The only problem with that scenario was that he’d begun to think about the future. He’d started looking down the road of his life and saw only the same view, day in and day out. He loved his work, there was no doubt about it. But there was more to life, and he wasn’t as willing to shut himself off as he’d been only a few weeks ago.
Spell, curse, miracle. Perhaps she was all three.
The only solution was to be honest with her. She was still keeping secrets about her personal life, he could tell, but it stood to reason that if he offered more of himself—if he figured out how—she would probably feel more comfortable with him. He wanted to be her friend. He definitely wanted to be her lover. The way she’d given herself in the barn had irrevocably sealed that decision. She fit him so well in so many ways, though even their jagged edges created sparks. Maybe he even wanted to be…more.
That more was scaring the holy fucking hell out of him.
He pushed aside his telescope and viewed the milky sky with his naked eye. Sunrise was always a beautiful thing to behold, even when his shoulders were stiff with tension and his eyes sore from lack of sleep. This time of year was especially beautiful, with the leaves turning in the trees on the hillside that surrounded the city. The sun’s rays cast the town in a pink-and-orange hue and the crisp morning breeze carried the scents of woodsmoke and fall.
It was the perfect morning to share with someone. With Victoria. If he turned his head, he could smell her hair, feel the way her fingers curled into his chest. If he concentrated, he could visualize the humor and the longing in her pale-brown eyes, burning just for him. Mixed in with both, her utter understanding of who he was at the molecular level. They’d known each other so long that even this giant change in their relationship only felt like a whole new level to their banter.
Yet he was alone, as always.
The irony of Victoria was that he hadn’t realized what he was lacking until she’d shot through the center of his life like a tornado. Imagining her not part of it in the same way anymore after his parents left town in a little over a week made him want to pound his fists into something hard and sharp.
He couldn’t let it happen.
Glancing at his watch, he exhaled and pushed away from the rail. He had to get ready for the day.
And to take the next step.
Chapter Eleven
He was officially swimming in deep shit.
Seeing her at the photo shoot that morning made him feel like a high school kid. He brought her a cup of cocoa and watched her eyes light up as she drank it. Then she got to work with Jill and Lorelie on staging the living room for the cover, and he just stood there like a lovesick moron.
She was beautiful, yes. Sexy, undoubtedly. But those weren’t the main attributes that drew him to her. Her brain, her wit, her heart—those were what tied him up in knots. They were what made him wish he believed in forever, or had one iota of a clue how to give it to someone.
When he finally screwed his head on straight enough to watch the shoot, he realized he needn’t have bothered. As usual, she’d knocked it out of the park.
The living room had been transformed into a Christmas fantasy. A large, real tree decorated with multicolored lights and vintage ornaments stood in one corner. The large brick-faced fireplace burned and the quaint rocker beside the couch was draped in a Santa throw. Little touches around the room emphasized the feel of an old-fashioned holiday, right down to the bowl of ribbon candy beside a long, low sofa made for afternoon naps in front of the TV.
The photographer called instructions to Victoria and her team between takes, but he didn’t ask for much. Everything was pretty much perfect.
Except one thing.
“Hold on,” Cory said near the end of the shoot, when the photographer was about to zero in on an Americana-style teddy bear dressed like an elf. Three sets of faces turned his way. “These shots need something else.”
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. “Like what?”
He smiled. “You.”
“Huh?”
Her puzzlement made his smile widen. “Come sit here.” He walked behind the couch and patted the spot beside the bear. “Let the camera eat you up.” When she sat, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Before I do the same later.”
She blushed and his cock went from half-mast to hell yeah, who needs Viagra.
“You were adamant about just using location pictures. You said you wanted people to imagine themselves in the pictures, with no models to distract them.”
“You’re the only person who’ll be in them. They needed a little extra oomph.” As she bristled, he kissed her temple. “They needed you.”