How to Love (3 page)

Mike turned to watch Jules, her dark brown hair a messy cloud around her face. She had a strong face—high, sharp cheekbones, thick eyebrows, a narrow nose, full lips—but feminine. Her skin was amazing—smooth and perfect and glowing. But it was her big, thickly lashed lavender-blue eyes that drew him in, made his chest ache, made him think about sex.

She turned her head then and caught his eye. With a blink of surprise she smiled. Listening to the couple, she subtly held up a finger and he nodded, turned his attention back to the images on the wall. He listened to her quiet conversation with the couple about the images.

“I love this one,” she said to them. “It was a challenge getting the model to cooperate. I wanted to show some of his personality.”

“He seems very…dominant,” the woman said hesitantly.

“Yes,” Jules agreed. “That he is. And he did not like me telling him what to do.” They all laughed a little.

“I like that one,” the woman said.

“I sort of wanted a female picture,” the man said.

After a short pause, Jules said, “Well, if I could make a suggestion…this one here…” She led them toward where Mike was standing. He moved aside, catching her eye and her smile once more. She gestured to one of the framed photos, a black and white of a couple, another one with no faces visible. The man stood behind the woman, his arms around her naked body, his big hand resting against the woman’s throat in a gesture that spoke of possession and protection and care, subtly portrayed with low key lighting. “The man in this photo is the same as in the one you like. He and his partner posed for this one together. It has the same feeling…actually even more because you’re really seeing the power exchange.” Something in her voice made Mike’s skin tingle.

The couple was silent as they observed the image. “Yeah,” the man said. “I like it.”

“Me too. Let’s take that one.”

“Good.” Jules smiled as she removed it from the wall. “It comes with the gallery frame, but if you want to look at other framing options we can do that.” She carried it through the opening back to the front of the gallery where Mike had seen a sales counter.

“I’ll be right with you,” she promised him with a glance over her shoulder as she led the couple away.

“Sure.”

He had no problem killing a few more minutes looking around, but he had a feeling he was going to need to go home and jerk off after this. Crazy.

He paused in front of another picture to study it, another black and white image of a man’s back, every muscle outlined with light and shadow.

Jules walked up behind him, eyeing the picture he was studying. “So you came,” she said. “I’m so glad. What do you think?”

“You’re an incredible photographer.”

She beamed. “Thank you. You don’t think these are too…” She tipped her head to one side. “Pornographic?”

“They’re not pornographic at all. They’re amazing.” He shook his head. “There’s more to them than just sexual arousal.” He paused. “I see submission. Power. Longing. Fear.” He paused again. “Loneliness.”

Their eyes met and he saw the flicker of surprise in hers, the slight parting of her lips and the shutters that immediately closed her off to him. She swallowed. “Thank you. That’s…thank you.”

“It’s a talented photographer who can put all those emotions into her pictures.”

She turned away with a brief duck of her head. “Oh, I’ve just been lucky to have such good subjects.”

Maybe. But he sensed that a lot of Jules was in those images, and it made him want to know more, to explore her depths even though she was backing away. It made him want to grab her, drag her out of there and spend a few hours talking to her…or maybe doing other things too. He smiled.

She looked back at him and met his eyes, and another emotion flared briefly in those beautiful eyes that he thought was…fear.

“You should pose for me,” she blurted out.

His mouth dropped open. “Uh…”

Her smile changed from wary to wily, and he knew it was because she thought she’d taken control of the conversation again. And truthfully…she had. Because her statement had definitely caught him off guard.

“Yes, I mean nude,” she continued, still smiling. She dragged a finger down the middle of his chest, over his T-shirt. “The nudes are really popular, but this is all I have left. Finding models is tough.”

“Um…yeah.” His brain scrambled for words. “I mean, no…I…”

“Think about it,” she said lightly. “You don’t have to decide right this minute. You’ve seen my work, so give it some thought.”

“Er…okay.” Christ! He was not going to pose nude. “You don’t even know what I look like with my clothes off.”

Argh! What was he saying? That sounded like a come-on.

Her smile deepened, her eyes sparkled, and her gaze swept over him. Heat suffused his body. “True. Maybe I should see you without your clothes first.”

“Uh…” Yes, she had definitely taken the upper hand in this conversation and dammit, she knew it. “Should I strip?”

She laughed. “If I didn’t have other customers, I’d say sure. But hey…we’re neighbors. I’m sure we’ll have opportunities to…see more of each other.”

The suggestive gleam in her eyes made him instantly hard as concrete. Because they were talking about
him
getting naked, but Christ, he’d like to see…more…of her too.

“Maybe we will.” He’d gotten a little control back, but when it came to talking about sex she didn’t seem as nervous as she did talking about the emotions in her photographs.

Their eyes met and held in a long, sizzling look.

Heat flowed through his veins, straight to his groin where he ached fiercely. He wanted to groan. “You do other things besides nudes though,” he managed to say. “I saw the other pictures out front.”

“Yes. Some of those sell well too. But it seems once people heard of the nudes, word spread and now most customers who come in here want to see them.” Her eyebrows slanted downward. “I feel like my landscapes are all the same old, same old. Maybe that’s why nobody wants them.”

He turned to face her, close enough to see the creamy perfection of her skin, her long dark eyelashes, the glint of blue and gray in her lavender eyes. She tipped her chin up as he did so, and he realized she was small, probably a good nine inches shorter than him. She had such a strong presence he really hadn’t noticed that she was so fine-boned and delicate.

“I doubt that,” he said. “I thought they were amazing too.”

Her mouth curved upward. “Thanks.”

“Well. I guess I should go. You have customers.”

“Yeah.”

“So. I’ll see you around.”

“Actually, I’ll see you tonight.”

He paused. “Oh yeah?”

