All the time Eli was taking photos.

"I'm calling this a study in Cowboy," he announced.

Robbie sobered for a second. "You'd best run, Mr Photographer, or I'll steal the camera."

For some reason Neil and Jack found this amusing and the laughter continued.

"Coffee, Eli," Riley encouraged.

Robbie watched the two men leave. So different to look at. Where Riley was tall and lean and confident, Eli kept looking back at him, and really, he could stand to put on a little weight. Guy was far too skinny. Hot. Sexy. Gorgeous. But a strong wind and he'd fall over.

Hell. Maybe that was what happened the other night. Maybe the wind blew him over.

He just wished he could stop laughing at the image.

CHAPTER 10

The first models arrived two days after the incident with Daisy and two days after Eli caught Robbie on film. He should be concentrating on the photo shoot but all he could do was stare at the pictures of Robbie that sat on his laptop. In them his cowboy was sitting against the wood, his head thrown back in laughter or shyly lowering his gaze thinking Eli couldn't see him. He looked rumpled and hot and completely and utterly exhausted in every photo. And damn sexy.

Eli pulled himself away from the photos, to actually begin organizing the shoot. Spread over three days, it wasn't a simple 'point your camera and shoot'. There was lighting, makeup, and costume changes just so Eli could capture what the underwear company wanted. Of course, being an underwear shoot there weren't an awful lot of costume changes and there were one hell of a lot of flashed dicks and balls.

Normally Eli loved his job and for a few hours as he pushed and pulled and cajoled his team he was Elijah Martin, photographer. Then with one glimpse of Robbie standing to one side with unabashed curiosity he was suddenly Eli, horny man with a dick of steel.

Fuck.

What was Robbie doing staring at the half-naked models? Deliberately crossing past his team and ignoring all the calls of 'which', 'what', and 'why' he finally stood at Robbie's side.

"See something you like, cowboy?" he said with his best sexy drawl.

Robbie very deliberately looked past Eli to the group of chatting guys beyond. He shook his head.

"I don't do pretend," he said simply. And with that, and a grin, he wandered off back to his barn. A little later, while attempting to inject sexy into a bunch of prima donna models, he saw Robbie lead the horses one by one to the pasture. He didn't recall what Daisy looked like but assumed she wasn't well enough to—

"Eli?"

"Huh?" Eli pulled himself back to the here and now.

"The wood is chafing the models," his business partner Lauren advised. "And it's a bit hot."

Eli looked over at the pretty boys, all slim, some to the point of looking malnourished, and suddenly it all snapped.

"No."

"No?" Lauren looked confused. "Eli?"

"None of them are right. Where are my cowboys who are hot from working and with bodies and muscles… send them and all their chafing bits home."

"But Eli—"

"No. I'll call you." With this he grabbed two waters from the cooler and strode off in the last direction he had seen Robbie go. He left behind the models and the shoot and the come-hither glances from every single model there who thought fucking the photographer was their ticket to more. He didn't care. He was paid good money for the right thing. What he was shooting today was way past wrong. The guys who hired him would have to accept he knew best.

The sun was high and not for the first time today he wished he had worn a cap or something. He felt shaky, in fact he had felt off all day, a little nauseous and his head hurt. When he got back he really needed to take something for his headache and concentrate on drinking fluids. Otherwise he'd end up in the hospital. Again.

He found Robbie working with one of the new horses out in a far paddock, and he was hot and sweaty from the walk so far. There were three oaks that covered one corner a bit outside the field and Eli sought cover from the punishing midday sun. He watched Robbie; the play of his muscles, the movements so fluid and certain, the cowboy with his horse. There were moments of great affection; a touch on a flank, a gentle press of hands on a mane played against moments of strength and dominating will.

Jeez, I've never been this hard and so damn needy.

Leaving the water where he'd been sitting, he strode up to Robbie and the horse. Robbie turned just before he reached him. He looked surprised and then wary as Eli didn't stop walking until they were toe-to-toe. Whichever horse it was shook their head but didn't move as Eli did what he had wanted to do since the very minute he had met this roughhewn man.

He kissed him. Damn, he near climbed the guy. All hands and lips and want, and fuck if Robbie wasn't kissing him back just as hard and just as needy.

"Want you—" Eli demanded. Grabbing the back of Robbie's neck, he punished with the kisses. This was not slow and steady; this was desperate. Robbie finally pushed him back and Eli didn't argue. Both men stood there panting wildly, Robbie still with his hand looped through the guide rope holding the horse.

"What the fuck?" he stammered. He didn't shout, or scream, or rail, or accuse Eli of forcing him. If anything he sounded overwhelmed and uncertain.

"I want you," Eli repeated.

"You don't want me; you just want to fuck a cowboy—"

"Don't tell me I don't. Because I do. I want you. Only you. I want you inside me." Cupping Robbie's face and pleased when the other man didn't shy away, he kissed him gently. "You do things to me—"

"That's your dick talking," Robbie said crudely.

"No. Don't do that—"

"Do what? Tell the truth?"

"I'll give you back all the photos for a kiss," Eli said. He was aware there was desperation in his voice. "Every single photo I took of you when you didn't know—"

"Eli—"

"The ones where you are smiling and the smile reaches your incredible blue eyes. The ones where the weight of the world is in your expression and you look so damn sad. The ones where you are letting Jack in, and Riley, and when you joke with Hayley." Eli paused to let Robbie speak.