Chapter Twenty

Blake shaded his eyes and stared at the hill with the crumbling remains of an abandoned castle resting on top of it. Today’s shoot shouldn’t take too long. Thank God.

After this, they had the rest of the afternoon to get back to Cologne and wander through the city before they hit the gallery opening Zandra had wanted to attend. Galleries weren’t his thing, but she’d pointed out that there was a better than fair chance she wasn’t returning, so of course they had to go.

Yeah, he’d do it. He wouldn’t deny her the opportunity, even if it were possible for him to say “no.” Because for some odd reason, seeing Zandra smile, watching her eyes light up, these were important to him even though he didn’t quite understand why. He sure as hell wasn’t going to think too deeply about it, either.

“This is one of the area’s hidden treasures,” she informed him as they continued their ascent up the slope toward the castle ruins. “A few tourists visit it every year, but it’s not very popular.”

“Don’t you worry that featuring these hidden treasures will somehow ruin them? Make them so popular that tourists tromping through the grounds or visiting the chocolate shop or making the trek to watch the annual fashion show would mean that the local towns would sacrifice the very things that made them charming in the first place?”

She seemed to consider that for a moment. “I’m torn on that point, actually,” she admitted. “On the one hand, these events or places are what make the area special, but on the other hand, the extra attention makes it difficult for local townsfolk to keep up with the tourists. There can be added stress just trying to accommodate the throngs of people, although I’m pretty sure the local businesses appreciate the extra foot traffic.” She paused. “It’s all about growth. Each area has to consider if they can grow with the influx of interest in their event.

“I do make sure to get permission before I shoot, and then a contract is signed to protect Flights and Sights. Anything after that, I have no control over.”

That made some sort of sense.

Once they reached the top, she spread her arms out and walked toward one side of the ruins, the large stones that once protected the inhabitants reduced to rubble in some places, and the interior opened up to the sky. “Wow. Look at this.”

“Looks like a bunch of rocks to me,” he said.

She dropped her arms to her sides. “Have you no imagination?”

Oh, he had one hell of an imagination, all right. These days, they seemed to involve a variation of the things he wanted to do with Zandra, starting with pulling her tank top off and—

Dumbass. Heading down that road proved fruitless, even if they hadn’t decided what they were going to do with this thing between them. And if he kept it up, there was a good chance he’d end up with nothing but blue balls before they headed back to Seattle.

Zandra pointed to one side of the castle. “This is where the kitchen probably was. The huge fireplace is a dead giveaway.”

He watched her face, saw the play of emotions as she quietly moved throughout the large space. “In some ways, you’re reliving what might have happened here, aren’t you?”

“I suppose. It’s kinda fun to make up how people might’ve lived.” She shrugged. “My creative brain likes to entertain me that way. Oh, look.” She pointed toward what looked like a turret at one end. “I want a picture.”

Blake followed her. It looked like nothing more than a crumbling pile of rock topped with a sharp spear-like structure. “It’s a wonder that thing’s still standing.”

“That’s what makes it cool.”

He had his own definition of cool, but he was just along for the proverbial ride.

They approached the bottom of the stone stairway, and Zandra lowered the camera. “I can’t get a close enough shot.” She blew out a breath. “Too bad I don’t have my long-range lens. It might’ve worked.”

Uh-oh. “I’m not liking what you’re thinking,” he said, stepping closer.

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“You’ve got that look on your face—the same one that you had when you climbed that rock back in Lichtenstein. Remember that? It’s a wonder you didn’t break your neck.”

“Pffft. You worry too much.”

“I’m serious, Zandra.” He crossed his arms and stared at her.

“So am I.” Her forehead crinkled briefly. “The lighting’s perfect this morning. I’ve got to get closer.” She scurried up the first couple of stone steps. “C’mon,” she called over one shoulder. “Loosen up a little, would you? We’re on another leg of our adventure.”

Adventure. Right. “This doesn’t look very safe.”

She tentatively placed her foot on the next stone step. “Seems fine to me.”

“Zandra.”

She turned. “What?”

“That doesn’t look very stable. You’ll fall and break your head open. Or worse.”

“Oh, please.” She gave him The Look before turning away. “That’s what you said last time, and everything turned out okay. Besides, there isn’t a warning sign or anything.”

“Not that that would stop you,” he said drily.

“Fine, stay there if you want.”

Shit. Clearly, they were doing this. Blake sucked in a deep breath. Maybe she was right. Maybe he needed to loosen up and just enjoy the experience. One thing was for sure, he certainly wasn’t going to let her go alone. He placed his foot on the step and tested his weight on it. So far, so good. Then again, he was just inches off the ground.

By the time he got to the top, Zandra had her camera raised and was snapping photos. He knew better than to distract her, but he still kept watch of where she stepped. “One wrong move and you’re falling,” he warned.

“Yes, Dad.”

“I like your dad, so that’s not an insult. The man has a lot of sense that obviously didn’t transfer down to his daughter.” He grinned. “Sticking your tongue out at me isn’t an insult, either. In fact, I can think of a few things you might do with that tongue.”

“Oh, really?” She lowered her camera, and something shifted, tightened like a cloak wrapped around them against the cool breeze. “And what would that be?”

A corner of his mouth quirked up. “Use your imagination. I hear it’s quite creative.” Anything he came up with would be deliciously, torturously slow, too. He gave himself a mental shake. He needed to stay focused or he couldn’t help Zandra if things went south. His gut clenched at the thought.

“Touché.”

She skimmed the tips of her fingers over the stone like she was reading it somehow, her forehead creased in concentration.

There were so many dimensions to Zandra—playful, serious, focused—but the intensity, the purpose that emanated out of her now had to be one of the biggest turn-ons Blake had ever experienced. He knew that whatever she focused on would get her undivided attention, whether it was arranging a platter of penises or shooting photos or video for Instagram.

She pulled out her phone. “Let’s do an IG story,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I haven’t done one yet today.”

“Up here?” He looked at the dubious railing that marked the edge of the landing. “Maybe we should do this on the ground.”

“No,” she said, waving him off with one hand before tapping the screen on her phone. “It’ll be fine.”

Damn it. She insisted on posting from up here, where the rail was rickety and the slightest pressure would likely send her plummeting to the ground.

Not on my watch.

Blake planted himself firmly in front of the rail while she panned the view and commented on the history of the place in a reverent voice. He blew out a breath. It’d be better if they did this from below so she wouldn’t be history with one small step, but it was too late to stop her now.

“Everyone say ‘hello’ to Blake.”

Shit. He hated being in front of the camera. But as soon as he caught Zandra’s gaze and stared into her eyes, he felt his face form into an answering smile.

She sure was beautiful, but more than that, she was gorgeous on the inside, too, where it mattered.

Slowly something shifted inside of him, something he was pretty sure he should put firmly back in place and rivet shut. But for the life of him, he didn’t want to.