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“You’re going to pay for that,” I said, my voice full of mock-menace.
Jase’s eyes slowly scanned the length of my body before moving up to my face.
“Depending on the currency, I look forward to it.”
Once again, I was taken aback by his flirting, but I couldn’t deny that I liked it.
By the time we wrapped up the shoot, the sun had set and the same breeze that was once warm and welcoming had turned brisk and cold.
At least today had been a success. Leonard had shown us a few of the photos and even in their raw, untouched state, they looked like they belonged on the cover of a romance novel. The multi-colored sunset in the background, the silhouette of Jase and me appearing as one because of how closely our bodies were pressed together.
After taking a shower at the cottage to get the sand off my body and out of my hair, I changed into my yoga pants and tank top from earlier. The fifty-minute drive back to San Jose was going to feel three times longer with as tired as I was.
Lani was long gone, but Leonard was hanging around to lock up when we left.
Entering the living room, I was surprised to find Jase still here. He sat on the couch across from Leonard, laughing at something.
“Oh, hey,” Jase said, sobering and quickly standing up. “You all done?”
“Yes. I’m just about to head out now and hit the road.”
Leonard stood up, hefting a heavy camera bag onto his shoulder. “Me too. I don’t have as far to go as you, but since I’m all the way on the other side of the city, it’ll probably take me as long as you to get home.”
“Gotta love that San Fran traffic,” Jase said with a chuckle.
We filed out of the house and Leonard hung back to lock up as Jase and I kept walking.
“Let me carry your bag for you,” he offered.
I shook my head, motioning to the left. “I’m going this way. I parked at the top of the beach.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.” He held his hand out for my PINK duffle bag. I gave it to him.
We walked in silence for a few minutes. The wind blew, bringing with it a cool burst of air that made me shiver.
“Hard to believe we were sweating in the sun a few hours ago, huh?”
“Very hard to believe,” I agreed. “But at least we got some great shots.”
“Yeah. H-how do you feel about the shoot today?” he asked. His voice had suddenly gone high-pitched and it dawned on me that he was nervous. I suppressed a smile. Nervous Jase was cute.
“I feel good about it, surprisingly.”
We neared the stairs that would take us to the top of the beach where the parking lots were. Jase paused to let me go up first.
“Surprisingly?” he repeated, joining me at the top.
The lot was lit up by dozens of streetlamps positioned all around the massive parking lot. Good thing, because otherwise, I would have had a hard time finding my dark-blue car.
Our gazes collided.
“Honestly? I didn’t think I would be as comfortable as I was today…with you.”
The left corner of his mouth hitched up into a cocky smirk. Oh, yes, he was definitely a lady-killer.
I smiled back and resumed walking to my car. I hit a button on the key fob and a pair of headlights lit up a few yards away. Reaching my Hyundai Accent, I opened the driver’s side door and tossed my purse inside. Jase passed me my duffle bag and I chucked it inside, too, then stood there awkwardly, fiddling with my keys.
“Thanks for walking me to my car, and for carrying my bag,” I eventually said.
