a copy,” she said. “Now, you’d better grab some coffee and pastries while you still can. Bailey and the girls will be here any minute.”
“The girls” he’d learned at a planning meeting earlier that week included Bailey’s soon-to-be stepdaughter, Chloe, her two future sisters-in-law, Mia and Meg, Austen’s girlfriend, Serena, and Mia’s daughter, Emilee. The others he’d gotten to know casually. Chloe and Emilee he’d met during his photography gig at school. Serena had sought him out to photograph her herd sire, Bartholomew, and several female alpacas Serena planned to sell. Meg he’d met for the first time the night before at the rehearsal dinner. The gathering, which was held at the Zabrinski home, had appeared to him to be less rehearsal and more festive family reunion .
He’d barely had a minute alone with Mia. Just as well, he thought, since he couldn’t be around her without touching her, making certain she was real. To his surprise, she hadn’t broken up with him the day of their photo shoot. In fact, their late night rendezvous had continued. Their nights together were magical, but so far removed from the reality of either of their daily routines, Ryker had suggested—only partly in jest—that he was beginning to feel like a kept man. Not that Mia paid him, but she did steer a good deal of business his way. So much, in fact, he’d had no time to worry about his land or his career.
In the back of his mind, Ryker knew he was still hiding from reality.
He should put out feelers, gear up for a new expose or photo layout in some war-torn Third World country. But he found he enjoyed this laid-back routine that made him enough money to pay his way—and his lawyer.
Besides, the wheels of justice were not speedy. Ren had promised they’d have news on the disposition of the land and his Trust by next week. What that meant, Ryker had no idea. He hoped his mother and stepfather would offer some sort of settlement for Mia—even if they expected him to rebuild his fortune on his own. One thing he’d learned about Mia was her fear of failure. She agonized over the idea of failing her children. She was terrified of costing her successful brother a few bucks if their new law office didn’t take off. She worried about making everyone happy…everyone but herself.
Making Mia happy appeared to be the one thing Ryker did with ease when they were in bed. Too bad she didn’t trust him to be a part of her life outside of their sexual cocoon.
“We’re here,” a familiar voice called out, just as Ryker took a bite of his Danish.
The sunlight streaming through the kitchen window highlighted her profile like a golden spot. Her beauty made things happen inside him he couldn’t pinpoint exactly or explain. He chewed mindlessly, his gaze locked on hers. The humor in her eyes said she was happy to see him—and remembered vividly what they’d been doing two nights ago.
Strawberry filling squeezed out the side of his mouth.
Mia marched straight to him. “Pig.” She wiped the excess from his lips then popped her finger in her mouth. Her smile froze the moment she heard a collective intake of breath from every other person in the room. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.
Ryker reacted without thinking. He stuffed the remaining bite of doughnut in her mouth, wiped his hand on his jeans and snapped her picture. “Cool,” he cried, leaping to his feet. “Let the candid moments begin. Perfect shot, Mia. Well done!”
Her eyes said, “Nice try,” but the awkwardness lingered until he posed Emilee and her younger cousin together swapping chocolate and sugar doughnuts. The girls’ laughter provided the distraction everyone needed to move on. Everyone, except perhaps, Meg, who watched Ryker without comment.
He’d stared down a lioness once. Meg reminded Ryker a bit of the tawny beast. Her thick golden hair hung just below her shoulders. The blond coloring would have surprised him if he hadn’t met Paul. Mia told him the eldest and youngest siblings favored their mother, while the twins both took after their father’s side of the family.
He walked to her. “You’re Meg. I recognize you from the photos on your mother’s mantle.”
They shook hands. “I’ve heard about you, too, of course.” She looked around then said in a soft voice, “Emilee’s right. She told me you look like an older Josh Hutcherson.”