Only For Now: Second Chances

by Hart, Alana

  Will's next words surprised her all over again. "What do you think would be the best angle for the ceremony?"

  "Me? You're the pro." But she was pleased that he had asked, because she did have an opinion. She showed him her thoughts, walking around and stopping in various places. He followed her, snapping shots from various angles and positions, encouraging her to continue. They went on this way for some time, him letting her take the lead while he tried to disappear behind the camera. As the sun began to lower, she showed him her thoughts on the arranged poses, talking all about the way the sun would play against the sand and sea, creating light and shadow.

  She never talked to anyone about this because they didn't get it, how the technical side of photography could also be the artistic side. How something that was simply pretty and appealing to the naked eye could be transformed into art and beauty by the correct conditions and techniques.

  Before Alexa realized it, their light was gone. At least the light that would make the best wedding photos. She stopped and simply stared out at the sunset.

  "This is my favorite time of day. Look how the water looks golden." She walked to the edge of the shore where the tide was starting to recede, leaving uneven pockets in the sand, and dug her toes in, holding up the hem of her dress with one hand. A few more steps and she was a little deeper, letting the water wash around her calves.

  When Will didn't respond, she turned back to find him with his camera still pointed at her. Alexa laughed. "Photo shoot is over. Come out with me." She held her hand toward him, and he did step closer, but he didn't lower the camera.

  "You're stunning, Alexa. Breathtaking."

  She licked her lips, suddenly nervous. She felt exposed, like he was seeing through her with his camera.

  He took another step toward her, and brought the camera down so she could see his face. His eyes were blazing with desire. "Model for me. I've got what I need for the wedding. I want to see you now."

  The way he said it, model for me, felt almost sexually charged to Alexa. She should have been embarrassed, but instead she found herself responding to his request. He didn't speak, and neither did she. She simply let herself go, channeling the vulnerability she'd felt at being exposed, and letting her true self shine through. This was something she'd found hard when modeling. The intense need to cover up what she was feeling and not let the camera see. It's why she had quit and decided to pursue something behind the scenes. It's also why she had chosen to edit and not write. That fear of putting herself out there, bared to the world.

  But this felt different. She was at ease with Will. Well, not exactly, because just having him in her proximity set her on edge, physically. But she was comfortable with him, and being herself came naturally.

  She didn't know how many photos he took, but suddenly the sun was just a slit on the horizon and he put his camera back on the beach, careful to keep it out of the sand, and came back to her in the water. Alexa couldn't help but notice how his gray shirt was stretched across his broad chest and his khaki shorts were slung low on his hips as he approached her.

  He stopped a yard from her and simply stared. She had made her way a little deeper into the waves, at knee height now, and she realized her dress was pulled up around her thighs with both hands. She took a step toward him, intending to close the distance, when a stronger wave suddenly surged behind her, knocking her off balance.

  Will rushed to catch her, but it was too late. She grabbed for him to steady herself, but the sand was unstable and they both went toppling under the water, arms and legs tangling together. Sputtering water, she pushed herself to her knees, Will surfacing in front of her. Laughter erupted from both of them then as they were both unexpectedly on their knees with waves crashing all around them.

  Just as another wave threatened her balance again, Will scooped her up effortlessly and walked the short distance to the shore. His body was hot against her cold wet dress, and she immediately regretted the loss of contact when he sat her down gently, then lowered himself next to her, turned sideways and propped up on his elbow. They were soaking wet and sand was sticking to their bodies, but Alexa didn't care. All she wanted was to stay right here.

  "That was amazing," he said softly, his gaze never leaving her face.

  "I had so much fun," Alexa admitted. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed being in front of the camera that much."

  "You've never posed for me before." The arch of his brow let her know he was half-joking, so she punched him lightly in the arm. He grabbed her wrist before she could pull it back, forcing her to lean in closer. "Seriously. You were incredible. Beautiful."

  Suddenly Alexa was short of breath again, her heart pounding so hard she was certain Will could hear it, even over the crashing waves. She felt as if she were in a dream. All the years of longing for him and knowing he’d never truly be hers seemed to disappear as Will took his arms and, wrapped them around her, lowering her slowly to the sand until she was looking up at him as he leaned in closer.

  She thought briefly of their kiss four years ago. How they’d been drinking on New Year’s, at a party together, but not. How she’d had the ridiculous drunken idea to make her move, and he’d responded with an intensity that had thrown her way off guard.

  But this was different. Will was looking at her as if she were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. She pushed all doubt from her mind as he traced a finger over her mouth, and down her neck before gently, testing, he touched his lips to hers.

  Her response was immediate and she gave in to his kiss body and soul, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and pulling him closer. She parted her lips and he tasted her and it felt like coming home.

  Alexa wanted more. She pulled him closer still, entwining her legs with his, and could feel his hardness pressed against her hip, indicating just how much he desired her. It was overpowering. All-consuming.