“At the Surf Sisters’ party.”

Hey, there was a good thing. “Great.” He’d already been looking forward to the party and meeting people from the neighborhood and San Amaro, but now, knowing Jules would be there, the party seemed even better. “I’d better let you get back to work. I’m glad I came in though… I really love your work.”

“Thank you.” Appreciation glowed in her eyes, her mouth still curved appealingly.

He smiled too and left the gallery, emerging onto the hot sidewalk and blinding sun with a hard-on the size of a baseball bat. Christ. It wasn’t only the sexy photographs, it was the sexy photographer that had him all wound up. He slid his shades onto his nose and started down the sidewalk to the side street where he’d parked.

She intrigued him like no other woman. The way she’d shied away from talking about the emotions in her images, boldly changing the subject and then totally flirting with him…she was the kind of woman who could probably mess with a guy’s mind, but wow, she fascinated him. He was looking forward to getting to know his new neighbor better. Much better.

They could hear the music from the party as Jules and Neve let themselves out her front door and started toward the beach. Jules grimaced. “I hope all the neighbors are invited so they don’t complain about the noise.”

Neve grinned, a small thermal cooler bag slung over her shoulder. She and Jules had pre-mixed margaritas chilled and packed up for the party. “I bet they are all invited.”

Sand spilled from the beach onto the road and the sidewalk as they drew closer, and then their feet sank into the silky cool sand as they started toward the rear of Jaden and Bella’s beachside home. Tiki torches on the beach lit the area. The thumping music of a Pitbull song played over speakers, but it wasn’t really that loud. The sound of voices chattering and laughing floated on the night air as they approached, the soft whoosh of dark ocean waves washing onto the shore a backdrop behind them. A small fire burned on the beach in a fire pit with people gathered around it. More guests were dancing in the sand, and still more gathered on the large wooden deck of the house.

“Ah, Matt’s here,” Neve said on a groan, referring to her brother who was also one of Jules’s neighbors.

“Of course he is,” Jules said with a laugh. “What’s wrong with that? He’s a nice guy.”

“He’s going to bug me about wasting my life working in a coffee shop.”

Which was probably true. Jules liked Matt a lot, but she knew he drove Neve crazy. Since their dad had died when Neve was eleven, Matt had taken over the father role and Neve did not appreciate it.

“You should tell him what your plans are.” Neve had recently confided her goals but had asked Jules to keep that to herself because of her own doubts, and also because she knew how her brother would react.

Neve scowled. “Why, so he can make fun of me or tell me it will never work? Or I should be doing a ‘real’ job? No thanks. Let him think I’m wasting my life away.”

“Hey, Jules! Neve!” People greeted them as they climbed the steps to the deck, some giving them hugs and kisses. They pulled out their margaritas.

“Where are the guests of honor?” Neve asked, pouring a drink. “And our hostesses?”

“They went inside for a tour of the house.”

“Ah.”

Neve and Jules exchanged glances, thinking of the two cute little blonde sisters and the two hunky neighbors. Jules pursed her lips. Whatever.

She and Neve started talking to Matt’s live-in girlfriend Corey Fenwick about her incredible hand-made chocolates. “Your chocolate is as good as an orgasm,” Jules said with a groan. “I need some.”

“That must be some chocolate,” said a deep voice from behind her.

Jules turned to see Mike, smiling, holding a bottle of beer. “Oh, it is,” she said. “Have you met Corey?” She made introductions.

“And you haven’t met Carlos yet,” Mike said. “Carlos! Buddy, come meet our next-door neighbor.”

Jules followed his gaze and watched a man detach himself from the Surf Sisters with a smile and stroll across the deck toward them. She let out a soft sigh. Oh man. Another easy-on-the-eyes neighbor. Carlos was about the same height as Mike, who she put at around six feet, more muscled than Mike’s lean build, also broad in the shoulders, narrow in the hips. His darker skin, short beard and cropped black hair contrasted Mike’s golden tan and sunlit brown hair. When he smiled, blinding white teeth flashed and dark eyes crinkled at the corners.

She recalled her impulsive invitation to Mike earlier, to pose nude for her. God. Carlos could pose too. Jesus.

“Hey,” he said, extending a hand. “I’m Carlos Vergara. You must be Jules.”

“I am.” She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Carlos.”

“Mike tells me he was at your gallery this afternoon.”

“Yeah.” She shot Mike a sideways smile. “He was. He didn’t buy anything though.” One corner of her mouth kicked up.

Neve made a little noise like she was clearing her throat and Jules caught her lifted eyebrow. Oh yeah, she hadn’t told Neve about Mike’s visit to the gallery. For some reason, Mike seemed like something she wanted to keep…to herself.

But he wasn’t hers, and that was a silly thought because when it came to men, she had no desire to have anyone belong to her, or for her to belong to them.

“I saw your prices,” Mike said. “I couldn’t afford to buy anything.” His eyes glinted.

She smiled. “I’m worth every penny.”

“I’m sure you are.” Their eyes met and held, and the air thickened around them. Then she turned back to Carlos. “So you and Mike run an adventure tour company, huh? That sounds cool.”

“We like it.” He smiled.

“How long have you been doing that?”

“I started working for the company a few years ago, when I’d just gotten out of the Navy. I couldn’t stand the idea of working in an office or doing nine to five. One of my old Navy buddies owned the business. Then we needed better management, and Mike was looking for a change from the accounting job he was working at.”

“Total dead end,” Mike added. “I like number crunching, but I wasn’t getting any opportunity to use business management skills.”

“We even got him guiding some of the tours when we needed help,” Carlos continued. “He’s the one who thinks up new marketing ideas and new adventures we can try, and he brought in a whole lot of new customers. Then Jim wanted out of the business, and I had the idea we should buy it from him.”