Black & White (Picture Perfect #1) (8 page)

I leaned in, fluffing up Angel's chestnut hair while snapping more shots. William ran his finger down her face, connecting us for a brief moment. The current between us was present again. But this time, there was a difference. William's body stiffened. I quickly pulled away convinced he had felt it too.

Another idea occurred to me, leaving me positive these pictures would be unbelievable. Turning my head, I gave Jude the signal about the lights. Knowing me forever, she knew exactly what I was asking for. Continuing to take shots of William, the natural light from the windows began to flood the room. The artificial lights vanished, making the room feel open and refreshing.

Quickly switching cameras, I took a test shot. After checking it on the digital screen, it was confirmed the idea would work. There was something about natural light which could never be artificially reproduced. It brought out the color in William, his eyes popped, the bronze in his hair sparkled against the dark blonde. What amazed me most was the kiss of sun shining through his tanned skin.

"William, you are perfect, you're a natural," I complimented.

He looked up slightly, surprised. "Really?"

Snapping another shot, I responded. "God, yes, I haven't seen such natural beauty in a long time. You have the look every photographer prays for."

"Trust me, William. She's a professional, but I haven't seen her excited like this in years," Jude said from the shadows. Her faith in me had always been inspiring.

A smile ghosted his lips, allowing me to snap perfect photos now. The earlier ones seemed so staged and phony compared to these. I hit a button on my computer and changed the background of the set. The soft pink disappeared, replaced by a photo I had taken years ago.

The photo was of a meadow I had found outside of Vancouver. The flowers had been in full bloom, the sun sending vibrant shades of red, gold and green sparkling around the air. I had tried on many occasions to produce the magic of the meadow since, but every picture had failed. I was very proud of this one. It was the first time I had ever used the photo, but this was a special shoot.

"William, cradle Angel with her back against your chest and place your hand on her chest, feel her heartbeat, feel her love for you."

William's face softened. The flood of emotions flowed through into his body language; his gentle touch, his sagging shoulders, the pure and innocent ecstasy in his eyes tugged at my heart. They made everything so simple and exciting. I hadn't felt so excited about taking photos in a long time. I just continued snapping. It was going to be hard choosing the perfect photo, since they all seemed astonishing on an initial appraisal.

I set the camera on the table and started towards William. "I need you to do something for me." His head turned towards me but his eyes remained hypnotized on Angel. I was witnessing pure love and joy, and was humbled by it. "Remove her dress and lay her down in your arms."

William did as I asked and instinctively leaned forward, still mesmerized by his daughter. Just as their noses touched I started snapping more shots. It was a simple gesture, but it brought out the feelings he had for his baby - love, devotion and pure joy.

Angel started to fuss, deciding suddenly she was finished, which left me feeling a little defeated. I could have continued all night, but not at the cost of her being uncomfortable. Setting the camera down, I announced, "Thank you, so very much, both of you. I haven't felt like my old self in a very long time."

Anne pranced towards me. She pulled me into her arms and squeezed me tight. She brought her lips to my ear, whispering, "Thank you, Beth. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time." Pulling away, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. I smiled and nodded, unsure what I had done, but happy to have done it.

Jude helped me remove and catalog the memory cards while William and Anne attended to Angel. I walked over as they finished preparing Angel for her trip home. "William, would you like to come up front with me so we can arrange a follow-up appointment?"

"Okay." William's voice was sad once again, but it was a little lighter. He was truly an enigma.

It was confusing wondering which emotion I would be dealing with from one moment to the next. He was intriguing and my obvious attraction for him was one of many things that I wanted to figure out. As each minute passed, he became more addictive, he was exactly what I was missing in my life, what I wanted. I just couldn't deny it to myself any longer.

After checking the planner on the computer, I explained, "It'll take me a couple of days to review the photos and find the ones I believe will work best. Do you have any free time at the end of the week?"

William looked down at the counter for a moment, took a deep breath and looked up into my eyes. There was something there, but it was lost on me as to what is was. "Saturday works for me."

