“No, Zeldy,” he groaned. “No fangirling this early in the morning.”
She kissed the cheek that was exposed and snickered when he turned his head to press further into his pillow.
“It's time to get up. I have exciting things happening,” she said, bouncing the bed around him a little bit.
“Every single thing is exciting to you. The last time you woke me up this early, it was to tell me that River Song was coming back for one episode.”
Zelda sat back on her heels and blew her hair out of her face. “That was a very big day for me.”
Harrison grunted and she was tempted to smack him on the butt. But she didn't. She launched herself forward and tackled him, fingers going straight for his armpits.
He hollered in surprise, his body seizing, which made her start giggling uncontrollably. Harrison was quick. Though he should be by now, they'd been married for nearly three months, her attacks had been coming on the regular.
He spun in the bed underneath her and managed to grab a hold of her wrists. “You are the craziest person I know,” he said, breathing hard.
Zelda was laughing so hard, she couldn't support herself anymore and collapsed on top of his chest. He still wasn't ready to trust her, so he held her arms out to the side just to prevent a sneak attack.
“This isn't normal,” he said, his words fighting though the mess of curls on his chest. “You're a weird girl.”
Zelda smiled against his skin. She loved it when he called her that. She tried to sit up again and he helped her, but still didn't let go of her wrists. “I'm your weird girl.”
He's sleepy eyes softened on her face and he smiled. “Yeah.”
She watched his gaze drop to her lips and his body began to relax. She took advantage of his early morning amorous feelings and yanked her hands away, threw a leg over him and hopped to the floor. Harrison groaned in protest.
“So not fair,” he grumbled. “One of these days you're going to wake me up early for morning sex and I'm going to tell you no.”
Zelda grinned at him over her shoulder on her way out of the bedroom. “Get out of bed, I made you waffles.” She snickered when she heard Harrison struggle out of the covers and fall onto the floor.
***
Harrison was on his fifth waffle before he even began to slow down. Damn but his woman could cook. He took a long, refreshing drink of orange juice and set the glass down resolutely.
“All right, babe. Why are we up early today?”
Zelda cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don't talk bro to me.”
His lips twitched. Her green eyes were blazing this morning. Whatever it was that had her up early had to be good.
She took a deep breath and fiddled with her phone, a light blush touching her cheeks. “Remember that photographer I worked second camera for a month ago? Diego?”
“Yeah...”
“Well, he has kind of a major shoot today with ESPN Magazine. Except his sister went into labor and he has to be there because he's her birthing coach.”
Harrison's nose scrunched up.
“Don't make that face,” Zelda chastised with a smile. “This particular photo shoot has been pushed back so many times that they've already passed the deadline. So it has to happen today.” She stopped speaking, her eyes bright.
“And they called you?” he guessed, holding back a grin.
“Yes!” She jumped up from her chair and threw her hands in the air. “Diego insisted they call me. He even texted me this morning to talk me into it. And Harrison...” She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “You will never guess who I get to take pictures of.”
He shook his head, feeling the energy rolling off of her and marveled at how she didn't spontaneously burst into little bits of fangirl confetti every time something exciting happened to her.
“Sebastian Raab.”
His face went slack. She nodded, eyebrows raised in understanding. “Right?”
Maybe Harrison needed to fangirl a little bit.
Sebastian Raab was a wide receiver for the New England Patriots. Not just any wide receiver, he was the wide receiver. Harrison had had a big fat man crush on him for the past two seasons. Along with the rest of Boston.
“So,” Zelda, his little minx said with a cocky smile as she sat back down. “The real question is, who is going to be my assistant today?”
***
Harrison rolled his lips inward to withhold a vocal exclamation. He turned to his wife who was setting up her tripod. She grinned and he sent her two discreet thumbs up.
This was the coolest way he could have ever imagined spending a Wednesday.
Harrison had always been a Pats fan. But when Zelda had found out, she threw herself into knowing just as much if not more about the game and the team than he did. They never missed a game, they tailgated, they had football parties at their condo (she made so many sandwiches). Basically, she found a new fandom and embraced it wholeheartedly.
Harrison knew it before, but after that everyone else knew it too: His wife was the world's greatest woman.
A photo shoot with their favorite player on their home team? Mere bonuses to Harrison's already perfect life.
At first they had been told to be at the stadium that morning. Zelda was going to take some shots during practice, maybe some in the locker, and that would be it. But Sebastian Raab's publicist called and changed it to Sebastian's penthouse in Back Bay.
When they arrived, Raab's publicist let them in. He was a thirty-something, no-nonsense, professional type who was already there with hair and makeup people and the journalist. He told Zelda she had free rein of the penthouse, but all final photos would have to be approved by Raab and himself.
Seemed like the kind of tight leash Lindy always wanted to keep them on.
Harrison wondered if being a rock star gave him more liberties than being a star football player. Maybe he would have to ask later.
The penthouse was extreme in its simplicity. It was white and black with gray and red accents. Bare, in a word. Maybe he had just moved in.
