45. JJ Woodford
JJ WOODFORD
T he last few days haven’t been fun, to say the least.
Seeing Finn in that hospital bed, disheveled and broken. It hurts.
But it hurts more knowing he made up lies about Ivy to get her to stop seeing Ben, which could have resulted in her death.
We all noticed his drinking habits; I should have tried to do something about it sooner before it ended up like this. Now he’s been taken off to a private rehabilitation centre. He needs it. He needs to find his peace again.
He carries so much guilt and hatred for himself; it’s something he needs to work through on his own and with professional help. I might be mad at him, but he’s still like a brother to me.
I fear that if I push him away, it won’t help his recovery.
When I head downstairs in the morning, Ivy is sitting at the edge of the back door with her feet on the patio and her knees drawn towards her chest.
I pause behind her and glance down at the way her head is tipped back and admiring the clouds, not sensing I’m here. I perch beside her, and she flinches a little at my unexpected arrival.
“Uh.” I clear my throat. “I’ve been thinking, I should probably go home.”
Ivy’s face falls. “What? Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be in the way, your parents probably need the space?—”
“No,” she cuts over me. “Don’t go.”
I blink at the sudden fear in her voice.
“Please.” She exhales and reaches for my hand. “I want you to stay.”
My eyes flick down to our entwined fingers. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I need you here.”
“Okay,” I say softly.
“My parents don’t mind that you’re here at all.” She shakes her head. “They would have said something by now if they did. You’re not in the way; you could never be in the way.”
“Okay,” I whisper as Ivy’s face relaxes. “How are you feeling?”
She shrugs once. “I don’t know. A little numb, but I know it’s what’s best for him. It’s going to take some time to get over what he did.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“I kinda just wanna get out of the house. Distract myself, you know?”
“Then let’s get out of the house.”
“And do what?”
“I have an idea or two,” I admit, something that would be good for both of us.
I glance over her perfect face, and the need I’ve felt to film her returns. I’ve had so many visions of her, creative visions, dream visions. Real visions.
“What are we gonna do?” she asks.
I study her mouth. “Remember when I told you that I like making films?”
“Yeah…” She trails off, sounding confused.
“Well, I wanted to create something this summer, although I didn’t really know what I wanted to make it on,” I start, and she holds me with those big eyes. So curious. So beautiful. “But when I got here, I realised that I only wanted one test subject.”
She blinks once. “The beach?”
I smile at how innocent she can be sometimes. Instead, I shake my head. “ You.”
“What?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “It’s all I can think about.”
“Why?”
“Because you’d look incredible on film.”
Pink bleeds into her cheeks, and she laughs hesitantly. “Incredible is a bit of a stretch.”
I tilt her chin softly, exploring those eyes again. “To me, you are.”
“What would you want me to do?”
“Stand on the beach. I want to capture you with the sand and the waves.”
Ivy blinks in surprise. “As charming as that is, I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not photogenic.”
“Liar.”
She tilts her head to the side and shoots me a knowing look. All I do is grin back. “It’s a no.”
“Ohhh come on,” I say optimistically. “Don’t ruin the fun. You wanted a distraction, and this is the perfect distraction.”
“I’m sure hundreds of other girls in this town would eat up the opportunity. They’d look better doing it, too,” she says before wrapping her arms around her knees.
“I don’t want hundreds of other girls. I want you. I’ve made that very clear.”
She watches me for a long moment, eyes a little weary. “What if they come out rubbish?”
I slip my arm around her waist and tug her to me. She exhales a small breath. “No such thing, princess. Come on, do something out of your comfort zone with me. I promise it’ll be worth it.”
She swallows apprehensively. “Fine,” she huffs. “But only for thirty minutes.”
A smile stretches over my face. “That’s all I’ll need.”
An hour later, we head down to the beach.
It’s still early, and we’ve seen only a couple of people out walking their dogs.
Ivy’s hands bunch together in front of her, tugging at her fingers.
She’s wearing a lilac sundress with white flowers that makes me feel out of control.
Her blonde hair is resting on the tips of her shoulders, and a splash of make-up—although her freckles are still on full display.
“You’re going to have to tell me what to do,” she says as she paces the beach barefoot.
