Guarding His Heart. Synithia Williams

He wanted to know how Rafael knew the woman he’d thought of repeatedly since the shoot earlier that day.

      “We worked a couple of shoots together. How do you know her?” Rafael threw Kevin a curious look.

      “She photographed me this morning.”

      Rafael’s eyes widened. He ran his hand through the curly bangs that had fallen over his eyes. “No shit. She saw you naked.” He didn’t say anything else, but his tone begged Kevin to spill some dirt.

      “She did, but she wasn’t impressed.”

      Rafael flicked his wrist. “I should have known. Jasmine isn’t easily impressed. She dated Julio for a while and they broke up about two years ago. After that, she hasn’t gone out much. I was hoping you and your raw animal magnetism would have broken her dry spell.”

      Kevin seemed to recall that Julio was Rafael’s cousin. He wasn’t in fashion but he was a popular DJ in the New York club circuit. “What happened with her and Julio?”

      He had expected his animal magnetism to have gotten Jasmine to at least agree to see him again. He didn’t typically strike out when it came to women. He wasn’t arrogant, but he also knew some women were easily drawn to a professional athlete. A lesson he’d learned the hard and fast way early in his career.

      “He got back with his kid’s mom. They’re married now.”

      “He broke her heart?” That would explain why she’d backed off. Broken hearts made getting back out there difficult. He knew; he’d been on both ends of that particular ailment.

      “Doubtful,” Rafael said. “She seemed okay afterward. None of the usual dramatics, and she’s still okay with me.” Rafael shrugged as if that explained everything.

      “Why wouldn’t she be okay with you?” He didn’t bother to ask what the usual dramatics were. Rafael was a bit of a drama king himself. Last year, Kevin witnessed one of Rafael’s post-breakup meltdowns. That had not been pretty.

      “I hooked them up,” Rafael explained. He pulled open the door and stepped inside. “Come with me to greet her,” he said over his shoulder.

      Kevin followed Rafael over to Jasmine. She looked even better hours later. She seemed chill and relaxed as she greeted Rafael’s other guests. Her smile was easy and her laughter infectious. She still wore the black boots from earlier with a different pair of jeans, torn this time, and a gray tank with MTWTFSS on the front. Days of the week, the WTF in the middle in bold. Kevin smiled at the hidden question.

      Rafael strolled right up to Jasmine and encased her in a huge bear hug. Jasmine laughed and hugged him right back. The two were obviously friends. Whatever ill will she had toward Rafael’s cousin had not spilled over and ruined their relationship.

      She glanced at Kevin over Rafael’s shoulder. Surprise flashed across her features. He didn’t know what divine intervention put her at the same house party as him, but he was thankful for it. He acknowledged her with a nod of his head. She blessed him with one of her killer smiles before she pulled back and looked at Rafael.

      “I hear you got a good look at Kevin’s goodies,” Rafael teased.

      Jasmine’s answering chuckle made various parts of Kevin’s body tighten. “He did well. Not a trace of shame or embarrassment in the middle of a room full of strangers.” Her brown eyes met his. The light hit them, adding a golden hint to their brown depths. He wanted to step closer to gauge their hidden secrets. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said to Kevin.

      Rafael answered before Kevin. “He’s a good friend of mine. Even more so today because he agreed to sponsor my next exhibit.” A woman across the room called Rafael’s name. He turned toward her and nodded. “Well, since you two know each other, I’ll go see what Livie wants.” He waved his hands at her and Kevin as if they should keep talking and left them.

      Jasmine turned the full impact of her sexy smile Kevin’s way. The dull ache in his hands was easily forgotten when she smiled at him that way. Everything was forgotten except thoughts of what he might need to do to see that smile more often.

      “So, exhibit sponsor, huh?” she said with a raised brow. “Maybe I should call you.”

      “I like Rafael’s work. I haven’t seen yours.” He actually had and knew it was good. The pictures they’d gone over after the shoot were impressive. He knew the “Bodies in Motion” issue wasn’t just about gratuitous naked athletes, but she’d done a great job of capturing his athleticism as he’d run, jumped and dunked the basketball in the studio. She was talented, but he liked teasing her.

      “You’re an art critic now?” She brushed her long, blue-tipped bangs out of her eyes and met his gaze through thick lashes. The silver bangles on her slim wrist slid down her arm almost to her elbow.

      He pursed his lips and nodded to try to look serious. “Oh yes. I’m very selective. My opinion is highly sought after by those in the know.”

      Full lips twitched and her eyes brightened with laughter. “Hmm. I’ll have to keep that in mind. I can’t have you criticizing my photos of you.”

      “Yours will be judged extra hard.”

      He placed his hand near her lower back but didn’t touch and nodded his head in the direction of the bar on the left side of Rafael’s spacious living room. There wasn’t a bartender and Rafael’s guests could mix their own drinks. Jasmine let him lead the way. He was pretty sure let was the right word. He doubted she would ever let anyone direct her if she didn’t want them to.

      “And why will mine be judged harder than the others?”

      “Because they’re pictures of me,” he said. “I never like my pictures.”

      She laughed as if that were ludicrous and he grinned, drawn in by the music of her voice. It was true, though. He didn’t like pictures of himself. He knew women found him attractive, but he wasn’t classically handsome. He’d filled in his tall lanky frame with muscles and covered his upper body in art, but that didn’t make up for his prominent brow and not-perfectly symmetrical features. He hadn’t been popular with the ladies until he’d excelled at basketball and ultimately gone professional.

      “What I saw though my camera says you have nothing to be ashamed of.” She reached for the bottle of red wine and poured herself a drink.

      “Oh, so you did like what you saw?”

      She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, the hint of a smile on her lips. “That’s just my professional opinion, you understand. Purely an academic observation.”

      His answering chuckle eased him deeper into her spell. She was cool. Funny and lively in a way that immediately made him want to relax and get to know her better. “Okay, academic.” He took her free hand in his, pretended he didn’t feel the spark that came from her skin against his and turned her hand over. “Then why can I still see my number on your wrist?”

      She sucked in a breath as if the spark had hit her, too, but shrugged easily. “I have no idea. You must have used some super permanent ink when you wrote it down.”

      He’d used a regular pen. She hadn’t washed it away. Which meant she’d at least considered calling him. Which meant he had a chance. “You know, I think I did.” He rubbed his thumb over the soft skin where his number still resided.

      Her body shivered and her eyes darkened. With hunger? Awareness? Maybe desire? He wasn’t sure which but hoped for all three. She slipped her arm back. “I’ll scrub it off later.”

      “After you write my number down so you can call me.” He eased closer.

      She smelled delicious. Sweet and decadent like fruit and chocolate. Was that perfume or just her? One way to find out was to hold her naked. Learn all her curves and cravings. Follow the trail across her neck and breasts to discover each and every hidden secret she had.

      His heart