The Exposure by Tara Sue Me Page B

the time they reached Luke’s house, it was dark, though the clear sky allowed the full moon to show off. Luke appeared pleased with the light it provided. He stepped out of the car and nodded. She thought she heard a murmured “Perfect” as he helped her out.
    Since he’d said they’d be doing the session outside, she waited for him to give her instructions.
    â€œI’m going to step inside and get my equipment. Do you mind waiting out here?” he asked.
    â€œI’ll be fine out here,” she said. “It’s pretty tonight.”
    He wasn’t gone long. When he returned, he’d removed his jacket and tie. His top button was undone, exposing his neck and chest. Damn, she wanted to touch him. Wanted to unbutton his shirt, peel it off his shoulders, and run her hands over his chest.
    Either he didn’t notice her desire, or else he chose to ignoreit. “Stand right there,” he said, setting up the camera. “The moon’s at the perfect angle.”
    She didn’t know the first thing about angles and lighting, but if he was happy with it, she was, too. For several minutes, she swayed in the moonlight, brushed her hair back, and looked up at the sky. She’d never been photographed outside before, much less at night. There was something almost surreal about it.
Magical
would have been a good word if she believed in such things. Whatever it was, she felt alive.
    â€œCan you unzip the dress by yourself?” he asked.
    â€œI got it on alone,” she reminded him.
    â€œI figured,” he said. “Just didn’t know if you needed help.”
    â€œIf you helped, we probably wouldn’t get any more photographs taken tonight.”
    â€œAre you stalling?”
    Maybe she was. He’d seen her naked before. Recently even. But this somehow seemed different. More personal. More intense. Just
more
.
    Because they were alone? Or because they’d gotten to know each other better since then?
    She turned so her back was to him and, looking slyly over her shoulder, she ever so slowly reached behind to her back and tugged the zipper down.
    The only negative to having him as her photographer was the inability to see his eyes. Of course, maybe that was for the best, because
this way
she could pretend his expression held anything she wanted it to.
Yes.
Tonight she would play his moonlit muse and he would love her for it.
    She looked off to her side as the gown slowly slipped from her shoulders and bit her lip as if unsure about what she was doing. In her mind and for the camera, she became someoneelse. She was an inexperienced siren gradually becoming aware of the power she held over the men around her. She turned her body slowly, brushing her hair over her shoulders, and twisted her hips so the gown fell softly to the ground.
    Forget holding power over men—there was only one man she cared about. Luke.
    He was silent as he worked, but she didn’t mistake the sharp intake of breath when she was finally naked and faced him fully. Even then, she wouldn’t look the camera in the eye for fear it would break the spell they were both weaving.
    Together in the moonlight, they became the creators of an untold story. Making magic with the way she moved her body and the way he captured what he saw through his lens. No words were spoken while they worked. None were needed. For whatever reason, when he picked up his camera and focused it on her, they moved as one. It had been that way before and the years hadn’t diminished that.
    Though she wasn’t watching him, she sensed when he stopped and put the camera down. She was surprised he’d finished; time seemed to have flown. But even more surprising was the realization she wasn’t ready for the night to be over.
    She heard rustling as he put the camera away.
    â€œYou can get dressed if you want,” he said, breaking the silence, but not the spell. “Or I can go get you a