I grip my camera in my hand and smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
When I click record, I already have her perfectly in the frame. The lighting of the sun rising behind her is spot on—an equal mixture of the blue and yellow skies from the beautiful sunrise, down to the clear water and golden sand—and then there’s Ivy.
In that purple dress that makes my brain short-circuit.
It’s a stunning shot, and all she has to do is stand there.
Everything else seems to fade away.
She is the vision.
“Walk towards me,” I direct, and she does. Very, very slowly.
“Like this?”
“Exactly like that,” I rasp.
The wind makes an appearance every few moments, allowing strands of her gorgeous hair to flap around her face. I move closer until Ivy places her hand over the camera. “That is too close.”
I keep filming her and smile. “Trust me, it looks good.”
She huffs out a breath and drops her hand. Her eyes look anywhere but at the camera.
“Look at me,” I demand softly, and she does reluctantly.
I bring the camera in closer, getting a flawless shot of her bottle-green eyes. Her lashes brush her cheekbone with a caress, and when those eyes open once more and she stares directly at the camera, I know nothing will ever look as sensational as her.
The wind whips her hair again, and she tucks a piece behind her ear that becomes stuck against her eyelashes. Her movements are delicate, which looks so smooth and fluid on film. There is no possible way I can take my eyes off her.
“You’re so beautiful, Ivy,” I comment, not being able to keep it to myself.
Her cheeks flush, and she laughs. “Stop.”
The way her eyes light up, even though she’s embarrassed. And her laughter. Oh, that pretty laugh. She is a movie in herself. To be studied every minute of every day, without fail. A case study, because how can someone be this breathtaking?
“Complimenting you? Never.”
Ivy follows my lead after I ask for shots against the sand, dipping her toes into the sea.
She might not think she belongs on camera, but she does.
I can’t wait to edit together what I shot today because I want her to see how I see her, how breathtaking she is.
This will be in my heart and memory forever.
“Are we done now?” she asks. “It’s been longer than thirty minutes.”
It has. A lot longer.
Instead, I place the camera onto the ground, still recording. I walk over to her, and she stares at me with confusion in her eyes. But I reach down and hoist her up around my waist, clutching onto her soft thighs. Her arms automatically latch onto my neck as I tug her towards me.
I waste no time in pressing my lips to hers, spinning us around as she squeals against my mouth and laughs. The feeling is euphoric. She clasps a hand on the back of my neck and deepens the kiss, our tongues brushing together.
Our hearts flush against one another, beating in sync as I clutch her tighter, enjoying every second with her. I place her down and hold her waist in my hands before picking her up, and she screams. “No,” she heaves. “Don’t throw me into the water.”
“I wasn’t going to,” I chuckle.
“I don’t believe you for a second.”
I fake gasp. “How dare you think so low of me.”
And then we laugh, my hands remaining at her sides as I bury my hand into the back of her hair and tug her lips to mine again, desperate for another taste.
The kiss is filled with passion and longing, and it lights up my heart with pure fire.
A droplet of water hits my cheek, but I don’t pull my lips away from hers. It starts to rain as if we’ve been in a drought for the past two months. We gasp for air, the sky rumbling and grey clouds looming over us quickly.
“Well, shit.”
I grab her hand and run over to my camera and our belongings. We chuckle like teenagers, a thrill of excitement zapping through me. Even if my T-shirt is beginning to completely soak through.
Instead of rushing back to the house, Ivy runs towards the beach huts and throws herself into the closest one.
We both stare at each other, wet, and chests heaving as we attempt to catch our breath.
I drop my stuff down onto the floor, and Ivy’s eyes flare with heat as she strolls past me and grabs my camera.
“What are you doing?”
“Distracting ourselves.” She bites her lip before hitting record and placing it on a table. “And besides, I think the cameraman should get some screen time. He’s far too handsome.”
Holy hell. My cock throbs at her words as she stops directly in front of me.
There’s my confident girl.
“Whose beach hut is this?” I ask breathlessly, not wanting to be interrupted.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” she says before raising onto her toes and catching my mouth in another hot kiss.
I don’t bring up the question again.
When I taste raindrops on her tongue, I groan. My fingers knead into the sides of her body, and I shove her into the wall, trying to avoid the furniture and objects that occupy it. I pull her up around my waist again and press my crotch into hers, she groans at my growing cock.