Free Capture Me: Alpha Billionaire Romance (Hollywood Dreams) by C.J. Thomas

again. “You’re obviously hungry. You never did tell me how you knew it was my favorite.”
    “Have a slice and maybe I will.” I wasn’t going to push her, except she also didn’t appear to be a stress eater. Which meant she probably hadn’t eaten much all week. Given the circles under her eyes, she probably hadn’t really slept, either.
    Her smile—though small—held, and I was hell-bent on keeping it there.
    “Not touching it until you do. Better hurry up.” I winked at her, then said, “I heard that if you pull a slice of Pablo’s out while it’s still hot, the cheese stretches so far you can jump over it.”
    She rolled her eyes and grabbed a slice. “Sadie has a big mouth.”
    I shrugged and tried to put on the most innocent look I could manage. “You caught us.” I snagged a slice and inhaled the spices. “Is this fresh basil?”
    “Only the best.”
    “No wonder you like this place.”
    “If you’re a regular, they’ll throw in a couple cheese rolls for free.”
    “I’ll remember that.” For what, the next few weeks?
    Thinking about what happened to Tessa had kept the visa issues from my thoughts. The whole question of whether or not I’d be in the country after this month was definitely not something to keep from her, but she had enough to worry about.
    I wasn’t going to add to her burden tonight.
    I looked up when I noticed she hadn’t taken a bite yet. A tear rolled down her cheek.
    I wanted to stop the world to help her.
    I pulled my chair beside hers, just close enough for our thighs to touch like they had at dinner last weekend. This time, instead of electricity, I wanted to give her comfort.
    Half a pizza and several photography horror stories later, I’d lost count of the number of times I’d made Tessa smile. She hadn’t full-on belly laughed, but I would take what I could get. The spark in her eyes hadn’t returned, but I knew from my own experience that it could take some time. After what just happened, Tessa was not ready to be vulnerable and I reminded myself to not push her.
    Tonight wasn’t about me.
    Tessa shook her head as she popped a pepperoni into her mouth. “So you just kept shooting?”
    “What else was I going to do? I’d reserved the fountain for that one hour and had to be on a plane to Milan that afternoon.”
    “Wasn’t she freezing?”
    “Sure she was, but she was a professional. And getting a spread in any top fashion magazine is a big deal.” I took a sip of wine. “Don’t look at me that way. She was the one who fell in the fountain in January.”
    “Did the pictures even turn out?”
    “You tell me.” I pointed to my wall of prints. “See the one in the corner?”
    It was one of my favorite shots from last year. With her back to the camera, the model had crouched in the fountain, then quickly stood, hair arched over her head, water cascading down her body. She had breathed out just before I took the shot, creating an eerie swirl of smoke around her head like a demon’s halo. That, along with a few black and white filters, gave the whole shot an intense, supernatural vibe.
    Tessa stood, catching me off guard.
    “You okay?” Had I said something? She’d been doing so much better from when she first walked through my door.
    She squeezed my shoulder as she passed by. The simple gesture eased more tension than a full-body deep tissue massage. “Thanks, I just wanted to take a closer look.”
    I watched her for a time, looking from photo to photo, studying each as though going through an art gallery. I wanted to ask her what she saw but she seemed content, and with everything going on, I didn’t want her to lose that feeling.
    Without turning to me, she said, “So what made you get into photography?”
    Usually women completely skipped over my passion and asked how I made all my money. But this was the second time Tessa asked, since I never answered on Saturday night, interrupted as we were by dinner. This time, I took the opportunity