“Ouch.” He barks a loud laugh, and I can’t help but join in.
“Wait, wait,” I say through my laughter, “there are more. Wheeled war crime. Insurance companies’ worst nightmare. Motorized middle finger.”
“Oh my god,” he gasps, “you really gave these some thought.”
“Somuch thought,” I agree, and he shakes his head with that enormous smile tearing across his face. “One more.”
“Go on, then.”
“Highway hemorrhoid.”
We’re both laughing so hard I don’t realize that I’ve wiggled further into his lap, my fingers digging into his forearm while he cups my torso with his giant mitt of a hand. My skirt slides down my leg again, and Aaron’s gaze shoots over to track the flash of skin.
“You two are naturals,” Sadie says as she sits back. “Come check these out.”
Aaron gives my side a squeeze as I push off his lap and climb to my feet.
I reach for him, and he flashes me that sweet grin as he takes my hand. After I help him stand, we turn towards Sadie.
His palm lands on my lower back, and suddenly, all I can focus on is the pressure on my spine.
Sadie sends us a smile before she turns around, and we peek over her shoulders as she flips through the collection of pictures. The first few are stiff and obviously posed, but as she continues to flip, we both relax. Our smiles become genuine, and our postures loosen.
One stands out to me, and I stare at it as Sadie and Aaron exchange a few words I tune out. The image has Aaron biting his lip like he’s trying to keep his grin in check, and I’m smiling up at him. His fingers press into my side, and mine ring around his arm.
If someone else showed me this picture of two strangers, I would assume they were an established couple. Aaron’s hand flexes against my back as I glance over at him, finding his eyes not on the camera, but on me.
“Beautiful,” he says, and that damn lip pulls between his teeth again.
My stomach swoops, and I cannot be blamed for staring at the pinch of soft flesh as another of his tiny grins spreads.
“The two of you have really amazing chemistry.” Sadie lowers the camera and turns, nodding between us. “One more pose before I’m going to toss an idea at you.”
“What sort of idea?” I ask, but she waves for us to follow as she walks towards the empty building.
Aaron’s hand stays on my lower back as we trail after her. She paces around the corner, holding her camera to her eye and framing a few angles before she nods to herself.
She instructs me to lean against the wall, and I obediently rest my back against the brick.
Aaron feels even bigger as he steps into my space. My fingers loop his suspenders like she asks, though the snap of the elastic against his chest is all me.
“Whoops,” I say innocently when he yelps.
“Bend your knee, Devon,” Sadie calls over. “Put the bottom of your foot on the wall. Yep, just like that. Now, Aaron, move your left leg between his and lean closer…”
Aaron’s thick thigh slots between mine, the texture of his jeans rough against my bare skin. My fingers tighten against his suspenders at the gentle friction, and he eyes me as though he can read my thoughts.
“Devon, pull him forward,” Sadie calls. “ Make a gap between the suspenders and his chest.”
Aaron makes a quiet noise in his throat as I tug him closer. His forearm lands on the brick wall above my head as he looks down at me, and my heart rate ramps up. His lips are directly in my line of sight, curved into one of those tiny smiles.
“I was… maybe, sort of, kind of a dick earlier,” I say, and he tilts his head in question. “When you almost hit…” I trail off and clear my throat as I correct myself. “When we almost wrecked.”
“Yeah, maybe, but you werecute,” he says, and my cheeks heat. “Up in arms in the middle of the street like that. You were like a pissed-off little poodle.”
“I’m not little,” I argue, and he chuckles.
“No?” The suggestion in his tone makes my face burn even hotter.
