“Did you just imply that I’m only with you for your bod?” I question, pushing myself up to meet his gaze.
“Are you trying to imply that you’d still be with me if I had a beer belly?” he counters.
Pursing my lips, I throw my leg over his waist and straddle him. The bastard’s eyes heat, but his somber expression stays firmly in place. As I lean closer, my hair falls over one shoulder, and I press a soft kiss to his frown, but it doesn’t disappear.
“I like you for you, Riv.”
“You like me for me as long as I look like this,” he challenges. His muscles flex beneath me and turn him into stone. Like a gorgeous statue carved by Michaelangelo, yet just as wounded and tortured too.
Damn you, Monet Cavier.
She has no idea how much she’s screwed up her son, though I’m not about to point it out to him. Although, the fact that he can’t see himself the way I see him nearly breaks me.
“Don’t get me wrong, Riv. I definitely appreciate the effort you’ve put into this bad boy.” I run my hands up and down his pecs. “But even if you had a beer belly and didn’t work out a day in your life, I’m attracted to what’s up here.” I tap my finger against his temple.
He scoffs.
“I like you for you,” I whisper. “I promise.”
“We’ll see.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he lies as his fingers dig into my thighs on both sides of his waist.
“Tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Reese.”
I bite my tongue to keep from calling him out, though the irony isn’t lost on me. The guy is so far out of my league that it isn’t even funny, yet he’s terrified I won’t be attracted to his mind when I’m afraid that’s the only thing he’s attracted to when it comes to me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, dragging his fingers along my sensitive skin.
“Just that it’s ironic.”
“What is?”
“That you question whether or not I’m attracted to your mind, while I can’t help but wonder what you see when it comes to me physically. I’ve seen your other conquests, Riv––”
“Don’t––”
“How can’t I? That’s a little pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?”
“You’re beautiful, Reese. I’ve told you this––”
“Where did you go last night?” I demand. “And you better not say out, or I’m going to give you a turkey on your chest.”
“You’re feisty this morning,” he notes.
“I’m feisty every morning. Now, answer the question. I know we aren’t officially together, but––”
“I’m gonna stop you right there, Reese.” His strength makes me gasp as he lifts me off him and sets me on the mattress like I weigh about as much as a gallon of milk. Then he rolls out of bed and pads across the floor in his birthday suit while I’m left drooling as I take in the view of his chiseled backside.
Day-um.
A few seconds later, he returns with a white envelope in his hands and offers it to me.
“This was my backup plan in case you still weren’t sure if you wanted to give us a real shot.”
“What is it?” I ask as I cautiously open the crisp envelope.
He doesn’t answer me, but I can feel his gaze bouncing around my face, anxious to see my reaction.
Curious, I slide out the contents, then gasp.
“Are these…?”
“They’re from the photoshoot. Gina sent me a few of the digitals for my portfolio, but I thought they might sway you to give us a chance if you saw them. That’s where I was last night. I printed them out as a last-ditch effort in hopes they’d convince you. And even though it didn’t end up being necessary, I still thought you might like to see them.”
My gaze meets his before dropping back down to the 4x6 photos. They’re gorgeous. Every one of them holds so much emotion that I’m left breathless. Part of me wants to deny that the woman in the images looks like me, but they do. I don’t look overly photoshopped or fake. I look beautiful. I look like a girl who might even deserve River. And the look on his face in these pictures proves that he thinks the exact same thing.
“Gina said she was blown away by the chemistry in the pictures. She said we were gonna light the lingerie catalog on fire.” He chuckles before gripping the back of his neck and examining the pictures with me.
He’s right. These things are hot.
And now, I’m terrified for them to be printed anywhere that Milo might see them because if he managed to stumble upon these, River would be dead, and I’d never be forgiven.
I need to tell him. I just don’t know how.
“What are you thinking about?” River asks gently.
I peek up at him. “Is there any chance Milo could stumble upon these?”
He shakes his head. “Not unless he snoops in your room.”
“He would never do that.”
“Then it’ll be fine. Most likely, we won’t see them, either. Well, outside of the ones Gina sent me, anyway. It’s for a foreign designer.”
Letting go of the oxygen in my lungs, I go back to looking them over.
“You rocked the whole modeling gig,” I admit as I take in his abs in the photograph. The fact that I get to touch, kiss, and lick these things in real life is mind-blowing. I run my fingers along the photograph before my stupid insecurities rear their stupid heads.
He’s just so…pretty.
Why the hell would he want to be tied down in a relationship?
Yes, I look good in these pictures, but I’m all dolled up. It’s not like I look like that every day of the week. In fact, I’m not even the one who did my hair or makeup. I barely even wear the stuff on a regular basis.
Like right now, for example. My hair is a messy rat’s nest, I’m bloated from ice cream and popcorn last night, and I haven’t brushed my teeth in almost twenty-four hours.
I cover my mouth with my hand and glance over at him with shame.
“Reese.” Reading my mind, he cups my cheeks and forces me to look at him. “Your reaction is the opposite of what I was looking for when I printed these off to show you. What’s wrong?”
I shrug.
“Tell me,” he pleads.
I swallow thickly. “I don’t always look like this.”
“So?”
“Was this just a job to you? And I don’t mean that negatively, or like I’m accusing you of doing anything wrong. I just want to know. If Olivia didn’t have her appendix nearly burst, would we still be here? In this room? Would we still have slept together? Or would it be her bed that you woke up in instead of mine?”
“Now look who’s calling the kettle black,” he points out.
I bite my lip but don’t reply.
“You don’t get it, Reese.” His thumb runs along my jaw, but his grip stays firm. “It didn’t feel like work with you. It wasn’t work with you,” he corrects himself. “If anything, I finally got to let down those walls and show my real feelings around you. Feelings that have been dying to come out for months. I’ve wanted you since the moment you showed up on our doorstep and announced you were looking for Milo and Jake. I didn’t know you were Milo’s sister back then. I was jealous as hell that their names were the ones that slipped past your lips instead of mine. If it were Olivia, it would’ve been another job, and I wouldn’t have jacked off to the pictures when Gina sent them to my phone for my portfolio. It’s you. It’s always been you.”