He squared a challenging look at her. “Doyouwant me to go behind the divider?”
Umm…What would someone who was only interested in Duke as a friend say?
With the gaze of the group still pasted on her, Viv shook her head no. And then changed it to a nod instead. “Yes. I think it’d be best.”
A slow, triumphant grin formed at Duke’s lips as he held her gaze. Or maybe pompous was a better word for it. Whatever it was, the expression had Viv wanting to backpedal as he made his way behind the dividing wall.
“I mean,” she blurted, “if you’d like to make your underwear one of the article’s focal points, then go for it. There are a lot of curious women out there. You can answer that classicboxers or briefsquestion without a single word.”
Duke, who was behind the divider now, shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “But to answer your question—it’s both. They’re boxer briefs.” The divider suddenly looked much shorter with him there. It barely made it to his chest.
“It wasn’tmyquestion,” she assured, hating the protesting-too-much tone of her reply.
She dropped her gaze as she heard the unfastening of his zipper, and felt her face flush once more.
Aswooshhere and aswishthere, and suddenly Duke was lifting the pair toward Darnell over the dividing wall.
The face heat moved to the back of Viv’s neck next. She’d never had this type of an issue before. Not even when Tom the Bomb insisted on wearing a horrible pair of bright yellow speedo trunks for his final shoot.
Little miss Darnell, who was standing far too close for Viv’s liking, leaned closer as Duke pulled on the shorts. Another zip, a bit of fastening, and Duke stepped back into full view.
“There we go.” Rico motioned to Darnell. “Hand over the shirt, will you? And Duke, leave it unbuttoned unless Zee says otherwise, please.”
Darnell handed him the button up shirt, and Duke shrugged into it and pulled that brooding smolder he was famous for.
Rico threw his head back. “Yes. That looks perfect. We might want to give him a few dirt smears on his chest too.”
The redhead started to raise a hand, no doubt to volunteer for the job, but the photographer spoke up in reply.
“His chest will get dirty enough when we bring in the animals,” Zee said. “We’re ready?”
“Animals?” Duke said.
From somewhere among the group of assistants, a woman dressed in khaki from shirt to shorts stepped into the clearing with a sloth wrapped around her waist. An animal specialist, Viv gathered.
She watched, already entertained as Duke’s face lit up. “Hey, little buddy,” he said, putting his hands out palm up. “This is awesome. You going to join me for the picture, little guy, huh?”
The adoration on his face was a sight all its own. Viv glanced at the camera where it stood on a tripod, hoping Zee was getting video footage between shoots.
The sloth—with its squished little face, squinty eyes, and long, hairy arms—was cute. Very cute. But Duke’s adorable manner with the animal was stealing the show.
“That’s right,” Duke mumbled as the sloth moved from the assistant’s arms to his. A laugh echoed deep in his chest as he came face-to-face with the furry creature.
“Very good,” Zee guided. “Stay just like that…”
Viv was relieved that he’d been ready to catch the candid moment. An image of Duke’s genuine adoration of the small creature. Several moments and a hundred or more clicks later, and the specialist brought out a bird in next. Bright red body, rainbow colors at the wings, with a white face and beak.
“Is this a macaw?” Duke asked as the trainer neared him with the massive bird.
“Yes, a scarlet macaw. I’m going to place her on your shoulder,” she explained, doing that very thing with slow, gentle movements. “Then I’m going to take the sloth.”
The sloth, seeming to know it was the topic of conversation, cuddled into his chest.
“No no,” Zee blurted. “Don’t take the sloth just yet. Let’s get it with both animals first, and see if we can add the monkey next.”
Viv chuckled, enjoying the way Duke squirmed beneath the macaw’s curling claws at his shoulder.
“Easy, Polly,” he mumbled, making the crew laugh as well.
