Page 57 of The Model

Not that I’d complain. The way I felt now compared to how I felt when I walked into the meeting room earlier was like night and day. I felt like the sun had finally decided to shine on my face for the first time since I’d last seen her. For months I’d been in the dark, but now she illuminated my life with her sheer presence.

Raine, Sadie, Ty, and Lexie stood huddled together around a makeshift podium with a laptop on top as they examined each photo she’d taken the last few hours.

Separating, Sadie placed a hand on Lexie’s shoulder as they both nodded. “The shots look great and just what we wanted. We’ve got a gem here with our Lexie. She knows how to get what she wants and relatively quickly.” There were a few chuckles at her comment. “We’re going to move on to the next location, so please eat and get some rest. We’ll be reconvening at…” Her questioning gaze looked to Lexie for the answer.

“Models meet at hair and makeup at four a.m., we’ll be shooting at sunrise on the rooftop. The rest of you, please make sure everything is in place before that time. The most important thing I can stress is, do not be late. I know we’re here in Sin City but now is not playtime. We’ll get to that later.”

Everyone stood straighter, and their eyes lit up when she spoke even though they were dead tired. I loved how much everyone admired her. I missed working with her and wished everyone I worked with was as easygoing and competent as she was.

“Are you going to eat?” Alyssa asked from beside me. I felt bad. I was sure from her point of view, it looked as if everyone knew each other, and she was the outsider. I didn’t want her to feel left out, but I also wasn’t too sure how Lexie would be with others around us. I wanted her by my side as much as possible, and if Alyssa or anyone else’s presence hindered that, I wouldn’t be too happy.

“Most definitely,” my stomach let out a loud rumble declaring my hunger, “I’m just not sure where. Let me go see what’s going on,” I left her by one of the pillars and made my way over to Lexie. She and Raine were happily chatting away as I came up to them. “How are things, ladies?”

“Good,” Raine blushed and looked down at her shoes.

“Good, I was wondering if there were any plans for…what time is it, anyway? I hate not having a watch on.” I tapped my wrist.

“Oh, it’s a little after seven in the morning, so I guess that means it’s time for breakfast,” Raine answered quietly.

Lexie’s finger hooked my pinky and shook it. “I think the hotel has a breakfast buffet. What do you say we hit it, and then everyone can get some sleep? Or do you need like some super disgusting healthy breakfast?”

“Right now, I’ll eat anything, we should have eaten before we started.”

A sly smile spread across her face. “We were busy doing better things.”

“Oh, God.” Raine’s cheeks turned redder as she stepped away.

“You shouldn’t be skipping meals.” It couldn’t be good for her or the baby for her to not eat for so long. My head swam at the thought of Lexie carrying my child. Before, I had dreamed about one day becoming a parent, but I didn’t know it would happen so soon in my life. I wasn’t going to complain, though. There was no other woman on the planet I wanted to have children with than the woman standing next to me.

“I know, and I usually don’t, but you are a mighty fine distraction. I promise to fill myself to the brim and then go sleep off my food coma.”

Leaning down until my lips caressed her ear, I asked. “Am I staying in your room, or should I keep mine?”

“I hate you even have to ask that question. I want you with me, and if we’re trying to see what life is like together while we’re here, I think you should be in my bed, but it’s up to you.”

“Our bed,” I growled, frustrated. “I already know what it’s like staying in a hotel room with you for a week. You’re not going to do anything that’s not going to make me not want to marry you.”

“I don’t know. I might fart all night in my sleep now that I’m pregnant,” she giggled. I wasn’t sure how she could make a damn giggle sound so sultry, but she did.

“Your stinky ass wouldn’t bother me if I was by your side.”

“Damn.” She shook her head and whispered for only me to hear, “You’re too sweet.”

“You love it.”

Her soft lips brushed across the column of my neck. “I do. I really do, and I bet if you lifted your head right now, those dimples that I love so much would be showing themselves.”

“You do make me smile.”

Tyson cleared his throat. “Raine said there was a breakfast buffet in the hotel. Are you both going?”

“Yes,” I answered for both of us. “Alyssa was asking me if everyone was going or not, and I wasn’t sure what the plan was.”

“We can all go. I don’t care. Do you?” Lexie asked Tyson.

“The only thing I care about is eating and getting some sleep. I had no idea a photo shoot could be so tiring.”

“It can be,” Lexie answered as if it was no big deal, and maybe to her, it wasn’t, but for most, they weren’t used to working such strange hours of the day. “Let’s go eat. Why don’t you go tell Alyssa to join us?”

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