Break Through Read Free

his list. The smile he gave wasn’t unkind, but it wasn’t overly warm either. I reeled back from the sting of it, and then wondered why it bothered me. I should’ve been happy. Wasn’t anonymity what I craved? So why did I desire this man’s attention?
    He lowered himself onto the couch , setting the equipment down, and I followed suit. Mom buzzed around like a bee, nervous energy radiating off of her in waves. I shifted uncomfortably, pulling the bottom of my dress down over my bare thighs. Carter’s proximity made my heart speed up. When my gaze caught on his face once more it became clear to me why I felt the way I did. It was because he was good looking. What I felt was lust, plain and simple. Since I’d spent my childhood in captivity and my teen years afraid of my own shadow, I had never even had a crush on a boy before, much less lusted after one. This was a new feeling for me. And one I didn’t like at all. I couldn’t be attracted to this stranger. I didn’t know anything about him, and I wasn’t about to trust someone I didn’t know. The last time I’d done that it had destroyed me. I couldn’t let that happen again. I needed to spend time with flowers, plants and nature. Things that couldn’t harm me.
    “We’re huge fans of your photography, Carter,” Mom said, sweeping her arm out over the magazines carefully arranged on the coffee table. I rolled my eyes. Mom had insisted on buying every magazine with one of Carter’s pictures in it before he arrived. She said it was to make a good impression. I thought it looked like ass kissing. By the smug smile on Carter’s face, I’d say he agreed with me.
    “Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water?” Mom’s hands fluttered nervously over her neck, fingering the gold chain she always wore.
    Oh my god. Mom was going to overwhelm the poor guy. Too bad Dad had to go into work today. He was the only person who could reel Mom in when she got like this. I squirmed in my seat.
    “No, thank you.” Carter turned to me. “ If it’s okay with you, Aspen, I’d actually like to get to work.”
    Of course he did. He was probably counting down the minutes until he could get out of here. Which was fine by me. The sooner he took my picture, the sooner this whole thing would be over. Then I could change out of this silly dress and get back outside.
    I nodded in response.
    Mom clapped her hands together. “Okay. I’ll leave you to it.” She glided out of the room, leaving a trail of floral perfume in her wake.
    Carter stood up and fiddled with his equipment. Unsure of what to say or do, I stared at my hands while clasping and unclasping them in my lap. My fingernails were clean, my palms devoid of dirt and grass stains. It made me feel naked, exposed. Sighing, I stared out the front window, imagining I was running in the grass right now instead of stuck inside. The click of a camera startled me. I whipped my head in Carter’s direction as he lowered the camera from his face.
    “Oh. I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t know we’d started.”
    “We didn’t.” His gaze was intense, so unlike the way he’d looked at me before. If I was a window, the drapes had now been closed so he couldn’t look through me any longer. “It was just a practice shot to test the lighting.”
    I nodded .
    “Besides, I couldn’t resist capturing the expression on your face a moment ago,” he added.
    My cheeks flamed.
    “What were you looking at?” His gaze flickered to the window.
    “Nothing,” I answered quickly. He’d never understand my fascination with the outdoors. From the looks of him, he probably liked it inside where his white shirt couldn’t get dirty and his pants would stay perfectly pressed. Not many people my age liked to run around outside and roll around in the grass.
    He cleared his throat. “Are you comfortable?”
    I shrugged, unsure of what he meant. Was he asking if I was comfortable sitting on the couch? Or comfortable with him being