Chapter 10
Aaron
I stood bent over at the waist, hands braced flat against my knees as my lungs burned, fighting for every pocket of oxygen in the humid Texas air. A breathless laugh escaped my chest as I listened to Pepper boast.
"Did I mention I beat all the kids on my block at foot racing?" she yelled, tossing her hands into the air like an Olympic champion.
Her chest was heaving beneath that tight teal sports bra, her face flushed and radiant.
"Yeah. Probably should have led with that, Fields."
I slowly straightened to my full height, wiping a thick layer of sweat from my forehead, my eyes fixed entirely on her.
My mind was still reeling from the view I'd witnessed over the last four miles.
Watching her run ahead of me on that trail had been torture.
Her competitive nature was sexy as hell, a fierce spark in her hazel eyes that made it impossible to look away. And when she'd targeted our concrete bench and given that final, explosive sprint to cross the line a mere two seconds before me...
God.
The sight of her backside moving in those tight yoga shorts as she flew past me had my pulse racing faster than the cardio ever could.
"You... you are something else, Pepper," I breathed, my voice dropping an octave as I closed the distance between us.
She shrugged her shoulders dramatically, a brilliant, confident smile stretching across her lips.
"Yeah, well. What can I say? I'm good."
I looked down at her, captivated.
Her eyes were shimmering, the sharp green specks in them burning with a brilliance that made my breath catch all over again.
A single stray drop of sweat trickled slowly down the center of her top lip, and it took every ounce of restraint, every single fiber of discipline in my body, not to reach out, pull her flush against my chest, and taste it right off her skin.
I wanted to bury my face in her neck just like I had at the club, to feel how soft she was when she was breathless.
The magnetic pull between us was a physical force, drawing me down.
I leaned in just a fraction of an inch, my gaze dropping to those full, plump lips, ready to cross every professional boundary I'd sworn to protect.
But right as our lips were about to meet, a sharp, jarring noise shattered the air.
"Excuse me! Coming through!"
A cyclist aggressively honked his handlebar horn, speeding directly down the center of the walkway between us.
The sudden intrusion forced us to quickly break apart, stepping backward in opposite directions onto the grass to avoid getting leveled.
I cleared my throat, running a hand over the back of my neck to hide the intense heat roaring through my veins.
"Well, that was fun," Pepper said, her voice a little breathless as she gestured back toward the concrete bench where we'd left our things.
We walked back over to gather our belongings, the silence between us heavy with unspoken tension.
"How do the shorts feel after working out like that?" she asked, shifting her demeanor back into a professional, creative tone that left me scrambling to catch up.
I grabbed my white towel, wiping the sweat from my neck and shoulders, grateful for the distraction.
"I'm genuinely impressed. The breathability is incredible for a heavy cotton blend, and they didn't ride up once during that sprint."
"Exactly," she smiled, reaching down to grab her iced coffee. "So, where is your mind at right now with the direction? Now that you have a physical feel for the material?"
I paused, twisting the cap off my water bottle.
I looked out at the sun filtering through the massive, raw oak trees before turning my attention back to her.
"Honestly... I really like the idea of a natural, raw setting like you offered in the boardroom."
Pepper stopped mid-sip, her big hazel eyes widening in unscripted shock.
It was clear she hadn't expected me to fold on my rigid studio plans so quickly.
"Really? So, no boring, sterile studio backdrops?" she asked, a massive, triumphant smile spreading across her face.
I let out a soft, genuine laugh, completely relaxed under her gaze. "No boring backdrops, Red. You win this round."
She lifted her chin, flashing me a proud, utterly satisfied smile that made my chest tighten. "Cool," she said.
I turned my back for a second, tilting my head to take a long drink from my water bottle. The cold water swallowed the heat in my throat, but the distinct snap of a camera lens made me instantly freeze.
I spun back around, lowering the bottle, and raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Pepper had already whipped her body to the side, pointing her heavy lens straight into the sky and snapping rapidly at nothing.
"Wow... beautiful trees out here," she said, her voice pitching up a shrill, unconvincing octave. "Just capturing the local Houston foliage."
I stepped right into her personal space, a knowing, amused grin on my lips.
"Are you taking pictures of me, Ms. Swanson?"
