Danny (Models On Top #1) (23 page)

“Haha.”

I look for a place to throw away the underwear I was wearing with Reese, though I’m slightly, and sickly, tempted to hold on to them. Then I wise up. If they were hers, that would be a different story. When I don’t find a place to dispose of them, I start to stash them in one of the sneakers I wore here to deal with later.

Becs asks, “What are you doing?” She reaches down and snatches the underwear before I can stop her. She’s now waving them around dramatically. “You know I have to log these in for expenses, then I can trash them. Now get going. I know they’re waiting for you guys.”

Turning, I want to escape before she notices anything… you know, different about them compared to when I got them an hour ago.

“Danny?”

With my back to her, I reply, “Yes?”

“Next time, kiss her.”

Glancing back, I nod. Her cat-that-ate-the-canary smile evokes my own. “Okay.”

She doesn’t torture me. That’s not her style. She just gets back to work straightening the clothes rack, and as always, covertly covering my back—not just with clothes.

I round the corner and find Reese sitting next to Vinnie under the far umbrella. She has a cold bottle of water pressed to her cheek. I chuckle. She’s not the only one heated, and although it’s hot under this Texas sun, that’s bearable compared to what I feel for her right now.

I’m going to take Becs’s advice and kiss that woman as soon as I get the opportunity.

Bryker meets me on the next set—a bed with crumpled sheets. Bryker points to the mattress, and directs, “I want her sitting here and you standing facing her. I want her eyelevel with your abs. She’s going to be tugging the briefs down. I want you looking into her eyes. Work it from there. Do what you would do naturally. Start in that position, then move onto the bed from there.”

“All right.”

Glimpsing Reese out of the corner of my eye, she gets up, standing in front of Vinnie, putting her back to me. When I look over there, they’re talking, but I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it looks serious. Claudia joins Bryker and me just as Reese disappears around the building. When my eyes meet Vinnie’s, he’s not smiling. He’s not upset either. He’s too damn hard to read, so I try to focus on my job instead of worrying about what’s going on with Reese. I need to do my job.

It’s show time.

We get in the instructed position. Claudia has a black bra and matching panties. After checking that Bryker is ready, she runs her hands over my abs. The shirt is unbuttoned and a subtle breeze blows the ends. I keep my eyes on her though I’m tempted to look around for Reese to see if she’s returned. I’m sensing she hasn’t.

I try to clear my head and get into the photo shoot, but it’s a struggle. The wrong hands are on me. The wrong eye color. The wrong lips are licked. All wrong.
Fuck!

“You’re tense,” she says.

Taking a deep breath, I shake it off when I exhale. “I’m good. Let’s do this.”

Ten minutes feels like hours. I shift down just to mix it up. Bryker calls out, “Do what you were doing on the chair. That was sexy.”

The mental freak out happening in my head eclipses my logical side and I’m about to ask him what he saw, but Claudia pulls on my shirt as she scoots on the bed, and says, “I was sitting like this and you were leaning over me.”

Ohhhh!
That.

I position my hand over her shoulder mimicking the earlier shoot. But Bryker says, “Not what you did with Claudia.”

If a record had been playing, this would be the part when the needle skids across the album and the room goes silent. But there isn’t a record playing, not even a CD to set the mood. So I’m stuck between the confusion on Claudia’s face and the hope on Bryker’s face.

He adds, “What’s the hold up? We’re losing daylight.”

Claudia says my name. My glare shifts from the mattress to her. “What?”

“What’s wrong?”

What’s wrong?
I push off the bed, narrowly missing Claudia in my rush to Bryker. Standing a good six to eight inches taller than him, I can’t be face to face so I tilt my head to the side and look him straight in the eyes. “What do you think you saw?”

“I saw what you wanted me to see.” He doesn’t back down, even though I’ve made it fucking clear he should.

“It’s not what you think, so forget you ever saw anything.”

“It looked intense.”

“I was showing her how to model.”

He smiles out the side of his mouth. It’s distorted, untrustworthy. “Okay,” he placates.

Unfortunately, I’m not left with a lot of choice here. I can’t risk the campaign and we’re losing the light. “Okay,” I repeat, mine more threatening than his convincing.

I’m returning to the bed as he says, “Sure, Danny. Whatever you say.”

I lock eyes on his. “I don’t care what you
think
you saw. You didn’t. Now drop it before I walk.”

“And here I thought you were invincible. The ultimate male model playboy, but it seems you have an Achilles heel like the rest of us. Ours just don’t go by the same name.”

“For your sake, you better hope I don’t find yours.” He’s smart enough not to further the discussion, so I return to the bed.

Claudia doesn’t look shocked or surprised by the scene, but expressions aren’t her strong suit when modeling. She was just gifted with a pretty face and knows her angles.

Vinnie is standing nearby watching this go down, so I need to get the shots he’s paying me for. Redirecting my attention to Claudia, we get down to business.

HE LIED. DANNY
lied to me. As I stare at the proof in my hands, I look up and stare out the library window. Why would he lie about something so easily found out? What are his motives? What are his thoughts? I have no idea what he’s thinking anymore. We have been out of sync for a while, but what I thought was a temporary speed bump in our relationship might be turning into a dead end.

