Page 43 of Strut

“Do you see the difference?” He drew a comparison between the earlier and later shots.

And fuck me if the later ones weren’t a whole lot better than the first. The pose, the sexiness, the sit of the jockstrap, the light... every-fucking-thing. My head swam. Darcy knew what he was doing. It was all about the shot. I might not like his methods, but I couldn’t argue with the results.Berlini was gonna love these so get a grip, dipshit.

“Yeah, they’re great,” I finally managed.

He smiled. “Glad you like them.” He packed up his laptop and left Gary to do the rest. “We’ll be in touch next week, Alec.” He waved cheerily my way and headed out the door, leaving me stunned and second-guessing every fucking thing that had gone before.

With Darcy gone, I guzzled a water to give myself time to calm down, steadfastly ignoring all the curious looks Gary was sending me. I got dressed, texted Hunter I was on my way and wondered if I was going completely batshit crazy.

By the end of the fifteen-minute cab ride to Hunter’s apartment, I’d all but convinced myself of exactly that—I’d imagined the whole thing. Was Darcy a bit handsy? Sure. But that wasn’t the first time I’d run into the problem, and it wouldn’t be the last, albeit his was a little morein your facethan I’d experienced.

And maybe hewasjust adjusting the jockstrap. It had beena little on the small size. Would he really have risked something so blatant with his assistant standing right there? Other models complained about directors and photogs inappropriatelytuckingthem and laughed it off. Maybe it was just me. Maybe I was too damned worked up about the shoot. Was I reading stuff into shit that wasn’t really there?

The closer I got to Hunter’s apartment, the more that made sense. I sure as shit wasn’t about to accuse Hunter’s colleague of groping me when I wasn’t even sure what had happened myself. Besides, it was done. No point shit-stirring when nothing might come of the Berlini thing anyway. Plus, I was damned if I was going to let Darcy Fenchurch take up space in my head when I had Hunter waiting for me. Nothing was going to spoil this evening.Nothing.

Hunter answered on the first knock like he’d been standing just inside the door waiting for me. The idea brought a ridiculous smile to my face. He wore loose grey sweats hanging low on his hips, bare feet, a soft cream T-shirt, and with water still dripping from the ends of his damp hair. Sexy enough to take my breath away.

“Hey.” He planted a firm kiss on my mouth, but his eyes were hungry for more, a lot more. He ushered me into a small cheerful lounge decorated in soft greys and pinks with pops of muted florals, and with a large window overlooking the street. A deep cushioned couch and two armchairs sat around a glass coffee table, and a tiny but clean and bright kitchen was off to one side.

Hunter stood back and ran his gaze over my Berlini look. “You look fabulous. Perfect choice. So, how’d it go? Wait. Let me get you a beer first.” He turned and headed for the kitchen.

I followed and slid my arms around his waist, pulling him to a stop.

“No beer.” I pressed my lips to the back of his neck and he shivered. “Just you. The go-see was good, but I really don’t want to talk about that right now. I want you, Hunter. And I think I’ve waited long enough.”

CHAPTERTEN

Hunter

“Damn, you smell good.”Alec ran his nose up the side of my face and inhaled deeply before whispering in my ear, “Do you want me to shower?”

I spun in his arms and cradled his face, staring into those pools of deep blue. “Let’s save that pleasure for between rounds. The idea of you wet in my arms sounds pretty good to me.”

His eyes danced and he shot me a wicked smile. “I like the way you think.” Then he leaned back and looked at me. “You know, today, to get me to relax, Darcy told me to think of something that made me happy.”

“Mm-hmm.” I claimed a soft kiss.

“I thought of you.”

My stomach swooped and I stared at him.

His gaze remained steady on mine. “Youmake me happy, Hunter.You.”

I couldn’t breathe for a second. No one had ever said that to me. Finally, I found my voice. “You make me happy too, Alec. More than I can say. And I’ve waited all day for this.” I pressed my mouth to his and a soft sigh slid between my lips as he opened for me.

I moaned shamelessly, he tasted that good, and with his mouth still on mine and his hot hands around my waist, he pulled me toward the bedroom, his thick hot tongue sweeping through my mouth.

I grunted as my hip collected the corner of the door jamb with a painful crack, but we kept moving. I shoved his leather jacket off his shoulders and he shook it to the floor before pushing my sweats to my knees. My hard cock sprang free, and Alec looked down and licked his lips.

“Commando. Fucking perfect.” He tugged my T-shirt over my head and it went sailing overhead.

I stepped free of my sweats, almost tripping in the process, and then kissed up Alec’s throat to his mouth while grappling with the stubborn buttons of his shirt. “For fuck’s sake.” I gave up and tugged the whole thing over his head and we kissed some more as I made quick work of his slacks and briefs. When they dropped to the floor, he stepped free and walked me backwards to the bed.

He pushed me down and I got my first look at him all gloriously naked and aroused, his dick hard and dripping and just as big as I remembered. A huge fucking grin spread over my face. “Oh man.” I blew a low whistle. “I’m gonna have so much fun with that.”

“Is that right?” Alec blushed from his neck to his hairline, although the look in his eyes was anything but shy. “I certainly hope so.” He crawled up my body and lowered himself until the delicious weight of him covered me chest to toe. “I think we made the getting naked bit a whole lot harder than it needed to be.”

Goosebumps rose on my skin, shooting waves of heat through my body as he nuzzled my neck. “God, I love how you smell.” He brushed his lips across mine, less frantic now, slower, deeper, savouring me like something precious.

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