Behind the Lens Read online

  “Honestly, Jax, I don’t even feel like I know you anymore. You’ve become a pussy, just like your brother.” I stand up so fast I kick the chair out from under me. I reach over, grab a hold of his shirt, and get right in his face.

  “What the fuck did you just say?” He grabs my hands and tries to pull them off, but my fury is in complete control now. I’m breathing heavily in his face, my nose practically touching his.

  “Relax, brother.” I pull back just enough so he can see my face clearly.

  “Fuck you.” I push him, nearly knocking him backward, and kick my chair across the patio on my way to the door. I go into my room and I punch the wall over and over until my knuckles are bleeding and sheetrock is scattered on the floor.

  That was last week, and I am still pissed at him. We talked it out the next morning, and he apologized repeatedly. The thing that gets me, the thing that made me want to rip his heart out, is that he’s right. I am turning into my brother, and that is something I promised I’d never do. Having a woman string me along, not getting involved with anyone else, that’s him. I don’t want to be him, not in my love life. The only way to stop it is to do something about it, so I called Kallie this morning and told her I needed her to come over for a talk.

  I’m sitting outside trying to figure out what I’m going to say when my phone rings. I don’t know the number, but it could be a photographer, so I pick up.

  “Hey, is this Jax Burke?” Yep, a photographer.

  “Yes.” I light a cigarette and lean back in my chair.

  “Hi, this is Braden Gregory, Kallie’s brother.” I sit up quickly with fear in my gut.

  “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Kallie?”

  “No, no, nothing is wrong. Kallie is fine. I just got off the phone with her.” I blow out a sigh of relief.

  “Thank God. So what’s up, man?” Now I’m curious as hell as to what he is calling me for.

  “You really do like her, don’t you?” Holy shit, is this like the big brother talk or something? I’m not ready for that, not yet.

  “Yea, I really do.” I hear a little voice and I smile knowing it is Kallie’s niece. She adores her brother and his family, and hearing that little voice, I start to understand.

  “I’m glad to hear that. So listen, Kallie’s birthday is next week, and I want to throw her a party. My family and I are going to be leaving for a while, and I want to do something for her that will make her smile.” He’s leaving? Why the hell didn’t Kallie say anything? Maybe that’s why she’s been so distant.

  “She’d love that. So what’s the plan?”

  We talk for the better part of an hour about the party. He wanted to do it at her place, but I told him I would do it here. It will be more fun for everyone. We made a list of people, and we are both going to contact half. The night of the party, I’m going to work it so we do a shoot at her place. I’m going to have Shannon, her old boss, call her saying she needs a photo of me and Brinley for a book cover. Together, we will be able to keep her busy until everything is ready here.

  After Braden and I hang up, I smile. He seems like the great guy Kallie told me he was, and the way he talks about his sister is sweet. I’m actually excited for this whole thing. “Hey, you.” I stand up, turn around, and see Kallie for the first time since the shoot. Fuck, she looks stunning in her short shorts and white strapless top. Her hair is up in a ponytail, and damn it, her bare skin is calling me. Fuck, I need to focus.

  “Hey. You look beautiful.” She shakes her head but smiles at the compliment. She sits in the chair by me, so I sit back down.

  “So what’s up?” I smile at her and reach over for her hand.

  “I just want to make sure everything is good with us. The way things went the last time we saw each other, well, it wasn’t a stellar moment. We good?” She squeezes my hand and gets that amazing smile on her face.

  “We’re good.” Fuck, what a relief. We sit and talk for a few minutes about the weather, of all things. I know she doesn’t want to talk about what is happening with us, but shit, the weather?

  “Besides the weather, what’s been going on?” She looks away from me and stares off into the distance.

  “Braden and his family are going to North Carolina for a while.” There it is. I reach for her hand and just like before she lets me take it.

  “I’m sorry. Why are they going?” He told me they were, but I didn’t ask why. Not my place.

