Page 8 of Kiss Away Your Pain (Wounded Hearts 2)

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Enzo

I can’t believe I asked her out. What was I even thinking? One date leads to more dates and that leads to a relationship. I don’t want a relationship. It doesn’t fit into my life. But when I caught a glimpse of her long, tanned legs at the bar, I flew straight for that flame. I had to talk to her again.

Cocooned together in the seduction of the moment, I stole a forbidden kiss, unable to resist her. It was a kiss that shouldn’t have happened. A kiss I shouldn’t have taken. A kiss she willingly gave me. Our hearts beat in unison to unspoken desire as our bodies heated against each other.

I’ve kissed plenty of women and nothing ever felt that intense. I’ll hold onto that for a long time.

I feel bad I freaked her out. I have no idea what happened or what I did. She pulled me in and I took her lead. And then, in a flash, she was gone, leaving me rattled. It’s for the best. She’d already turned me down anyway.

I have my career to focus on. I’ve gotta get some more modeling gigs. Thank God for the one I have this week, but there’s nothing after it. I don’t think my agent is even looking any more. It might be time to find new representation. What a pain in my fucking ass.

I pull into a parking spot at Hotel Bel-Air, walk past the lobby and through the stone archway that leads out to the pool. Today’s my last scheduled shoot and it’s for a swimwear line. I take pride in my reputation and always make sure I arrive early.

As I turn the corner, I see the unmistakable, mermaid-long pink hair. Candi.What’s she doing here?She’s unpacking cameras from their bags. I approach her and the group of people setting up for the shoot.

“Candi.” I touch her lightly on her shoulder.

When she turns toward me, her torso darts back and her brows shoot up, crinkling her forehead. “Enzo.” Surprise rides her voice. “What are you doing here? I’m sorry, I’m working right now. I don’t have time to talk to you.” An edge besieges her demeanor.

“I’m here for the Dive into Swim shoot. I’m one of the models. Are you —” I gesture to the cameras. “the photographer?”

“Yeah, I am. What do you mean you’re one of the models? You’re a bartender. And...” She grabs a piece of paper from the lounge chair. “You’re not on the call sheet they sent me.”

“I’m not?” I stand next to her and look over her shoulder at the paper. “There I am,” I say, pointing to my name on the paper. “Lorenzo Cipriani.”

“Oh.” She looks up at me, her breaths shallow. “Enzo. Short for Lorenzo.”

I give her a cheesy grin. “I bartend to pay the bills.” I pause, nodding toward the cameras. “So, you’re a photographer then.”

“I am,” she says, quickly shifting her eyes to the crew setting things up, then returning her gaze to me. “They called me in last-minute because their original photographer is sick and couldn’t make it.” She pauses, biting the side of her lower lip and crossing her arms at her chest. Unease afflicts every word, every movement. “Um, can I talk to you?” She starts walking away.

I follow her to the opposite side of the pool, thoroughly enjoying watching her ass swing from side to side.

When she turns to face me, her cheeks are pink, her eyes intense and stormy.

“Listen, um, I don’t go around kissing strangers.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “My career is everything to me and I don’t mix business with pleasure,” she says, folding her arms across her chest again, building a barrier between us.

“Understood.” I nod, slightly amused. “And don’t worry, I didn’t think that was typical for you.”

“It wasn’t.” She interjects. “It’s not,” she confirms sternly, fixing her beautiful eyes on me.

“Hey, I’m sorry I upset you that night.”

She softens, the edge dulling. “No, please don’t apologize. You didn’t. I —” She sighs. “I wasn’t quite myself that night. I’m sorry for my behavior.”

I shake my head. “No harm done.”

She looks back toward the shoot set up. “I need to get back to work.”

“Let’s do this.” I extend my arm out for her to lead the way back.

While she seemed guarded the night of the wedding, her armor just thickened a few more inches.

We head back to the setup and she tells each person what she needs them to do. Her confidence is so damn sexy. The two female models arrive and Candi asks us to follow her to the clothing racks of swimsuits we’ll be wearing for the shoot. She walks us through her vision, including her thoughts on the mood and emotions she wants to convey. I’ve never had a photographer be so thorough and communicate to this level. She’s impressive.

The models and I head into our separate tents to change into our first suits. I get changed and take off my necklace, tucking it safely into the front pocket of my jeans, then head back to the pool where Candi’s helping move around the light fixtures.

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