“I think he’ll commithardwhen he can manage to lock down the right one.” She smirks at me.
I finish chewing my food, feeling awkward for how much I pried.
Please, please don’t tell him I asked.
“You should come by the house one night this week. Jack is starting today.”
Her eyes light up. “I’d love to! Amelia loves Jack. She goes to school with his daughter.”
“Well, I want you to bring her, of course. We can eat out on the deck and walk down to the beach.”
She nods. “That sounds perfect.”
“If you, uh, wouldn’t mind not mentioning the mural to Dayton, that would be great. I don’t think he’s going to be thrilled about it. I was waiting to tell him until I could make enough money with photography clients to cover the cost. I have a family shoot this evening.”
She laughs, holding her finger up to her lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”
It starts raining right after I finish my sunset photography session. I stay up late editing the photos before falling asleep with my computer still open on my bed.
I’m woken up by a loud noise that sounds like thunder. I sit up in bed, groggy and confused. My lamp is still on. I lie back down, shutting my eyes, until the banging happens again, and I realize it’s someone pounding on my door.
“What the hell?” I mutter.
It’s dark outside, and my alarm clock reads twelve thirty. My stomach knots as I climb out of bed, peeking through the curtain to see who it is. A Dayton-sized shadow is standing there, getting soaked in the rain. He has a duffel bag in one hand. My heart thumps an irregular beat. I walk over to the door and twist open the knob with a shaky hand. The last time he was at my door like this, I had accidentally texted him pictures of me in my lingerie.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, shivering when the cool rain splatters outside and splashes little droplets on my feet. My nipples harden.
His white dress shirt is soaked through, revealing his impressive chest and shoulder muscles. My mouth waters as he steps inside.
“Hey! You’re all wet.”
His presence fills the small studio. He doesn’t speak, but the hard set of his jaw and dark shadows in his gaze tell me he isnothappy with me.
“What do you want, Dayton? I was asleep.”
He drops his bag to the floor before reachingup to unbutton his shirt. My eyes bug out of my head. I remain motionless, watching him loosen each button, one by one.
If this is a part of the game, I might need to tap out now …
My tongue darts out to lick my dry lips. His eyes flicker down to watch the motion. His jaw tics, but he doesn’t say anything. He gets to the last button before peeling the shirt off his shoulders. I’m glad he can’t see the saliva pooling inside my mouth at the sight of his abs and the V dipping into his pants. Water is dripping down his skin like he’s in a damn cologne commercial.
My knees are quivering with the memory of his hand on my thigh. I’m seconds away from telling him I give up. I don’t want to play the twisted game anymore. He can gloat all he wants with his win, if he’ll just stop fucking with my head like this.
Before the words come out, he turns toward the bathroom and walks over to the beach towel hanging on a hook near the bathroom door. He grabs it, drying off his chest and abs. I try not to watch, but my eyes reluctantly follow the movement.
I just know he doesn’t skimp on his protein intake.
“I heard there was a new contractor on-site today.” He finally speaks. His voice is gritty and deep.
My eyes jump to meet his. My lips part.
Oh no. He knows about the mural.
chapter fifteen
Dayton
She’s standing there in her tiny yellow pajama shorts, honey hair in tangles around her shoulders. Her nipples are poking through the white tank top that reveals a sliver of her tanned stomach, and I’m suddenly questioning my sanity with the rash decision to take a last-minute flight from Miami to here.
