Page 21 of My Playboy Neighbor

"I don't feel anything about it," he said curtly."It's a job.A way to fix the damage and get my career back on track.Nothing more."

Maya lowered her camera, studying his defensive posture."I want to show the world a man who was willing to risk everything to protect his sister."

"Is that what you see when you look at me?"

"I see a man who's spent so long controlling his image that he's forgotten the power of being real," Maya said honestly."But when you stop performing, that's when you're most compelling."

Dom's eyes flashed with something dangerous."Compelling, am I?"

"Don't let it go to your head," she said dryly, raising her camera."Now show me what real looks like."

Dom immediately stiffened, his expression shifting to that practiced model mask she'd seen in magazines.

"No.”She lowered the camera."That's exactly what we don't want."

"It's what I do," he said curtly.

"Well, stop doing it."She circled him, studying his defensive posture."Colleen's notes say the brands want authentic.That's not authentic."

His fists clenched."This is me being professional."

"This is you being a robot."She clicked off a few shots, showing him the LCD screen."Look at that.You look like a mannequin in an expensive suit."

He glanced at the images, his mouth hardening into a thin line."Fine.What do you want?"

"I want you to forget the camera exists.Talk to me about Milan.About why you really did what you did."

"You saw me.”

"Let me hear your side of the story."She kept the camera ready but didn't raise it."Tell me what you were really thinking when you saw that photographer stalking your sister."

His hands clenched into fists."I was thinking about finding him in a dark alley."

"There we go."She snapped a quick shot, catching the dangerous glint in his eyes."More of that."

He realized what she'd done and scowled."You're manipulating me."

"I'm doing my job."She grinned."You know, for all the industry's talk about authenticity, most of you are terrified of actually showing any real emotion.It's pathetic, really."

"Pathetic?"Dom's eyebrows shot up.

"Completely.Here you are, this powerful man who literally destroyed a fifty-thousand-euro camera to protect someone he loves, and you're afraid to let people see that you have feelings."Maya shrugged, camera ready."It's almost sad."

He stepped closer, his eyes flashing with irritation and something like amusement."You're trying to provoke me."

"Is it working?"She captured his almost-smile in her lens.

"You're a brat," he said, but there was humor in his voice now, the mask finally cracking.

"And you're a snob."She lowered her camera, grinning at him."Did you know that some male models spend more time on their skincare routine than most women?I bet you have at least seven different serums in your bathroom."

Dom's laugh burst out of him before he could stop it—rich, genuine, transforming his entire face.Her finger moved instinctively, capturing the moment when Dominic Valenti looked like a man instead of a brand.

"Got it," she said softly, reviewing the shot.

"Let me see."He moved to look at the camera's LCD screen.

She turned the camera so he could see the image.In it, Dom looked powerful and genuine—no trace of the polished model, just a man who was confident in his own skin.

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