"No," she lied through her teeth, her eyes glued to the display screen as she adjusted her settings. "Like I said before, I was simply capturing the present moment."
"Mmhmm," I muttered, not believing a word, though I couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped me. She was a terrible liar, but she was adorable doing it. I slung my damp towel over my shoulder, keeping my eyes locked on hers.
"Would you like to meet tomorrow evening to discuss the final ideas we're going to present to Elena on Friday morning?"
"Sure," she said, finally lowering the camera to let the strap rest over her shoulder. We started striding side-by-side toward the parking lot. "Where exactly are you thinking?"
"I'll text you a quiet spot later today, and you let me know if the vibe works for you," I replied, reaching for the door handle of my truck.
"Sounds like a plan," she said, walking over to her own car a few spaces down.
She paused at her door, turning back to flash me one last devious look that had my stomach doing flips.
"Later, stud."
"Bye, Red," I called back, watching her slide into the driver's seat. I climbed inside, gripping the steering wheel as she pulled out of the lot.
By the time I pulled into my driveway, the engine humming quietly against the silence of the neighborhood, my phone buzzed on the dashboard.
I glanced down.
Cal.
I tapped the screen, answering as I killed the ignition.
"What's up, bro?"
"I can't call it, man," Cal's easygoing voice filled the car. "How's it going?"
I leaned my head back against the leather headrest, letting out a sharp breath that had been trapped in my chest since I left Bayou Park.
"Not good, brother," I said, feeling defeated. The feelings I had for Pepper were undeniable, and the gravity of the situation was starting to crush me. I had no idea how I was going to navigate working side-by-side with her for two whole months, almost every single day, without losing my mind.
"Uh oh. What's up?" Cal asked, his tone instantly shifting to concern.
"Oh, nothing, man," I said, rubbing a hand over my face. "Just that I walked into Jolt yesterday and met the lead photographer of the campaign."
"That's what's up, bro! What's so bad about that?"
"Nothing... just that the lead photographer is Pepper."
The line went dead silent for a fraction of a second, followed by a violent, choked cough. Cal was clearly mid-sip of a drink.
"What the fuck, brother?! What are the odds of that?!" he yelled, his voice booming so loud through the speakers that I flinched.
I shook my head, staring through the windshield at my empty garage door.
"You're no help."
"Sorry, man, sorry," Cal wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "That just took me by surprise. So... after the other night at Aura... how is this going so far?"
"Hard, man. Extremely hard."
"I can only imagine," Cal said, his voice dropping into a low, knowing tone. "I saw how much you guys were attracted to each other at the lounge, Aaron. But you know... there is nothing in the official Jolt corporate manual that says you guys can't date."
I gripped the steering wheel, my jaw clenching. "That's the problem, man. My own rule book says I can't date her."
Cal let out a loud, frustrated groan over the line.
"Oh, come on, man! You seriously need to loosen up.
You restrict yourself so much with that damn rule book of yours.
Have some fun for once! You were the exact one who made me realize what I was doing to myself when I was avoiding my feelings for Nia.
Now you can't even take your own advice? "
"This is completely different, Cal," I argued, my chest tightening. "I really like her, but this is the biggest project of my career."
"I know, man," Cal said, his tone softening.
"All I know is, Pep is a live wire. She's going to pull a side out of you that you won't be able to resist, no matter how hard you try.
I've known that girl a long time. She's into you, bro.
It's going to be damn near impossible to push that away just for a campaign's sake. "
"I have to," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'll talk to you later, man."
I ended the call, but stayed seated in the quiet cabin of my truck, staring blankly at the steering wheel.
Cal made it sound so simple, but the reality of it was already crushing me.
Remaining professional around Pepper was proving to be the hardest test of my discipline.
Every time she laughed, every time those sharp hazel eyes locked onto mine, my chest ached with a quiet, persistent longing just to reach out and touch her hand, or pull her close enough to feel her breath against my skin.
I knew better, though.
I had spent years building my reputation, and I couldn't let a temporary distraction jeopardize everything I had worked for, no matter how consuming the attraction was.
I could tell she felt the exact same magnetic pull, but the stakes were too high.
I just had to survive the next two months without crossing the line.