Page 50 of In The Dark

She gathered her plate and headed into the kitchen. The dishwasher was still half-full from this morning’s breakfast dishes, so she stacked her plate on top, shut the door, and flicked the kettle on just to feel like she was doing something.

And then her phone buzzed. The vibration rattled gently across the worktop, drawing her attention to it immediately.

Jo.

Her name lit up Amelia’s screenandher face like a flare.

Hey. Just wondering if you still wanted me for the photography thing?

Amelia wiped her hands on a tea towel and picked up her phone, staring at the message for a moment. It was innocent enough, but something stirred inside of her. She couldn’t resist.

The property shoot or the lingerie one?

She hit send before she could back out, her pulse racing a little faster. A smirk tugged at her mouth as she moved into the living room, her phone stillfirmlyin her hand.

Jo would likely squirm her way out of it with a clever comeback and an eye-roll emoji.

But then her phone lit up again.

I mean, I’m up for taking photos of you in lace. I can’t promise the lens won’t crack, though!

Amelia’s breath hitched. That wasn’t squirming, and it absolutely wasn’t avoidance. That was Jo bitingback.Oh, God. Her thumb hovered over the screen as she stood in the middle of the room, stunned. She hadn’t expected Jo to rise to the bait. Not with that level of certainty in her tone. There was humour, yes, but it was laced with something else entirely.

Confidence. Flirtation. Desire.

Amelia slowly lowered herself to the couch, one leg tucked under her, and typed back.

I may just hold you to that.

Jo didn’t hesitate. Her reply was instant.

Maybe I’m hoping you will.

Amelia stared at the message. Her body answered before her mind did, that subtle ache low in her stomach returning with sharp clarity. She could still hear the way Jo had moaned for her the night before. The way her voice had broken around Amelia’s name.

And now this? She’d been expecting space and avoidance. For Jo to be Guarded. Instead, she had a woman on the other end of the phone whowasn’tplaying innocent anymore.

She ran a hand through her hair, her pulse racing in her throat. This thing between them wasn’t cooling off. It was catching fire. And maybe, just maybe, Jo wasn’t as afraid of the flames as she thought she was.

She stared at Jo’s last reply and grinned. “Oh, you’re in so much trouble.”

Amelia’s fingers tightened around her phone. There was no way she could rein herself in. She could see Jo in her mind’seye, curled up on her couch or sprawled across her bed, hoodie sleeves tugged over her hands, chewing her lip as she sent that message. That mixture of confidence and vulnerability. That spark of mischief she never let anyone else see.

With a slightly shaky breath, Amelia typed back.

You know I’d be honoured to lie in lace while you snapped pictures of me. Maybe I’ll even let you pose me.

She swallowed, desperate for Jo to respond.

Fuck!You’re going to kill me.

Amelia smirked, biting her bottom lip as her heart started to race furiously.

I would never. Imagine the fun I’d miss out on. Still, death by lingerie sounds like quite a pleasant way to go, don’t you think?

Amelia was playing with fire, and she knew it, but right now, she didn’t care. Something had shifted between them last night, and before Jo came to her senses, she wanted to have a little fun.

I’m more concerned about trying to keep my hands off you during a shoot like that. That’s definitely the end of my career right there.