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And to take the next step.
Chapter Eleven
He was officially swimming in deep shit.
Seeing her at the photo shoot that morning made him feel like a high school kid. He brought her a cup of cocoa and watched her eyes light up as she drank it. Then she got to work with Jill and Lorelie on staging the living room for the cover, and he just stood there like a lovesick moron.
She was beautiful, yes. Sexy, undoubtedly. But those weren’t the main attributes that drew him to her. Her brain, her wit, her heart—those were what tied him up in knots. They were what made him wish he believed in forever, or had one iota of a clue how to give it to someone.
When he finally screwed his head on straight enough to watch the shoot, he realized he needn’t have bothered. As usual, she’d knocked it out of the park.
The living room had been transformed into a Christmas fantasy. A large, real tree decorated with multicolored lights and vintage ornaments stood in one corner. The large brick-faced fireplace burned and the quaint rocker beside the couch was draped in a Santa throw. Little touches around the room emphasized the feel of an old-fashioned holiday, right down to the bowl of ribbon candy beside a long, low sofa made for afternoon naps in front of the TV.
The photographer called instructions to Victoria and her team between takes, but he didn’t ask for much. Everything was pretty much perfect.
Except one thing.
“Hold on,” Cory said near the end of the shoot, when the photographer was about to zero in on an Americana-style teddy bear dressed like an elf. Three sets of faces turned his way. “These shots need something else.”
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. “Like what?”
He smiled. “You.”
“Huh?”
Her puzzlement made his smile widen. “Come sit here.” He walked behind the couch and patted the spot beside the bear. “Let the camera eat you up.” When she sat, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Before I do the same later.”
She blushed and his cock went from half-mast to hell yeah, who needs Viagra.
“You were adamant about just using location pictures. You said you wanted people to imagine themselves in the pictures, with no models to distract them.”
“You’re the only person who’ll be in them. They needed a little extra oomph.” As she bristled, he kissed her temple. “They needed you.”
Cory motioned to the photographer and stepped out of the shot.
After a few stumbles, she settled into her role. With the teddy bear tucked into her side, she posed, glittering just as brightly as the oversize snow globe on the end table beside the couch. And every now and then, Victoria winked at Cory, as if they were sharing a private joke.
Pride swelled in his chest. She was so incredibly talented, and as unique as the leaves starting to scatter outside the window behind her.
He wanted her, body, heart, and soul. Perhaps even for…life.
Was that crazy, considering they’d only been involved for a few weeks? The years before had been a sort of prelude, if one filled with potential violence on her end and perpetual annoyance on his counted as such. Still, they’d built a foundation. He had no doubt that she would challenge him every day for the rest of his existence. She would make him laugh, and turn him on, and make him dream about something beyond letters and numbers on a page. Having her in his life would make every bit of it worthwhile.
If he was canny enough, perhaps he could even persuade her it was all her idea. He could only imagine her reaction if he posed the question: “Hey, want to consider us making this fake love thing real?” If she got there on her own, she’d focus on getting him to see things her way.
He had a feeling he’d enjoy that.
At the end of the shoot, they went to an early lunch at the Chinese place near Value Hardware. He asked if she wanted to attend another event on Sunday and this time, there was no hesitation. She said yes right away.
So far, so good.
They held hands all the way back. Not by agreement, just a sort of fumbling finger bump that ended with him grabbing hold and her smiling instead of elbowing him away. It was relaxed and easy, as natural as turning to her in the middle of the sidewalk and kissing the strawberry lip gloss off her mouth. She tasted like bubble gum and peach iced tea and he caught himself rubbing his lips together all afternoon just to see if any of her flavor remained.
That night, she called before bed to say good night. After a full day of work on Saturday, he called her to do the same. Without saying it aloud, he knew they were both anticipating Sunday night’s party—and what would come after.
He wasn’t a romantic, and he didn’t believe in fairy tales. That was her department. But when she opened her door to him Sunday night with her golden hair coiled atop her head and her toned body draped in a column of black silk that fell from throat to toes—save the slit that stopped damn close to her rib cage—he fell hard. She wore diamond earrings and a tiny diamond stud in her nose, and neither sparkled brighter than she did. Somehow she’d bewitched him, and he didn’t want the spell to ever fade.
“You look like an angel,” he murmured.
