game and we wouldn’t see each other again for weeks after tomorrow.
We had to make tonight count—which I was beginning to think should be our official motto. Maybe I could get it embroidered on something.
Cormac shifted us again so we could look over the deck. Lush green grass rolled toward the mountains, a peppering of trees both hunter green and sunrise yellow stretched across the land. Stunning, though I’d expected no less from GQ.
“They’re going to take pictures out there as well as inside?” Cormac asked, motioning to the wooded area below us where the team was setting up for the shoot.
“Yes,” I said. “They want to have the contrast between high fashion and raw, untouched locations in nature.” I glanced up at him. “Why?”
He shrugged, scanning the trees. “I’m just wondering how the wildlife will feel about me posing in a suit on their territory.”
I laughed. “Cormac Briggs,” I said, reaching up on my tiptoes to lightly brush my l lips over his jaw. “Are you scared?”
“Hell no,” he growled. “But I’m not one to play dumb when it comes to being in the wild.” He nodded toward the woods. “The minute you don’t respect something for the power it has is the minute it’ll turn on you.”
I swallowed hard, unable to not hear the double meaning in his words. Sure, he was talking about the wildlife that could be a little more than pissed when GQ’s crew and the pair of us went traipsing through their home, but there was also something else there churning behind his eyes. Something that made my chest tight—love was the most powerful thing I’d ever felt, and yes, if treated poorly it could destroy someone. But surely he didn’t really believe that about us. Right? We were different. The way he made me feel—strong and confident while still vulnerable enough to be taken care of—it was everything.
“We’ll be sure to keep our eyes sharp then,” I said, my voice a little heavy.
Cormac smoothed some of my hair back. “You’re sure we’ll wrap this up today with plenty of time for me to be on the road by nine tonight?”
I nodded, hoping like hell they wouldn’t let me down. I’d expressed the time crunch to them with severity at least a dozen times. There wasn’t much more I could do beyond that.
“And they understand that if they go over a second longer that, I’ll have to bail.”
“Yes,” I said, sighing. “I emailed them four times with the schedule, and I’ve spoken to each staff member and the CFO. Plus, they’re not going to want to shoot that long, I promise.”
He turned me to face him, a sly grin on his face. He pushed some of my hair back. “Sounds like you’ve taken care of everything.”
“I’ve tried to,” I said. “I’ll get you to your game on time tomorrow, Cormac. If I have to charter a helicopter, I will.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Charter a helicopter,” he mimicked me. “Such a powerful woman I’ve ensnared.”
I chuckled, a shiver raising chills on my skin with the cold bite to the wind that just kicked up. I rubbed my arms to chase the chills away, and Cormac tucked me under his arm.
“Come on,” he said, tugging me toward the master bathroom hours later. “I still have a couple hours before I have to be on the road. You start the bath, I’ll build a fire.”
“Build a fire,” I mimicked him. “What a handy man I’ve ensnared.” I echoed his line from earlier, heaving a happy sigh after the long day. The shoot had gone amazing, Cormac ever the professional as he posed for photo after photo without a hint of complaint. The GQ staff were thrilled with how it went and were currently occupying the other wing of the cabin, winding down after the long day.
Cormac laughed, cocking a brow at me. “Don’t go stealing my lines.”
“Or what?” I teased, heading toward the master bedroom.
“You know what,” he challenged.
“Maybe that’s why I do it,” I called over my shoulder, turning into the bedroom.
Thirty minutes later, my muscles sighed with the warmth of the steaming water as I sank into the deep clawfoot tub. Lavender-scented bubbles threatened to spill over the tub’s porcelain lip when Cormac stepped in on the other end.
My heartrate kicked up a few notches watching his powerful body twist to step into the water—the muscles so defined under his skin, the ink decorating it in pops of color, and those eyes…dark, rich, and locked