I tuck the magazine into the back of my notebook and slam it closed. He should be getting back any minute and I promised I would meet him at his apartment, so I pack up my stuff and take off across campus.

When I walk in, I hear the shower. I drop my bag by the door and head toward the sound of running water. The door to the bathroom is open, but I knock anyway not wanting to startle him.

Pushing the curtain to the side, he peeks out. “Hi.”

My heart flutters from his smile as if I’d forgotten how attractive he is. He’s gorgeous and I lean against the door as my knees weaken. “Hi.”

The curtain opens wider and he invites me in, “Join me.”

I’m tempted, but when I look in his eyes, I wonder what lies he’ll tell me this time. Pushing off the door, I step back. “I’ll wait for you out here.” I leave, not wanting him to try and convince me because I will. I’ll go to him, as I’ve missed him so much.

I get a glass of water and wait on the couch. The shower stops and I listen intently as he steps out. Rounding the corner, he stops and looks confused. “Why are you out here?”

With my glass held between both my hands over my lap, I say, “I wanted to give you some privacy.”

Chuckling, he says, “I don’t need privacy from you. I want the opposite. Remember, what’s mine is yours.”

“How did the shoot go?”

“Italy was incredible. I can’t wait to take you one day. There was this little bar we would hang out at until it closed at three a.m. That bar is hundreds of years old. It was really ama—”

I stand and set my water down on the coffee table, forgetting to use a coaster. Taking the magazine out of my notebook and bag, I walk over and hand it to him. I return to the couch, this time, hugging a pillow to my chest and watching him as he studies the magazine. “You saw the ad?”

“I did.”

He tosses it to the coffee table almost hitting the glass. He tightens the towel around him, frustrated, “I should get dressed.”

“Probably.”

I hold his gaze until he turns with a heavy exhale and goes to his bedroom. I’m not kept waiting long. He reappears minutes later, walking around the corner rubbing his hair with the towel. He tosses it into the bathroom then returns to sit in the chair near me. “You obviously have something on your mind. Should we talk about it?”

“I’m not sure I can talk. I’m mad, but more than that, I’m hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, Danny?”

“Whatever will make this better.”

There’s something insanely sweet about his sentiment and I understand his desire because I feel the same. This can’t be solved that simply. “You lied to me.”

“I lied,” he says, jumping at the chance to make this go away. “I’m sorry.”

“I just wish it was that easy, that straightforward. But it’s not. I’m now left wondering what else you’ve lied to me about.”

“Nothing. I swear to you.”

“You’re saying you’ve only lied to me that one time?”

“I kissed her. I was new and thought it would be a one-time thing.”

“It won’t be?”

“No, Reese. It won’t.”

I wanted him to tell me the truth, but it stings. My mind wanders to what’s really happening when he’s gone. “Did you kiss someone in Italy?”

“I did,” he replies instantly, not even attempting to ease my mind. “And I will again. But I can tell you it’s for work, nothing more. I’ve never kissed anyone off camera other than you since the day we met.”

His honesty incites traitorous tears that prick the corners of my eyes. As they fall down my cheeks, he moves closer, sitting on the edge of the coffee table, his knees trapping mine. The spot is cramped, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with him. “I can fight you on this.”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you and you know I’m telling the truth.” Picking up the magazine, he holds it between us. “These are photos, professional photos to convince people we’re a couple to sell a product.
This
will never be
us
. These photos portray an illusion.” He drops the magazine and takes my hands in his. “We’re real, Reese.
Real
. They can’t touch what we have. They can’t manufacture what I feel for you.”

My heart is torn between wanting to believe him and what seeing those photos did to my trust. I love him. It’s that simple. Leaning my forehead on his shoulder, his hand rubs down my back.

Kissing my head, he adds, “I love you. I need you to believe in what we have.”

“Do you?” I whisper.

“More than anything else in my life. I have you. I have someone worth coming home to.”

“I’m not sure I’m strong enough to deal with this.”

“You are,” his voice dropping down. “You’re stronger than you realize.”

Lifting my head, my gaze follows and lands on his. “I’m strong when we’re together. When we’re apart, I don’t know what to believe.”

“Believe in me.”

I TAKE THE
stairs by two, sprinting down the hall. Knocking, I say, “Reese, open up. It’s me.”

I knock again.

“Come in.”

When I open it, she’s standing in a room full of sunshine but with what looks like heartache on her face. I push the door closed as I close the distance between us. Despite her hands starting to come up, I kiss her before the words can be said. Before regrets are spoken. Before history repeats itself.

I kiss her until faith is restored.

I kiss her until she remembers how good we can be.

I kiss her until she believes in me…

Again.

Suddenly things change and she’s now kissing me.

Restoring my faith.

Reminding me how good we are together.

Believing in me.

Again.

Her hands are on my shoulders, and she’s stretching to kiss me. I bend and lift her into my arms. Her legs wrap around me and I move her to the bed, slowly lowering her onto her back while staying right where I want to be.

The dress she’s wearing gives me access to run my hands down her outer thigh while I press my erection against her. She squirms and maneuvers around, settling on top of me. She’s breathing hard, her hair is a mess, and her lips are red from uninhibited kisses. Her palms hold me down when all I want to do is drag her under me and kiss her again.