“Oh my gosh, no,” Winter pipes up quickly. “This view is stunning. She’ll love it.”

“Wonderful. I’ve asked you here at sunset because the sun will set right behind them during the ceremony. It’s heavenly.” Victoria looks us over from head to toe. “Are you two about the same height as Preston and Sondra?”

“I’m just about the same height as Sondra…”

“I’m probably about an inch taller than Preston.”

“Okay. Will you two please step up to the altar and face each other? I’m going to use you two as place-markers. I’ll take pictures so that when the big day comes, I will already know how to set up. I won’t need to involve the bride or groom on their big day. The I do’s are timed to take place exactly at sunset, so the timing to get the right shots is crucial.”

Winter glances at me with a hesitant smile. This is an odd situation for us to be in. We’ve been dancing around each other all day. Thankfully, being around her isn’t uncomfortable, and I don’t think she is either, but we’ve been cautious not to poke the bear, so to speak.

The bear? The insanely consuming sexual tension between us. I admit, it was probably a bad idea for us to take our arrangement to the next level, but fuck if I could stop myself. When Winter lets her guard down, she’s nothing short of flawless. And last night, she tapped into desires I didn’t even know I had.

Winter and I step up to the altar and face each other. Her eyes land everywhere but my face. She focuses on my shoulders, my tie, she glances at my neck, then looks past me.

“Take a step toward each other, please,” Victoria says. So we do.

Winter is wearing a simple white T-shirt with a black bra underneath and cut-off, frayed at the edges jean shorts, and Chuck Taylors. Always Chuck Taylors. Which I love. Why doesn’t it bother me she’s not wearing any fucking socks? I give her shit about it, but honestly, I don’t care. She’s adorable. Adorably beachy.

Why does she make such a simple outfit—one that would make most women fade into the background—look so damn sexy? I can’t tell if I want to lie with her on the couch, our legs tangled together while we watch something mundane like Access Current Affairs or Everybody Loves Raymond… or rip her clothes off with my teeth and fuck her against the glass wall that overlooks our terrace.

Victoria walks around us, taking pictures from different angles, occasionally adjusting her camera lens while Winter and I look beyond each other. We look over each other’s clothes, ignore the mounting electricity between us, and basically stand like idiots with our thumbs up our asses.

“Please take a small step to your right, toward me…” We do. “Perfect! That’s your sweet spot. Now, take another step toward each other.” She turns her attention to Winter. “Darling, put your hands in his…”