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Lunar Manor had officially become topsy-turvy.

By the 29th, I’d reached the limits of my patience. If I didn’t get the photo shoot going, I’d have to make do with the photos I already had of Luka. But those would be incongruous with

the entire introspective. My graduation was on the line and I wasn’t about to let some spoiled rocker ruin everything.

When Deidra came in for my lunch time feeding, she’d mention something about seeing

Luka leave the manor. I’d asked her where he went, but she’d been too distracted by other

things to give me a clear answer. I thought about it over a ham and cheese sandwich and

wanted to kick myself when I realized I’d checked everywhere inside the manor but never the

grounds. Finishing my iced tea, I grabbed my jacket and left through my terrace doors.

Snow hadn’t fallen since Christmas day, so the grass grew green again. If the weather

cooperated there would be fireworks, according to one of the phone calls I’d overheard Yana

on. All this second hand information drove me nuts. A circus had more organization than the

manor at the moment.

I spotted Gregory raking fallen leaves by the majestic oak where I’d met him for the first

time. “Did Luka come through here?” I asked, foregoing a greeting. I had no time for a basic

hello these days.

He grunted. “Bay da lake.”

“Thanks!” Oh, I could hug the gnarly gardener, but from his furrowed brow he seemed just

as stressed as the in-house staff. I gave him a smile he didn’t look up for before sprinting

toward the lake. I cut through the woods, taking the path we’d used on picnic day.

Once at the lake, I took a second to catch my breath. Shielding my eye, I scanned the calm

water and breathed in the fresh breeze. I mentally patted myself on the back for remembering

to bring a jacket. Even without snow, the air had a nip to it. Zipping my jacket up, I searched for the blond rock god who’d eluded my attempts at locating him for the past two days.

I turned in a tight circle and spotted Luka sitting on the gazebo bench facing the lake. He

stared out at the water. I shook my head and stuffed my hands into my pockets. What the hell

was he doing here?

Ten steps later, I said, “So, this is where you’ve been hiding all this time.”

“I’m not hiding,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, more like sulking.” From the way he frowned, I’d say he sulked like a five-year-old

scolded for breaking something.

He flicked his blue eyes at me before returning them to the water. “Why are you here?”

I climbed up the three steps into the gazebo and gestured at the bench. “Is this seat

taken?”

“Free country.” But despite the bite in his tone, Luka edged away to give me more space.

Pursing my lips, I sat down and stretched my legs in front of me, crossing them at the

ankles. I leaned back and got comfortable. Mindful of how little time I had left, I cut through the pleasantries.

“So? What are you sulking here for?” I watched the lake too. “Shouldn’t you be in the

studio recording?”

“I just wanted to get away. That house is getting a little too crowded for me.”

The honesty of his response surprised me. His argument with Phoenix played in my head

like a silent movie. A part of me wished I could read lips, yet did I really want to know? For all I knew they were arguing about band stuff. But, then again, why wasn’t the rest of the band

with them at the time? Conspiracy theories rotted the brain.

“Look, you and Phoenix are entitled to your privacy, but you shouldn’t turn your back on

your responsibility just because of an argument.”

Luka huffed. “What responsibility?”

“Uh, your photo shoot with me, for example?”

“I don’t remember you telling me about that.”

“Well, if you weren’t hiding out here then maybe I could have told you earlier.”

He sighed. “I’m not hiding.”

Did I fail to mention how frustrating Luka could be? No? Well, call me officially

frustrated.

“Luka, what’s going on?” I twisted around. This went beyond just an argument; I could see

it in the sad lines on his face. “One minute you’re giving me an expensive dress and telling

me you’ll answer all my questions at the party and then the next you’re here, sulking.”

“The second I met you at Sacrifice you immediately fascinated me. I told myself now

there’s a woman who knows what she wants.”

I swallowed down my heart when it leapt into my throat at his words. “What makes you

say that?” Could this be it? The answers a couple of days early?

He breathed in then out slowly, like it hurt him to inhale and exhale. “It’s not every day

that you meet a photographer with one eye. You must really like what you’re doing to stick

with it despite being visually impaired.”

No hurt came from the truth. Luka got me in two sentences. I loved what I did and it

showed in my prints. These past few days I’d forgotten my purpose, my thoughts muddled by

crazy desire for a guy I knew next to nothing about. I’d been stupid, and I wasn’t afraid to

admit that to myself.

“When you met me at Sacrifice,” Luka continued, “I’d lost myself. I love my music, don’t

get me wrong, but I’d lost my way.”

“The meltdown,” I said before it scared me too much to speak.

He nodded. “Then you came along, this woman who put me in my place with one photo. I

did everything I could to give you a hard time that night.”

“Uh, yeah. You can say that again.”

The chuckle he let out still sounded too sad for my taste. “Yet you captured that photo. Me

and my bass. Something in me said I needed you in my life. That if I had you there my drive

would return.”

“Are you hearing yourself right now?” Okay, I couldn’t believe I just asked Luka that, but

this guy needed a severe reality check. “Luka, I don’t know what happened during your

meltdown.” He faced me then, all sadness turning into an intensely serious stare. “I honestly

don’t need to know at this point. I thought I did, but not anymore. What happened to you is

your business. But you’ve got to know that you’re wicked talented at what you do and that

has nothing to do with me being here. I’ve been watching you throughout this month and I

see more than just a rock star. You involve yourself in all aspects of the business. You’re

serious about what you do. You can’t let a little mood swing derail all that. You better sack up and let me do what I came here to do.”

In a magical second Luka threw back his head and laughed. His shoulders shook at the

force of his mirth. He hugged himself and doubled over. Laughs upon laughs rolled out of his

body, lifting the heaviness that had settled around us when I first sat down.

