Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
His gaze trailed over my face, surely seeing the roses bloom on my cheeks. “Yeah.”
He steered us to the bohemian shop. As soon as I entered, I walked over to eye the wheat-colored straight shift with a white cotton tee underneath. It was simple and elegant and, more importantly, looked like something I could afford.
A tiny woman with a mane of curly salt-and-pepper hair approached. “How can I help you?”
“Do you have this in my size?” I gave it to her.
She put on glasses that had been hanging on a cord around her neck. “Follow me.”
We went over to a rack, where she quickly got the dress and top. “You can try them on in the back.”
I glanced over at Shawn, who had a gleam in his eye. I mouthed “no,” knowing if he followed me back there, we would have sex despite the numerous times we’d done it this morning alone.
He cracked a smile, and I playfully rolled my eyes and headed in that direction. It didn’t take long to remove the joggers and shirt and put on the dress and tee. I admired myself a few seconds before I decided to get Shawn’s approval. It was his mother’s birthday dinner and their apartment suggested they had requirements for dress, even if it was just family attending.
His eyes lit up when I stepped out, giving him points, considering it wasn’t a formfitting dress.
“Is this okay? I don’t know how formal I need to be.” I asked.
“You look good. And as far as the dress, you can wear what you want. I’m wearing this. I borrowed these from Connor’s closet,” he said, looking far too amused.
He looked damn good, but I didn’t boost his ego. “Cool. I’ll get this then.”
“Do you need help taking it off?”
Luckily, the saleswoman had made herself scarce. I pointed a finger at him, though I flashed him all of my teeth. “You are not coming in with me.” I laughed, as did he.
“I’ll come with you any time or anywhere.”
It was a double entendre, and he winked, confirming it. Amused, I turned and disappeared into the changing room. Once dressed in my clothes, I brought the dress and top to the counter, where the saleswoman waited to ring me up. I was busy giggling at Shawn, who was making faces at me, when my jaw dropped.
“That will be five hundred and ninety-five dollars…”
I didn’t hear the rest as I nearly swallowed my tongue. Before I could come up with a suitable way to cancel the purchase, Shawn was there handing her a black card.
“And we want that,” Shawn pointed to a mannequin that wore a pair of linen pants in the same color that gathered at the ankles. “In fact, the entire outfit.”
I hurried over to Shawn to stop him. “I’ll pay you back, but I don’t need the pants.”
“I’ve got this.”
I might have argued, but he was busy pointing out a purse, and I recognized the brand. “No,” I interjected quickly. I grabbed a smaller Tory Burch cross-body bag because he looked determined to get me something. It was still too much, but if I wore it to work, I wouldn’t be looked at like I took bribes. No one on my salary could afford the purse he wanted to buy for me.
We exited with a bulging bag, and I tried not to think about how much he spent. We hadn’t gone far when he led us to a baby store. He picked up a tiny shirt with a picture of a little boy with horns. It read, My daddy painted horns on my head. “I have to get this for my nephew,” he said and finished with, “Connor is a painter.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. All the artwork in the apartment is his.”
I couldn’t say I did a study of the decor of the house. My attention had been elsewhere. But when I got up this morning, I did notice a few stunning pieces. “That’s amazing.”
He nodded, but something else caught his attention. A second later, he was holding up a white onesie that read, Not a Spare. His grin was infectious, but I was at a loss for words. Confusion quickly melted off his face as he said, “Oh, no. Not for you. My sister. She told me she was pregnant. Again.” The bond between him and his sister had to be special because there was such a genuineness to his amusement. “Not working for you?”
I shook myself out of my thoughts. “Oh. No. I think it’s adorable. You should totally get it.”
He flashed me a grin before heading to the counter with his purchases. The pure genuineness of his delight spoke volumes about his relationship with his sister.
When he arrived with his purchases, he said, “We should go drop these off before we catch a cab to our next destination.”