The awe in her voice made something flare in his heart. A small spark of happiness that she saw it as more than just a picture. Like the soaring joy he used to feel when someone appreciated a piece of his art.

“Yes.” There was no use lying. The picture was taken through the lens of his soul. Something he hadn’t done since college.

“I don’t know what to say.” She came around the sofa to sit beside him. “The picture is breathtaking. It feels funny saying that about a picture of me, but it’s more than that. Something about it just grips me, and its beauty touches me viscerally. It’s as though I’m seeing a glimpse of your dream. The intimacy of it … I feel like I should look away, but I can’t.”

Seth cleared his throat for the tenth time. She saw him, but she wasn’t spooked. She was enthralled. Blood pounded loudly in his ears. “Do you want to see some more?”

Tara looked at the pictures he showed her with gasps of delight and whispers of praise. When they were done, she had tears in her eyes. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m honored.”

“It was my pleasure,” he said, realizing he’d really enjoyed showing her the pictures. He shifted on the sofa to see her face clearly. She didn’t look upset. She probably didn’t catch that those pictures of her were infused with his feelings for her.

“Why did you stop pursuing art?” She trailed the back of her hand down his cheek. “Your fashion photos are spectacular and artistic, but what you just showed me felt like your art. Something you love. I don’t understand.”

He put aside his laptop and cradled his coffee in his hands. “It’s something I put aside a long time ago, and don’t intend to resume.”

“But why?” She wasn’t going to let it slide this time. She’d shared an important part of her past with him. He should offer her the same consideration and explain what happened.

“Art was my first love.” His voice broke on the word love. “I started out sketching as a kid, then my mom taught me how to paint. When I was in high school, I discovered mixed-media art, and it was as though a whole new world had opened up to me. Of course, I chose to major in it in college.”

Tara nodded and gently squeezed his forearm.

“I was a shy, quiet kid. I went to my high school prom with my friends because I was too scared to ask my yearlong crush to go with me.” He laughed softly through his nose. He found his words coming easier with Tara’s warmth beside him. “My sophomore year in college, I met Jessica. She was beautiful and outgoing, always surrounded by people clamoring for her attention. I fell hard for her. She was so far out of my league. I expected another bout of unreciprocated love. I was more terrified than flattered when she started pursuing me. The first few times she asked me out, I actually refused.”