Anne came around the corner, pushing the stroller. "Saturday works for what?"

"The follow-up to look at the photos," I responded.

"He'll be here," Anne said with a smile, while pulling me into her embrace again. "Thank you, Beth, for everything."

Hugging her back, I glanced at William as he checked on Angel. "It's my pleasure."

As the trio left the studio, I watched them settle the baby into the car. What was it about William which left me cold and covered with goose bumps whenever he walked out of my life? We had shared something magical today. It felt so warm, so perfect when I was working with him, and his baby girl. My eyes continued to follow him, my heart empty as the car drove away.

It was going to be a long week.

Chapter Five

Wyatt

My hand slammed down on the alarm clock before I rolled over, curling up against Jude's body.
Damn, this woman is hot, even in her sleep.
I ran my hand down her arm, wishing there was more time this morning to indulge in one of my favorite activities.

I groaned, annoyed at the fact that my wonderful and loving sister was forcing me to get a job. It was the idea of being a responsible man which had me rolling out of the warm bed and shuffling my tired body towards the bathroom. It was time to be the man my father had raised me to be.

Beth was already up, which didn't surprise me. Since she had possession of the room I so desperately needed, I stumbled towards the kitchen, grateful for once, that my mother had raised my sister right. The coffee was already brewed, and the smell was one of my favorite things next to Taekwondo.

While swallowing down my second cup, Beth slipped in. "Morning, Sis."

“Morning,” she answered as she poured herself a cup. “So, first day?”

“Yeah. The company is anxious to get me started. I guess they've fallen behind since their last foreman quit.”

“Quit? Why?”

“Dunno, but they only have a couple of months to get the first phase finished on the building. If they don't get it done, the owners won't renew the contract.”

“Well, they've picked the right guy for the job.” Beth was as proud of me as she always had been. “I'll be in the area, want to go to lunch together?”

I dropped my cup in the sink, turning to head out of the kitchen. “Sounds good. I'll text you when I know the schedule.”

Shit, shave and shower were next on my morning routine; unfortunately, Jude had other plans for me. She appeared in the hall wearing nothing more than her bra, underwear and a smile which could make a man hard. "Morning, handsome," she said, jumping into my arms.

"Morning, babe." I kissed her neck, inhaling her floral scent, while lifting her up off the floor.
Yup, hard dick.
She pushed away from me as I dropped her carefully to the floor. She patted my chest and slipped under my arm and into the bathroom. "Damn, Judith. I need in there." I twisted the knob on the door, realizing she'd locked it.

"Talk to your sister about a second bathroom," Jude's voice was muffled through the door.

"I fucking swear, Jude, we're moving as soon as I get my first paycheck."

"Sorry, I already promised Beth to live here with her forever." She chuckled.
Damn!

