CHAPTER 12 #2
And that’s where I stay for the next two hours.
Over this time, I catch mere glimpses of the two women as they make their way through the store.
I see Claudia rushing about, refilling Rosie’s champagne glass and pouring cups of tea for Katie.
Along the way, platters of sushi appear and are promptly whisked past me, and through it all, I bathe in the sound of laughter.
Katie’s laughter, to be specific. Whatever magic my sister is conjuring up back there to make my fake girlfriend sound so happy is worth this paid shopping spree Christmas present ten times over.
Turns out, I’d pay anything to have Katie sound so joyful for an entire afternoon.
“Okay, big bro. We need your help.”
I stand at attention. This is the first time anyone has even acknowledged me as anything other than the cash donor at this event, and I’m dying to be useful. And also, to catch another glimpse of a certain raven-haired beauty. It’s been hours since I’ve seen her.
“What do you need?” I call out.
Rosie appears, her cheeks flushed and her blonde hair dishevelled. She looks like she’s been running a marathon; though to be fair, shopping is a form of cardio for my sister.
“Katie is being difficult.”
“I can’t imagine that,” I deadpan. That woman is known for being difficult, in the cutest possible way.
“I heard that,” the woman in question calls out, her tone affronted.
“Anyway,” Rosie drawls. “She’s trying on the most stunning dress to wear to the wedding, and she’s being stubborn. Saying it’s not appropriate.”
“If she’s not comfortable in the dress, Rosie, then she shouldn’t get it.”
My sister sighs, like my words are hurting her soul. “This dress is made for her, Nate. Just take a look, and then we can talk.”
I nod, hurrying towards the back, where I know Katie is waiting. My heart thumps in my chest at the thought of seeing her in this dress, in any dress, and I swallow against my suddenly dry throat.
“Do you want to show me?” I ask the closed dressing-room door.
Silence greets me. I wait her out.
“Fine,” she groans several minutes later. “But I’m not getting it.”
The door opens in slow motion, and then there she was.
The dress she’s wearing was the lightest shade of pink, making her skin glow and her hair shine.
After spending years listening to Rosie’s lectures on fashion and subliminally absorbing knowledge from the Vogue magazines she leaves around my house, I know a bit about designer dresses.
And the one Katie was wearing was nothing short of spectacular.
It’s made of a heavy satin fabric, off-the-shoulder into a deep-v, revealing a tantalising glimpse of her cleavage, hugging her body down over her hips and floating to the floor, with a mid-thigh-high split completing the look.
In this dress, Katie looks like a goddess.
“You don’t like it?” I ask, my tone rough. I clear my throat and try again. “I mean, how can you not like it? You look…”
“Incredible? Stunning? Sexy?” Rosie supplies while I flounder.
“Yes,” I agree, my gaze running all over her body.
Katie looks over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror. I follow her gaze and swallow hard. The view of her back is as spectacular as the front.
“Isn’t it too much?” She’s biting her bottom lip, her fingers doing the hair-twirling thing again. “And the colour is wrong.”
“That colour is perfect on you,” I announce. Her eyes fly to mine and my cheeks heat. “I mean, what’s wrong with the colour?”
“It’s too close to white.” Her hands smooth over her hips, and my gaze follows them with envy. “Don’t you think it’s tacky to be in a colour so close to bridal white?”
I have no idea if it’s tacky or not. All I know is that this dress was made for Katie. It worships her curves as much as I do.
“It’s pink,” my sister insists. “Not white. There’s not a single thing tacky about this dress. Or you.”
Katie continues to fiddle with the dress, and I tilt my head at Rosie, asking her with my eyes to give us a moment. She nods, drifting away, pulling a keen-eyed Claudia along with her.
“Katie.” I step closer and take her restless hands into mine.
“You don’t have to get the dress if you don’t want to.
You’ll look incredible in any dress you put on.
I just don’t want you to miss out on this dress for a reason that doesn’t exist. If you want this one, if this dress makes you feel beautiful, then you should get it. You deserve a dress like that.”
