Jeremy rounded the corner, saying, “Who’s got coffee?” in a voice that sounded like death. When he saw Marcus standing there, he stumbled and would have fallen into the pool if Chloe hadn’t caught his arm in the nick of time.

“M-Marcus.”

“Feel free to have at my coffee maker.”

Their mother had raised them to accept everyone–gay, straight, whatever–and Marcus had always dealt well with Jeremy’s adoration, careful not to feed into it, or give any false hope, without being mean about it.

Still, when Jeremy opened and closed his mouth without saying anything, Chase was glad when Chloe wrapped her hand more firmly around his arm, and said, “I’ll go with you and you can tell me what we’re working with today. I can’t wait to get my hands on more beautiful clothes.”

When they’d disappeared inside the house, Marcus said, “Is Chloe working for you now?” Chase quickly explained about Alice. “Sounds like Chloe is saving the day left and right for you,” Marcus noted. “Maybe you should add her to your permanent team.”

“I want her to be more than a part of my team.”

Marcus didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Have you told her this?”

“No.” He already knew what she’d say if he did. “I need to find out what happened to her the night I picked her up.”

But even then, even if she eventually trusted him with her past, with her troubles, he wasn’t convinced she’d choose to stay with him…or that she’d choose to love him.

* * *

Chloe did even better her second day, as if she’d been born to the job. Even when he did a host of water shots, needing each of the models to get into the water, she wasn’t afraid to get right in there with them. After falling in, she emerged with a giggle, then repeatedly held her breath and went under the water to make adjustments with needle and thread and clips and pins.

He was switching to a different camera when he was stopped by the sweet sound of her laughter. Unable to keep from staring, he saw her there in the pool, surrounded by sun and blue sky and a group of people who had all come to quickly adore—and respect—her.

* * *

Dinner with the models and crew that night was full of laughter, especially when Jeremy urged Chase to share his stories of life on the road.

As flan was brought out for everyone, Chloe was wiping away moisture from her eyes from laughing at one of his better tales. “Please, be serious. No matter what anyone says, I refuse to believe you actually walked into the cage at the zoo with the lions.”

“I most certainly did,” he said in a mock-offended voice. “They were eating out of my hands.”

“More like preparing to eat your hands,” she shot back.

He shrugged, spooning up some dessert to feed to her. He couldn’t have been more pleased when she ate it off his spoon without even the slightest hesitation. “See,” he said for her ears only, “eating right out of my hands.”

She rolled her eyes, but the flush that began to creep across her cheeks told him she was only just realizing how close the two of them had been tonight. He’d repeatedly touched her hands, brushed stray locks of hair away from her lovely, expressive face, and just plain stared at her like a lovesick teenager all night long.

“Did your mother know you did this?”

He grimaced. “Not exactly.”

Everyone else was talking about other things by now, but Chloe didn’t drop the lion photos. “Please tell me you were younger. And way stupider.”

He put on his most solemn face. “I was.” He waited a beat. “It’s been a good year since that assignment.” He could see her trying not to smile. And failing. “Would you have been worried about me, lovely Chloe?”

Her mouth parted slightly at the word and he realized his mistake when he went from half-mast to rock-hard in a millisecond. He’d needed to join his crew and models tonight. But every second he was here with the group was one less he was alone with Chloe.

“Would it have mattered?”

He held her gaze, suddenly serious. “Yes, it would have mattered. If I had known you back then, I never would have risked everything for the perfect photo.”

“No?”

He slid his hand over hers beneath the table. “No.”

But he’d risk everything for her.

Chapter Eleven

The moment they stepped inside the guest house, Chase kissed Chloe the way he’d been dying to kiss her all day. He kissed his way from her sweet mouth to the pulse point in her neck and felt her heart race beneath his lips, his tongue.

“You have such lovely, soft skin.” He slid the straps of her silky top from her shoulders. “Such lovely, responsive br**sts.” He pressed kisses over the swells that rose up out the top of her bra. “And you make such lovely little sounds when I’m kissing you.”

When he looked back into her eyes, they were dark with desire. Along with the growing emotion she simply wasn’t able to hide from him.

He’d wanted to take his time with her tonight, wanted to love her slow and easy, take all night if he had to. Instead, he was saying, “I can’t wait another second,” just as she said, “Hurry.” She slipped her panties off as he yanked off his pants and boxers.

“Please tell me you have a condom,” she said and, thank God, he did have one that he’d stashed in his pocket that morning just in case an opportunity arose to sneak away from the shoot and make love to her.

A moment later he was sheathed and lifting her up so that her dress bunched up around her waist. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his hips as he drove into her.

She gasped out his name and he found her mouth and kissed her. But it was more than a kiss. And what they were doing together was so much more than a quickie against the front door.

* * *

Her tongue laved the spot on his shoulder where she’d bitten down into a tendon as she’d come apart in his arms. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She looked stunned by what she’d done to his skin. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

Beyond glad that she was starting to really let herself go with him, he said, “You’re the one who’s going to have bruises from the door if I don’t get you into the bath right away.”

Her legs still wrapped around his hips, he carried her through the house to the bedroom. Continuing to the bathroom, he kept her right there on his lap as he turned on the taps and tested the water. “Perfect.”