“You’ve got a crush on a photographer you’ve never met.” Savannah shook her long dark hair as they walked from the parking garage toward the imposing structure of Los Angeles’s Central Library.

“It’s not a crush. I’m just excited to meet her.” Landon never should have told her about how his emails with the photographer had gone from a short introduction and details about the photoshoot to a forty-plus email chain about a game they both loved and other things they had in common, increasingly flirty in tone.

“It’s totally a crush. And she’s going to see you naked in about twenty minutes. In a library—”

“Her mother’s going to be there. And stop focusing on the naked part, okay? I’m nervous enough. I’m hoping just removing my shirt or something will be enough.”

“Or something.” Savannah snorted. “Have you even seen some of these naked charity calendars? Sure the fun bits are covered, but we’re talking everything bare. Did you appropriately manscape?”

“I invited you along for moral support. I never should have told you about the emails with Bailey.” Emails he had really, really enjoyed. She had a fun Instagram account too—lots of snaps of things in and around Portland where she was based now. Her avatar was of a dangling camera, which was probably smart as plenty of guys would undoubtedly follow along just for a pretty girl. But a petite pink-haired woman carrying camera equipment featured often enough in casual group shots that Landon was pretty sure that was her.

“It’s cute. And you guys all bonded over that game—Space Villager—so she’s suitably nerdy.” Savannah grinned at him. And yeah, that was how Landon knew she was single. He’d gone on something of a fishing expedition telling her that her boyfriend must be the luckiest guy ever because she liked to game, and her reply had been that there was no boyfriend in the picture at the moment. “And I am here for the going-out-after-we-get-you-naked part.”

“Can we stop mentioning the naked thing?” Landon held the door for her as they entered the library. It was close to closing time on a Friday night, when most of LA was out gearing up for weekend fun, and the library was largely deserted as they entered the breathtaking rotunda. Landon had been here a few times, and he still was impressed at the architecture of the landmark building. Soaring arches and colorful murals and tile work all over the curved ceiling made him feel like he’d stepped into a castle, not a library.

“You here for the photoshoot?” A burly guy with a beard came up to them, slightly out of breath, probably a library employee who please-and-thank-you would be leaving before the picture taking. He had a big grin as he looked down at clipboard. “You’re Landon, right?”

“Yeah.” Fuck. Had everyone here seen the selfie he’d sent Bailey?

“Landon, I’m Bailey Morgan. I’m so excited to finally meet you.”

“You’re Bailey?” Landon tried, he really did. He swallowed hard and schooled his eyes to not fly open, but some his shock crept into his tone. “But you’re…” A guy. And not a bad-looking one, either, if you were into baby bears. But still. A guy.

“Oh.” Bailey’s face crumpled like old paper towels. “The name. Sorry. It didn’t even occur to me that you didn’t know.”

Fuck. Now Landon felt even worse for not keeping his disappointment to himself. Despite not being what he’d expected, this Bailey was still the nice person he’d emailed with for the better part of two weeks, and Landon wasn’t usually one to go around stomping on feelings.

“Yeah. No. It’s my fault for assuming. Please don’t apologize.” He was babbling now. God, this was a mess, and worst of all, he still had to strip down in front of…

Bailey. Who was about as far from the nonthreatening petite photographer he’d envisioned as one could get. The guy was probably around six foot three, with broad shoulders, and a thick build. Arms that said he lifted a lot more than a digital camera regularly, and a wide frame that could have easily played football. And fuck, it had been years. Just the thought of football and football players shouldn’t be enough to get his pulse skittering, but it totally did. No matter how nice this Bailey seemed, Landon and guys who looked like they could bench-press him without breaking a sweat were an awful mix, one that sent his stomach roiling and made it hard to speak coherently.

“Okay. Well, I really am happy to meet you. I really enjoyed our emails.” Bailey had a nice broad smile, but his eyes were wary.

“Me too.” Landon wasn’t just being polite. He had enjoyed the emails. Maybe a bit too much. He should have reined in the flirting especially. But that wasn’t Bailey’s fault. And it totally wasn’t his fault that he looked like a shadow from Landon’s nightmares. Landon tried reminding his unruly mind that Bailey was nice. Not a threat. He liked Space Villager and War Elf and chicken tikka masala and didn’t drink because it gave him headaches. Landon knew all sorts of little tidbits that all added up to say this was a decent person. Just not the one he was expecting.

