Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Skye
My foot recovered slowly. I had to be careful not to put too much pressure on my toes for the rest of the day, but by the next day, I was good as new.
Except that I became a tad nervous as the afternoon went by.
I was meeting Rob in front of the store called Handmade in one hour, and I kept checking my appearance—first my dress, then my makeup, then my hair.
“Why are you so jumpy?” Tess asked.
“No reason.”
“Would that no reason benefit from a sexy bra and panties?”
Oh, my sister knew me so well. I wiggled my hips and my eyebrows.
“Wearing some of my sexiest stuff already,” I informed her.
Her eyes bulged. “Okay, then. I don’t need to know more.”
Ha! Right. As if she could help herself. I gave her two minutes before she asked what my plans were for tonight. She lasted all of one minute.
“Are you going on a date?” She kept her voice nonchalant. I could tease her, but then just remembered that she’d spent the last few months worrying over me even more than usual, so I didn’t have it in me to do that.
“No, just helping Rob choose a present for his niece.”
“And that required code red?”
Tess and I had developed our own sexiness code for lingerie.
Green was period lingerie. Yellow included everything from meh to sports bras. Red was fire: push-up bras, lace, silk… or all three.
“You know me, I’m all for red.” It was the truth. I wore super sexy lingerie on a regular basis because it gave me confidence.
“I know, but there’s something different about you.” She pointed at me.
I felt different, so I couldn’t contradict her. I was just as in the dark as my sister about what caused it though.
One hour later, as I headed out of the store, I was filled with an infectious energy.
Usually at the end of the day, I was spent.
Not tonight though. I eyed the ice cream shop across from us.
My mouth was watering. I still had twenty minutes until I was supposed to meet Rob.
That was just enough time to enjoy a cone with two scoops.
(Yeah… I bought ice cream often enough that I knew exactly how long it took me to eat a cone.)
Maybe allowing myself to indulge in one temptation would make it easier to resist the other.
After buying a cone with mango and caramel, I ventured down one of the side streets, peering inside the window displays.
In the morning and during the workday, I was always on the run, too busy to actually take the time to see what was new around us.
I enjoyed the evening stroll, especially seeing all the shops off the beaten path.
Henry, the most daring designer I’d seen in New York, was now selling shoes for the first time.
Magda, the art deco painter, had added some esoteric-looking items to her stock, like moon globes and bracelets with various healing properties.
It was a bit out there but also worked somehow.
As far as I was concerned, Soho was magic.
It was my favorite part of the city. Sure, I might be biased… but just a little.
“Good evening.”
I startled, turning around to face Rob.
“Hi! You’re early,” I said.
“I know.”
I’d just finished my ice cream. Clasping a hand around the strap of my bag, I tossed the napkin I’d held the cone with into a nearby trash can. My fingers were a little shaky.
Instantly, I realized why I was so exuberant and full of energy. The reason had a first and a last name: Rob Dumont.
“How is your foot?” he asked.
“Good as new.”
I swallowed, wondering if he was only thinking about my well-being or if he also remembered that crackling electricity between us. When he captured my gaze, I had my answer. He looked at me as if he knew I was wearing code red lingerie. My skin sizzled.
On an intensity level from one to ten, the fire in this man’s eyes was somewhere around twenty. One thing was universally true: no matter if we were in my house, the backyard, his house, or the middle of the street, he could make my knees weak just by smiling at me.
“Glad to hear it. Want to lead the way?”
“Sure.”
We walked side by side, and I couldn’t believe how powerfully I felt his presence. Not the heat of his body—his presence . He dominated the space completely without even trying.
“Tell me about your niece. What does she like?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“What does she usually play with?”
“Toys.”
I laughed. “You’re no help.”
“I just want to buy her something to cheer her up. She’s been a bit down lately, what with her dad forgetting to call.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah. Had a little chat over the phone with him. Told him that he’d better remember, or I’d pay him a visit in person and wouldn’t play nice anymore.”
Oh, this man. How could I not like him? I had a weakness for people with empathy, people who weren’t afraid to fight for the people they loved. That was how the Winchesters operated too—we all were there 110 percent for one another.
“I don’t think I’ve been on this street before. I usually keep to the main one.” He was looking around with curiosity.
“You can find real gems around here, trust me. I’ve been exploring every nook and cranny since opening our store.”
“I admire you for your tenaciousness in going after what you want.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“It can’t be easy.”
I shrugged. “It’s not. Has pros and cons, like everything else.
I quite like working at my own pace and not having a boss, but it is nerve-racking to shoulder so much responsibility.
Before, if I didn’t like my job, I could just quit and search for something else…
but you can’t quit your own business. I mean, you know how it feels. ”
“I inherited a solid, successful business, so it’s not the same.”
“You grew it exponentially though.”
He chuckled. “You read about me?”
“Of course. Had to know if you were a good fit for the house.”
“What’s the verdict? Am I a good fit?”
“For the house?”
“What else?” He leaned in closer. The almost touch was excruciating, but when his hand brushed mine, I realized the touch itself was even more so.
“Of course you are.”
“I see.” He scrutinized me intently. Being around him made me feel relaxed and on edge at the same time. “So… I have big plans for us tonight.”
