Raw Exposure by Aliyah Burke Page A

theme for Hawaii Five-O filtered through her thoughts grabbing it. Wiping the tears, she leaned to the bedside table and answered her new phone without checking the screen.
    “O’Shea.”
    “Miss me, sweetness?”
    The deep rasp of his voice raised goose bumps all over her skin. She dug her toes into the bedspread and fought the smile which threatened. The fact he’d gotten her number didn’t surprise her in the least or worry her. Still, she asked.
    “Nae. How did ya get this number?”
    “Godric.”
    She frowned. “He gave it to ya?”
    “Nope. I went to his office and looked you up. The number on your card goes to a message service.”
    Could be who called her earlier, the buzz she’d ignored. “So you stole it.”
    “You say steal, I prefer the term liberate.”
    Her laugh slid free before she could contain it. “It wasna a prisoner. You canna liberate a phone number.”
    “Semantics.”
    She swung her legs to the floor and padded to the sliding door to step out onto the balcony.
    “So what can I do for the one and only Reeve Leighton?”
    He chuckled, decadent and darkly sexual. “So many responses, sweetcheeks.”
    “And yet, I may just say no.”
    “You didn’t that night.”
    “The past.” She stepped back in to avoid the wind off the ocean that had increased.
    “Am I keeping you from something?”
    “I was hoping to get dressed to avoid eating without a stitch on.”
    The sound of something falling echoed by his curse came through the phone. “Not fair, sweetcheeks.”
    “If you dinna want mah answer, you shouldna asked the question.”
    “Trust me, I would love to know all about your…um…lack of dress but my mother is here. Which brings me to the other reason I called.”
    Other? He never mentioned a first, and she told him so.
    “To hear your voice, of course.”
    Despite her not being a young chit easily impressed by a smooth line, even she had to acknowledge the tremors his admission sent though her. Forcing back the starry-eyed haze which was rapidly overtaking her, she snorted.
    “Right. What did ya call for?”
    “You don’t seem to believe me.”
    She didn’t but wasn’t about to get into an argument over something which was pointless anyway. “The reason?” she reiterated.
    His sigh was loud and she rolled her eyes. “I want to hire you.”
    Immediately, her mind drifted back to when he gave her the indecent proposal in Godric’s office, and she stiffened.
    He must have understood her silence for he spoke quickly. “It is legit. My parents are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary, and we’d like you to take the pictures.”
    She breathed deeply, relaxing, then walked to her calendar. “When is the event?”
    “End of next month, the twenty-eighth. I know it’s not much time, but if you could do it, we’d be grateful.”
    The day was clear—three days after the award ceremony. She tapped her pen against the paper and ran through the reasons why she should and those as to why she shouldn’t.
    “You still with me, sweetcheeks?”
    “Why me?” she asked. “There are plenty of professional photographers in your area.”
    “Besides the obvious I want to see you again? I’ll tell you. And before you think it’s just me, it’s not; my brothers agree. So does my sister. There is something extra in the photos you take. You find that perfect image and bring the best out of those in it. You discover something that other people miss.”
    “I’m nae sure I can swing it,” she answered honestly.
    “Are you hiding from me?”
    “Nae. I’ll be in Perth three days prior. I have to escort someone back to Oregon and… Well, I can try mah hardest to get there, but I wouldn’t want you to solely depend on mah arrival and not be there.”
    “This has to do with the thing you found in Australia?”
    “Aye.”
    “And who are you flying back to Oregon with?”
    “The ma o’ the man who started to discover this.” A moment’s pause. “If she comes. She