Chapter 02 AARON
Holy shit, he’s just as cute as he was back in town.
His foot taps an agitated rhythm against the pavement as he stands with his hands planted firmly on his hips. The soft tap echoes off the diner’s metal siding, bouncing around us as his skirt swishes from side to side.
And his face.
It’s balled up like a wadded piece of paper, all scowly and crinkled. Less angry than before, but equally annoyed.
“Hi there,“
I say as I try to stifle my grin. “I’m Aaron.”
“Oh?“
He narrows his eyes, and Sadie looks wholly confused. “That’s not the first name I would’ve chosen for you. Do they call you anything else?”
I hide a smile behind my hand as his eyes narrow further. “Well, someone recently called me something rather interesting. A ‘rolling road hazard,’ if memory serves.”
“It does,“
he says with a tone that’s syrupy sweet. “That’s a better fit.”
“Do you two know each other?“
Sadie asks, and my partner—I realize I haven’t gotten his name yet—crosses his arms and huffs a sigh.
“We met earlier when Aaron ran a stop sign and almost hit me. Came this close to scratching my car.“
He holds up his thumb and pointer finger in a major exaggeration of the distance between our vehicles. More indignation scrunches his face, and those adorably irritated wrinkles form on his forehead again. I pinch my lip between my teeth and wonder if it’s the appropriate time to shatter his indignant delusions.
It wasn’t me that blew through that intersection.
Sure, I was excited to see what the afternoon held and was eager to get here, but I was paying attention… which was a good thing, considering his car cut me off on a nearly blind curve.
One with a stop sign on the opposite road.
There had barely been enough time to swerve as he slammed on his brakes. It’s not a busy street, but it was still Charlotte on a Saturday afternoon. We were lucky there was no oncoming traffic. If I hadn’t dodged him, he’d have hit me right in the passenger-side rear quarter panel. Neither of us was going very fast, but there would’ve been damage.
I glance at him, clocking his lean frame that’s cinched in the middle by a belt as bright and red as that stop sign he ignored. His arms are crossed, and a strip of powder blue is gripped in one hand as his heeled foot continues to tap.
He doesn’t exactly look ready to accept his guilt.
Back in town, I’d been so charmed by his flushed face and stumbling that I hadn’t been able to muster a response. Instead, I sat there and stared as he threw every insult in the book at me. Fury has faded to irritation now that his car is no longer threatened, and he’s just as cute in this milder version of a tantrum.
I nod at the powder-blue bandana he’s wringing in his hands, bleaching his knuckles with the strain. “Can I help you put that on?“
I ask, and he falters, like he’s physically lost hold of the anger for a moment as his gaze falls to the cloth. “It’s for your hair, right?“
He nods slowly, fidgeting with the material again as I offer him a smile. “I’m pretty good at tying a knot.”
“Yeah, you look like a boy scout,“
he mutters.
Sadie coughs to hide her chuckle and says, “I’m going to go finish getting my equipment ready. We can get started in a few minutes.“
She walks away, and my partner loses some of his bravado without the backup.
“Come on, let me help. I don’t bite.“
I step closer and extend my hand.
He sighs as he thrusts the bandana into it. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
“Oh, naturally. I imagine you hold a grudge with the best of them,“
I tease as I wrap the fabric around the back of his head and loop it to meet above his forehead.
His thick chestnut hair shines with golden highlights, long enough to hang over his ears and brush the nape of his neck. Bright blue eyes peek from underneath a field of lashes, watching me with a half scowl.
I return it with a smile. “Maybe now that your car is safe, you can at least tell me your name.”
He chews on the inside of his cheek as I tie a careful knot. “Devon.”
“Devon,“
I repeat, testing the feel of it on my lips. “Pretty.”
He flushes and ducks his head as I let my hands fall to my sides. His bandana is perfectly in place, with a neat knot on his temple.
“Hey, you two!“
Sadie calls, waving her hand with a smile. “We’re ready to get started!”
“Yeah, alright,“
Devon responds, running his palms down his skirt again. It’s the third time I’ve seen him do that, and I wonder if he’s aware of the nervous tic.
I nod at her, and the two of us fall into step as we walk in her direction.
“Hey, Devon?“
He hums his response while staring straight ahead. “There’s something you should know.”
“Hmm?”
“You seem kind of bent out of shape about the incident in town before, but it was an honest mistake. No big deal.”
“You’re only saying that because it was your fault.”
My lips twitch as he wobbles in his heels.
I grip his elbow to steady him, then offer him my arm. “Hold on to me.”
Those blue eyes move to mine like I have some ulterior motive, but he finally relents and links our arms, holding my forearm above my wrist.
Once he’s steady, I say, “Even if it wasn’t my fault, I’d say the same thing. And it wasn’t.”
He questions me with a hiked brow.
“My fault,“
I clarify. “I didn’t run that stop sign, pretty boy. You did.”
“Oh my god, you are impossible,“
he snaps as he shoves me away. “I did not.”
Without my arm to steady him, he loses his balance.
