Page 28 of Enchanted

“Not at all.” Rami unfolded himself gracefully from the sofa he’d been reclined on. I had to force my eyes to stay on his face rather than his rippling muscles. It was almost impossible. I was in a relationship, but there wasn’t anything wrong with my vision.

I gestured to a wall that was thankfully free of artwork. “Just over here, please. I’ll get the lights moved.”

“Let me help.” Rami glided forwards, and before I could protest, he had a lighting rig in each hand. He looked at me expectantly. “Where would you like them?”

“Um, there and there.” I pointed. I felt a little helpless as this giant man manoeuvred my equipment with ease. “You don’t need to do that, but I appreciate it.”

“Happy to help.” The easy grin he gave me had my stomach swooping. “Is there anything else I can do?”

My brain unhelpfully gave me several ideas of ways it’d like Rami to help me. Or maybe it was my cock. One head was definitely doing more thinking than the other. Pull it together, Ethan. You’re a professional, damnit. A professional with a boyfriend.

“No, but thank you.” I smiled politely. The last thing I wanted was for Rami to have any inkling of how his presence was affecting me. Poor bloke probably dreaded having unscrupulous photographers drooling over him. Sam would never hire me again if I made Rami uncomfortable. “I’ll just be a minute or two while I adjust the settings. Feel free to take a break. We might not stop again for a while, so now’s a good time to grab yourself a snack or a drink if you’d like.”

Rami straightened suddenly, his head bobbing. “Good to know. I’ll be right back.”

He swept from the room, taking the fog of lust that’d settled over me since entering with him. I put my camera on a nearby table then pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes and gave myself a quick pep talk. Do not fuck this up. You need a job. Yes, Rami is attractive, but so are lots of people you’ve photographed. You’re a professional, for fuck’s sake.

And you have Dave. Dave who’s been at your side through the worst moments of your life.

Mostly.

That was enough to have my libido wilting. How could I so much as look at another man with all Dave had done for me? Sure, he had his shit moments, but he’d moved back to the UK with me. He hadn’t broken it off like so many people would have.

I owed him better than this.

I had my back to the door when I heard Rami return, reaching above me to shift one of the lights by a few inches. “I’ll be ready for you in about thirty seconds.”

“Actually, I’m going to need ten minutes, if that’s okay.”

I closed my eyes. He’d already had ten minutes. Maybe Rami wasn’t the easygoing model I’d pegged him for. But I bit my tongue and forced a smile to my face before turning. “Of course. Take as long as you need.”

Rami sat on the edge of one of the full sofas, a sizeable tray of charcuterie in front of him. “Great. Come join me.”

“Um, what?”

Rami smiled encouragingly, patting the sofa beside him. “Come, sit. Eat. If we’re not going to be stopping for a while then you need sustenance too.”

“Oh.” I rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You’re the one we need to keep in tip-top shape.”

He raised a brow and fixed me with a stern look that had me repeating my pep talk silently. “But what if you keel over from low blood sugar? You can’t get your photos if you collapse and break your camera.”

I found myself grinning. “That’s kind of a leap.”

Rami sighed, patting the cushion again. “Humour me. You had a long walk here from the bus stop today. I haven’t seen you so much as sip water since you arrived. Let me fuss a little.”

I hesitated. I was a little hungry, which was weird. Still wasn’t used to that sensation after the endless rounds of chemo.

“Please,” Rami said softly. “Join me?”

Well, that wasn’t fair. How was I meant to say no to those eyes? I wanted to know what acting school he’d gone to, because there was no way he’d learned that pleading, adorable, gaze on his own.

“Just for a few minutes,” I said, settling onto the sofa beside him. My stomach gave an approving rumble as the scents from the tray reached me. Mortified, I pressed my hand against my tummy and gave Rami a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.” He smirked. “I’m always happy to be proven right.” I watched with fascination as he loaded a cracker with several layers of meat before topping it off with a slice of cheese. It was kind of amazing how deftly he was able to manoeuvre given his size. “Here.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise. I’d thought he was assembling it for him. “Is that for me?”

Rami glanced down at the cracker before wincing. “Shit, are you a vegetarian? Vegan? Or is it just weird that I made it for you? My hands are clean, I promise. Fuck, sorry. I —”