“We’re setting up in the atrium. If you’ll follow me? And oh, here’s my assistant, Rachel.” Bailey waved at a small, familiar-looking pink-haired woman crossing the rotunda toward them. For the briefest of moments, Landon thought perhaps something about this mess might be salvageable, but then she looked at Savannah like she was a loaded burrito after a three-hour bike ride, and Landon knew better than to get any ideas there. Not that the very pleasant-seeming Rachel couldn’t be bi or pan, but no way was he fighting Savannah for the chance to impress her.

Swapping compliments, Savannah and Rachel led the way to the atrium, a soaring multi-level expanse of glass that ran the length of the building. As they walked, a speaker blared about the library closing in five minutes.

“I really am sorry,” Bailey said a low voice. Even his whisper was deep, and Landon couldn’t help an internal shudder as his body was torn between intimidation and arousal. And really, it didn’t matter what his libido thought. Bailey was everything he knew better than to let himself want. “You can skip on going out afterward if you want. I’ll understand.”

They’d made plans to go out for food after the shoot with Savannah and Bailey’s assistant, Landon saying he’d probably be too nervous to eat beforehand and Bailey saying it would be fun to talk after the pictures were done. And Landon would be the worst kind of heel to change his mind now.

“Nah. It’ll be okay.” Maybe by the end of this, he’d have a better excuse to get out of socializing, but he wasn’t going to say no right now, not when Bailey was looking so earnestly at him. He had compelling blue eyes, the color so dark it almost looked brown at first glance. They matched his blue short sleeved button-down shirt. It looked soft, kinda like his wavy hair and beard. And all of him looked braced for Landon to call this whole thing off. Fuck. I am such a jerk. Why couldn’t he be the sort of guy who could roll with this without managing to crush Bailey’s feelings?

“Good. I’m looking forward to it. And don’t worry about the pictures—I know you’re nervous, but this is going to be painless. I’ve already mapped out a few things I want to try, but we’re not going to get too crazy or make you change locations a bunch. Atrium plus a few in the science stacks and then done.” True to his word, Bailey gestured at a whole photography setup with lights right near one of the huge sculptures that dotted the atrium.

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Actually, all of it sounded like torture, but Landon kept his voice light. Fuck. What had he been thinking, getting involved with this charity calendar project? Savannah, a fellow professor and researcher, had nominated him for this “thirty under thirty” list for his physics contributions. Literacy was one of her pet projects, so she’d pushed him to do the calendar featuring naked “thirty under thirty” men to raise money for literacy. Different photographers were donating their time for the project, all around the country.

“Bailey! They’re locking the doors now.” An older woman with the same wavy hair and blue eyes as Bailey came up to them. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah, Mom.” Bailey gave her an indulgent smile before introducing her as Peggy to Landon and Savannah. “This is Landon. He’s our model.”

“Excellent. And don’t worry, you won’t be the first one naked in here.” Peggy laughed with what Landon guessed was librarian humor. She worked in the reference section and had been with the central library several decades now.

“Well, it’s not naked.” Landon’s own laugh was more than a little shaky. “I was thinking, we can probably just get away with shirtless, right?”

“Nope.” Rachel finally tore her gaze away from Savannah long enough to speak up. “It’s the full monty. I can show you some proofs from shoots around the country—there’s a lot of bare bum happening. Shaving cream fights. Finger paints. Even strategically placed baskets of puppies. Bailey’s taking it easy on you, trust me. And we’ve got a nice robe for you between takes.”

Bailey held out a fluffy white hotel-style robe.

“This is probably my clue to skedaddle.” Peggy backed away from the deserted atrium with a little wave. “I’ll check back in in a while.”

“There’s a bathroom over there. You can go ahead and strip and then use the robe. Unless you need to chat more? Get comfortable?” Bailey’s smile was so earnest that Landon’s chest hurt. Totally not Bailey’s problem that longer conversation was only likely to freak Landon out more.

“Nah. Let’s get this over with.” He took a deep breath. Nothing to lose, right? He could do this.

* * *

Bailey wanted to beat his head into one of the metal balcony rails close by where they’d set up for the shoot. Fuck. He’d been looking forward to meeting Landon all damn week. He’d even worn his favorite shirt, like this was a date, not a job. It had been foolish, but with each email back and forth, he’d liked the guy more and more. Landon had a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor that was really refreshing—and nowhere evident on the uncomfortable, grumpy, more-than-a-little nervous guy who’d shown up today. Who’d been very clearly expecting a woman.