  Will trailed hot kisses down her neck while his hands traveled down her sides, seeking out her breasts and tweaking her nipples before continuing down her waist to her hips. She arched into him as his head dipped lower, and she ached for the feel of his mouth against her.

  "Will..." she gasped. He pulled back to look into her eyes, to make sure. She rested her hands above her head and smiled her acquiescence and his hands began to roam her body again. Down to her legs where her dress was bunched up. His hand massaged its way up her thigh, causing her to moan, and just as she thought she was about to come apart then and there, he pulled away from her and sat up.

  "Alexa, this isn’t right. I’m sorry."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Will ran his hands across his face and tried to clear his head. He felt crazed, like he was drowning and she was the air he couldn’t get enough of.

  He looked down at her and almost took her then and there, the wanton woman lying before him practically begging him to touch her. But he forced himself to get his body under control.

  She sat up, a look of anger crossing her face. “What do you mean, wrong? Felt pretty damn right to me.”

  "That came out wrong.” He took her face in his hand and tried to turn her back to him, but she wouldn't budge. “It absolutely felt right. More right than I ever could have imagined.” He couldn’t believe he was saying these things to her, but what the hell? If he was going to do this, it was now or never.

  She looked at him, confusion in her eyes.

  "What I mean is that I’ve waited to damn long for this to rush it on an open, sandy beach. I want to take my time with you.”

  "No, you're right. I'd prefer to be a little less wet and sandy too. But now that you've mentioned it..." She looked at him shyly, then dropped her eyes, making him marvel at her all over again. "I had been thinking, well, I thought it might be nice if… I don't know how to say this. Ugh." She took a deep breath and turned to face him on her knees, apparently gathering her courage. "I'd be okay if we wanted to see what this is." She gestured between the two of them, then continued
in a rush, “I mean, only for now. Obviously.”

  Her cheeks were blazing now, and if he weren’t so thrown of kilter, he would have thought her embarrassment was sweet. He was hearing what he wanted. His intentions from the start had been to convince her to give him a chance. And here she was offering it up.

  But not the way he wanted.

  Normally he'd jump on the chance of a beautiful woman offering a week of no strings attached sex. But the way she’d said it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Only for now. No way in hell. He’d never gotten over her walking away from their chance at something, if he was honest with himself. And being with her this week had made it crystal clear. He wanted her. But not for now; forever.

  His slow response must have made her unsure because she suddenly wouldn't meet his eyes and started to pull away. He grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him firmly, making a point. Her eyes grew wide and she bit her lip, and the act made him rethink flipping her over and taking her right there. But no, she deserved better.

  "It's more than obvious that I want you." He grinned. "And I can see you want me too. Let's not classify this as anything. Let's just roll with it. Can we do that?" She gave him a genuine smile then and nodded, her damp hair sprinkling him with seawater. "Perfect."

  Will realized he'd said that word quite a few times already tonight. But it was fitting. She was perfect. And perfect for him.

  He stood and helped her up from their spot on the sand. "Let's see what we can round up for dinner." He laced his fingers through hers and led her up the steps.

  * * *

  Alexa awoke to the sound of laughter floating in from the open French doors, and sat up suddenly. When had she fallen asleep? She turned and realized she must have fallen asleep against Will on the sofa. Everyone was about to walk through the doors at any second.

  He leaned toward her and took her off guard by pressing a soft kiss to her lips before standing and taking their dirty dishes to the kitchen. They had eaten a delicious pasta dish that Will had prepared himself, then settled in to watch a movie while they waited on everyone to return. She must have been more tired than she'd realized after a long day in the sun.

  The evening really had turned out to be more like a date. And Will had been on board with her plan. It was shaping up quite nicely. Alexa attempted to settle herself back into the cushions and appear nonchalant, but her heart was pounding in her chest at the memory of what had transpired between the two of them tonight. It was going to be as plain as day on her face and her sister would want all the details, but Alexa wasn’t ready to share them. She just wanted to enjoy the moment for a change without overanalyzing everything.

  The laughter grew louder as the group poured into the house and Alexa realized they'd been drinking. Just as well. They'd pay less attention to her that way.

  "Lex," her future brother-in-law said, coming around behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "We missed you tonight." He smelled like beer.

  Alexa wrinkled her nose, but still turned to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm sure you still managed to have a nice time. And we got a lot accomplished." Did they ever.

  Will ambled back into the room and gave her a sly wink. She couldn't suppress the grin that spread over her face.

  Cara, who never missed a thing, eyeballed her. "How did the pictures turn out?" she asked innocently.

  "I think we'll have some nice ones. We wanted to wait for you before we looked at them," Will stated.

  What? He wanted to let them see them before she'd even had a chance? She knew he'd been snapping pictures after they were done with the official shoot, and the thought that some of the wild emotions she’d been feeling for him could very well be written all over her face made her stomach lurch.

  "Let's see them," Cara said.

  "How about we wait until tomorrow," Alexa suggested weakly. "I know you must be tired. I sure am." She yawned for emphasis.

