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As a steady stream of bodies entered the room, I lost sight of Caleb. But I could hear the oohs and aahs from those who were getting the first look, and jealousy at not being in the front had me pushing my way forward.
I could see Daire’s head above the crowd and headed in his direction. He had his arms crossed and was frowning at the photograph on the wall while Gavin tugged on the belt loop of his jeans to get him to move on.
“Have a thing for lions?” I said, moving in beside him to get a good look. This one must’ve been taken on Caleb’s South African trip last summer, and he’d caught a particularly vicious shot. A lion in full attack mode, leaping through the air and about to land on an unsuspecting wildebeest.
I hoped like hell the aftermath of that encounter wasn’t posted anywhere, but I couldn’t deny how impactful the photo was.
“Looks like me in the ring,” Daire said, nodding. “I’ll take it.”
Gavin’s eyes went wide. “Don’t you wanna look at some others first?”
“No.”
“There might be one you like even better. That maybe doesn’t scare people when they walk in our place.”
“I’ll put it in my room.”
Gavin looked past his boyfriend, eyes silently pleading for me to help Daire move on to something that wouldn’t give him nightmares.
But where was the fun in that?
“Enjoy,” I said, clapping Daire on the shoulder. “I’ll let Caleb know he made his first sale.”
“Thanks a lot,” Gavin mumbled as I passed, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I was here to make sure none of Caleb’s photos went unclaimed, and this was a hell of a start.
I found my guy standing in front of a landscape-sized picture of a herd of elephants walking a dusty trail, their massive bodies enclosed around a little calf protectively.
“Gorgeous,” I said, resting my chin on his shoulder.
He grinned. “Me or the elephants?”
“Gotta admit, it’s a hard call.” I straightened and moved to his side but stayed close enough that our arms touched. “So this is what you did all summer while I tanned in Ibiza.”
“And you blame Dad for saying you have no direction.” He arched a teasing brow.
“I don’t think my outfits are safari-proof. Can you see me wearing khaki?”
“Not even if someone paid you.”
Grinning, I looked over all of the work showcased on this wall. Claudia was right—it was incredible. I didn’t know shit about photography, but even I could see that the contrast of color and the close-ups he'd captured were out of this world. It made my heart swell with pride.
Before I could say just that, he bit down on his lower lip and inclined his head for me to follow him.
“Taking me to a dark corner to have your way with me?” I whispered in his ear, hoping I wasn’t far off.
But as we rounded the corner, there were no dark hiding places in sight. There was, however, a room full of Travis fuckin’ McKinney.
My jaw hit the floor so hard it probably cracked the tile.
On every wall, photographs of all sizes showcasedme.Several from when we were younger, when I’d make him take pictures of me modeling my outfits. Some at red carpet events, catching me at just the perfect time when I wasn’t looking his way. Which, to be honest, was rare, so that made it all the more impressive.
My feet began to move before I made the conscious decision to, taking me farther into the room. The one of me he’d taken in the shower, wet jeans and all, looking down at the camera from above, was the biggest feature on the far wall. It was positioned so that it looked like I was staring down at anyone standing in front of it.
Holy shit.I lookedhot.
I turned back to Caleb, who seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for my reaction, and a massive smile curved my lips.
