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Erin had always thought Clark had real potential, so while she was kind of irked that Jay was all but stealing theSea Shell’s photographer out from under her nose, she was also pleased for Clark. She’d always known they’d lose him one day to bigger things.
Belatedly, Jay seemed to realize what he was doing. “Erin, am I landing the paper in it here?”
She smiled, letting him know she wasn’t angry at all. “Yes. You are.”
He shook his head. “Then I guess I owe you.”
It was such an innocent comment, but something shimmered between them, something hot and sexy.
And then Clark burst through that moment, fumbling with his new camera. He turned to Jay. “I’d like you to be the first person I take a portrait of with this camera. It came with eight frames left on the roll inside it.”
Jay smiled and said of course, but he wasn’t going to steal the limelight. He shuffled closer to Erin, slung his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her in tight.
Professional that Clark was, he spent ages getting everything just perfect. Meanwhile, she felt the warmth of Jay’s arm around her, could smell the spicy heat of his body, almost hear his heartbeat, they were so close. Her own heart began to pound wildly, and she realized she wanted the moment over but also for it never to end.
Clark frowned, and then got up, moving her head her head ever so slightly closer to Jay, and rearranging the casual way his arm was draped into more of a hold. Clark pushed the now empty coffee cups to the side so only the two of them were in the frame. That was exactly how it felt—as though the whole world had emptied out and it was just her and Jay. Clark took his time; this wasn’t a digital camera he could click away on like crazy. He was careful and ended up taking only three photographs—but she’d bet each of them would be technically perfect.
Jay said thanks and then quickly let his arm drop. He moved away from her as though nothing had happened.
Had Erin temporarily lost her mind? Jay had just been casually posing for a photograph, not trying to get up close and personal. She chastised herself for getting carried away.
“I’ll swing by at seven to pick you up for dinner.”
Erin said that sounded like a perfect plan.
It was. All too perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Jay had sort of been lying to Erin.
No, not lying, he just hadn’t told her the complete truth. Nelson had definitely been missing her, but the worst part was that Jay had been missing her like crazy too. Because she was great to be with, and also because his body wanted what his body wanted. He swore to himself that was the only reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her, that maybe he just had a little crush. But deep down he knew that wasn’t true either. More serious emotions for Erin were taking root. But instead of grounding him, he felt as though he were holding a grenade that was about to explode and take them both down.
So, he continued to tell himself a story—that Erin was like any other woman. That the reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her was that he hadn’t slept with her and he wasn’t used to not getting what he wanted. Maybe it was about time he dealt with that part of himself and grew up.
He’d make sure that tonight was only about saying thank you. He’d wine and dine her and show her an amazing time—all without trying to get her into bed. Maybe this way he could train himself out of his feelings and get her out of his system. He needed to do something to fix how much he longed to be with her all the time.
Even as he was thinking this, he imagined an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The angel was telling him he was full of BS, which was kind of funny because that was Erin’s nickname for him. Big shot—which was a tease, of course.
Since he wanted the evening to be special, he’d chosen a restaurant on the coast that was so exclusive it had to be booked months in advance for even a remote chance of securing a table. But he knew there were always a few tables kept aside for special clients, of whom he was one. When he called the day before and asked for an intimate table with a view, they’d said absolutely and they’d be delighted to see him.
He should have been looking forward to dinner, but now that Erin was due at his place any minute, he felt a little apprehensive. As though he’d just made a huge mistake, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He tried to shake the unfamiliar emotion away. He was Jay Malone. He knew how to close a deal. And that’s what this was—he was just saying thank you in the best way he knew how.
Except, as he shaved, it felt a lot like getting ready for a date.
Would it really be so bad if it were? Maybe that’s how he could get Erin out of his system: allow himself this one date and then move on and get back to being friends. He could still recall her body warm against his while Clark had taken a great deal of time setting up his shots earlier that day.
He pushed the memory away and thought about Clark instead. He’d been watching the guy, thinking his instincts were right. He’d bet those shots were great. Maybe he really could help Clark get on the path to his dream career. And then he remembered how pleased he’d felt that the man was so meticulous, because he loved sitting there snuggled up against Erin, enjoying her softness, smelling her scent... and for those moments, allowing himself to think about how much he wanted her in his bed.
* * *
Erin eyed her open closet, her gaze roaming over the modest selection of clothes. Jay hadn’t said where they were going, but knowing him, it would be somewhere fancy. Maybe even flashy. However, Erin wasn’t like Mila—she didn’t have a closet crammed with designer clothes. In fact, she had a pretty small wardrobe because she only liked to own pieces that she truly loved. She pulled out one of her favorite dresses. It was blue-green and made of fine silk. She didn’t have many opportunities to wear it, but since she’d been shopping with Mila when she saw it, her sister had talked her into buying it, insisting she’d always regret it if she didn’t. It was one of the more expensive pieces she’d ever invested in, but Mila had been right. Every time she wore it, she had a good time.
There was also the small bonus that Jay had never seen her in it.
She took extra care with her appearance, carefully making up her face with a light hand so that her eyelids shimmered and her skin glowed. She even went to the trouble of putting in hot rollers so that her hair fell in loose waves around her face. She might not be a lingerie model, or any kind of model, but she looked her best.
As she slipped on some simple strappy sandals, she mused that at least she might be better read than some of Jay’s usual dates. She was still pleasantly surprised by his library; at least they wouldn’t run out of things to talk about. But why was she even worrying about that? It wasn’t like this was a date… except for the butterflies in her stomach saying otherwise.