Page 46 of Crash and Burn

"You look beautiful," he said.

I paused in the middle of rummaging around in my purse, cheeks heating up again. Grant hadn't sounded pandering. The words had come as out sincerely and honestly as I'd ever heard him.

I peeked up through my curtain of blond hair.

"You'll edit all the blemishes away before you show anyone right?" I asked.

Grant chuckled.

"Stand over there," he pointed. "That's where the best sunlight is."

Therealso coincidentally happened to be only a few steps away from the bed with the messed up silk sheets.

My previous daydreams flashed across my vision for a split second. I blinked rapidly to clear my head.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ran my hands through my hair, combing the long strands with my fingers to try and smooth out the tangles. "Just smile at the camera?"

"Stare out the window," Grant suggested.

I turned my head, my eyes immediately squinting shut as the bright rays hit them.

"Maybe not," he added quickly. He nodded to the bed. "Put your hand on one of the posts and look off into the distance."

"I feel dumb," I told him even as I did what he said.

"You look wonderful," he assured me as the shutter wentclick click click. He lowered the camera, looking thoughtful. "Why don't we get something with you in a sitting position?"

"On the bed?" I asked nervously.

Grant nodded easily as he flicked at the camera settings. I sat gingerly on the edge, clasping my hands in front of me. He took some more photos, some with me looking directly into the lens and some with me gazing off wistfully.

"I suck at this," I complained. "Those two models were so good."

"That's because they were relaxed," Grant replied. "They were having a fun time."

"Of course they were having fun," I said. "They were practically doing the nasty right here on this bed."

"Is that a suggestion?" Grant asked with a wicked lift of his eyebrow.

"No!" I flushed.

"What would make you feel more relaxed?" he asked.

"I don't know," I murmured, pulling a pillow over and hugging it to my chest.

Grant lowered the camera again and came over to sit on the bed next to me. I thought he was going to give me some kind of pep talk about how there was nothing to be nervous about, how no one else was going to see those pictures if I didn't want.

A pillow smacked me in the face. I squawked and flailed backward.

"Jerk!" I cried.

Grant laughed as I scowled up at him from where I'd fallen onto the bed. I took my own pillow and swatted at his back.

"You sure you want to start this war?" Grant asked, holding his pillow up in both hands.

"You're the one who started it," I countered. "I'm going to win it."

And with that, the pillow fight was on. I shrieked and Grant grunted as we hit each other with as many pillows as we could grab. The hair I'd so fastidiously smoothed out was now a tangled mess again. Grant's own hair was no better.