Chapter Six
Reid
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, panic in her eyes.
Shit, I’d basically just inferred that she could sit on my face. Not that I’d be all that opposed to the idea, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.
“I was going to ask if you wanted someone to help you with reference photos.”
“Oh,” she said, sounding relieved. “Oh…uh. Maybe?”
“I don’t have any clients until noon tomorrow. Want to do it in the morning?”
She started chewing that pouty lower lip again, and my fingers twitched with the urge to pull it free and soothe her abused lip…with my tongue.
Fuck, I needed to keep it together. After flirting with her during our blind date, I had to get my head in the right place, so I didn’t give myself away. I still needed to text her from the VPN phone number I’d set up moments after walking out the back of the bar earlier. I’d already input her number into the texting app, but I wasn’t sure what to say.
I also felt guilty about the deception, but it wasn’t like I could contact her from my personal number or the shop mobile number, since she knew both. And while volunteering to help with her commissions might put me at risk for exposure, I could also see if this attraction between us was really happening or if it was something I was imagining .
She’d probably think I was a piece of shit later for not coming clean, but she’d been hiding from me for years, and it was time she stopped. Because the more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to keep spending with her, and I wasn’t going to let her fear of the man I used to be stop me.
Maybe it was turning thirty or the fact that I’d never been in a serious relationship before. Hell, maybe it was because I was finally seeing—and was really fucking attracted to—the woman she’d become over the last few years that’d infused me with this craving to be around her.
“You know I’ll just show up if you don’t give me an answer. And while figure drawing is not where I concentrate most of my energy, I know how to do it. Unless you have some art school friends who’d be happy to help you…”
Hazel’s cheeks remained pink even as she shook her head, trying to dissuade me from continuing to pry into this situation.
“None of them know what I’ve been working on.”
Stepping closer, I pulled her closer, cupping her cheek. “You know this isn’t something you should be ashamed of, right?”
Her eyes were soft as she stared up at me, the pad of my thumb absently stroking the apple of her cheek. She truly didn’t know how beautiful she was. How brave she was. But I was determined to be the one to clue her in on just how amazing she truly was.
“Haz, I think it’s impressive you’re building a business on your own terms. It isn’t easy, but if you love what you’re doing, it’s worth it. Your dreams are worth it.”
“Okay,” she murmured. I wasn’t sure if it was her accepting my offer to help her or if she was confirming what I’d said, but she wasn’t fighting me. And I’d give just about anything to keep her attention right now.
“So, you’ll let me help you?”
The soft skin beneath my thumb pinkened, and I knew I had my answer. She may have been apprehensive about letting me in, but she wasn’t hiding from me anymore .
Leaning in, my lips brushed her cheek as I whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. I’m an excellent photographer. And I’m very good at giving direction.”
“Wait.” Her eyes widened as I stepped back. “You’re not meaning that you’re going to take pictures of me , right?”
Shrugging, I stepped backward, knowing if I didn’t leave soon, I’d never want to. And I had a text yet to send.
“Reid, this isn’t self-insert artwork here. I don’t need pictures of me.”
“How else do you intend to get reference photos to work from? Are you planning to ask Charley?”
She cursed under her breath as she followed me toward the back door, and I tried not to laugh. She really was a fierce little kitten sometimes.
“You CANNOT tell her.”
Holding up my hands, I adopted an unassuming expression. “You need reference photos of couples, so unless you’re willing to get in the shot with me, it’ll be hard to set up what you need without a second person.”
“What?”
“Let me put it to you another way. You want my help? You pose with me.”
She sputtered, her panicked expression only making me feel a little remorse for talking her into this.
“You can’t be serious about this, Reid. You saw what I was drawing.”
Nodding, I tried to hold back how much her drawing had truly affected me. “Very serious, Haz.”
“But…”
“See you in the morning. I’ll bring my tripod.”
“Your what?” she squeaked, her eyes briefly darting toward my pants, and it took all my fucking willpower to hold back a laugh. This girl had a much naughtier mind than I’d ever expected.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” I teased. “That one won’t do much good for holding up a camera, but thanks for the ego boost.”
My palms were fucking sweating as I pushed the back door of the shop closed, making sure the security system was armed before I escaped up the back staircase.
I didn’t remember ever being this nervous about texting a woman, not even when I was in high school.
This was ridiculous. I was over thirty, not thirteen, but here I was, staring down at my phone like a fucking pussy, trying to figure out what to say.
I hadn’t been kidding the last time Hudson had given me shit about my dating habits. Women pursued me, I didn’t pursue them. And to be completely honest, I didn’t even exchange phone numbers with half the ones I messed around with.
My reputation preceded me most times, and they knew what the score was. Sage Springs wasn’t that big. If you wanted no strings attached, one night of fantastically dirty sex, you either came in and got a tat with me or tracked me down next door.
Most of the locals steered clear, but with an influx of tourists and college girls—let’s just say my dance card was full. And nearly everywhere around my shop had been defiled, but never my bed.
I didn’t take women upstairs. It seemed too…intimate.
The time Hazel walked in on me at the bar had been an anomaly. While I may have engaged in some borderline inappropriate displays of affection on the dance floor, I hadn’t fucked anyone at the bar before—or after—that. We’d just been interrupted by Haz coming to look for something in the back room at the same time.
Unfortunate timing.
Definitely for me, because I felt like it’d been a mistake I couldn’t escape, even after two years. Hudson had held a grudge for my lapse in judgment, and Hazel had retreated inside herself, taking away a valuable friendship. I hadn’t realized until it was gone that I would miss her so terribly. While Hudson knew all my dirty secrets, Hazel had been someone who understood my need to create.
It was rare for me to click with someone on a purely artistic level. Even when she was in high school, Hazel was a very skilled illustrator, and we’d spent a lot of time drawing with each other. Watching her skills grow and flourish from afar since things fell apart had been bittersweet, but I was proud of the business she was creating. She may have been embarrassed to tell me what she was really doing, but I’d admired her ability to dive into something so sex positive at this step in her career.
Women shouldn’t have to hide their sensuality, and artwork like the one on her tablet was just one avenue to explore that side of their sexuality.
I just hadn’t expected it from her. She had a shy, demure vibe about her that had kept me away, but now that I knew what she’d been hiding from me, I was going for it.
Charley and Hudson had never outright told me that Hazel was inexperienced sexually, but I could read between the lines, especially after Charley’s little pep talk earlier in the night.
The responsible best friend of her older brother should have stayed far, far away from her, but everyone knew I was a bit reckless. I wouldn’t be reckless with her though, and I sure as hell didn’t want to risk some dipshit college guy breaking her heart.
Blowing out a breath, I sat down on the edge of my bed, laying my phone down on the blankets beside me. Staring at it while I tried to plan a response in my head, I flexed my fingers, cracking them nervously before I picked it back up and typed out my first message…which would definitely not be my last.
Seven: Told you we weren’t done with our discussion, fourteen.