Chapter 03 DEVON
Light shimmers off Aaron’s dirty blond curls as he stretches out on the pavement. Not a care in the world, lying there as though he’s sunbathing on a beach somewhere tropical. I stand in front of him with my hands on my hips, and his gaze travels up my body.
I force myself not to react as it lingers on my skirt.
He seemed genuine before when he insisted he liked it, and I caught him sneaking peeks at my legs when we were posed.
Maybe he likes those, too.
A ridiculous buzz forms in my chest with the thought.
Aaron props up on his elbows and leaning forward to one side, and those honey brown eyes finally move up to mine. He flashes me a grin as he pats his thigh. “Come on down. Seat’s waiting for you.”
“Oh, hush,“
I say, and I make sure he sees it as I roll my eyes. Careful not to get my skirt dirty, I drop to the pavement. We’re just getting started, and I didn’t bring a spare.
That, and my brother would never forgive me if I returned his clothes damaged or stained.
Once I’m comfortable, Aaron bends in to talk low near my ear. “Why don’t you scoot closer, sweet thing? I told you I don’t bite.”
“You’ve just gotta make this weird, don’t you?“
I ask, ignoring how goosebumps lift on my skin from his deep chuckle. He’s so stupidly attractive that my brain keeps going fuzzy, which is, frankly, kind of embarrassing.
I’m thirty-four. Old enough not to be swayed by a handsome face.
I glance over my shoulder and catch his grin.
Fuck. He is obnoxiously hot.
Thankfully, Sadie interrupts my awkwardness by directing us into the pose she wants. “Aaron, cross your legs a little above the ankle, and twist your body so Devon has somewhere to lay… yep. Just like that.“
She nods towards him then meets my eyes. “Lean back on him, and Aaron, wrap that arm around his shoulders… perfect!”
My knees are pressed together, awkwardly trying to maintain my modesty as my skirt slides down my thighs.
“I’m about to give the world a show,” I lament.
Aaron chuckles again, his mouth much closer to my ear this time.
“It’ll be a good show, though,“
he murmurs, then grunts when I elbow him in his stomach.
Sadie chews on her lip as she thinks. “Devon, stretch your back leg out but leave it bent a little at the knee, and keep the other one lifted. Don’t worry, I’ll be taking the pictures from this angle.”
The skirt slips further up my thigh, but before I can panic, Aaron’s torso flexes underneath me.
“Let me get that.“
He reaches forward to grab the hem, smoothing it over my knee until the fabric holds.
“Thanks,“
I mutter as he shifts back into position and slides his arm further around me. Fingertips trail absentmindedly along my ribcage as I glance up at him. “So, did you buy these, or did you just happen to have suspenders tucked into the back of your closet?“
I tug one of the straps, and he grunts as it snaps against his chest.
“Is that so hard to believe?”
I shrug with a smirk. “You just don’t seem the type.”
“To want my pants to stay up?” he asks.
I snort a laugh at his bewildered face. “To be into this kind of thing. Something tells me a themed photoshoot wasn’t in your bingo card for the year, yet here we are.”
He hums in the back of his throat. “I told you, it was a resolution of sorts for this year. Step out of my boring life and get some new experiences. Be more open.”
I nod my understanding as Sadie kneels on a foam pad, muttering about sunlight and shadows and other technical things I don’t understand.
“What about you?“
Aaron asks, poking a fingertip into my ribs as I squirm. “You seem to have a love for all things retro.”
“The car, yeah—”
“The one you almost hit me with,“
he interrupts.
I glare at him for a moment before I continue. “The car is my baby. It belonged to my grandfather, and we were really close. He was the first person I came out to, and I thought it would be a bigger deal. I was older, you know? Established. It’s not that I thought he would care. My youngest brother is gay. Gramps always loved and accepted him, but it felt different with me being the oldest.”
Aaron is patient as he listens to me talk, teasing tossed aside as he gently strokes his fingers along my side.
“He passed not long after I told him,“
I say. “The car was a reminder.”
