him away, his chest was massive. She started to duck under his arm, when a cool voice stopped her mid duck.
“The lady said back off. I suggest you listen.”
She looked underneath the officer’s massive arm to see a pair of well-fitted jeans…and cowboy boots.
Straightening, she met Jarod’s eyes, and was shocked that the warm brown of his gaze could turn so cold.
“Why don’t you get in line, Tex,” the California officer said dismissively over his shoulder.
Lacey found herself suddenly standing alone, free from the arm that had been by her head. The next thing she knew, two large and extremely agitated men were facing off with each other just six feet in front of her nose, seething at each other like large, angry bulls. She moved quickly, keeping her distance, her heart pounding, and she made it to Jackie’s side.
“Call security,” she said, her voice tight. She noted with relief the fireman who’d been talking to Jackie heading toward the two men with calming gestures.
“That won’t be necessary,” Jarod said, overhearing her, and acknowledging the fireman. “Everything is under control, and Chippie here is just leaving.”
The young Californian started to object, but took in the measure of the Texas Ranger and fireman standing before him and broke eye contact first. He cursed, pointing a finger in Lacey’s direction.
“Fine, I’m outta here and not coming back to this hole of a city. You can find someone else for this stupid calendar,” he said, spitting and sending red-faced looks toward all of them as he stormed out. “You had me too late in the lineup anyway. Don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”
Jackie’s voice broke through Lacey’s haze, but her eyes remained glued to the men.
“Hey, what’s up? You’re shaking like a leaf.”
Lacey blinked a few times, and realized everyone was staring at her now, not the men. Awareness kicked in.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically.
“You don’t seem fine. That guy really got to you, huh?”
“He was just being stupid,” she said, her throat feeling dry.
“Well, Mr. November took care of him just fine, with a little help from Mr. April, who, by the way, is perfectly single and lives here in New York,” Jackie said playfully. Lacey barely heard, her eyes still on Jarod as he spoke with the firefighter.
“They make quite a pair, huh?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Mr. November sure seems interested in impressing you—he looked like he wanted to wallop that guy.”
Which is exactly what bothered Lacey. She liked Jarod, as much as she knew about him, but he had an aggressive streak and wasn’t the type of guy to hold back. This was New York, not the Wild West.
“You should ask him out,” Jackie added.
“I can’t date these guys, Jackie. It’s not professional. At least until their shoot is done. The magazine must have some kind of policy about that.”
“For regular staff, yes, but not regarding contract and freelance employees, which includes you and those two gorgeous hunks over there. So it’s fair game.”
“I need to get November into the studio for some inside shots,” Lacey said, dropping the subject and focusing on work again.
“Hey, do you want to tell me what has you so freaked out, Lace?” Jackie inquired.
Frowning more deeply, Lacey studied her lens as she polished it. “I’m just tired and stressed. I need this to go perfectly. We’re off to a bumpy start and we need to get this under control.”
Jackie’s expression soured, and Lacey regretted sounding so harsh.
“No problem. I’ll get back on it.”
Lacey closed her eyes.
“Jackie, wait. I’m sorry. I just hate getting rattled when I really need to concentrate. This calendar is my big break, and I want it to be perfect,” she explained.
“I get it, and I’m sorry, too. I’ve been enjoying the fringe benefits too much. But Ken’s been such a crank lately, it’s a relief to come to work, you know?”
Lacey wasn’t sure if Jackie wanted to say more about her troubles with her boyfriend, but now wasn’t the time, and she wasn’t exactly someone to hand out romantic advice anyway.
“I hope it works out,” she offered and lifted her camera, studying the serious profiles, angular features, and sharp eyes of the two men. She snapped a few quick shots of them as they talked. Candid shots, when people weren’t posing or looking, had always been her favorites to take. A moment captured in time that often showed the truth about the person being photographed.
“Well, you have no shortage of material to work with, that’s for sure. Just let me know what you need to make it happen.” Jackie slipped back into her professional role, and Lacey felt her shoulders relax.
“I’m moving to studio one—could you tell Jarod to join me in about ten minutes? I’ll be ready for him then.”
“Sure. You got it,” Jackie said, though Lacey could feel her assistant staring as she left the room.
She needed the few minutes of quiet before being around anyone again, to get her bearings, to distance herself from her churning stomach and riled nerves. The cop wouldn’t have hurt her, he was just being obnoxious. Lacey had come across worse in her dating life, and had usually laughed it off. This time, she hadn’t. Was it always going to be this way?
No. She wouldn’t allow it. It was simply the after-effect of the news about Scott. And it had to stop. Now.
Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and stepped backward, finding herself up against a solid wall of muscle.
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