Page 90 of Hideaway Heart

“Sure.” Her eyes closed again.

My bag was lying in the corner of the bedroom—Kelly had moved it in there earlier in the week. I pulled my camera from it and switched it on. But rather than focus the lens on her, I went and sat down at her side. Brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “Hey.”

She opened her sea glass green eyes. “Hey.”

I braced my arm on the other side of her. “I want you to know I don’t take this lightly.”

“Me neither. And if these pictures pop up online without any Photoshopping, I’m going to be really mad.”

“I’m serious, Kelly. I understand the level of trust this takes. And I know you’re in a no-trust zone right now.”

“You sort of exist outside the zone for me.”

I half-smiled. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “It’s like you’re part of this other world, where there’s just the two of us. And I’m safe in this world. I can’t really describe it, but that’s how I feel. Nothing that happens here can hurt me.”

“It’s the truth,” I said, and I meant it. “You are safe in this world.”

She smiled seductively. “Then take my picture, Xander Buckley. I want to know how you see me.”

“I’m not sure any photograph I take will do you justice.” I stood up and switched the camera on. “But I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge.”

“Just tell me where you want me.”

“Like that. Just like that.” I snapped her lying there on her back with one arm curved overhead, the other at her hip, that sunset hair framing her face. I worked quickly, so I wouldn’t lose that gossamer light.

Kelly was a gifted model—knowing intuitively how to angle her head, lift a shoulder, tilt her chin. She had graceful, supple limbs and beautiful lines. She revealed different sides of herself—wide-eyed and playful one moment, then heavy-lidded and provocative the next. Unabashed, she let the sheet fall away as she turned onto her stomach and looked over her shoulder, as she rolled to one side and lay her cheek on an arm stretched overhead, as she tipped onto her back and arched up off the mattress.

She was day and night. Light and dark. An angel and a temptress. As I clicked again and again, somewhere it registered that this was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen, but it didn’t feel salacious or tawdry. It felt like the greatest gift I’d ever been given.

Eventually though, my body did respond to all her inviting poses and suggestive expressions, especially when she touched her bottom lip with a fingertip and rubbed gently.

“You’re very good at this,” I told her, setting my camera back in my bag.

“I’ve had some practice.” She laughed. “Not that I’ve ever been photographed completely naked.”

“Never?” I crawled into bed with her.

She shook her head. “What about you? Have you ever taken anyone’s picture like you just took mine?”

“Nope.” Stretching out beside her, I pulled her close to me, and she flung a leg over my hips and an arm over my chest. “I never even thought about it.”

“Seriously? Why not?”

I had to think about the question for a minute. It’s not like I didn’t have an appreciation for female bodies before her. “Well, first of all, I’ve never seen anyone look as beautiful as you did in that light. I’m not really a stick-around-until-morning kind of guy. Not that I’ve been a jerk about it,” I said quickly, “but I don’t really stay the night.”

“How come?”

“Gives the wrong idea.”

“Ah.” She ran her fingertip along my collarbone. “So I guess I was just lucky then, that you had no choice but to spend nights with me.”

I laughed. “Pretty sure I’m the lucky one.”

“You could have taken the photos at night. Before me, I mean.”

“I guessI could have, but I’m telling you the truth when I say the idea never occurred to me. I’ve never wanted to capture someone like that before.”