“Well, I guess you’ll just see tomorrow,” I shrug, knowing he’ll freak even more now.
He nods, looking me straight in the eye as he murmurs, “I can’t wait.”
My cheeks flush as I quickly look down at my plate. “What did you do while I was in the fitting?”
“I had a meeting with the crew, but then I had a little bit of time to go explore the beach outside of our hotel.”
“Oh, I’m so jealous!”
He furrows his brows in concern. “We’ll have time to go after the shoot tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how tired we’ll be, but maybe after a nap we can go swim or walk down the beach.”
I chew the rest of my bite slowly before nodding. “That would be really fun.”
After a few bites in silence he asks, “Did you get to meet any of the other models?”
“I met a girl named Bella. She was really nice and she admitted to seeing us sleeping on the plane, so I’m sure she wasn’t the only one.”
“We weren’t doing anything wrong,” he answers with a sternness behind his blue gaze.
“Oh, no. I know,” I clarify, “Well actually I wasn’t certain, but it didn’t feel wrong to me.”
“Good,” he nods his head, and I can tell he likes my answer. “Was she nice to you?”
The way he asks makes it clear that if she weren’t, he’d be all too willing to rectify the situation. Suddenly, I’m glad she was sweet...I can’t blame him for wanting to be protective of me; I’m just not sure why he feels the need to be. Maybe because he orchestrated this whole job he doesn’t want me to have a horrible time?
“Oh, yeah. We chatted for a while actually,” I pause, wondering if I want to tell him the next part. Will it boost his ego even more and remind him of all the other options he has available to him? “I’ll be honest, she warned me about the other girls having crushes on you.”
“Charley, we talked about that earlier.”
“I know. I trust you, and jeez, it’s not like I have some kind of deed on you. I just wanted you to know what she said.”
He looks up at my thoughtfully, “Thanks for telling me.”
“Do you like knowing they all find you attractive?” A small smile skims across my lips.
He shakes his head and he stands to put his empty plate and silverware back into the brown paper to-go bag. “It sort of makes me more uncomfortable than anything else. But their opinions don’t matter to me.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. There’s only one person whose opinion I would care to know.”
“Well you don’t have to worry. I’m sure your mom thinks you’re handsome, Jude.” I smile wide at my cheeky comment, knowing he’ll bite back.
He leans back in his chair, folding his hands over what I know to be a very toned stomach. “You’re funny, Charley. But I think you’re avoiding answering my question.”
“You expect me to lay all my cards out on the table?” I stand and fold up the rest of the trash before carting the paper bag over toward the door. When I’m done, I bypass the table and sit on the edge of the bed.
He shrugs, “I think it’s fair. I’ve been honest with you thus far.”
“Yes,” I answer simply, folding my legs so that I sit with them criss-crossed on top of the comforter.
“Yes?” he asks, standing from his chair and walking toward me.
My pulse spikes as he approaches and I wet my lips instinctively. “Jude, you can’t honestly be that obtuse. Yes, I find you really freaking attractive.” I fold my hands in between my legs, watching a possessive smile take over his features, transforming him into the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
“Uggh,” I sigh, splaying back onto the bed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jude
“Well that wasn’t so hard now was it? It’s the least you could do after I brought you dinner.”
She leans up, bending her arm, and rests her head on the palm of her hand. I mirror her actions so that we’re laying down facing each other. “I really do appreciate you feeding me,” she offers with a timid smile.
“I was happy for the company.”
We lay in silence, soaking in the moment, testing the waters of what could happen next.
“What time are you going to sleep?”
She twists her neck to look at the ornate clock decorating her nightstand. “I probably can stay up for another thirty minutes, but then I need to be out like a light or you’ll be whining about a model with bags under her eyes tomorrow morning.”
“Never,” I protest, taking in those gorgeous eyes now. I’d never complain about something that brings me so much joy.
“What are you thinking?” she asks dreamily.
“I was wondering how long I got to keep you,” I answer honestly. The way I say “keep you” sounds more possessive than I meant it to, but when I see her plump lips part for a gentle inhale and her eyes dilate with arousal, I know she likes the idea as much as I do.
Oh, sweet girl. If I could take you now, I would. But thirty minutes is not enough time.
She’s quiet for a few moments after that, trying to tamper the desire that’s so easily read across her features. I watch her twirl the soft duvet cover around her finger. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were here for vacation and not for work?”
I smile. “I don’t think you would have let me sweep you away to Hawaii on any other pretense.”
“There is a photo shoot, right?” she teases.
I laugh before shrugging playfully and narrowing my eyes. “That information is classified, Ms. Whitlock.”
After she’s laughed herself out, I scoot an inch closer so that we’re only a foot or so away from each other. “Have you ever been to Hawaii?”