Bailey had honestly thought that Landon had figured out that he was into guys and that he was a guy when he’d asked whether Bailey had a boyfriend. The emails had gotten way more flirty after Bailey’s reply that he didn’t have one. And Landon had said he’d seen Bailey’s social media—not that there were a ton of pictures of himself, especially recently, but he would have thought the clues were there. Longtime followers teased him about his penchant for bearded barista pics and his ability to frame good-looking chests in interesting ways. But maybe Landon wasn’t a comment reader.

Ugh. This sucked. There was still a chance that Landon swung his direction, but it seemed pretty damn unlikely. Everything about Landon said he’d rather wrestle a mountain lion than have his picture taken by Bailey.

“Do you think he’s gonna be able to pose?” Rachel finally left her flirting with Savannah to come over. “He looked like he might be sick when you handed him the robe. We need him looking like he’s having naughty fun, not like he’s being drawn and quartered.

“I’m the one being tortured,” Bailey muttered.

“Oh, sweetie. I can’t tell you how many times people haven’t measured up to their online personalities for me. Maybe he’s just not the guy you thought?”

No, I’m not the woman he thought. Bailey only shrugged. Who knew if the funny, articulate guy who had so captivated him was in there? And maybe it didn’t matter. He had a job to do here. His mother had gotten him this opportunity to get involved with the charity project, and some great pics would boost his portfolio.

Carrying his clothes, Landon emerged from the restroom with the robe wrapped tightly around him.

“Ready?” Bailey tried to give him his most encouraging smile. “What I’m thinking first is playing peekaboo with the sculpture. Let the statue hide half of you, but you looking like you’re having a good time fooling around.”

The sculpture was a thirteen feet tall column with radiating planes of aluminum, managing to look both botanical and humanoid in design. It did interesting things with light and would look nice contrasted with Landon’s pale skin. He wasn’t pasty, just naturally very fair with blond hair and light blueish gray eyes. If he looked hard enough, Bailey was pretty sure he’d find a freckle or three.

“Like this?” Landon stood so only his face poked around the side of the sculpture. Okay, there was a hint of the humor Bailey had been so drawn to.

“Let’s do one like that, just to test the lighting, then drop the robe. Maybe get crazy and show an arm and a hint of leg.”

“Do you want me to do something with his hair?” Rachel asked as she adjusted the lights.

“No, not yet,” Bailey said in a low whisper. Landon’s hair was longer than it had been in the picture he’d sent, pulled back into a little ponytail. Bailey really wanted to see what it looked like down, but they’d have to work up to suggestions like that. After checking the light meter, Bailey took a few test snaps of Landon’s face.

“All right. How about you look at Savannah, pretend she said something funny.” Bailey figured Landon would be more comfortable looking at his friend than him.

“Ha. Ha. I’ll just think about her last paper.” Landon winked, and Bailey’s insides went all mushy. Damn, but the guy was appealing when he loosened up.

“Says the guy who had me read his last conference presentation at three o’clock in the morning. At least I had mine done before my deadline,” Savannah tossed back.

Snap. Snap. Bailey got the exchange of barbs with Savannah. “Do you guys work together on any projects?”

“We did in graduate school. But I’m pretty sure we’d kill each other these days with our different work styles, and our friendship’s more important.” Savannah smiled fondly. “But next term we’re team teaching a section. That should be interesting.”

“That’s one way to put it.” More of Landon emerged from behind the sculpture.

“Pull the robe off your shoulder,” Bailey suggested. Baby steps. They’d get to pictures they could potentially use eventually.

One slim but muscled arm emerged as Landon freed one arm from the robe. He kept his lower half behind the sculpture, but more of his upper body was visible now. He was lean, but his arm and chest had the sort of muscular definition that suggested he was no stranger to exercise. His ropey neck and prominent collar bones were particularly hot, and Bailey tried to capture the way the light played with the contours.

The robe fell open more, and a hint of blond fuzz showed in the gap of the robe. He hadn’t waxed, for which Bailey was selfishly thankful, as a lot of the guys on these calendar projects always seemed to go for the totally smooth look.

“How about both arms now? Leave the robe around your waist.”

“Okay.” Landon slipped out of the other sleeve and leaned forward more, looking at Bailey instead of Savannah. Snap. Snap. That inquisitive, cautious stare was catnip to the camera, as it gave Landon a vulnerable air, would make the viewer feel like they got to see something secret.