  “He said Sarah needs help with the kids; it’s been overwhelming since Tiffany has been born. I’m really going to miss them. I hate that they need to leave.” I blow out a breath and lean back in the chair, still holding her hand.

  “Listen, sometimes things just need to happen. We might not understand them or even like them, but they are meant to happen. Maybe they will only be gone for a short while.” She looks at me with a forced smile.

  “Maybe. Can I be honest?” Shit, that’s all I ever want from her.

  “Of course.” She looks away again, pulls her hand from mine, and crosses her arms.

  “I’m pissed at Sarah. I feel like she’s taking my brother from me. I fucking hate saying it because that is so selfish, but damn it, I can’t help it.” Shit, what the hell do I say here? I know if I don’t agree with her, she’ll be pissed at me, but I don’t know the circumstances.

  “You’re entitled to feel that way. It’s a big change.” She slowly turns her head to me and smiles before she starts laughing. What the hell?

  “I’m sorry, but who the fuck knew you were this sensitive guy ready to dish out advice.” I lift one eyebrow before giving her a grin and wink.

  “Kallie, you have no idea what I can dish out.” This causes her laughter to get louder, and I eventually join in.

  “Oh, I’m sure you can dish it out, Jax. I have no doubt. I’m sure you’ve dished it out a lot.” I get up, still smiling, and stand in front of her.

  “Keep laughing.” She continues, and I lift her up, tossing her over my shoulder.

  “What the hell are you doing? Put me down.” She’s hitting my back, but still laughing.

  “I think you need to cool off.” I walk over to the pool, and she grabs onto the bottom of my shirt.

  “Oh my God, don’t you dare.” I swat her ass, causing her to yelp and straighten up. I quickly pull her down so she has her arms around my neck.

  “One, two . . .” I jump and she screams. We hit the water, and I let go so we can swim to the surface. Once I’m up, I wipe the water off my face and push my hair back. She comes up just about two feet from me. I start laughing when she flips me off, and she swims a bit closer.

  “You are an asshole.” She leaps at me, pushing on my shoulders, and son of a bitch, she’s strong. I go under and laugh again when I hit the surface. She’s laughing so I splash her. We both start splashing each other, and for the first time in a long time, I feel carefree. “Wait, wait.” I stop and look at her. She’s fixing her shirt that has fallen down, showing off her strapless white bra. Luckily for me, that does nothing to conceal her harden nipples. I smile and swim closer to her.

  “Need help?” She rolls her eyes but takes my hand and adjusts her shirt with the other. We are both kicking to stay afloat, so once she fixes her shirt, I pull her to me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and if my dick could smile, it would be.

  “What if I couldn’t swim?” She giggles, and I wipe the water running down her face with my thumb.

  “Then I would have saved you.” Once again, we are staring into each other’s eyes, but this time, I notice she licks her lips. Holy shit, I need to taste her. I pull her even closer so she has to wrap her legs around me and I hold onto her ass. Having Kallie wrapped around me like this is so hot, but having her wet and flushed with desire is fucking explosive. I trace her bottom lip with my thumb, and she sucks in a breath. Fuck this. I start to lean forward . . .

  “What the fuck are you two doing?” Kallie drops her legs and looks at me with wide eyes. Fucking Blake. I’m go
ing to kill this asshole for ruining this moment. I was this fucking close to finally tasting her. I turn my head, and he sits down in the chair and lights a cigarette.

  “We are swimming, asshole. What the fuck are you doing?” He lifts his shoulders and takes a drag.

  “Smoking.” Yep, I’m going to kick his ass. “Hey, you want to go to the bar tonight?” At this point, Kallie is almost to the stairs, so I swim to the side and hop out. I go over to the tote where we have towels and get one for both of us. I hand her one when she gets out because I’m sure she doesn’t want Blake checking out her tits.

  “Thank you.” She wraps herself in it and smiles at me before looking at the ground. “I should probably go. I need to change, and I have dinner plans with Braden tonight.” I lift up her chin, making her look at me.

  “You don’t need to leave. Blake is just being his asshole self.” She searches my eyes and smiles again.

