“So, how nervous are you?” I said, because silence suddenly felt too loud. “My heart is going about a mile a minute right now.” My mouth ran away, like it usually did.
It worked, though, because his serious expression softened, his lips tilting up just a little more. He took a deep breath. “Very fucking nervous.”
“Okay, good.” I swallowed, then laughed at myself. “I mean, not good. Just—same.”
His brows drew together, his eyes flicking over me, his mouth twisting like he was trying to figure something out. “Do you still…” He gestured vaguely between us, glanced at Sadie, then back to me. “Want to do this?”
Now it was my turn to stare, stunned. “What do you mean? Like, I took one look at you and changed my mind?”
His jaw ticked, and he nodded after a beat.
I blinked, my brain trying to catch up to what I was feeling down to my bones—mysoul.
For some reason, I wanted to tell him everything. That I’d spent the last few years chasing the next rush, bouncing from one thrill to the next, hoping one of them would stick. That I’d thrown myself into stupid risks and distractions that burned too fast and faded just as quickly. And somehow, none of it had hit me the way he was right now, just standing there in front of me.
But that felt like a lot to put on someone I’d just met.
“No,” I said instead. “I’m into you.”
Another small lift of his lips. Almost a full smile. “Cool. Me too.”
My grin stretched wide at that. I rubbed my palms over my thighs. “Okay, so,” I said, glancing back at Sadie. “What do we do now, ringmaster? Give us something to work with while we warm up to it?”
Sadie chuckled as she lowered her camera.
Jessie ran a hand over his hair, looking like he didn’t know what to do with himself, and I found myself wanting to be the reason for that. Our eyes caught again, something unspoken passing between us.
Sadie cleared her throat softly, the sound pulling us just a little out of whatever bubble we’d slipped into.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s start simple. Just the two of you and the boards.”
Jessie and I both shifted as Sadie motioned us closer to the drier stretch of sand.
“Boards behind you. Let them frame you.”
I lifted mine and moved where she pointed, Jessie doing the same, until we stood side by side, boards angled just slightly toward each other, close enough that I could feel his warmth without even touching him.
“Perfect,” Sadie said, already lifting the camera. “Now just… relax. Look at each other. Forget I’m here.”
I glanced at Jessie, a small smile tugging at my mouth despite myself, and the way he looked back made my pulse stumble.
The shutter clicked.
“Want to try touching?” Sadie asked. “Nothing too crazy. Just a hand on his waist, Jessie?”
Jessie pressed his lips together, clearly nervous, his eyes flicking to mine in a silent check-in. I nodded. His rough fingers brushed my waist, warm and tentative. His hands were big, but the touch itself was delicate, controlled in a way that felt intentional.
I stepped closer, wanting to make him feel more at ease, my hand coming up to his arm, my thumb sliding over the ink of a bird in flight there.
“That’s beautiful,” I murmured, still looking at it.
“Thanks.” His hand stayed at my waist, a little steadier now.
My thumb drifted lower as I took in more of the artwork until I noticed something else. Thin red lines, uneven, scattered in different directions over his forearms. They didn’t look like cuts, though.
“Can I ask about this?” I said before I could stop myself.
Jessie’s brows drew together as he glanced down, then back up. “Oh.” A quiet laugh. “Yeah, sure. They’re burn marks.” He shrugged. “Comes with the territory.”