She shakes her head and her gaze falls on the wall behind me as memories cloud her expression.
“No. My mom always preferred Aspen or Europe. She wasn’t a beach kind of lady.” She wrinkles her nose. “Too much sand.”
I reach out and twirl my finger on the back of her hand that rests on the bed between us. She doesn’t pull away, but her eyes linger on my touch with a soft focus. “That’s a shame. Europe is beautiful, but you seem like you belong on the beach as well.”
She smiles wide, “I do. I love the water and the sun. I could sit out in the sun for hours.”
I let my finger glide up over her delicate wrist and then slowly up her arm. “You’re already radiant, but once you catch some sun tomorrow, you’ll be glowing,” I say admiringly, letting my hand pause at the top of her sleeve. She scoots a few inches closer to me, and I take the invitation to run my hands under the cotton shirt. Her skin is so soft, so inviting, that my hand feels as if it travels on its own accord, trying to get its fill of her.
I glide across her shoulder and down her shoulder blade, barely grazing her skin, but I still feel those familiar goose bumps blossom under my path.
She purrs softly and scoots another inch. “That feels amazing.”
Her words undo any remaining resolve, but I don’t want to ravage the poor girl. I take a deep breath and glide my hand back down to her arm to get a better angle. “Lay on your back, Charley,” I instruct, gently pushing her down.
She complies willingly; her beautiful wet curls splaying out around her while her arms lay limp by her side. Her big blue eyes look up, searching my face for answers, but I’m not willing to give anything but these simple touches. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take it farther, but right now, this is perfect.
When my hand reaches the hem of her loose cotton shirt, I tug it up slowly, revealing an inch of her slim, tantalizing abs. I drag a finger across her skin, from hip to hip, and watch as her stomach quivers in response. I love doing this. I love knowing my touch can cause so much lust to build within her. Tugging her shirt up another inch or two, I lean down and place a chaste kiss an inch away from her belly button. She arches ever so gently, enough to goad me forward until I’ve tugged the hem of her shirt up so that it rests a millimeter below her br**sts. Everything about Charley is so delicate and pretty— the sweet curve of her torso, the dip of her belly button, the gentle line that dips down her trim abs to the top of her black pants. We’re both in a dreamy haze, letting the moment carry us, but I have no clue when one of us will snap out it.
With quick movements, I crawl over her, pinning her to the bed beneath my thighs and leaning forward to carry some of my weight on my hands. If I had my way, this is where she would stay all the time. Pinned under me, ready and willing for me to take her.
I glance up toward her face. I would have expected her to protest by now, but she looks beyond words. Her entire body hums underneath me, lust practically seeping from her pores. I want to sate that lust, rev it to the breaking point, and then push her over the edge over and over again.
“Please,” she whispers under her breath.
Before I’ve even registered my movements, I’ve pinned her hands above her head and am leaning down to sweep my lips across her hers. She opens up for me so willingly that it makes my dick ache. I need more as our tongues collide, trying to convey each ounce of yearning we’re trying to hold back. My h*ps and mouth set a dangerous rhythm but she meets me grind for grind.
Clasping her wrists with one hand, I scrape down her shirt and tug it slowly over her beautiful br**sts, finally revealing her pink strapless bra. A devilish grin spreads across my lips when I realize that I can unclasp if from the front.
“I want to see you,” I demand huskily. I felt her body at the club, but I have to see her; I have to know how beautiful she is everywhere. Her whole body trembles beneath me, and when I glance up, she has her bottom lip tucked between her teeth in an innocent pose. Those blue eyes urge me forward; they beg me to unclasp her bra and feel her sensitive n**ples between my fingers.
“Do you want me to touch you, Charley?” I ask, as my finger gently slides along the seam of her bra, setting her skin on fire.
She nods coyly and bites down even harder on her lip. With a deft flick, I unclasp the front of her bra, but I leave the lacey cups covering her br**sts. I want to tease her. Knowing we can’t go all the way tonight makes this moment even more spectacular. With each inhale, her chest rises and the material threatens to fall away and reveal her to me, but it only slides down slightly, revealing the very tip of soft pink n**ples. My dick hardens even more as I take in the beautiful sight. I feel like I’m torturing myself beyond control.
“Do you want me to slide these cups away?” I ask, tightening my hold on her wrists.
“Please,” she begs softly. I like making her beg; I’ll remember that for tomorrow. As I shift my weight, I let go of her wrist and lean back enough to see all of her chest.
“Do not move your arms. Leave them by your head or I’ll stop touching you.” I doubt I’d actually manage to fulfill that consequence, but I want to keep her just like that, with her br**sts pushed up, provoking my carnal desires.