Chapter 04
Holy fuck, she was gorgeous. Not pretty. Not cute. Not attractive.
No, she was stop-every-function-in-my-body gorgeous.
My entire world narrowed down to the space between us. The light breeze faded, and the sound of Sadie photographing us disappeared. Every anxious buzz that had weaseled its way under my skin vanished, falling silent.
All I could do was stare.
The sun burned bright behind her, turning the edges of her long red-gold hair into molten light. It caught on the loose waves in an ethereal way as if she’d walked right out of my dreams. Sunlight glinted off her wide hazel-green eyes, illuminating every bright fleck of gold dancing in them. Freckles dusted her cheeks and nose, and Lord help me, I wanted to count every single one of them.
And her smile.
Oh, her smile was everything. Her head tilted slightly as she watched me, the slow spread of her lips taking over her whole face in a warm and genuine expression. It wasn’t practiced or intentional. It was the kind of smile that happened when real joy caught you off guard. The kind that was infectious and untamed.
Some distant, barely functioning part of my brain made a mental note to thank Rhodes for making me change. I would’ve looked like a damn mess next to the effortless style of her leather shorts, cutout tank, and laced ankle boots. The simple outfit was an entire statement on her.
Especially with the tattoos that spilled from the curve of her neck and covered every inch of her body. My gaze tracked slowly over them, taking in the blooming flowers and spiraling vines inked in delicate lines across her skin. My fingers itched with a need to touch them. I wanted to memorize every single one of them until they were burned permanently in my mind.
I didn’t even realize I was staring at her mouth until she spoke.
“Hi,“
she whispered, and my gaze flicked up to meet hers.
The single pinky hold melted into our fingers laced together, as if her hand belonged in mine. The warmth of her touch was grounding in ways I had never imagined, but it did nothing for the stunned storm dominating my brain.
“Oh, you’re gorgeous,“
I blurted out, completely unfiltered. Heat rushed up my neck, burning my cheeks as I immediately covered my face with my hands. God, I couldn’t even go one minute without embarrassing myself, could I?
Her laughter spilled out in a breathy wave that made my blush burn hotter. Before I could recover—before I could fix the mess I was making—her arms slid around my shoulders.
The feel of her had my body buzzing with anticipation while my brain struggled to catch up.
The spicy, floral tones of her perfume were all-consuming as they wrapped around me. My brain instantly latched onto it as if it had just discovered a new definition of safe. I breathed her in, dizzy on it.
“You’re adorable,“
she said softly.
And just like that, I knew I was in trouble. This was dangerous. She was dangerous. No one had ever affected me in such a catastrophic, wanting way.
“That’s one word for it,“
I mumbled. This was far from the first impression I wanted to make on her. My arms circled her waist as I hugged her back. Her forehead touched mine, and those long lashes fluttered playfully as we stood there.
Just stood there.
With Sadie taking pictures of us the whole time.
All my self-awareness came rushing back to me. Every click of the camera, every ooh and awe, and every little brush of the wind overtook me. I became acutely aware of the way I stood, how I held my weight, the angles of my body. Was I doing this right?
Fuck, what were we supposed to do from here?
“Admittedly, I don’t know how to move past this part,“
I announced with an apologetic smile. “Small talk isn’t exactly my thing, and I’m not good at posing, or not posing… I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be doing here.”
I’d been shot at, and somehow, this was more uncomfortable. Obviously, my people skills were a little rusty, especially around someone so far out of my league like May.
“Hmm.“
She leaned back, and her hands slid down my arms to find my hands, setting my skin on fire at the contact. “Walk with me?”
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!“
Sadie chimed in. “I’m just going to steer you two… that way.”
She pointed down one of the winding paths that the vineyard owners had carved into the field when they grew it. There were dozens of them, making it easy to get lost in and wander among the sunflowers. Normally, the idea of just wandering without direction would’ve bothered me, but May’s hand in mine made it the easiest choice in the world.
We adjusted our direction, and I let May drag me down the path. I’d follow her anywhere.
