I laugh, but a throat clears behind her. I look to see Thorin standing a few feet away, his gaze traveling the length of my body, and, because I’m a sadist, I do the same. Dressed in a pair of navy joggers, and a white stringer, he looks like what we call a gym rat, like he wears these kinds of clothes all the time. And if he had to really start training in my men’s gear, not a single woman in the gym will get their workout done because Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it’s just muscle. Everywhere.
“Don’t you look spiffy,” Mya tells him. “I see they got your sizes right.”
“Only because you snatched some of my clothes, and sent it to them.” He doesn’t look pissed, but then again, he’s not looking at Mya while he speaks to her. He’s looking at me, and God only knows what goes through his head when that happens.
“Okay, kids,” Tasha hoards me and Thorin towards the hair and make-up table, gets us freshened up—I get two French braids, and Thorin’s bun is neatly tied up a little higher on his head—and then she directs me to the photographer, Phillipe. His black hair is peppered with gray, but he’s well-built, and has been photographing athletes from all over the word for almost twenty years. Not to mention, he knows the inside of a gym really well. It was the reason Mya and I wanted him on this project. He shakes my hand. “Nice to see you again, Reese.”
I can’t help but smile. “You too, Phillipe.”
“You ready for this?” He asks, intuitively picking up on my nerves.
I nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Where do you want me?”
He taps his nose, looking between me and Thorin, who’s standing in my periphery.
“I think we’ll start with you and Thorin together.”
“Uh,” I look to Mya and she shrugs. “Okay, that’s fine.” I might have squeaked the last part because not once—not once, damnit—did I consider that we’d be photographed together. I should have, because it makes perfect sense, but my brain chose to block that possibility out.
“Thorin,” Philippe gestures for him to stand in front of the white backdrop, “if you can just stand straight, arms across your chest, legs parted, and then Reese,” he positions me at Thorin’s side, “if you can cock your hip out like so, and rest your arm on his shoulder, both of you look at me.” He grabs his camera, and gets ready. “Okay, here we go.”
Chapter Fifteen
Thorin
While Reese has shots taken of her last outfit for today (thank God, and I say that because she looks sexy as fuck in everything, and it’s driving me nuts), I try get comfortable in my last outfit for the day. The base leggings are supposed to be worn under gym shorts, but for reasons I’ll never know, they decided to photograph me in just the leggings. The leggings that hug my ass, and my thighs, and have me praying that watching Reese won’t give me a damn hard-on. The whole studio will see it in these things. And it’s not like I can’t not watch Reese, she’s gorgeous, strong, and once she finds her stride in front of the camera, almost everyone watches her anyway.
“Okay,” the photographer, Phillipe, snaps his fingers. “Thorin, we need you two together again.”
I’ve been to more shoots than I can remember for the band, be it for publicity or an upcoming tour, and not once did I feel nervous. Hell, we do an almost-nude calendar every year for charity and having random people see my body or my junk has never bothered me. And is that confidence anywhere to be found now as I make my way towards Reese? Fuck. No. And judging from Mya’s mischievous expression, I’m doing a piss poor job of hiding my anxiety. It’s laughable, really, because I’ve performed in front of millions, and yet, it’s Reese who makes my stomach twist. Oh Jesus, do I have fucking butterflies? I’m a grown ass fucking man, for crying out loud, we do not get butterflies or warm fuzzies. Someone scurries over to powder Reese’s nose, but when they try to do the same for me, my expression has them scurrying in the opposite direction. It wasn’t intentional, but I’m pulled so tight, my skin stretching unnaturally over skin and bone. Reese faces me in her tropical blue seamless cropped leggings, the kind that give away the shape of her pussy, and a matching sports bra that lifts her breasts, giving me the perfect view of cleavage.
Fuuuuck. I need to think about something else. Stat. An image of a naked Fletch pops into my head, and thank God for small mercies, because that does the trick. Until Reese smiles, her eyes alight with excitement, and happiness. Before Phillipe can tell me where to stand, I quicken my pace until I’m behind Reese, and planting my hands on her shoulders, I face her forward.
“Thorin, what—”
“Just stand still,” I mumble.
Does she listen? Of course not. Instead of keeping the small space between us, she steps back, and freezes. Phillipe gets his camera ready, apparently liking how we’re positioned, and just as he starts clicking away, Reese starts giggling. Because really, that is exactly what my ego needs right now.
“Ohmygod,” she breathes, chancing a look between her backside and my front. “That’s—” She cuts herself off by laughing this time, full-belly, dick-hardening laughter. Phillipe, not missing a beat, clicks away. “These are some great candid shots,” he chuckles from behind his lens. “Thorin, think you can lose the hard expression?”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
Reese is in hysterics, and I’m on the verge of showing everyone in this room just how hard my expression really is. I grab Reese, pick her up and wrap her legs around my waist.
Her head lands on my shoulder, and her infectious amusement has me cracking a smile.
“Somethin’ funny, Reese Pie?”
She shakes her head, and then I drop her a few inches. She stills, her head flies up, and her mouth makes the perfect O. “Not so funny now, huh.”
