She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “That’s howtalentis measured, then? By taking your breath away? By your wise judgment.”
“Yes, I’m wise. Listen to your elders.”
She glares at me, yet smiles. “Don’t start with the old stuff again. Now, be a good boyfriend and hang my security cameras.”
“A good boyfriend might need some encouragement,” I say, walking around the island and taking her hips into my hands. My hunger takes over and I press down on her gorgeous thickness, then pull her toward me.
She places her hand on my chest, pushing me slightly away. But her eyes are lit up, and her breath is coming fast. “Is that the only sort of encouragement you understand?”
I want to slip my hand up her leg, squeeze between her legs, feel the slick admission there, the same ache that’s gripping me.Making my rod grow hard and steely in my pants, even with the emotional war I’ve put her through.
I step back, smiling shakily. “No, Sunshine. Take more photos. Go findyourcamera.”
She flushes, turning away. “Ha, ha.”
“I’m not joking.”
“You should be. I don’t do that anymore. It was silly and juvenile, and when Mom and Dad’s money runs out, I’ll need to get an actual job.”
“I’m not saying dedicate your whole life to it,” I say fiercely. “But give yourself a goddamn shot.”
“Goddamn? Why do you have to get so angry about it?” She steps forward, fired up, hands clenched into fists at her sides.
I grab her arms and pull her in for a kiss. She gasps at first, pushes against me, but quickly softens, grips my shirt and pulls herself even closer. I glide my hand around her luscious hips, then pull her somehow closer. I’d pull her into me if I could, melt into her.
“You’re… intoxicating,” she says breathily. “Is that something people say? Or is that just plain cheesy?”
“Plain or any other kind,” I groan. “Be as cheesy as you want as long as you keep those kisses coming.”
She leans forward and pushes herself against me. I taste her, caress her tongue, loving the way she shivers against me, how she claws onto me like I’m the only thing keeping her grounded.
“What’s it worth to you, then, for me to find my camera?” She says, all breathy again, making me tight and hard as hell.
“Everything,” I tell her.
She leans back, delighted and powerful. So beautiful it hurts somehow. She seems like she’s playing the role again, or maybe that’s just what she does. Buries things. Rides the waves of good feelings so she isn’t crushed by the bad.
“Okay, well, it’s a hot day. So if you want to work shirtless… I’ll understand.”
I chuckle. “That’s a fair trade.”
She turns away, looking at me over her shoulder, just like she did in the gym. That gorgeous power fills her eyes. She knows I can’t look away from that creamy ass pressed into those jeans, all her begging for me. Her smile twitches, and she walks down the hallway.
I tear off my shirt and lay it on the counter, then walk out to the door. I scan the trees, the road, everywhere. My gun grinds into my back as I lean into the pickup to grab the biggest box.
It turns out she has a toolbox. So, I get to work, doing the front-facing cameras first. I want a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view.
No one gets to sneak up on her. Never.
She appears at the doorway around fifteen minutes later. I’m on a stepladder, mounting the first camera. She looks up, a camera of her own on a strap around her neck, a soft smile on her face. Nervous, flighty.
“Look what I found,” she says, then laughs adorably. “Or maybe I found it in a minute, then spent a long time just staring at it like a doofus.”
“I kind of love and hate that you use the word doofus, Sunshine.”
She smiles, a real one. “Anyway, you can get on with your work. I’ll just be, you know…”
I laugh. “So I’m the subject, am I?”
