I tried not to think about the fact I was snapping away right beside Ben Hayes. I needed to concentrate and create my best work possible. Luckily, I had amazing subject matter. The dancers were covered in crazy makeup, glitter, feathers and fun fur in neon-bright colors.
I realized I was grinning from ear to ear. The music was pumping straight through us as the float passed by just twenty feet away, and the absolute joy of the dancers was infectious.
“Chelsea – look out!”
I didn’t even have time to look at the strange noise behind me. I twisted in the air, then landed awkwardly on both feet, falling against Ben, who was somehow already on the ground in front of me. I turned to see a flood of huge men dressed like warriors running by with swords and other medieval weapons.
Ben’s arms wrapped around me, yanking me out of the way until the coast was clear. Then he released the tension of his arms slightly, still holding me against him, looking concerned. “That asshole missed your head by an inch,” he practically spat. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I said, checking myself. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
We were now completely surrounded by people, but with his arms around me, it was like being on my own little island of protection. Looking up into those deep, intense eyes, it felt like he didn’t want to let me go. I was shocked to realize I didn’t want that either. His hands slid along my back for a moment, in a gesture that felt like a caress. When I didn’t pull away, his hand began stroking my back, melting me into a puddle.
“I’m so sorry I grabbed you so roughly,” Ben said softly, releasing me but keeping one arm around my shoulders. “They came running right behind you, and I thought you were either going to fall or take a sword to the skull.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Are you okay? You landed really hard.”
He flashed me a wide smile that was obviously fake, unnaturally showing far too many teeth. “I may have tweaked my bad ankle a bit. Let’s walk slowly to the Ultra Seven exhibit.”
We weaved through the crowd together until there was an open space. Ben placed a hand on my shoulder for balance as he moved his foot in circles. “I sprained it badly a few years ago, and now and then it gets a bit touchy. I’ll be fine.”
It was plain from his expression that he was in pain but trying not to show it. Digging in my purse, I pulled out a couple of anti-inflammatory painkillers. “Here. Pop these and in eighteen minutes it’ll be a bit better.”
His deep, resonant laugh was an absolute delight. “Eighteen minutes? That is weirdly specific.”
I shrugged. “Sometimes I get headaches so horrible that I’ve actually watched the clock.”
Ben pulled out his flask to wash the pills down with whiskey. “I swear, I’m fully aware this is not a good idea. I promise not to do this often.” He chugged them down, then smiled at me. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”
It was so bizarre that I was laughing and hanging out with a guy who didn’t even know he had been my unofficial mentor for the past two years. But he was treating me like a colleague. Even though he was staring at me much more intimately. Was I imagining that?
“Okay, little drug pusher, let’s go.” Leading us down a side street, we came to an empty parking lot where a miniature stage was set up, with a huge white wall behind it for projections. They were also sculptures, and wandering costumed creatures interacting with both the stationary and projected artwork.
“My friends put this exhibit together,” Ben said. “Photographing projections is always tricky though. We’ll need to–”
“Make sure we don’t get the light beam from the projector in the shot unless it’s intentional,” I said, scanning the space.
Realizing that I just interrupted him, I looked up at him in shock, but he was grinning. “Exactly. Where do you want to shoot from?”
I pointed to the fire escape on the building next door. “A couple of overhead shots of the sculptures would be great from there, plus you could get some shots of the light beam near the height of the projector.”
“You’re absolutely right.” He wiggled his foot for a moment. “The only thing is, I think those steps might make my ankle pretty angry.” Ben began looking around, but I rudely interrupted again.
“What if I go high and you go low?” I really wanted to prove myself to him.
CHAPTER TWO
* Ben *
Chelsea was absolutely fascinating. Volunteering to climb up a high metal ladder to get shots for a project I had just talked her into shooting was above and beyond the call.
I knew that I was likely too old to be admiring her the way I was, and that a thirty-five-year-old should think twice before hitting on a young girl of twenty-one. But she was breathtaking. Something about the way her eyes focused so sharply when she was scanning for a composition actually made my stomach tighten.
It was rare that I saw a woman who was both beautiful and truly cute at the same time. She was precisely the sort of woman I’d been hoping to meet someday. And she was already making me feel fiercely protective.
“You’re sure? You’re okay with heights?”
&n