Cursing, she had no choice but to go after him.
The studio itself was still set up from the last shoot, with a clean white backdrop and the black velvet chaise lounge sitting in front of it. Caleb stopped in the middle of the room, surveying it with a look of approval. “Nice, Jude. This is perfect.”
“I’m not flattering you. It’s a good idea.”
“Glad you approve.”
“I don’t think a full-on sexy calendar will work.”
Caleb raised a brow. “Oh? And why not, pray tell?”
“Because you’re not selling sex. You’re selling expertise.” Fully in photographer mode now, Judith circled him again. “I’m thinking you want something where people are in their element, doing what they do best. Make them doing their job sexy, without baring skin for the camera.”
“That wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“I know. But it’s different.” She stopped again, near his shoulder. “And you want this to be different, don’t you? To catch people’s eyes and their imaginations? To earn more cash for the charity?”
She couldn’t tell what was going on in his head, his attention on her as if measuring her up. Feeling a little defensive, she said, “If you don’t like the idea—”
“I didn’t say that.” He lifted his hands behind his head. “So what would you do for me, for example?”
Judith tried not to notice the impressive flex and release his biceps, or the tightening of his abs as he shifted slightly on the couch. Her mouth went dry.
Eyes off his body.
She stopped near his feet, pulling herself back into photographer mode. “For you? I’d photograph you in your kit, while you’re training or playing. I’d try and get across your love for the game. For what you do. And possibly include a motivational quote on the calendar itself, something that you might want to pass on to anyone else pursuing a dream.”
A strange look passed over his face as he stared up at her. “I’m not auctioning my rugby skills,” he said slowly.
Judith became aware suddenly that she’d moved closer to him. Very close. That a quantity of bare tawny skin was just within reach, and she could almost feel the warmth rising from it. That she could indulge the secret desire she’d nursed for years, to trace the spiraling lines of his tattoo with her fingers…
Wait. Secret desire? What secret desire? There were no secret desires about Caleb Steele going on here. None at all.
She swallowed. “So what are you auctioning then?”
The smile he gave her was very male and disgustingly smug. “Guess.”
Didn’t take a genius to work that one out. “A date with you, maybe?”
“Of course.”
“Original, Caleb.”
“It’s not supposed to be original. It’s supposed to get heaps of cash.”
And he’d get it, too. There were thousands of drooling women who’d be eager to bid on a date with one of the country’s sexiest, bad-boy rugby players.
She didn’t know why that particular thought should annoy her quite so much but it did. “Fair enough. I’m just surprised you couldn’t think of anything better to offer.”
“What do you mean by that?” There was an odd note in his voice. “What’s wrong with a date with me?”
“Nothing. Everyone else is offering their skills, though. Why don’t you?”
Caleb pushed himself up and off the couch with an impatient movement. “Because people will pay thousands to learn how to kick a ball? Oh sure, they will.”
The sharp edge in his voice made Judith stare. “It’s not learning how to kick a ball, it’s a training session with an ex-All Black. And people love that kind of thing.”
“They’d pay more for a date, and that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?”
“You don’t know that.”
He stared at her and she realized, with a hot shock, that not only was he half-naked but he was also standing very close. That her heartbeat seemed to have suddenly gotten a lot faster.
“What’s it to you?” he asked. “What do you care whether I offer my skills or not?”
She couldn’t seem to move. Couldn’t seem to speak. Couldn’t seem to think. What is the matter with you?
Awareness prickled over her skin, locking the breath in her throat. The same awareness that had made her pull away from him the night of the wedding.
“I just…I just…” She stammered pathetically. Heat was unfurling inside her, an aching need so intense she almost couldn’t stand it. He towered over her, big and muscular and male and just so…overwhelming.