Her cheeks flush, and the color travels down her heck, over her breasts. “I, um, thats…okay, then.”
I smirk, the camera goes off, and then I decide to fuck with her a little. I bend my knees to a squat, spreading her legs a little, and feel the beast in me awaken when she lines up with me, the seam of her leggings right over my shaft.
“Thorin,” she warns, still flustered.
“What? We’re just having some fun.” I wink, and decide to play this to my advantage. I right myself and before Reese can drop to the floor, I keep one leg in my grip, and step into her. Her delicate hands land on my pecs, and when she feels my heart hammering a mile a minute, her eyes search mine, that familiar crackle igniting between us. “Just give me a minute,” I whisper in her ear. “It’ll, uh, go away.”
Just when I thought she couldn’t surprise me anymore, she starts laughing again, and when I’m sure my dick is no longer NSFW, I decide to really go for it. Reese squeaks when I pick her up and toss her over my shoulder, ass to camera, then she’s in my arms, throwing her head back. More laughter, I want more from her. Then she’s on my shoulders, while I sumo squat, and then I’m holding her above my head. Anything I can do to make her laugh, I do it, and laugh she does. By the time we’re done, Phillipe is laughing with us. “You two have such explosive chemistry.” He turns to Mya. “Did you get enough shots?”
I didn’t realize she’d been taking pictures with her phone, but I don’t care. She’ll use it to amp up the launch, and if my fans have to see me looking ridiculous, then I’d do it all over again.
“Plenty.” She smiles, and winks. Brat. But I shoot her a wink in return, she knows I wouldn’t act a fool for anyone other than Reese.
“I think that’s a wrap,” Phillipe says, browsing the images on his monitors. “I will have them all edited and sent to Mya. They’re all so great,” he adds. “Especially the images of the two of you together.”
Reese shifts uncomfortably on her feet. “Thanks, Phillipe. Are we done?”
“Yes, yes, you can change back into your clothes, and leave when you are ready.”
She scurries off, smiling at me from over her shoulder.
“You have a special one there, Thorin,” Phillipe says, his eyes still on his screen.
“Oh,
we’re not—”
“Together?” He looks up. “I know, but you should be. What you two have is that unnamable thing us photographers spend years trying to photograph. You’re lucky. I wouldn’t take it for a granted if I were you.”
“I won’t,” I tell him. I walk away, and his words repeat in my head over and over again while I change, and when we head back to the hotel for dinner.
What you two have is that unnamable thing us photographers spend years trying to photograph. You’re lucky.
I guess I am pretty lucky, but do I have a shot at making Reese see it too?
We have dinner in the hotel restaurant, and I watch in amusement at how Mya recalls some of Reese’s most embarrassing moments in college. Eli is tucked into my arm, his empty bottle on the table, and every time he dozes off, Reese’ll laugh and his eyes would search her out. She’s beautiful when she laughs too, so uninhibited and so free, a far cry from the girl I grew up with. I don’t even notice glimpses of who she used to be, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s been my problem since I got back—I’ve been looking for someone who simply doesn’t exist anymore.
“So, Thorin.” I look up at Mya. “Do you ever regret not going to college?”
Reese sips some white wine, watching from over the rim of her glass. She has that look in her eye she usually gets when she watches me with Eli, although, I have no clue what it means.
“Who said I didn’t go to college?”
“Did you?” Mya asks.
“Bachelor of Science majoring in Business from Penn State, online.”
“While you were still recording?”
I look between her and Reese, both of whom look surprised. “Took a little longer, but yeah.”
“So, why business?” Reese asks.
“Because it takes more to make a band successful than just good music. We have Alex, and he’s a damn good manager, but I needed to understand what he was doing, and I wanted to be able to give more than just music. Besides, my old man said I could pursue music as long as I had a back-up plan, so I got one.”
“Huh.” Mya tilts her head. “And the rest of the band?”
“All they care about is the music, which is fine, but I wanted more. We won’t be together forever, and if we ever had to call it quits, I wouldn’t mind starting my own label. As it is now, Alex and I make a lot of the business decisions together, and Benji and Fletch are my right hand guys. They’d open a label with me.”
“What about Carson?” This is from Reese. “Y’all have been thick as thieves since high school.”
A sigh escapes my lips. I should really be discussing this with Benji, Fletch and Alex, but I feel like neither Reese nor Mya would tell anyone. “Carson went off the rails a little, half way through our last tour. I’m using the next few months to keep an eye on him, see if he can get his head on straight before we record again. He doesn’t write the songs, but he’s a damn good bass guitarist.”
“Have you guys been working on some new stuff already?” Mya asks. I can see Reese is just as curious.
“I’ve been writing, but nothing official yet.” I smile down at Eli. “We’re actually turning the old barn into a recording studio so that I can lay tracks down back home.” Reese knows this, but she’s obviously kept it to herself.
“Does that mean you’ll be in Horseshoe Bay permanently?”
Rather than look at Mya, my eyes find Reese. “Yeah. It’s home, and I’m not leaving Reese alone to raise Eli.”