I huffed and headed for the bedroom. There was no way I would win that fight. Beth had Jude by the hair and Jude had me by the balls. Jude knew how to make me buckle to her every decision. I was really looking forward to this job now. I needed to beat something, or at least sweat out the frustration these women were causing me.

~~~~~~~~~~

I stepped inside the site office. The two room trailer was no different than any other office I'd been in. A large conference table, a shitload of filing cabinets, an architect's desk layered with blueprints and a desk with a computer.

Sitting at the computer was a thin guy who seemed to sit a little too upright and was a lot too clean. That told me he was the site supervisor.

"Hey, I'm looking for Michael Samuels," I said to the guy, knowing what his answer would be.

He spun around on the office chair. "You must be Huntley?"

"Yeah," I answered, sticking out my hand.

I was expecting that I was going to have to be gentle with him. He barely came up to my shoulder and was less than half my weight. Fuck, was I wrong; this guy was strong for someone his size. His hand gripped mine, the crunch of my knuckles vibrating around the room.

"Okay, let's go over some paperwork and then we'll have a look around before the rest of the crew gets here." Michael said. This guy was all business, no pleasure. I didn't see myself working here for long.

After going through the safety orientations, check listing all the necessary paperwork and getting a walkthrough of the site, I was introduced to my crew. "Shawn, Chris, Jack and William, this is your new foreman, Wyatt. He's got years of experience working on foundations, so look to him for the expertise," Michael said as he slapped me on the shoulder.

He motioned me to the side as the guys started their morning routine. "All of them except William have the knowledge and work-related experience. William's only been in the business since we started this project so bear with him. He's a quick learner."

"Sure, no problem, I've had newbies before, I know how to take care of them."

"Well, I'll let you get to work," Michael scoffed, again slapping me on the shoulder. He turned and headed back to the office. Had I said something wrong?

I watched the guys for a few minutes before checking out their work. It was some of the best work I'd seen in a long time. The guys were chatty enough but they were very good at their job. Maybe the job wasn't going to be so difficult to contend with after all.

William was a little quiet. he didn't joke or interact with the others. He did good work, but was a little isolated. It must've been due to his lack of experience so I decided to keep an close eye on him.

Lunch came quicker than I thought possible. I noticed Beth's SUV parked in the crew lot. "Lunch, guys - one hour." I moved towards the metal fence, looking for Beth. What I found confused the fuck out me. She was staring, her face completely unreadable. Looking around, it was impossible to figure out from all the activity what had her attention.

I slipped through a small opening in the fence and stepped behind her. I reached out and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her up in the air. She let out a terrified scream.
Fuck, the girl's got lungs.

"Damn, Beth, I'd like to keep my hearing for a while longer," I cursed, dropping her back to the ground.

"Fuck off, Wyatt. Does he work here?" Beth questioned with her filthy mouth.

"Okay, stop the cryptic questions,
he
who?" Only my sister knew how to really irritate me.

"William Lorde." She had gone back to staring.

"Yeah, why, do you know him?"

"I did a photo shoot the other day with him," Beth answered.

I mentally smacked myself in the head.
Damn, William.
That's the guy Jude was telling me about. The one Jude said had gotten under Beth's skin.

"What's wrong with you, woman? You look like a kid in a candy store." There were alarms going off inside my head. I knew Beth too well. She had been replaced by a love-struck clone, and I didn't like this at all. I needed to check it out. "Hey, Lorde!"

"What the hell are you doing, Wyatt?" Beth hissed, hiding her face in her hair.

Yup, just as I thought, the girl's got something for this guy.
My big brother mode went into full swing.

"Checking out this guy," I answered with a growl.

"Why?" Beth sounded humiliated.

"Cause I want to know if I need to kick his ass," I answered, turning back to the fence.

"Yes, Wyatt?" William answered, cutting off the wrath of Beth. Either he hadn't noticed her or wasn't interested.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join my sister and me for lunch. I thought she could go over the progress she's made with your pictures." I motioned towards Beth.

William's head tilted, trying to see through Beth's hair. "Beth?"

Beth raised her head, her face was beet-red. There was going to be hell to pay for this later, but it was my turn to see if Jude was right. Had this guy finally cracked the armor of the great Elizabeth Huntley, the scaredy-cat of relationships? Was Beth falling for this guy? I need answers and since Beth wasn't the type to talk to me about this shit, I'd figure it out for myself.

"Hello, William." Beth was at a loss for words. That was definitely a first.

"I would like to know how you're doing with my pictures." William seemed shy and... nervous?

Boy, this guy's insecure.
“So, it's agreed, we're going to lunch.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Beth

