Page 16 of The Heart Shot
“Wait a little bit longer. One is bound to show up eventually.”
A quiet laugh bubbled out of me, and I took a step closer to Elsie. “I have a hunch that’s not possible.”
A blush tinted her cheeks. “You don’t know anything about me, Jameson.”
“Maybe we should change that.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, but I didn’t regret them, not even a little bit. I’d always been a straightforward guy, not mincing words, and often saying whatever was on my mind.
I wasn’t going to lie and say that I didn’t want to see Elsie again.
If it weren’t for the faint rustle and Maya’s characteristic muttering in the distance, telling me she was almost back, I would’ve asked Elsie on a date right then and there.
I felt like an eager puppy waiting for a treat, wanting to know what Elsie would say next, when Maya interrupted her.
“Got the battery!” Maya declared, pushing through the tall stalks of flowers. “There’s a small hill that way, and the light is perfect,” she added, pointing in the distance. “Let’s head over there and get a few more pictures.”
Without waiting for a response, she pushed through the sunflowers, leaving us to follow.
I glanced at Elsie. What had she been about to say? I wanted to put that smile she fought so hard to hide back on her face—to hear that laugh one more time. I internally cringed. What spell had this girl cast over me to make me lose my mind so completely?
I gestured after Maya. “Ladies first.”
She ducked her head and shuffled past me, her hand brushing the dirt on her backside which I was determined not to look at. By the time we made it to the hill, the sun was almost below the horizon, casting just enough light to set the grass, the flowers, and Elsie ablaze. If I thought her eyes were stunning before, it had nothing on how they glowed now.
Maya gave me a meaningful look, nodding at her friend, which I took to meanget moving, meathead.Whether my cousin would have ever used the term meathead was beside the point.
It felt like the most natural thing in the world—walking up to Elsie and wrapping my arms around her waist, tugging her into me. And her hands sliding up my chest before circling the back of my neck was equally as natural. I was vaguely aware of Maya’s camera clicking again, but it was lost in the background as every brush of her fingers against my skin set me on fire. The way her breath caught every time I adjusted my hold on her told me the feeling was mutual.
“See?” I said, smiling next to her ear. We were slow dancing to music only we could hear. “You’re a natural.”
Elsie shook her head, her cheek brushing against mine. “You make it easy,” she admitted.
I adjusted my grip on her hand and spun her in a slow circle, then pulled her against my chest. “Likewise, Elsie.”
Being with Elsie was like I was drowning inside of something I couldn’t drink enough of. I barely held back a snort at my own thoughts. I wasn’t sure that even made sense—but then again, neither did this connection between us.
Without any prompting from Maya, Elsie slid her hands around my waist, holding my back as she rested her head against my chest. The camera shutter filled the silence, the earlier awkwardness of this shoot fading into something much more comfortable—and heated. Who knew a hug could be so sexy?
Her hands settled on my low back, causing little fires to erupt, even through the fabric of my shirt. Elsie leaned her head back to look at me, eyes flashing with an emotion I couldn’t quite name. It was pure instinct to brush her hair behind her ear and cup her cheek with my palm. Somewhere during the photoshoot, her resistance to me had dissipated, her earlier hesitation of being so close to me vanished, and her toes shuffled forward, pressing our bodies together, as if she couldn’t get close enough.
Is all of this in my head?I wondered.Am I only seeing what I want to—what I hope for?
Maybe my loneliness was making me delusional.
Then Elsie tilted her cheek into my hand, her eyes fluttering closed.
Nope, nothing delusional about that.
The thought of kissing her entered my mind for only a split second before I shut it down. We might have had a quick spark, but even I knew that only meeting an hour ago then trying to kiss her was too fast.
I settled for a light peck on her forehead, letting the click of Maya’s camera drown out my desire for more.
Elsie
The sun settled beneath the horizon, erasing our light, and forcing the photoshoot to end. Afterthreehours, not the promisedone, Maya’s camera finally went silent, and Jameson and I reluctantly separated. Or maybe the reluctance was only on my part.
How this had mademe, the one adamant about not dating and remaining single forever, want to stay in his arms, I had no idea.