“This is the part where I’d usually ask you what your intentions are with my best friend, because I love her like a sister, but now I know.”
“Mya,” Reese admonishes with a little shake of her head.
Mya gives her a pointed look. “What? It had to be said.” She drains her wine. “Now, if y’all will excuse me, I need my beauty sleep, and judging from that dopey-eyed expression on Eli’s face, it’s way past his bed time, too.”
“What time do we have to be ready tomorrow?” Reese asks Mya.
“We have to be there by nine, so I suggest you get your ass up to bed. You look tired after today.”
“Hmm,” Reese stands. “But I had fun.”
“I bet you did.” Mya winks, and hugs Reese. Then she kisses Eli’s cheek, and mine too. “I kind of like you Thorin Decker, this non-rock-God version. You’re not so bad.”
Thanks,” I snort. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“I know.” She waves, disappearing through the restaurant.
Reese reaches for Eli, and I let her. I settle the bill—Reese has paid for everything else so far—and we make our way up to our room. Reese has the dorkiest grin on her face, but I can’t bring myself to say anything, in case she feels embarrassed. That’s the last thing I want her feeling around me. She should be proud of who she’s become, the people she’s helping. I had no hand in that, but today felt like a small contribution to making her dreams a reality. And God, to make her laugh, that was the damn highlight of my day. I shut the door behind us.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Reese asks, a sleeping Eli in her arms. It’s hard to think of a more beautiful sight.
“Like what?” I grin.
She waves her hand in the vicinity of my face. “I don’t know, you’re just smiling at me all goofy like.”
I chuckle. “Guess I had fun today, too.”
“You never did tell me what caused your, uh, situation,” she giggles, and man, that sound.
I rub the back of my neck. “Don’t remind me, it was embarrassing enough.”
Reese mock-gasps. “My my, is Thor, the God of Thunder, actually blushing?” Her smile widens when she notices the rudeness of my cheeks. “Oh, my God, you are!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m human okay, it happens. Now give me the kid, and go take a shower. You stink.”
“I do not,” she retorts around a smile, “but, a shower does sound really good.”
I take Eli back, and kick Reese’s butt when she walks past. “Get. I’ll get him ready for bed.”
She shakes her head, and all but skips past me, my eyes on her until she disappears into the bathroom.
“Man,” I look down at Eli, “Your uncle is so screwed.”
I lay him down on the bed, change his diaper, his clothes, and ten minutes later, Reese walks out, a towel wrapped around her body. “I forgot my clothes.”
I stare for what feels like a whole five minutes before my brain starts to function. “That’s fine,” I croak out. I lay Eli down in the bassinet, expecting Reese to be grabbing her silk pajamas and making a run for it, but when I straighten, she’s still standing there in that fucking towel.
I take a step towards her. “Reese?”
“I really want to know what happened today.” Her voice is quiet, barely a whisper. “Why you…”
Damn, I don’t want to talk about this, but my feet eat up the space between us until she’s craning her neck to meet my gaze. “You want to know if it happens all the time, or if it was because of you?”
We shouldn’t be doing this, but we’ve been flirting, and playing with each other since we left the studio. I like this side of her. In fact, I’m starting to think I like every facet there is to this woman.
“You know what, never mind. You’re a damn rockstar, of course it—”
“You,” I tell her. “It was you. In those damn leggings that showed me every dip, and curve I’ve been curious about since this morning.” Actually, I’ve wanted to know what her body looks like since I got back to Horseshoe, but this little dance we’ve been doing, and using Eli as a buffer, has had me halting any thought of her naked.
She clutches her towel tighter, and licks her lips. I lean down, catching the scent of her minty breath. “I so badly want to kiss you right now, Reese.”
“Then kiss me,” she breathes. “I want to know what it feels like.”
Her eyes are brimming with vulnerability, and I’m terrified that if we start this, I won’t be able to end it. A wail on the other side
of the bed bursts our little bubble, and Reese practically jumps back a step.
We catch our breath, which I only now notice is labored, and Reese side-steps me. “I’ll get him.”
I rub my hand down my face, turned on and frustrated all at once. Without saying another word, I lock myself in the bathroom, and shower until the water runs cold. By the time I’m done, Reese is fast asleep, and rather than disturb her, I grab a pillow and an extra blanket from the closet and fall onto the couch. I’m too awake to sleep, so I stare at the lights beyond the window, turning everything over and over in my head. My most recurring thought is, can this happen between us? And every time, I tell myself it can’t. At least not until I’ve put my own demons to bed. The ones that remind me of what I did to Reese, the ones that stoke the anger buried so deep, I never thought I’d have to deal with it. I spent years believing I’d never see Reese again, convinced myself our paths would never cross, but now we’re here, thrown together by an ugly twist of fate, and all I want is to be worthy of her. I want her love. I want her smiles. I want her laughter. But I know, in order to earn all that, I have to face the boy who broke her, the one who broke promise after promise, and I have to understand why she did what she did, even if it is because of me. She might have put it behind her, but I’m foolish to think I ever did.
Under The Same Sky (Horseshoe Bay Book 1) Page 15