Wyatt was going to die. Somehow, I had found myself sitting across from William, the silence between the three of us getting more and more uncomfortable.

It was baffling why Wyatt was doing this to me or William, but my deductive reasoning told me Jude had talked to him. She had to die, too. It wasn't like there was anything between us. Not that there ever would be. William had his life, his family, and didn't even know I existed outside of being his photographer.

Sure, there was an attraction to him; I was both human and a woman. Who wouldn't be attracted and fascinated by a man like William? It was obvious, however, there was a lot of baggage which came along with being with him. The man had a baby, so he had to be involved somehow with a woman. Any far-fetched daydreams I had were far from being realistic.

I was currently connecting with the computer at the studio. Thankfully, having left it on meant I didn't have to call and try to explain this predicament to Jude, even though I knew Wyatt had no doubt already called her.

The silence was broken as the photos I had chosen came up on the monitor. Turning the laptop around, William's eyes brightened with life and love. The lines on his face smoothed out. It was beautiful seeing him so happy. Pulling my chair around the table so we could look at the photos together, William reached out and slowly stroked a finger across a shot of Angel. His breathing quickened, becoming shallow. Sitting with our arms touching, his body shook.

"It's her," he whispered.

The one he had focused on was a photo of Angel sitting with her back against his chest. The look on Angel's face was simply perfection. The chestnut brown of her eyes, which must be due to her mother, was highlighted by the cinnamon colored locks of her hair. A smile played on her plump lips. The creamy, color of her skin contrasted against the pink warmth in her cheeks.

Reaching out, my hand connected with William's leg. I leaned in, concentrating on the computer, bringing the photo up to full screen size, so he could appreciate the details. I was excited to show him the originals at the studio, since I had a special viewing platform for them.

Wyatt's sharp intake of air drew my attention. His eyes were moving up and down, focusing on William. His lips were moving but he seemed at a loss for words.

Turning back to William, there was the exact same look on his face. I was at a loss till my eyes followed Wyatt's line of sight. My thumb was tracing circles against William's knee. It was like an out of body experience. I could feel the fabric of his jeans, the warmth of his body, but my hand was just visible to me, trying to move it seemed impossible. The electrical current coursing through my hand, my arm, and into my brain was disconnecting me from myself.

I silently begged Wyatt to help me out of this suddenly awkward situation I had found myself in. I wasn't even sure why I'd done it. Nothing made sense to me. I had never I been a touchy kind of girl. It just wasn't me, but with William, everything was different. Wyatt's eyes met mine. There was something written on his face, a look I'd never seen before.

Chancing a glance in William's direction, the look on his face floored me. His eyes were smoldering. A look of longing had replaced the numb look I was used to. He had sucked his bottom lip in, biting down hard against it. His body had stiffened, but his hand was quivering as he reached out to cover mine. My heart soared as his warmth surrounded me, spreading through my body. My mind went numb from the beauty of the small smile which crept up on his lips.

"Excuse me, are you ready to order?"

There was a sudden sense of discomfort as the glow of heaven seemingly collided with a cold emptiness of space. William had moved my hand from his leg and onto my own. He had broke our connection. I was defeated and lost.

"Well, since you seem so eager, I guess we are," Wyatt nearly growled at the young boy. He was displeased about something. Had he realized how I felt? Taking a deep breath, he turned to William. "What would you like?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. Thank you, Wyatt," William answered stiffly as he went back to examining the photos.

"William, I invited you to lunch, the least you can do is eat. Besides, since Beth's showing you pictures, it's now become a business expense for her. Go crazy and order the Surf and Turf." Wyatt chuckled, obviously trying to break the tension which had been created.

Silently, I thanked Wyatt for his attempt. It was time for some payback, however. My foot, carried by the sheer momentum of sisterly hate, connected with Wyatt's shin, and shades of purple and red coursed across his face like a kaleidoscope. I giggled. "Serves you right, you big oaf. You're cheap and you know it." I glanced at William, noticing the tension from a moment ago was gone. "I'm ignoring him for the rest of the day. Would you let him know for me?"

There was the tiniest change in William's demeanor. His shell seemed to have cracked just a little. He looked from me to Wyatt. "You're in trouble."

For the first time since I'd met William, there was evidence of humor in him. He was more than the sad, lifeless man I had seen far too much of. "Finally, I have a man to defend me," I stated with a genuine smile.
Smack yourself stupid, Beth.
I must've had a sign stuck to my back which said 'open mouth and insert foot'. I didn't quite know how William was going to react to my foolish comment.