The guy who had addressed me was about my height, with curly hair and a freckled face. He was standing beside me, looking at a picture of a solitary duck on a muddy pond. The attention to detail was fascinating, the sharp ripples in the water, the colors of the feathers, the grey clouds in the sky that reminded me of Jason’s eyes.
“I like it,” I said frankly. “It’s a very interesting image.”
“It’s one of mine,” he said. “I’m Mark, Mark Cutter.”
“Oh,” I said, matching his name to some of the works I’d seen throughout the night. “Daphne Bird.”
He nodded.
“You’re very talented,” I added after a pause.
“I’m glad you think so.” He smiled, and all I could think was, He isn’t Jason. The potent sexiness wasn’t there, but it was a relief to talk to a guy who didn’t make me want to rip my panties off and bend over the nearest piece of furniture.
“So, you’re here with…”
The question jolted me from my dirty thoughts about Jason. Jeez. I really needed help. “Amy Wild. She’s my roommate.”
“Oh, good.” We walked over to the next picture, which featured an overgrown field with a little boy jumping for a ball at the far end.
“Are you into photography or did you just come to support your roommate?”
“I think it’s both at this point.” I was about to explain how Amy’s work had piqued my interest in photography when I felt the unmistakable awareness that told me Jason had found me.
His voice confirmed it.
“Daphne, here you are.” He came to stand between me and Mark. “Amy was wondering where you were.”
“She was?” I tried to look beyond his expansive chest toward where Amy had been standing with Colin when I last saw her.
“She was,” he confirmed. “And I volunteered to find you.” He gave me another one of his small smiles and I felt my lower body melt. I wondered what he would say if he knew how much time I’d already dedicated to thinking about the ways I wanted to fuck him.
He turned to Mark. “Jason Wild.”
Mark had to look up at him. “Mark Cutter,” he said after a pause. “Any relation to Amy?”
“I’m her brother.”
“Oh.” Mark turned back to me. “It was great talking to you, Daphne.” Then he walked away.
“Friend of yours?” Jason asked as I turned to him, realizing then that we were standing alone in an area somewhat shielded from the rest of the gallery. The realization made me wary—wary, yet excited.
“No.” My voice was a little too thick. I cleared my throat. “No, actually I just met him.”
“Okay.” Jason nodded. “I saw you step out of sight with him and I wasn’t sure if I should come over to check on you. So, I did.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So, Amy wasn’t ‘wondering’ where I was?”
“Nope. Between showing her work and gazing into Colin’s eyes, I doubt she remembers we exist.”
“Awww, your baby sister grew up and got a boyfriend.”
He laughed at the sad face I was making. “Cute.”
“You should be happy for her. Everybody says how hard it is to find love these days.”
“Everybody says?” One eyebrow went up. “What about you? How’s it been for you?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t tried to find love, not ever.” I paused and met his gaze. “Have you?”