Wilt stirred in the milk, and took his fill of the surrounding area. There were some people strolling past, looking with interest at what was happening. He expected there to be a crowd by the end of the first session, although the island employees would encourage them to move on.
This really was at least a two or three-man job, and for a normal security company, it would be. But for him, he could deal with it. He’d had to manage much larger crowds of people by himself when he’d been deployed, and most of those people weren’t as friendly as the people on the holiday island.
“Are you always looking for danger?”
Wilt tensed. He hadn’t heard her approach, but he should’ve smelled her. The scent of roses surrounded him, and he breathed deeply, letting it settle over him. “It’s my job too.”
In the early morning light, she looked more breathtaking than she had the previous evening. Her face was fully made upand her long black hair fell around her shoulders in effortless curls. She had on a pale pink dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline. The garment floated softly around her ankles. The fabric appeared to be light and almost gauzy, but not see through.
Considering the location, he thought they might put her in swimwear instead of a dress.
“You look stunning.” The words tripped off his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say them at all. It was the least professional thing he could say.
“Thank you, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. The jewelry is the main event today. I’m only the backdrop for the pieces.”
A gorgeous backdrop.
This time he managed to keep those words trapped inside him.
He really needed to get himself under control. He couldn’t be saying this shit to a client. The weird thing was, he’d never said anything like that to any of the other female clients he’d been responsible in protecting.
Neither had he kissed them like he had Indigo.
He was in major trouble.
Chapter
Seven
“Turn your head to the left and angle your chin up a fraction.” Vincent, the photographer barked the order, and Indigo did as requested. “Louella, fix her dress.”
She was used to photographers being short and snappy with her. They were doing their job, and afterwards, they were always friendly with her. This one would be no different. At least she hoped so. There was a vibe about him that suggested the friendliness he’d showed to her yesterday wasn’t his true nature. At least his assistant, Louella, was friendly. She’d mouthedsorrya few times when he’d been a little heavy handed with his instructions.
Indigo had been around enough not to let how a photographer treated her on a set bother her. They had a job to do and so did she. At the end of the day, all that mattered was getting the best shot and showcasing what she was modelling.
Louella rushed up and straightened the back of her dress. “I’m so sorry he’s like this. You look beautiful. I don’t know why he’s complaining.” Her voice was pitched low so that only Indigo could hear it.
“It’s fine. We all want the same thing.” She would’ve smiled at the girl, but she didn’t want to incur Vincent’s wrath for doing something when she shouldn’t have.
The assistant grinned and backed away, giving Indigo a thumbs up.
“Much better,” he said, as the sound of the shutter being depressed reached her.
The diamond drop earrings she was wearing were stunning. They were the only items being photographed today. She’d had a couple of outfit changes, but she thought the first dress she had on was the best outfit that showed them off.
She would love to be able to buy them. Owing a piece of Jeffrey Courteux jewelry was every woman’s dream. Maybe she would look at one of the other pieces in his collection that weren’t quite as expensive as what she was wearing. She’d heard them muttering that the earrings were worth nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Before she’d put them in, she taken a good look at them, and the diamonds, along with the sapphires and rubies, were all flawless.
“Okay, we’re done,” the photographer announced, shoving his camera at Louella and striding over to the refreshment tent. The tension in the air diminished, as if everyone had let out a collective deep breath. He was one of the best photographers in Australia, but his attitude stunk. The only reason he kept getting hired was because of how good his shots were.
Indigo rolled her shoulders and neck, relieving the tight muscles. Her gaze sought out Wilt’s, but like every other time, his focus was not on her, but on the crowd of people who’d gathered around when it became apparent something exciting was going on.
He hadn’t spoken a word to her after uttering that she looked stunning. He’d walked off shaking his head, as if he was annoyedat her or himself. It bothered her a little, but then she let it go. If she continued to think about it, it would reflect in the photos, and she didn’t want to waste anyone’s time with having to take more shots than necessary.
“You were amazing, Indigo. Greta was right when she told me you would be perfect for this collection. I always listen to my wife,” Jeffrey finished with an indulgent smile.
Indigo froze for a second, not expecting him to be the one to come up to her. Greta, yes, because they’d already chatted a few times, but not the designer himself. She’d done her research on him when she’d been given the job, and had found that for years he’d lived a reclusive existence until he’d met his wife. There was a story there, and she would love to hear about it.