Her whiskey eyes lock with mine, and I hold my breath until she nods slowly.
“Okay, Nathan. Thank you. I think I will get this dress.”
I blow out a deep breath. “Thank God. Because no one has ever looked more beautiful in a dress before.”
She huffs, pushing at my chest, and I recapture her hand, stepping in even closer. With my gaze trapped by hers, I run a finger along her exposed collarbone, her skin soft as silk under mine.
“Nathan,” she whispers, her eyes now stuck to where my hand is resting above her heart.
“Hmmm,” I mutter, distracted by the way her skin has pebbled in the wake of my finger. Her chest is rising and falling heavily, and my mind is filled with cotton wool.
“Nathan?” she whispers again.
Right. Focus. My eyes move to her lips, and I lick my own, desperate to taste her, as a flash of inspiration takes over me.
“So, I was thinking…”
She tilts her head, a divot forming between her brows like she’s struggling to keep up. “Yes?”
I lift her chin so I can gauge her reaction to what’s coming next. “Well, you know, we’re going to be pretending to be a couple for the next week.”
“I’m aware.” Her words are dry, but her tone is breathy.
“And people are going to expect us to kiss.” I step in closer until our chests are touching.
“Makes sense,” she responds.
“And I was thinking, perhaps, maybe we should, you know…practice? Before we have to do it in public.”
Her eyes widen as comprehension dawns. “You want to kiss me?”
Oh, Katie. You have no idea how much I want to kiss you.
I stroke a strand of hair back off her face, twirling it around my finger. “Yes.”
Her chest presses into mine as she takes in a deep breath. “For practice?”
And for so much more.
“Yes. For practice.”
Her pupils dilate until there’s only a thin ring of honey brown left. “Right now?”
I lean over, running my nose gently across her cheek until it lands next to her mouth. “Right now,” I breathe.
“Okay,” she whispers, her lips tickling mine.
My heart takes off racing, and I take a beat to calm myself. Never has a kiss felt like so much, and we haven’t even started yet.
“Are you sure?” I ask, giving her one last out.
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she pushes up onto her toes, pressing her lips softly onto mine.
I freeze as a bolt of something takes over my body before springing back to life.
Moving my hands from her hair, I cradle her jaw, tilting her head back and gently parting her lips with mine.
A quiet whimper escapes her, and I gather her closer in my arms, tasting her as we sink deeper into the kiss.
Her body is soft against the hardness of mine, and as she grabs the front of my shirt, pulling me even closer, I groan, losing a bit of control.
The kiss turns from a gentle exploration into something more, something I feel in my gut and in my heart and in the part of my brain which is blaring, This kiss changes everything!
Before I can lose it any further, before I completely forget where we are and why she thinks we’re doing this, I wrench my mouth from hers, leaning back and drawing in deep mouthfuls of air.
Katie remains still, her beautiful face upturned towards me, her eyelashes flattened against her cheeks, and her lips red and pouty from where they were just on mine.
I stifle a guttural groan, forcing myself to step away from her when my body wants the exact opposite.
It’s like it won’t ever get close enough to this woman.
“What do you think?” she asks, her tone low and husky, her eyes still closed shut. “Will we convince your family and friends that we’ve been doing that for weeks now?”
My chuckle is strained. “I’d say it was pretty convincing.”
Her eyes open, and once again, I’m lost in them.
They’re dazed and languid looking in the aftermath of that kiss, the golden colour now a molten mess.
“That’s good.” She takes a step back, her hand running through her hair and over her dress.
“And if that’s how you kiss when you’re just practising, Nathan Jackson, I’m going to need a bit more warning when it’s time for the real thing. ”
A thrill runs through my veins as her words sink in.
With my heart racing, I stare as she walks back into the dressing-room and firmly closes the door, all the while calculating how long it will be before I can kiss her again.
Knowing that every time I kiss her, for me, it’s only and always going to be the real thing.