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I placed my hand on her arm, halting her backward motion. “It’s okay.”
She lifted her chin toward me, swept her lashes down as she looked at my hand on her sleeve, then back up to meet my gaze.
I did not move my hand. The current of attraction between us was bold and powerful. I inched closer, close enough that her breath brushed my lips. Her tongue peeked out and did a languid pass over her lower lip.
I leaned into her, ready to taste, when the door swung open and slammed shut again. Catie jerked backward and pulled free of my grip, dropping her hand into her lap.
She cleared her throat, and the moment was lost.
Disappointed, I slouched in my chair. “What do you have to show me?”
“Show you?” Her forehead furrowed, as if confused. I waved in the direction of the computer she’d propped on the tabletop. She blinked. “Right. Hang on…”
She turned on the camera, and the screen of her MacBook flared to life.
And there I was, looking rugged and ready. She started flipping through the images in the order she’d taken them, pointing out various features she liked about each shot.
I whistled low as she paused on one. “Damn, lady. How many pictures did you take?”
“As many as necessary.” She looked at me expectantly and stopped the carousel of the images. When I didn’t return my eyes to the screen, she tipped her head toward the device, as if silently telling me to look at the picture, not her.
It was hard, but I tore my eyes away from her face and focused my gaze on screen.
“Holy shit! Is that me?” I leaned closer, practically pressing my nose to the screen.
She’d taken it after she’d asked me to move the Triumph into a sunspot in the parking lot. The trees behind me glowed an early summer-green color. My leather jacket looked almost bronze, and the grayish T-shirt under it stood out brightly. My hair, which needed a good trim, had highlights of gold in it, and my beard as well, alongside some winking silver strands. I scratched my chin, as if that could make the silver fade. The sunlight was soft on my cheeks. I was kind of frowning, but I looked like I had something playful on my mind. I distinctly remember the conversation we’d had while she was snapping away. I’d been feeling like a fashion model, and she’d encouraged that feeling to the point of us being a little silly. It was an amazing glimpse of several sides of me.
“It’s you,” she assured me. After a glance at my face, then back at the screen, she clicked the camera to advance the picture on display.
We looked at maybe fifty more pictures, me on the steps of the observation deck, standing, sitting, laughing and serious. Some pictures were just scenery shots but there were some incredible images of the sunset that deserved to be framed and sold in a pricey art gallery.
By the time she reached the end of the camera roll, I was dazed.
Joel returned at that moment and delivered our food. Catie shut down the camera, closed the MacBook, and moved everything out of harm’s way.
“How do you pick which one is best?” I asked as I plucked a crisp fry from the mound of golden potatoes.
She shrugged. “I look at a lot of different things. The art sheet, once it was interpreted correctly, gave me a couple clues in the music description. The words moody, romantic, and bluesy come to mind.”
“The same art sheet that had you turn me into a Viking?”
She laughed, then chomped on her burger. After she wiped her mouth, she grinned. “Yeah, that one. I made sure to confirm with Sheila the information on rest of the sheet, so I had a good grasp of the kinds of shot I wanted. Something atmospheric, but not depressing. You liked the initial background, so I wanted something that I could drop in against that, if needed.
“Anyway, with that in mind as I was taking pictures, I was able to frame what I figured I needed. I know which is my favorite, but now I’m curious. Which was yours?”
My cheeks puffed out as I blew a breath out, contemplating the question. “I’m partial to some of the first ones you took. In the parking area. There’s just something about them that stood out. But honestly, they are all fantastic and I’d be hard-pressed pick a favorite. You have impressive talent.”
She ducked her head and murmured, “Thanks.”
We ate silently for a spell. Well, mostly silently. Catie made some adorable noises of approval while she was eating. And damn if those tiny purring sounds didn’t make every part of my anatomy stand at attention, especially my dick. I gulped my sweet tea like a drowning man.
Catie wiped her fingers on a paper napkin. “Can I… I’d like to see the selfie you took. If I could.”
“Sure, give me a second,” I replied.
After cleaning my hands, I reached into my pocket and withdrew my phone. When I glanced at it, I realized it was my personal phone, the one I only used these days to talk to my dad. I’d snapped that picture of us at the tower on my work phone.
I shoved the first phone back in my jacket and leaned back to pull the other phone from the front pocket of my jeans.