“Of what?”
“That just because I discovered these things about myself later in life doesn’t mean they’re less significant. It’s something that tells me it’s okay to accept myself just as I am.”
“I like that,“
he says softly. Genuinely, I realize. “And the clothes? Is there any meaning there?”
I grin up at him. “I just thought they were pretty.”
He returns my smile, and without realizing what I’m doing, I reach up and hold on to the arm that drapes over my shoulder.
“They are pretty,“
he agrees, running a fingertip along the open V of my shirt. The touch on my bare skin sends a rush through my limbs, and I barely fight a shiver. “When I saw you standing there screaming at me in that street, I was speechless.”
“Because of your guilt from almost causing an accident?“
I tease, then yelp as he jabs a finger into my side again.
“Because you were gorgeous.“
He bites his lip as he glances down at me. “I was content to sit there and listen to you insult me all afternoon, but you flounced away.”
“Oh, a healthy degradation kink, huh? I can respect that. I had other insults ready.”
“Let’s hear them.”
“Traffic tumor.”
“Ouch.“
He barks a loud laugh, and I can’t help but join in.
“Wait, wait,“
I say through my laughter, “there are more. Wheeled war crime. Insurance companies’ worst nightmare. Motorized middle finger.”
“Oh my god,“
he gasps, “you really gave these some thought.”
“So much thought,“
I agree, and he shakes his head with that enormous smile tearing across his face. “One more.”
“Go on, then.”
“Highway hemorrhoid.”
We’re both laughing so hard I don’t realize that I’ve wiggled further into his lap, my fingers digging into his forearm while he cups my torso with his giant mitt of a hand. My skirt slides down my leg again, and Aaron’s gaze shoots over to track the flash of skin.
“You two are naturals,“
Sadie says as she sits back. “Come check these out.”
Aaron gives my side a squeeze as I push off his lap and climb to my feet.
I reach for him, and he flashes me that sweet grin as he takes my hand. After I help him stand, we turn towards Sadie.
His palm lands on my lower back, and suddenly, all I can focus on is the pressure on my spine.
Sadie sends us a smile before she turns around, and we peek over her shoulders as she flips through the collection of pictures. The first few are stiff and obviously posed, but as she continues to flip, we both relax. Our smiles become genuine, and our postures loosen.
One stands out to me, and I stare at it as Sadie and Aaron exchange a few words I tune out. The image has Aaron biting his lip like he’s trying to keep his grin in check, and I’m smiling up at him. His fingers press into my side, and mine ring around his arm.
If someone else showed me this picture of two strangers, I would assume they were an established couple. Aaron’s hand flexes against my back as I glance over at him, finding his eyes not on the camera, but on me.
“Beautiful,“
he says, and that damn lip pulls between his teeth again.
My stomach swoops, and I cannot be blamed for staring at the pinch of soft flesh as another of his tiny grins spreads.
“The two of you have really amazing chemistry.“
Sadie lowers the camera and turns, nodding between us. “One more pose before I’m going to toss an idea at you.”
“What sort of idea?“
I ask, but she waves for us to follow as she walks towards the empty building.
Aaron’s hand stays on my lower back as we trail after her. She paces around the corner, holding her camera to her eye and framing a few angles before she nods to herself.
She instructs me to lean against the wall, and I obediently rest my back against the brick.
Aaron feels even bigger as he steps into my space. My fingers loop his suspenders like she asks, though the snap of the elastic against his chest is all me.
“Whoops,“
I say innocently when he yelps.
“Bend your knee, Devon,“
Sadie calls over. “Put the bottom of your foot on the wall. Yep, just like that. Now, Aaron, move your left leg between his and lean closer…”
Aaron’s thick thigh slots between mine, the texture of his jeans rough against my bare skin. My fingers tighten against his suspenders at the gentle friction, and he eyes me as though he can read my thoughts.
“Devon, pull him forward,“
Sadie calls. “ Make a gap between the suspenders and his chest.”
