Caught on Camera: Part One by Lily Harlem Page B

He paused and looked at the other contents—Champagne, posh pâté, strawberries, smoked salmon and a cooked corn-fed chicken that looked golden and succulent. His taste buds tingled and his mouth watered. Quickly, he shut the door and turned before he was tempted to pop a strawberry into his mouth, try the tub of foie gras or munch on a drumstick.
    He headed to the back door. It was open—to let a breeze through the house Mrs. Henley-Smythe had said. Not that there was any breeze today. The air was still and lazy as though the sun had taken the energy out of it the way it had everything else.
    Stepping onto the decking, Reece blinked in the glare.
    Cade was still mowing, going away from him. The drone of the engine was louder down here than it had been up in the bedroom.
    Reece bided his time, waiting and enjoying ogling Cade’s arse as he walked along. When Cade turned, the mower pointing his way, Reece held up one of the cans.
    “Want a drink?” he called.
    “Yeah, cheers.” Cade continued on his journey, straight and steady. The mower created yet another pale green streak as he came toward Reece.
    When he reached the decking, Cade flicked a switch and the engine died. A heavy silence filled the garden and Reece’s ears buzzed for a moment. He watched as Cade rubbed his palms down his thighs and shifted a damp lock of hair from his temple.
    Reece held out a can. “Reece,” he said, “the decorator.”
    Cade took it and pressed the chilled surface to his forehead. “Cade, the gardener.” He grinned, flashing white teeth. His right incisor wasn’t quite flush, and he had dimples that just didn’t belong on such a masculine face.
    Reece popped the ring pull on his drink and tensed his abs. He wished he had a nice tan like Cade but he worked indoors and the only time he had color was when he had his annual two weeks on a foreign beach with his mates. Still, he worked out, and it was a decent belly.
    Cade tugged on his bottom lip as he opened his drink.
    Reece cursed those sunglasses. It was impossible to tell if Cade was checking him out or not. The surface of the lenses were mirrored and he had no way of telling.
    “So, you been working here long?” Reece asked.
    “Yeah, a few years now.”
    “It looks amazing.” Reece gestured to one of the full flowerbeds. “The garden, that is.”
    “Thanks. I take pride in my work.”
    “I can tell.” Reece took a few big gulps of his drink. “You like Mrs. Henley-Smythe?”
    “Rita? Yeah, she’s cool.” He shrugged. “Friendly.”
    “Yeah, I thought so. Not that I know her. I’ve just started on the bedroom this week. She wanted it switched from buttercream to magnolia.”
    “Is there a difference?”
    “Not really, it’s hard to see what I’ve done and what I haven’t.” He laughed.
    “Mmm. I suppose.” Cade tipped his can to his mouth and drank deeply.
    Reece studied the long tendons in his neck and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. The stubble on his jaw etched downward, all the way to the base of his throat, he could imagine stroking the scratchy hair and pressing his cheek against it.
    “So what does her old man do?” Reece asked to stop himself from having more lusty thoughts about Cade’s stubble. “They’re obviously not strapped for cash—not with this fancy place and those cars on the drive.”
    Cade shrugged and set his drink on a nearby wooden table. He then sat at one of the chairs and crossed his left ankle over his right knee. “Something to do with the movie industry.”
    “Movies?” Reece asked, his curiosity piqued. “What, like a director or something?”
    “I suppose so.”
    “Are there studios around here?”
    Cade took off his sunglasses, tipped his head and studied Reece. “You gonna sit? You must be knackered going up and down ladders all day long.”
    A bubble of excitement popped in Reece’s stomach. Cade had asked him to sit with him. Surely that was a good sign. What’s more, Cade’s gaze