Tough Love

“I’m not committing until I know what we’re talking about.”

Her mouth twisted to the side. Still hesitant, she admitted, “I model.”

Yeah, he hadn’t seen that coming, but given her looks and style, he should have. “You model.” Why did she look so grave about it?

Nodding, she defended herself, saying, “It’s harder than you think.”

“Never said it wasn’t.” Though he really had no clue. He had a hundred questions but started with, “Where?” If she’d be flying off and leaving him, he wanted to know.

No, wait. He didn’t like how that concern sounded, even to himself. They weren’t an item, so she wouldn’t be leaving him. Just...leaving.

Shit. He hated that thought.

“Just local stuff.”

Stack released a tense breath. “Local, huh?”

She slid off his lap and went to her kitchen countertop, then returned with a few mailers for stores at the mall. “This one is for fragrance.”

The shot showed Vanity’s shoulder and face in profile with lots of shadows, and she had this secret little smile. A dude was behind her, his nose in her hair. Well, fuck. Who would even see the small perfume bottle on the dresser in the background?

“This is for ice cream.”

The brighter, more colorful photo showed her sitting cross-legged on the floor wearing an oversize football jersey and nothing else. She leaned back, her face tipped up to another dude on the couch who held a spoonful of ice cream to her mouth.

Again, who the hell was going to notice the name of the stuff with Vanity looking so hot in the ad?

The last was a lingerie catalogue, and even before she opened it, possessive, jealous heat churned inside him.

Then he saw the image—and relaxed. Or at least relaxed enough that he didn’t want to chew the bark off a tree.

Dressed in loose flannel pajamas, the oversize top slipping off one shoulder, her hair in braids, Vanity appeared to innocently enjoy a lollipop.

Well, hell. It was better than slinky lingerie, but the fantasies would be rampant. He met her anxious gaze. “Suggestive much?”

“What does that mean?”

“You know exactly what it means.” He nodded at the ad. “You’re dressed like a tease, and I can see your tongue!”

“My tongue?” She looked at the image again as if she’d never seen it. “That’s what you noticed?”

“It’s designed for me to notice. Men will immediately think of blow jobs, guaranteed.”

Laughing, she pointed out, “It’s to sell pajamas to women, silly, not men.”

He’d be willing to bet plenty of men would see it, too—and he knew exactly where their thoughts would go. “If you say so.”

She frowned at the ad. “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? I knew it. I felt so dumb doing it. But sometimes it’s fun, so I agreed. It’s the truth, I get easily bored. And until you, until now, I mean, maybe this one time, only now you’re saying I could possibly seduce you again...” She shook her head. “Anyway, I usually have too much free time.” She blinked at him, waiting.

Stack didn’t know if she’d run out of breath or if she just wanted to see his reaction so far.

His attention went back to the ad. “You look like a wet dream.”

Instead of being insulted, she smiled. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” But damn it, he had no right to complain or to tell her how badly he wanted to punch any guy who saw her in the ads.

“I’m glad you think so.”

Did she think any guy would be capable of thinking differently? “Third job?” Or maybe he didn’t even want to know.

Hands on her hips, she went back to talking at mach speed. “I also paint. And yes, sometimes I sell my paintings. The proceeds go to different local charities, so no way can I stop doing them. I have a few more to finish before the next Furry Paws Ball and Auction. That’s where they’re sometimes sold to help fund the no-kill animal shelter.”

“You’re an artist?”

She narrowly pinched the air with her finger and thumb. “Little bit.”

An angel with a sinner’s body who was wealthy but worked at a resale shop to help a friend, modeled out of boredom and painted for charity. And out of all the interested guys in the world, she’d wanted him—hopefully still wanted him.

His brain throbbed, as well as other body parts. “I’d love to see your work.”

Her mouth did that cute, twitching thing that eventually turned into a smile. “It sounds so official when you say it like that.”