I catch him once again with a soft chuckle. “Please don’t hurt yourself. I’d hate to be blamed for that, too.”
He’s absolutely fuming as we make our way across the parking lot.
“Stupid shoes,“
he mutters.
“At least they’re pretty.”
His anger twists into uncertainty as he bites at his lip and glances at me from the corner of his eye. “You’re making fun of me.”
There’s a trace of vulnerability to his words that hurts my heart. I don’t like hearing it.
“Hey,“
I say as I jiggle his arm, and he finally meets my eyes. “I am absolutely not, in any way, making fun of you. You look incredible. Have you seen your calf muscles in those things? Could slice a piece of paper on that sharp edge.”
He snorts a quiet laugh, but his face relaxes.
“I’m too clumsy to pull those off,“
I continue. “I’d either snap the heel right off the shoe or break my ankle in the first few steps, but you’ve got legs for days.”
“Stupid,“
he mutters, but a grin tugs at his mouth. “To be fair, I’m not doing much better at being graceful.”
“Hmm, well that’s fitting,“
I say, and I’m thrilled when he takes the bait and hikes that brow at me again.
“Oh, by all means, please elaborate.”
“Nothing! I was just thinking you’re more skilled at walking than driving.”
The irritation that had eased from his face ramps back up, wrinkling his forehead. He’s a snarly little kitten, claws out as his fingernails dig into my forearm.
Sadie steps in front of us and interrupts whatever expletives are brewing on Devon’s tongue. It’s a damn shame, too. I would’ve loved to hear them.
Her excitement is contagious as she bounces on her toes. “I thought we’d get started with something fun. Nothing too intimate while the two of you are getting acquainted.“
She glances down at Devon’s hand on my arm and smiles.
We step off the solid parking lot onto the grass, where weeds and wildflowers have created a natural mosaic. Devon groans as he struggles to walk in the softer soil. His heel sinks into the ground, and he teeters backwards with a gasp.
I lunge for him and catch his waist, and his wide eyes meet mine.
“I got you.“
My voice is low enough that only he can hear me, and his gaze flicks over my face in surprise. He’s heavier than I would’ve expected with his lean frame, although the deep V of fabric formed by his unbuttoned shirt tells me he has a bit of bulk hiding behind those flowing fabrics.
Sadie gives a little squeal as she claps. “That’s perfect! Let’s run with this!”
She walks in a circle around us as my hands support Devon’s back. He’s hesitant as she encourages me to dip him lower. His hand shoots up to grip my shirt as his eyes flare, and our gazes lock as she instructs him to lift his knee.
“This is weirdly intimate,“
he says as his leg rests against my hipbone. “I’m pretty sure my ex never held me like this in the two months we were dating.“
The fabric of his skirt flutters in the wind as the bare skin of his thigh peeks from underneath.
I bite my lip as I steal a glimpse.
“His loss,“
I say, still staring at that exposed skin.
“Look at each other,“
Sadie directs, and as I pry my gaze away from his leg, I find his eyes still locked on mine .
“But yeah, it is intimate,“
I agree as Sadie works in our peripherals, kneeling and framing her camera to catch the light at our backs. “Feels like this should be happening somewhere a little more private.“
I wink at him, and he scoffs, but there’s no heat behind it.
“Why’d you go along with this?” he asks.
I tilt my head in question as a faint blush forms on his cheeks. “Which part? The pictures or the outfits?”
“Both.”
The openness in his expression pushes any teasing aside, and I give him an honest answer. “It was a goal I made for this year… to put myself out there more. Take more risks and do things that make me uncomfortable. When I saw the ad, I thought it sounded like a fun way to keep that promise.”
“You don’t seem uncomfortable,“
Devon says. “You seem kind of unflappable, honestly.”
“That comes with the territory. It’s my job to appear unaffected.”
Curiosity wrinkles his nose. “What’s your job?”
“Security.”
He releases his grip on my shirt and wraps his fingers around my upper arm, squeezing the muscles as I flex with a grin. “That tracks,“
he teases. “You’re obviously better with your hands than with a steering wheel.”
“Hey,“
I say through a surprised laugh, and for the first time, a genuine smile spreads over his lips. Those stress wrinkles travel to the corners of his eyes and form happy little crow’s feet, and a dimple digs into his cheek.
A fucking dimple.
My smile falters, my breath momentarily stolen by the happiness that lights his face.
I jolt back to reality as Sadie calls out to us, and my hands flex against Devon’s back. His head whips to the side to look at her and he almost loses his balance again, but I keep him steady as he lowers his foot to the grass. That sliver of bare skin is covered by his skirt, and I scowl at the offending material for taking away my view.
Sadie is all smiles as she says, “We got some fantastic shots from that pose. I have an idea for the next set, but you’d have to get down on the ground. Would you be okay with that?”
I lead Devon to the pavement once more, and he’s much steadier without his shoes stabbing into the dirt.
“Fine by me.“
I turn to Devon with a grin. “What about you? Is the pretty boy willing to get a little dirty?”
“Good grief,“
he mutters, and his entire face flushes as he hurries away, his heels clicking as his skirt sways.