Her breath hitched, her gaze dropping from his immediately. "Can… can we start shooting?"
"Of course."
Juho finally stepped back. He grabbed two chairs and placed them by the window. It was early evening, and soft orange light was pouring into the room, spilling gently across his face. The sight of that stole her breath away without any effort. Unconsciously, the corner of her lips lifted, like a lovestruck fool feeling content from simply stealing glances at her crush.
"Come, sit here," Juho said, gesturing toward the chair, taking his seat.
She snapped out of her daydream, taking the seat opposite him.
"Natural shots are best to start with," Juho added, adjusting the massive digital camera in his hands. "So I'd like to take some photos of you in your most natural state today. No posing, no pressure. That okay?"
"Okay," she nodded stiffly.
When Juho started shooting, she kept her eyes either on the window or the camera or somewhere else. Every minute passed by like torture to her heart. They wrapped up about thirty minutes later.
As Juho checked the photos on his camera, she left the chair and stretched a little, then leaned against the window, stealing glances at him again. Satisfied with the photos, Juho set the camera aside. He suddenly looked over her and asked, "The guy from the café the other day, was he your boyfriend?"
She startled, looking away. "We broke up that day," she murmured, not wanting to talk about it.
"Oh. I'm sorry," he said quietly. Without her knowing, he was already stepping closer.
"It's fine," she replied absently, "honestly, it was a good thing we broke up." Her gaze was still fixed to somewhere at the far corner of the room. When she was finally aware of the soft breath hitting her warmly on the side of her face, she turned, only to find his face now inches from hers.
Her breath hitched. The corner of his mouth lifted, his murmur low and soft as thin air. "Does that mean I can kiss you now?"
Huh?!
Before Kaija could make sense of the words, Juho leaned forward.
Her eyes flew wide. His lips pressed against hers, his eyes fluttering shut. The tip of his nose brushed hers as his slow, warm breaths grazed her skin. Then his eyes snapped open, piercing hers, the green in his irises glinting with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.
She hadn't known Juho could wield such an intense, sensual look. In her mind, he was always that composed, considerate guy who'd never initiate something like this, especially not in such a place that could be considered their work place. More importantly, she'd never imagined Juho was into her.
His lips began to move, grazing her lower lip with a teasing nip, tasting it softly, unhurriedly. Without realizing, she was already responding, her tongue meeting his in a shy, exploratory kiss. As Juho's tongue slid deeper, his body pressed closer to hers, pinning her against the window. His hand slipped to her waist, holding her firmly in place. Then his rhythm quickened. His breathing grew ragged, his lips turning greedier with each passing second.
Kaija surrendered — completely, thoroughly. Her awareness had vanished the moment his lips met hers. His lips started trailing down her neck, nipping at her skin, biting softly, teasingly. His hand slid from her waist to her hip, then lower, his fingers digging into her flesh as his teeth grazed her collarbone. The sharp sensation snapped her back to reality. She started realizing where this was heading.
"Wait," she gasped, her voice trembling. "Juho, wait. What are you…"
"Shh," he murmured, his breath warm against her skin. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I am, but we're in..."
"It's fine. No one will come in."
"How do you know?"
Juho paused. His lips came up again, brushing hers as he whispered softly, "Do you not want me?"
He didn't even have to ask. Of course she wanted this. She'd daydreamed about this. She wanted all of him, especially now that she'd broken up with Niklas. But they weren't in the right place, and something in the way he said it made her feel… uneasy.
Her eyes narrowed, studying his face closely. "Juho, have you… in this studio…"
He met her gaze steadily. "Mmm," he hummed, not even bothering to voice it aloud.
The heat in her cheeks cooled. No wonder he'd initiated everything so smoothly, so… effortlessly. As if he'd done it countless times before.
"Are you not comfortable with that?" Juho whispered, his emerald eyes soft, almost pleading.
"It's just..." she muttered. It's just I thought you had feelings for me, crush. The thought slipped away from her, just as quietly as how she slipped out of Juho's hold.
She was aware that some guys lived that way — having multiple partners, keeping things open. No feelings involved, no strings attached. In fact, plenty of people in aviation did. Pilots. Flight attendants. They were always traveling, always surrounded by pretty faces. And Juho, being both a flight attendant and a photographer for KE, he must have been constantly spending time around beautiful models, artists, and God knows who else. Maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised he'd chosen that way of life.
She gave Juho an awkward smile. "Can we wrap up the photoshoot today? I feel hungry. I'll go grab something to eat."
He looked at her for a moment, then turned away. "I'm sorry," he murmured, gathering his things.
"I'm sorry too," she said quickly, grabbing her bag and left in a rush.