“Kick out a leg, like you’re about to run away,” Bailey directed.

“That allowed?” Landon laughed. “It’s hard to kick with all this fabric, but I’ll try.”

“Let it drop. Then show us the one leg and your upper body, like you’re about to sprint, but stay playful about it.”

Landon took longer to comply this time, but then a bare leg emerged along with Landon’s upper body.

“Woohoo!” Savannah called. “Now stop looking like you’re running from an alien invasion and start looking like you’re on the hunt for fun.”

“Hey, alien invasions are fun,” Landon protested. “Point me to the nearest LAN party. That sounds way more my speed than anything risqué.”

“Smart guy,” Bailey said as he got a few more pictures. He had to remind himself not to let his voice get too light. Landon was not here for flirting, no matter how much they had in common. “Me too. And we don’t need you looking like you’re heading to an orgy. Just like you’re ready for a good time. Rachel, can you grab the robe so it’s not visible at the bottom of the frame?”

Landon looked down with a sagging face like Bailey was removing his security blanket.

“I’ll be right here,” Rachel promised, standing just out of the frame.

“You’re doing great,” Bailey encouraged. He was rapidly scrapping huge portions of his shot list in favor of things that might coax more smiles out of Landon. “Can you turn, make it look like you’re about to duck behind the piece instead of emerging from it?”

Landon sucked in a deep breath before following directions, turning so that Bailey had a great view of the curve of his ass and one thigh. He had a gorgeous tat above one shoulder blade that Bailey wished he could see more clearly of some sort of colorful bird.

“What’s the tattoo?” he asked because he was never very good at restraining his curiosity.

Landon’s blush was seriously adorable and Bailey managed several good shots as he waited for an answer. “It’s Fawkes the Phoenix from Harry Potter. Laugh and I’m done.”

“Never! I love it. Turn your shoulder more toward me.” He set up the shot before asking, “What’s your favorite book in the series?”

And with that, they were off to the races, discussing the books as Bailey got more of the pictures he was hoping for.

“And now, move about three feet to your left, back to me, and look over the rail.”

“Away from the sculpture?” Landon frowned.

“We’re almost done here. I want a few without the sculpture, just to have that option. You looking out over the atrium will be an epic shot.”

“It’s just ass,” Savannah called. Not helping. Bailey shot her a look.

“Okay.” Landon scooted into position, keeping his back to Bailey. And damn, he did have a nice ass, high and plump and muscular.

“Stretch your arms over head, like you’re owning the space. Think War Elf chieftain surveying his realm.”

Landon laughed and turned his head over one shoulder. Gorgeous. Bailey got that shot before Landon did as requested and stretched, totally a textbook study in back muscles, tat adding to the visual appeal of the shot. He was shorter than Bailey, maybe five foot ten or so, but stretched like that, he seemed much taller. Mythic almost.

“You guys and your games. Has Landon told you he has the hookup on the next Space Villager expansion pack?” Savannah asked. “He’s been insufferable.”

“Really? That’s so cool.” A few hours earlier, and Bailey would totally have been hoping Landon might invite him to see after they were done, but now he was more concerned with simply keeping Landon comfortable for the remainder of the shoot. Lower your expectations.

“Yeah. My friend Josiah is a developer there.” Landon stretched on his own, a ripple of movement that was utterly perfect, and Bailey held his breath as he captured the interplay between Landon’s bare frame and the iconic surroundings.

“Awesome. You ready to go to the science stacks?” Bailey knew in his gut that they weren’t getting a better shot in this location than the one he’d just captured.

“Gonna make me hold a stack of books in front of me?” Landon asked with a laugh. “That’d be a bit cliché, don’t you think?”

Actually, that had been what Bailey was thinking. “Nah. We’ll come up with something better than that. Get your robe on, and let’s switch locations.”

“Here you go.” Rachel was fast with the robe, and Landon wrapped it tightly around himself before turning back to fully face Bailey.

“That wasn’t too awful.” His grin was more genuine now, and Bailey wished he hadn’t set the camera aside. He had the barest hint of dimples, which was utterly captivating. Damn. It would be only too easy to fall for this guy and all his many sides—the witty email writer, the sarcastic friend, the quietly vulnerable man. And Bailey could not let that happen. He had to focus on his job, take the pictures, get out of this with heart intact. He needed to remind himself of Landon’s initial reaction—nothing good could come from crushing on a guy who wanted something different than Bailey could provide.