*
On his wayto Hannah’s room, Darryn ran into Stephen White.Stephen and he had gone to school together, and when the man had reached out to him a few years back, saying he was also into fashion photography and asked for help with contacts, he’d reluctantly agreed.They had never been friends but, because of their school ties, Darryn did what he could to help him find work.
But he didn’t like the way the guy did things and stayed clear of him as much as possible.He nodded in Stephen’s direction and hurried past him.
He was way too early, but he couldn’t wait.
Everything he was going to say was clear in his head.This was a mistake, he couldn’t stay, he’d forward her the photos, hoped to see her again sometime.
He should know better.He’d made the rookie mistake of falling for a model when he’d started in the business.And he’d been on his way to buy a ring when he discovered she’d been two-timing, or actually three-timing, him all along.This was a very temporary business, models came and went, and so did photographers.So he’d learned to appreciate the beauty around him, but to steer clear of entanglements.It was better for business, way better for his heart.
Besides, he’d been considering his brother Don’s suggestions to join his hotel boutique business, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.His two other brothers, Dale and David, also seemed to be interested in joining Don.So to start a relationship or even just a fling at this point in his life simply didn’t make sense.
But then, today, he’d walked down to the beach and seen a woman draped in tulle, twirling, her long blonde tresses flying about her face.And then she laughed, and his camera started clicking before he realized what he was doing.
Hannah Sutherland.He’d heard about her of course.Everyone in the fashion industry knew or had at least heard of this model who, within the span of merely a year, had media heads, photographers, agents, and event coordinators falling all over themselves to have her on covers, grace their tables, and make events worth attending.
He’d never quite understood the hype.Models were usually exceptionally beautiful, and he had become used to being among gorgeous, half-naked women most of his days without breaking out in a sweat.Hannah Sutherland would just be another model he had been asked to photograph.
But the moment he’d laid eyes on her, pieces of a messy puzzle that had been floating around him since forever finally fell into place, and something inside him went,oh, there you are.And from that moment, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her.
Only after she’d left did he come out of his trance and realize to sleep with her would be repeating an old mistake.And he’d known if he were to be in the same room with her, alone, he would not be able to keep his hands to himself.He had to remember she was a model and probably had a string of lovers.
He could have sent her a message, probably should have.But he owed her an explanation.
He reached her room and knocked on the door.
It opened, and every rational thought in his brain simply evaporated.Dressed in shorts and a halter top, her blonde hair falling messily around her, she simply took his breath away, scrambled his brain and his heart surrendered.
He stepped in, shut the door behind him, and then she was in his arms.
*
There wasn’t anytime to catch her breath.She’d had a shower when she arrived in her room earlier, but she’d still been thinking about what to wear when there was a knock on her door.
She wasn’t prepared to find Darryn already standing there—it was way too early.He was dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, his eyes had turned to liquid chocolate, and her knees buckled beneath her.Before she could gather herself, his arms were around her, and he was kissing her like she had never been kissed before.
The smell of sunshine, summer, sandalwood, and spices surrounded her.Underneath her fingers, his heart tripped, her breath hitched in her throat as feeling took over from thinking, and her senses went into overload.
Her hands roamed over broad shoulders, reveled in the rippling of his muscles underneath her touch.She loved the hard contours of his magnificent body.
With a groan, he lifted his head.His eyes were smoldering as he gulped in air.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump you.”
She smiled, touching his face.“I’m not complaining.”
The words popped out before she could think about what she was saying.She was never this brazen.She was the shy one, the quiet one.But apparently around Darryn Cavallo, she turned into a completely different person.
His eyes darkened.With unsteady fingers, he lifted her hair from her shoulders, fisted his hand around it.
“Are you sure?”he asked.“Because if I kiss you again, I won’t stop.I don’t usually sleep with models,” he said and pressed her hair against his cheek, “but you…” His arms gathered her close.
“Well, then.What are you waiting for?”she whispered and boldly stepped between his legs.“And I… I’ve never slept with a photographer.”
*
He was adead man.That was his last coherent thought before a red haze moved in front of his eyes, and the roaring in his ears made it impossible to think, to rationalize, to plan.Hannah fit perfectly against his body, as if she’d been made especially for him.
Without taking his mouth from hers, he moved backward until they both fell onto the bed.He kept her body above him and all that glorious blonde hair tumbled forward, cocooning them both inside a small world all their own.