  “No, that’s not it. I just need to get ready.” Once again, right when things start to feel intimate, she pushes away. “Thank you.” She pushes up on her toes and kisses my cheek. Fuck, I want to pull her into my room and take these wet clothes off her.

  “For what?” She tucks the towel around herself and crosses her arms.

  “For making me smile and laugh. For getting my mind off shit, even if only for a few minutes.” I pull her into a hug, and she doesn’t resist. She actually melts into my arms.

  “You can stay, Kallie.” Damn it, please stay. She sighs and pulls away.

  “Not today. I’ll text you later.” She grabs her purse, says hi to Blake, and walks to the door. “Oh, by the way, I’m taking this towel.” She winks at me and walks into the house. Fucking hell. Not only would she have let me kiss her, but she’s flirting. I smile and sit down next to Blake.

  “Blake, fuck you. You are an asshole and you know it.” He sips his water and smiles at me.

  “I know, but I’m just looking out for you.”

  “I don’t know how to make you understand this, but Kallie is what I want. Either support it or stay the fuck out of it. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” He pulls his shirt over his head, rolls it up, and puts it behind his head.

  “Got it.” I look over at him and he has his eyes closed, letting the sun beat down on him.

  “Good. By the way, I’m having a surprise party here for Kallie next weekend.” He cracks open his eyes and looks at me.

  “Am I invited?” Fucking idiot. This is why I can’t stay mad at this asshole. I laugh and slap his shoulder as I stand up.

  “You’re invited.” I start walking to the house to get some shit done, and he is talking a mile a minute asking me how many hot chicks are going to be there. Unfuckingreal.

  The last week has been fairly normal. I worked, either hung out with Kallie or Blake, slept, and did it all over again. I did also invite the people I was supposed to and got in touch with Shannon and Brinley about the cover shoot. Kallie called me all excited, and I just smiled through the whole conversation. Braden and Sarah took care of all the decorations, because let’s be honest here, I don’t do decorations. I ordered all the food from this awesome catering service, so my work is done. Actually, my work is just beginning because I’m getting ready to head over to Kallie’s for the shoot. She has an assistant with her today that Shannon sent over to make it look more real. She is just starting out, and Shannon thought this would be great practice for her since it’s actually not a real shoot. Kallie told me last night she was a little nervous to be working with someone because she is so used to doing things her way, but I told her to just roll with it. That, of course, wasn’t the advice she was looking for.

  I head out to the living room and see Blake lying on the couch in his boxers. “Dude, put some fucking clothes on. Kallie’s family is going to be here in a little bit; they don’t need to see your dick.” He laughs and grabs himself. I just shake my head and go into the kitchen. I grab a bottle of water, look out back to make sure everything is good, and start running the list through my head. The caterers will bring the food and set everything up in about three hours, Braden and his family will be here in an hour to start setting up, and people are supposed to be here in about two and a half hours. It’s plenty of time for the shoot and keeping her away. She thinks we are coming back here for one of Blake’s parties, so she won’t question all the cars.

  “Jax?” I turn to Blake and he’s leaning on the doorway. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole. I just don’t want to see you get hurt the way Brody did, alright. I mean, I see you doing all this shit for her, for a girl you’ve never even seen naked. I guess I can see you really do have feelings for her. So, I’m sorry, and I won’t talk shit anymore, I won’t interrupt you when you are swimming, and I’ll support you. I just don’t want to lose you as my friend. We’ve been through too much shit together.” I grin and go over and we give each other a quick hug.

  “Thanks, brother. I know you don’t understand it, shit, I don’t either, but your support is all I’m asking for. Now please for the love of God, go put some clothes on and throw those holey, nasty boxers away.” He flips me off and smiles.

  “I’m not throwing these away, they are comfortable.”

  “They have rips in them, and your dick is going to fall out.” He laughs and walks down the hall.

  “Makes later that much easier.”

  After he finally gets dressed, I tell him again everything that needs to be done, and I leave for the shoot. I have Brody going over to help too because, well, Blake needs it.

