"I’d rather not," Eliano mutters, still a little awkward, but I grab his hand anyway.
It surprises me how much even that small move gives away, how much something in me has shifted, how much easier and closer everything between us feels now, and that thought leaves me oddly unsettled.
Also excited.
"Hey, you really do not want even one photo with me?"
His eyes drop, long lashes resting against his cheeks.
Then he looks up again, their bright gold nearly blinding me, almost trance-like.
I stare at him for a moment, a little dazed by how close we are, our faces nearly touching.
Eliano’s gaze drifts slowly, lazily, from my eyes down to my mouth, and I lick my lips without thinking.
Hugh waits patiently, but we ignore him completely.
Without really thinking, I tip my head forward just a bit, closing the distance, and Eliano’s eyes stay locked on my mouth.
Finally, he gives in and brushes his lips against mine, soft and light, and a pleasant shiver spreads through me.
My fingers find his forearm on their own, tracing the raised veins there, and my passage tightens instantly, like it’s been given an order, already slicking up, becoming ready, but then Eliano pulls back and says, "Okay."
I let out a breath.
Damn it.
I’m heating up like crazy, this ‘subtle’ heat really not so subtle.
Wait, did I start to accept that it’s the actual thing?
To distract myself, I turn toward Hugh, who’s been staring at us with open fascination, then quickly snaps out of it and says, "Great, then why don’t you stand over here."
"Alright," I mutter quietly.
Hugh positions us, and we take a few shots where we are mostly just sitting next to each other, but impatient Hughencourages Eliano to drape an arm over my shoulders, which he does, his face staying neutral.
Hugh takes a few more photos and then urges us even closer.
"Maybe a kiss? You’re such a gorgeous couple, it would look great."
"I’m not sure about that," Eliano murmurs, looking away.
"Hey," I say, catching his chin and turning his face toward me. "Why not? It’s nothing. It’s just for fun, something for me to remember."
Even as I say it, I realize how it could sound. Like a keepsake you grab on your way out. But it’s already too late. There’s a flicker in Eliano’s eyes, something like sadness, maybe a touch of anger.
"Come on, give it a try," Hugh encourages, kneeling with the camera ready.
"Yeah, fine," Eliano suddenly mutters.
He turns toward me, a faint darkness lurking in his eyes, almost a provocation. Suddenly he grabs me around the waist and pulls me in, sealing his mouth over mine.
Wow. The kiss is intense enough to scramble my thoughts. Eliano tilts me back slightly, his hands sliding over my back and side.
"Wow, great shots, so natural… erotic," Hugh murmurs, clearly pleased. "Like a movie couple!"
After a moment Eliano pulls away, though that slightly clouded expression remains.