  "Go on to bed, sis. I'm sure we can form an opinion without you."

  Like hell. She had to see their reactions, for better or worse. "I guess I can wait," she muttered, shooting Will the evil eye.

  Cara clapped. "It's settled then. What a great way to finish off the evening."

  Alexa made her way into the kitchen while Will attached his camera to his computer to transfer the images. She needed a drink. She found some Chardonnay in the refrigerator and filled a glass well over the normal serving and began to sip. She was all nerves again. The idea of a fling with Will was one thing. It becoming an obvious reality to the entire wedding party was quite another.

  Will must have sensed her nerves because he gave her a reassuring look as he nudged the chair next to him out with his foot then patted the cushion. "Why doesn't the star of the show have a front row seat?"

  She sat down reluctantly and he leaned in. "It's fine. You're worrying over nothing. Trust me." She didn't seem to have a choice.

  Cara and Jace gathered in close, as did Jocelyn and the other bridesmaids. The men obviously weren't interested as it appeared they had booted up the video game system.

  There was a collective intake of breath as the first shot appeared, then the women were all murmuring to each other in approval. She wasn't vain, but Alexa had to admit that the photos were indeed amazing. Will's ability to capture a moment and Alexa's ease in front of the camera made for an amazing combination.

  "God, Lex, you look gorgeous," Cara said. "Why did you ever stop modeling?"

  Alexa shrugged uncomfortably at the attention. "I just never felt comfortable on display."

  Jace clapped Will on the back. "Well, Will seems to have put you at ease." Far from it, if he only knew. She saw the smirk on his face and knew he was thinking along the same lines. "What did I tell you, Cara? I think you can rest assured that Will is the right man for the job."

  Cara agreed, as did the other bridesmaids. Except for Jocelyn, who let out a huff and left the room. Alexa couldn't tear her eyes away as Will continued to flip through the shots. He had managed to catch her excitement and passion for photography as he had taken the shots of her describing what angles and poses she thought would make good wedding pictures.

  "Actually, I don't think they would have turned out as well without Alexa's input," Will said. "She's the one who had most of the ideas. I just snapped the shutter."

  "I wouldn't go that far," Alexa laughed. "There's a whole lot more to it than snapping the shutter."

  "Lex knows her stuff," Cara chimed in. "She took some photography in college but never really pursued it." She noticed Will watching her again like he had when he'd put down the camera outside earlier, and took another gulp of wine.

  Alexa knew he was reaching the end of the practice wedding session when he stopped and leaned back in the chair. "So you're happy then?" The question was directed at Cara, who naturally, was the only one whose opinion really counted.

  "I'm happy." Her big smile proved it. "Thank you so much for doing this. I feel really good about Friday now."

  "What did I tell you?" Jace said, leading her toward the stairs.

  When they'd disappeared and the other women had gone about their own business, Will arched a brow. "Wanna see the rest?"

  Alexa bit her lip and looked around. When she was satisfied that no one was paying them any attention she nodded and sat forward, scooting closer to Will to get a better view. He clicked a few buttons and then there she was, wading in the water. She drew in a breath.

  How had he managed to capture every emotion she'd been feeling in that one shot? She looked excited, free, alive.

  That's how he made her feel. Alive. Every fiber of her being was aware of the vibrancy of life when he was around. Barely daring to look at him, she slowly turned her eyes to find him staring at her again. This is what he'd seen earlier, a side of her she kept to herself. And his response had astounded her.

  Alexa was fairly certain that he knew what she was thinking by the look in his eyes, but she couldn't fo
rm the words to explain how out of the ordinary it was for her to open up this way to someone. And she wasn't sure she should either. If he knew the extent of how she really felt about him, he'd run screaming in the other direction.

  So she didn't say anything, waiting.

  Suddenly he got a wicked gleam in his eye, and shut down his computer, standing up in the process. He reached for her hand and pulled her up, placing a finger to his lips, then pulled her toward the stairs.

  She glanced around hurriedly, but no one was paying them any attention, so she followed him to her door where he pressed her back against it and placed an arm on either side of her head, bracing himself.

  "Looking at those pictures had me ready for round two," he whispered, his hot breath in her ear making her skin tingle.

  In response, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her, and he crushed his mouth down on top of hers. This. This is what she wanted. She moaned softly under the assault of his lips, an ache building deep in her belly.

  The sudden sound of footsteps on the stairs brought her back to reality only a moment later. A good thing too, or she would soon have forgotten herself.

  Will pulled away reluctantly and ran the back of his fingers across her lips. "Sweet dreams, love." It wasn't said as a sweet goodnight comfort, but more of a dare. He winked at her, then was gone, disappearing into his room across the hall.

  Male voice accompanied the footsteps and Alexa hurried into her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it and breathing heavily. What was she getting herself into? Nothing good could come of this. But instead of being afraid by it, the thought made a thrill rush through her, and she smiled, touching her lips that were swollen from Will's kisses. She was about to find out what it was like to be up to no good.