Aaron makes a quiet noise in his throat as I tug him closer. His forearm lands on the brick wall above my head as he looks down at me, and my heart rate ramps up. His lips are directly in my line of sight, curved into one of those tiny smiles.
“I was… maybe, sort of, kind of a dick earlier,“
I say, and he tilts his head in question. “When you almost hit…“
I trail off and clear my throat as I correct myself. “When we almost wrecked.”
“Yeah, maybe, but you were cute,“
he says, and my cheeks heat. “Up in arms in the middle of the street like that. You were like a pissed-off little poodle.”
“I’m not little,“
I argue, and he chuckles.
“No?“
The suggestion in his tone makes my face burn even hotter.
“No,“
I answer defiantly, setting my jaw.
He hums again. “Noted.”
I glare, but he only smiles wider. I finally give up with a laugh and shake my head. “Earlier, you said it was my fault.”
“It was.”
I scoff, but Sadie calls over, and we both glance in her direction. “Are you two okay with a forehead kiss?“
She doesn’t take her eye from the viewfinder, watching us through the camera. Aaron nods in my peripherals, then glances at me in question. He waits for my nod before we face each other again.
The back of my head falls against the brick, and I follow Aaron’s fingers as they brush a few stray hairs into place. He patiently adjusts my bandana before his hand drops, and he hesitates before resting it where my belt cinches my middle. It wraps around my waist while his thumb finds the very top of my hipbone. He leans closer and presses his lips against my forehead.
Woody, spicy cologne surrounds me as I take a deep breath. My nose is only inches from his throat, and I watch his pulse thump beneath his skin.
“You aren’t lying?“
I ask, and I feel his smile curve against my skin.
“No.”
“I didn’t have a stop sign.”
“Yeah, you did,“
he insists, but instead of explaining further, he presses his lips back to my forehead. It doesn’t feel like it’s for the camera, though.
This doesn’t feel like it’s for show.
If that’s all it was, he wouldn’t be flexing his lips in tiny kisses or rubbing my hip with his thumb. He wouldn’t be squeezing my waist or dragging his nose across my hairline in a way that makes me shiver.
This feels like he’s forgotten we aren’t alone, and I’m beginning to wish we were.
“How do you know?“
I argue weakly, and he huffs another of those quiet laughs. He breaks the script then, moving his mouth to my temple, then lower. He creates a whisper-soft trail of barely there kisses before he murmurs in my ear.
“I don’t live far from there.”
The mundane words shouldn’t pull such a reaction from my body, but it’s determined to betray me. I draw a heavy breath as my fingers curl around his suspenders.
A quiet chuckle leaves him as his lips brush my ear. “You were in the wrong, but once you got out of that car, I considered taking one for the team and running into you anyway.”
“Why?”
He pulls back and puts us eye to eye as his gaze drops to my mouth. “So I’d have an excuse to talk to you. It would’ve given me a reason to get your number.”
“I would have been so pissed.“
I say, lifting my brow.
His grin is magnificent. “Yeah, you would’ve been.”
“I wouldn’t have given you my number.”
“Yeah, Devon. You would have.”
“Cocky,” I say.
“Confident,“
he retorts. Two fingers tap the bottom of my chin, and as I lift it obediently, he huffs another of those breathy laughs.
“Confident,“
he repeats.
I purse my lips to smother my grin. “And if I said you shouldn’t be?“
I ask, trying to appear unaffected, but my lips part in a heavy inhale as he inches closer.
“Then I’d call you a liar.”
Sadie shuffles around as her camera clicks through shots. Quiet commentary about our chemistry floats in our direction, but Aaron doesn’t pull his eyes from mine for a long moment. He tips my chin up once more before he pushes off the wall. The heat of his body disappears, but he reaches to steady me as I find my balance.
As we step towards Sadie, he takes my hand and laces our fingers together. I glance up at him in surprise.
“Just go with it, Devon.”
Another laugh leaves me as a rush of air from my nose. “Cocky,“
I say again.
This time, he grins, but doesn’t argue.