“Can I confess something?“
May asked.
“That depends on what you’re planning to confess,“
I replied. “If this is one of those… tell me and then kill me kind of things, I think it’s better if you don’t.”
She laughed—genuinely laughed—as if the stupid joke was remotely funny. It wasn’t. But the fact that I was the one making her laugh had me smiling like an idiot. I was so caught up in the sound of her laugh that I was almost oblivious to the steady clicking of Sadie’s camera as she followed us silently.
“I was so nervous about what we’d be doing that I looked up silly questions to ask to get to know someone.”
“That’s actually really smart.“
I should’ve done that. “What kind of questions?”
“What would… your secret spy code name be?“
she replied.
“Oh, fuck,“
I mumbled. What kind of question was that? Favorite color? I could answer that. It was sage green. But spy code name? Fuck. Who thought about that? I stumbled over my words as I tried to think of something. The way this woman could trip me up was practically the eighth wonder of the world. “I… I just… I think—”
“Don’t think!“
May interrupted. Her shoulder bumped playfully into mine as she graced me with another one of those blinding smiles of hers. “What’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
“Sally.”
“Why?”
“My favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas.“
Favorite was an understatement. It was a guilty pleasure, and the perfect movie for any time of year.
“Oooh! That’s such a good movie,“
she said. “We’ll call you Ragdoll. That’s more incognito.”
“Okay, that’s not terrible.“
I could live with that. “What about you?”
“Crashbaby,“
she told me. I caught the way she studied my face as she said it, as if gauging how I’d respond.
“Why Crashbaby?“
Such an odd choice.
“I’m just a feral little fuck.“
May laughed, and all the tension eased from her body. I brushed it off as maybe she was just self-conscious of the nickname she was clearly used to. It was odd, but I wasn’t about to judge her for it.
“Crashbaby and Ragdoll,“
I murmured. “We sound like a hell of a pair.”
“Yes, we do,“
she agreed as she pulled me to a stop. “Hold still.”
Before I could ask her for what reason, she leaned in, and her lips brushed against my cheek.
It was the lightest of touches—barely there—but the effect was instantaneous. A spark ignited low in my spine and raced outward, making my body melt. I bit down on my lip as I tried to stop the ridiculous, giddy smile bubbling inside me.
Somewhere nearby, Sadie said something about lighting or framing or whatnot, but her words were a million miles away. My world was zeroed in on May. The warmth of her body against mine, the lightness of her breath on my skin, the tightening of her hold on my fingers.
My hand came up, and my fingers slid into her hair, searching for something to cling to—something to steady myself on as the world tilted on its axis.
“For the shot,“
she whispered, her lips curving against my cheek. She leaned back slightly to look at me. “I think she wants me to do it again.”
I wanted her to do it again.
I simply nodded. She leaned in for another staged kiss, but I turned as she did, my fingers tightening in her silky hair. Her breath hitched in her throat, or maybe it was mine that did. For one life-altering moment, those hazel-green eyes locked onto mine.
Everything in me stilled.
I wanted more.
Her mouth brushed against mine, slow and unhurried, like she was permitting me to pull away.
I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.
Her gaze flicked down to my lips and back up in a silent invitation. Want bloomed hot and fast in my core, stealing every sensible thought I had about being a stranger in front of a camera with her.
I closed the distance without hesitation.
It wasn’t gentle or tentative like most first kisses. It was a spark, sudden and impossible to ignore. Her lips were soft but sure, moving with an easy confidence that I found sexy. My free hand slid to her waist as the kiss deepened, the world shifting around us as I leaned into her.
Time unraveled.
There was only the exploration of her mouth, the quiet shared breath between us, and the dizzying realization that this absolute stranger felt more familiar than anyone ever had in my life. It was as if I’d known her my entire life and was just waiting for her to find me.
We broke apart only when we absolutely had to. We hovered there, lost in our own little corner of the world as we tried to catch our breath. Every nerve in my body buzzed with the same undeniable truth: this was different.
She was different.
“For the shot,“
I whispered and kissed her once more.