Harrison eyed the vinyl record collection discreetly displayed next to a large entertainment unit. He went to inspect.
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Bowie.
Interesting.
He carefully touched the spines, feeling their texture and age on his fingertips. This was a legitimate collection. This wasn't the kind of collection that had been bought up to just have. They were used and worn and played.
Harrison started to have a little daydream about how Sebastian Raab would come home and Harrison would ask him about his vinyls. They'd share favorite tracks, quote lyrics, bond over a love of white noise and... BAM! Bromance.
He looked around to make sure no was watching him and tugged one of the cabinet doors open. His eyes opened wide at the sight of every game console imaginable and more games than he could count that fast.
Harrison began to breathe heavily. It looked good, sure. But did Sebastion Raab have anything else going for him besides his excellent record and game collection and leading his team in receptions and touchdowns in the first ten weeks?
He took a firm hold of the refrigerator handle and gave it a gentle tug.
Jackpot.
He closed the door quickly as his mouth filled with saliva. The sandwiches Zelda could make with the contents of that fridge...
***
Zelda loved her husband.
Adored, cherished, worshiped, treasured.
All of the adjectives that could possibly be used to describe how she felt about Harrison would never be enough.
Before Harrison, Zelda had definitely noticed attractive men. She actually felt she was a fairly good judge of attractiveness in a man. He had to have the perfect blend of muscles, good heart, kind eyes, and good sense of humor. For example, if the hottest guy in the room had a bad habit of talking over people, he became decidedly less hot. Or if a mediocre hot guy happened to have a soft spot for puppies, his hot
ness quotient went up exponentially.
The thing was, since Harrison, Zelda hadn't really being taking inventory of the hot guys around her. Which was understandable, she felt, since she was pretty much surrounded all the time by the most attractive men in the world (the band, obviously). If she had her radar turned on, she would go into nerd girl overload and her geeky little giggles would be the only sound signifying her brain melting.
Though, it could be argued that if she had been practicing, she would have built up a tolerance. Or at least have been able to construct some sort of energy shield that hot guy radio waves would bounce off of harmlessly. There was no way to know. And by the time Zelda realized her completely naive mistake, it was too late.
Way. Too. Late.
Sebastian Raab walked onto his penthouse and at first Zelda's thoughts were along the line of what happened when she had to do shoots with the band — “Oh, a hot guy. No big deal. Hot guys are a dime a dozen around here. If he touches my light reflector, I'm punching him.”
She fiddled with her equipment while Mr. Raab spoke with his team and the journalist and the hair and makeup people.
Her equipment actually needed a lot more fiddling with than previously because after her stint with Double Blind Study, she'd had to upgrade a lot of her supplies. It was awesome. Learning all of the new technology and techniques kept her job fun and exciting.
“Hey, are you Zelda?” A deep masculine voice interrupted her fiddling and she twisted her head to see Sebastian looking down at her with a shy smile on his very handsome face.
This was really her first close-up view of Sebastian Raab. Her nerd girl sensibilities started to go into overload at his unexpected handsomeness. The voice and the beautiful eyes, and his smell hit her nostrils at the same time as the last play of the game a few days ago went on instant replay in her mind. He'd scored the winning touchdown and she and Harrison had celebrated all night long. The mixture of memories and hot guy pheromones turned her very limited people skills into retreating cowards that were now hiding in her camera bag. Way over there.
This was not the position Zelda liked to be in when meeting celebrities... or clients, or people in general. Not just mentally, but physically as well.
She was completely bent in half, her legs stiff to keep her balance, her butt pointed to the ceiling. Her wild hair hung down to the floor and her face was currently filling up with blood. She thought standing up would be a good idea right about then, but her legs didn't move. She eyes widened with silent panic, her hands grasping uselessly at the thin legs of the table she had been working beside.
“Whoa, slow down there,” Sebastian said soothingly. He came around behind her and slid a firm arm around her belly while his other hand gently grasped her hip. He applied slight pressure and lifted her back to standing. “I've got you,” he said, his voice so near her ear she actually shivered as it rolled across her skin.
Zelda was already lunging out of his grasp, like a puppy struggling for freedom unknowingly launching their little furry body into an abyss of certain doom. Sebastian released her immediately. She spun around, clearing her throat and straightening her shirt at the same time.
“Hey there, neighbor,” she said as casually as she could muster, waving her hand in a wide arc as if he had just approached her and they hadn't had that very embarrassing first meeting.
“What the hell, dude?”
The sound of Harrison's irate question on approach caused her to wince, except only one of her eyes responded, so it probably looked more like a super creepy wink.
“And it can get worse,” she muttered under her breath.
Sebastian's wide, generous lips grinned as his amber eyes assessed her appreciatively. Clearly he had head trauma.
“Mr. Raab, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. This is my — ”
“Husband,” Harrison finished for her like the caveman he obviously was. “Don't touch my wife's ass.”
Zelda closed her eyes and took a calming breath. When she opened them, Sebastian was offering his hand to Harrison.