Chagrined, and not exactly sure what I said to make him almost fall over from laughter, I

smiled and scratched my cheek. If he needed to laugh it out then I’d let him—if it meant

getting my pictures. I sat back and watched the lake, contently listening to the rock star lose himself in chuckles and snorts.

The whole thing lasted five minutes. With a deep sigh, Luka wiped away the tears that

came from his fit and fought to return his breathing back to normal.

“Oh God,” he said between inhalations. “That felt so fucking good.”

“I’m glad I can help,” I mumbled, only slightly annoyed at being laughed at when I said

those things in all seriousness.

“You actually told me to sack up.” He ran his fingers through his curls. “That’s precious.”

“If you want a kick in the ass too, I’d be happy to stick my boot where the sun don’t shine.”

“We’ll see where this goes.” He took my hand and kissed it. “Thank you.”

No blush came. No lust. Just an honest to God friendly kiss of gratitude. It scared the

bejesus out of me. The passionate kisses I could compartmentalize and chalk up to two

artistically inclined people responding to each other. But this innocent kiss asked for more

commitment. Feelings I wasn’t ready to confront welled up in me. At some point, Vicious had

become like a family to me, and its complicated bassist made me feel things I’d been happy to

keep locked away. How the hell could I leave now without breaking my heart?

Damn. I’d painted myself into a corner without even knowing it.

“Whoa, what happened?” Luka asked, watching me with those clear blue eyes of his.

I couldn’t repay his honesty with lies. He didn’t deserve them. “I just realized in two days

my contract will be done.”

“It doesn’t have to be, you know.”

“Excuse me?” I almost fell off my seat.

“Your contract doesn’t have to end after the thirty-first.” He shrugged like what he was

saying was nothing. “You can stay for as long as you want. Be the band’s official

photographer.”

My poor over-taxed heart leapt off a cliff and tumbled into the jagged rocks below. “Luka,

I…”

“You don’t have to make up your mind now.” He smiled that sexy grin of his. If you had

even an ounce of estrogen you’d be powerless against that smile. “Just think about it. Know

that there’s an offer on the table.”

My mind reeled. Could I really stay on and become Vicious’ official photographer? I

couldn’t process the enormity of it. The devil really did make tempting deals, offers too good to resist. I realized then that being with Luka and the band was like a drug. One hit and you’re hooked for life. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

“So?” Luka asked. “What do you have in mind for my photo shoot?”

I silently thanked him for unconsciously returning me back to a reality I felt slowly

slipping away from my grasp. The longer I stayed with Vicious, the less I wanted to leave, and that sense of neediness freaked me out. I gathered my thoughts and plastered a grin that I

hoped masked my trepidation.

“How do you feel about black nail polish?”

His eyebrows rose before a mischievous glint entered his eyes. “I’d say I’m man enough to

pull black nails off.”

“What about heavy Goth make up?”

“Weren’t you at the video shoot?”

“Don’t remind me.” The memory of that kiss alone was enough to make me want to stay.

No! No! I couldn’t allow myself into this sand trap. Luka’s offer deserved proper

consideration and not quick judgment.

“What about wardrobe? Don’t tell me you want me in all black.”

The mocking in his tone forced me to slap him on the arm. He flexed the muscle there, not

flinching away from the blow. The inside of my mouth dried up quicker than a glass of water

in the desert.

“Actually,” I licked my lower lip, aware his gaze followed the tip of my tongue, “not black.

How do you feel about being in all white?”

“Mmm, I’m intrigued.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“I was hoping for that.”

Gah, how did we move from taking about the photo shoot to something other than the

photo shoot? I should have known being alone with Luka never had good consequences. And

from the way he stared at me, all cocky and open like that, the bastard knew it too.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Shoot

Even after a long night of tweaking photos, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Luka’s

proposal haunted me. With my arm akimbo above my head, I twirled a strand of hair over

and over. My brain refused to shutdown no matter how exhausted my body felt. I hardly

moved from my position, my back permanently plastered to the mattress.

Luka crawled into bed like a stray cat when the gray morning replaced the dark night. I

turned my head to face him until the pillow cradled my cheek. He fell asleep on his stomach

almost immediately, not a word or grunt of acknowledgement. His hand splayed near my

face. Black nail polish stared back at me. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when I described what I had planned for the shoot. A small smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. Luka seemed

like the type who didn’t shy away from an artistic concept. The perfect models never did.

A crease on my brow replaced my burgeoning smile. I still had to pick out a location for

the shoot. The manor stood in shambles. Large gondolas were parked in the main room. They

created a weird image when paired with the giant Christmas tree. Rented tables were

scattered everywhere. Boxes upon boxes of decorations were stacked inside several sitting

rooms.

Today would be crazier than ever—the eve of the party. I needed a location away from the

chaos. The grounds were off limits. Gregory had kicked us out—well, back inside—when Luka

and I strolled back to the manor.

“What’s with the face?” Luka mumbled. He’d turned to face me without my noticing until

he’d spoken.

“I’m thinking.” I sighed at the ceiling, my fingers resuming their hair twirling.

“So serious.” He reached out and drew a line from my temple to my chin with his

forefinger. “So beautiful.”

I would have snorted and blushed if thoughts of the location and the pros and cons of

accepting an extension to my contract didn’t occupy most of my brain capacity. I could multi-

task with the best of them, but with cutting it close to my end of the month deadline I

couldn’t afford more time wasted. The day of the party wouldn’t be ideal for the shoot. If I

wanted Luka’s pictures, I had to take advantage of today.

Without taking my gaze away from the ceiling, I said, “When did you start sleeping in my

room?”

A long pause stretched out between us before he responded. “Do you want the truth or

something less creepy?”

A chuckle escaped me. “No point in hiding the fact that you’re creepy. Might as well go