  I pull up to Kallie’s and smile. I can’t wait to do this shoot and get her to her party. She is going to be so excited. I take the stairs and check my phone to see if Brinley has called. I texted her earlier and haven’t heard back. Hopefully she’s here already.

  I knock on the door and walk in. Kallie is standing in the kitchen with her assistant for the day. She smiles when she sees me, which I return. “Jax, this is Megan. She is going to be assisting me today with the shoot.” I can see immediately that she blushes, and I grin at her.

  “Hi, Megan, nice to meet you.” I reach out my hand to shake hers, and she sticks out a very shaky hand. Her palms are sweating, and she looks overcome. “Megan, you know I’m just a guy, right? Ask Kallie, we hang out like you hang out with your friends.” She turns to Kallie with wide eyes and Kallie laughs.

  “Yep, Jax is one of my best friends. Greatest guy I’ve ever met.” I say fuck it, give her a kiss on the cheek, and pull her in for a hug.

  “I’m only one of your best friends, huh? I’m not working hard enough then.” I kiss below her ear and pull away smiling. I know I got her attention with that. She clears her throat a few times before checking the clock.

  “How about we go into the studio, and I’ll show Megan how things are going to work, while we wait for Brinley?” I want to laugh at her for needing a distraction because suddenly I do too. I need to get my dick under control today.

  Once we are in the studio, the photographer comes out. She’s professional and confident with every word that she speaks. I sit on the bed while she shows Megan around and explains everything that will happen today. It’s pretty amazing to watch actually.

  I check my phone again, and still nothing from Brinley. Where the fuck is she? She definitely should have been here by now. She had better not fuck this up. “Hey, Jax, do me a favor while I let Megan take a few practice shots. Call Brinley and see where the hell she’s at.” The girl must be a fucking mind reader.

  “You got it.” I leave the studio because I’m hoping I really can get a hold of her. I dial and start pacing the living room.

  “Shit, hello?” I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Brinley, where the hell are you? We are supposed to be doing the shoot soon. Kallie is looking for you.” I can hear voices in the background, but I can’t make anything out.

  “Umm, hang on.” I grab the back of my neck in frustration while I wait for her to come back. When she does, it’s qu
iet. “Jax, we have a problem. Braden is here at your house but Sarah isn’t. She said she needed to take the girls to the doctor. Everyone over here is flipping shit because they don’t know what to do without the instruction of a woman. What the fuck is wrong with you guys? You seriously can’t put up decorations and get a party going? Fuck. They don’t want me to leave. I’ve been trying for the last half hour. Blake literally got on his knees, begging me.” Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me. This is fucking bullshit. I’ll give it to the guys, I wouldn’t know what to do either, but shit, I need Brinley too.

  “So now what? We told her this was a couple’s shoot. She’s not going to do it with just me. She’s going to flip her shit, and she’s going to call you pissed off. What the fuck am I supposed to do?” She’s quiet for a few minutes, and all I can do is keep rubbing my forehead like it’s going to give me some fucking answers.

  “Oh my God, I’ve got it. I’ll call her and tell her my mom needed me. She won’t question that, believe me.” I roll my eyes and keep up my rubbing.

  “Great, so your ass is covered. What about the shoot?”

  “Let me finish. Kallie can be your model.” What the fuck? Oh, actually, I like this idea. The more I think about it, the more I fucking love it. Both of us almost naked and touching each other. Sold.

  “Fucking brilliant. She’s got that assistant here. She can do the photos. Do you think she’ll do it?” She laughs and I hear all the voices again.

  “She’ll fight it, but she’ll do it. Photography is her life, she’ll make it work anyway it needs to be done.” I grin and adjust my dick at the visuals running through my head.

  “Perfect. You better call her and give your excuse because I feel like it’s going to take me some time to convince her, and we need to be there in like two hours. So hurry up.” We hang up, and I sit on the couch, hoping she will take the call out here away from Megan. I’ll have better luck convincing her without anyone else around.