“You can both call me Seb. Sorry about the ass thing, I thought she was gonna fall over. And I have fast hands.”
Cheeky tart.
Harrison's eyes shot to Zelda who shrugged and nodded.
“It was happening,” she confirmed, wishing not for the first time that she was a much more graceful person, and falling down in public wasn't such a common occurrence.
Harrison's jaw hardened. She knew what that meant. He was the one who caught her. Since day one and forever after, he was the one who was always, always, always there to catch her. His disappointed yet apologetic head tilt hit her right in the heart — dead center.
“These things always make me nervous,” Sebastian said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I have a tendency to gravitate to people who also seem a little out of place.”
Zelda tilted her head, eyebrows pointing up. “Aw, that's kinda sweet.”
Harrison had the opposite reaction. “She's not out of place.”
“Harrison, my butt was holding an irreverent court. I was more out of place than a Wookie at a Star Trek convention.”
Sebastian barked out a throaty laugh, causing a shiver to pass through Zelda again. Oh boy.
“You understood her reference?” Harrison asked, new interest in his eyes.
Zelda reached out and took hold of Harrison's bicep, giving it a squeeze. She knew that look. Very well. Though it was usually on dreamy-eyed teenage girls at backstage meet and greets. It had never been on her husband.
“Oh, yeah,” Sebastian chuckled, his eyes lit with mirth. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I'm... probably more of a geek than the world realizes.”
Zelda let go of her husband and grabbed onto Sebastian's bicep next. “Shh,” she hushed vehemently. “You can't say stuff like that around...” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the journalist waiting a respectful distance away. “They use everything.”
Sebastian looked over her shoulder and nodded. “Hence why I get nervous for these things. But Brian says if I do this one, he won't make me do another one for an entire year. And it would be good for the team. So...” He shrugged.
Harrison lifted his chin, suddenly not upset at all by the earlier circumstances. “I thought you already did the interview for this.”
Zelda kept hold of Sebastian and slowly guided him to the open door that led out onto his top floor balcony overlooking the Charles River. The magazine wanted “hot, sexy, casual” photos. She wanted to inform them that “hot and sexy” hardly ever aligned with “casual.” But she was currently having a moment.
“So did I,” Sebastian replied, not bothered by Zelda moving him around.
Maybe she should introduce her butt to people first from now on, it seemed to have a relaxing effect. Hm, it was worth considering.
Harrison followed them but stopped at the doorway. Zelda let go of Sebastian and took hold of Harrison, guiding him onto the balcony as well.
“But I guess they said they had some follow up questions,” Sebastian finished with a shrug.
Zelda slowly picked up her camera and took careful aim at the unfolding bromance.
“Can I ask him some questions while you do this?” Jack the journalist asked over her shoulder.
“No,” she said quietly. “I'm just testing the light right now.” Lie one.
Click.
Jack sighed audibly and Zelda flashed him a smile.
“Let the men folk talk for a minute. He'll relax and be more inclined to open up to you.” Lie two.
Jack nodded, liking the sound of that and backed off.
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair — click — and his eyes flicked over to Zelda.
Freaking-A click.
***
Harrison heard the shutter of the camera working like crazy and knew that his girl was in her element. For whatever reason she'd stuck him in the shot. Making small talk with Sebastian Raab? Yeah,
he was just fine with that.
“I saw your music collection while we were waiting,” Harrison said as casually as he could.
“That...” Sebastian shook his head, a far-off look in his eye. “Took me some time.”
“Do you listen to them?”
Sebastian looked surprised that he'd ask. “Heck yeah. Isn't that want they're for?”
Harrison's fantasy was slowly coming to fruition. If only the athlete wasn't so obviously attracted to his wife. Harrison couldn't blame the man. But it changed his future plans for bestie-ship.
“So where did you guys meet?” Sebastian asked, his interest in Zelda undisguised.
The initial jealousy and following rage that Harrison had felt when he'd turned around to see the wide receiver's hands on Zelda had been pushed to the back. It was still there, but he was in better control of it. For the moment. As long as Raab only looked and did no further touching.
“She was hired to come on the road with us,” he said, glancing at his curly-haired punk rock fairy princess.
Sebastian smiled shyly and glanced at his shoes. “I've actually been a pretty huge fan of you guys for a long time. When I heard she was going to be the photog today, I was hoping you'd come along. I know that sounds stupid, but I'm a total music nerd.”
Harrison's head jerked back around. “Us? Me? The band?”
“Yeah.” Sebastian chuckled. “It was good you were close to killing me a second ago. It kept me from fangirling.”
Harrison sucked in a breath. He knew about fangirling. Sebastian Raab, star wide receiver for the greatest football team in the history of the world used “fangirling” correctly in a sentence.
“You really are one of us,” Harrison muttered.
The professional football player's large smile lit up that half of the room. “I told you. I gravitate. Like adipose being called to the mother ship.”
Harrison's knees went weak. Doctor Who references to boot.
Into the Night We Shine Page 6