“Oh?”
“I need to make up for scaring you.”
“And that’s going to take a whole evening?”
“Even longer.”
Good Lord, I’d only been in his presence for ten minutes and my hormones were already in disarray. My whole body responded to his flirty tone and suggestive glances. My nipples puckered, pressing against my bra. My lower belly was on fire. And I was supposed to spend the whole evening with him?
Bring it on.
Rob
Spending time with Skye was unlike anything I’d experienced before. I still couldn’t get over the fact that she’d offered to come shopping with me, that she’d put thought into what Lindsay might like.
“What will we be doing?” she asked.
“You’ll see. I owe you for scaring you.”
She blushed deliciously, and this time, I didn’t hold back. I touched her cheek, loving how soft her skin was, how her pupils dilated slightly.
“If you owe me, I should be the one who chooses the activity, don’t you think?”
I skimmed my hand up to her ear. She shivered lightly. I almost captured her mouth, right there in the street. It took all my self-control to drop my hand and point to the store.
“You’ve already put yourself in my hands. No going back from that,” I said.
“There’s no winning with you.”
“Yeah, there is, but of another kind.” I held her gaze firmly. She exhaled sharply, turning around and pushing the door to the shop open.
It was a crammed little space—more like a hole-in-the-wall, nothing like the department stores I was used to. My first instinct was to tell Skye to go right back out and head to Bergdorf’s, but something made me keep silent and just watch her. She smiled at the salesperson.
“Hey, Tris. Sorry I haven’t had time for a visit lately, but I brought with me a potential new client. We’re looking for something unique for an eight-year-old girl.”
Tris nodded, immediately heading to a shelf full of stones and beads. I still wasn’t convinced I’d find something for my niece here. Skye picked up on my skepticism.
“I know it’s a little unusual, but just give it a chance,” she whispered, looking up at me hopefully, and I didn’t have it in me to crush that hope.
In fact, I was looking forward to whatever Skye wanted to do next. I had an inkling that she could wrap me around her little finger if she wanted to. I didn’t want anyone having so much power over me.
“Let’s move to the back,” Tris said. “I have more stuff there.”
No sooner did we pass through a curtain into an even smaller room than the bell in the front rang.
“Go attend to the new customer,” Skye said. “I’ve got this.”
With a grateful nod, Tris disappeared to the front.
“Oh, this place just makes me feel like a kid myself.” Skye rubbed her palms together, heading to some shelves that held yet more crystals and beads. “Look at all this pretty stuff. Tell me about Lindsay. Does she like fantasy books?”
“Yes, yes, she does.”
“Princesses?”
“How am I supposed to know that?”
“Okay, I’ll work with the fantasy angle.” Skye laughed, inspecting the merchandise closely.
“Want to check out the shelves with me?” she asked after a few minutes.
“No, thanks. I’d rather check you out.”
A current of awareness shot through me. Skye straightened up, as if she’d felt it too.
I moved closer, inexplicably drawn to her.
I couldn’t say why it was harder to keep my distance here than outside.
Her scent was delicious. Apple? Peach? I couldn’t really tell.
It didn’t matter. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I couldn’t get enough of her, period.
“Ah, what about this?” Skye pointed with her thumb over her shoulder to a necklace with a pink stone. The details didn’t register, but I was sure I hadn’t seen anything like it before. She turned around, and her eyes widened. Clearly she hadn’t realized how close I was.
“It’s sophisticated and one of a kind. And….” Her voice trailed off. “You don’t like it, huh? Okay, so let’s go, then. To a department store, or even just another store. What do you want to do?”
“Fuck, Skye. I don’t care. All I know is I want you.”
She let out a small whimper, licking her lips.
I didn’t hold back. I couldn’t. Cupping her cheek, I tilted her head up and then pressed my mouth to hers.
She tasted delicious, like caramel and mango.
I explored her, licking her lower lip, sucking on her tongue, groaning when she did the same to me.
I felt that lick right along my cock and pressed myself against her.
I wanted her to know just how hard I was.
She moaned right in my mouth. It reverberated through me.
I moved a hand to her waist before lowering it down her thigh.
I wanted to touch her everywhere—mostly, I craved skin-on-skin contact.
I’d never lost myself in a woman this way.
I forgot where we were, what we were doing.
Nothing mattered. Absolutely nothing. Just bringing her pleasure.
Fuck, how I wanted to bring her pleasure.
I slipped a hand under her dress, along her inner thigh, until I reached her panties.
Nothing but a scrap of silk. Parting her legs, I rubbed one finger down the middle.
She trembled lightly, moaning against my mouth again.
No, I couldn’t do this here. Slowly, it came back to me that we were in a store.
I dropped my hand and tried to pull back before nearly losing composure yet again when Skye buried one hand in my hair and placed the other on my arm, pulling me right back to her.
“Skye,” I murmured against her lips. “Open your eyes.”
She did so, slowly at first and then blinking them wide open.
“Oh, wow.”
She let go of my arm before looking down at her dress, as if expecting to find it on the floor. When she blinked back up, she touched her lips with two fingers. I groaned, almost kissing her again. Seeming to realize what that did to me, she dropped her hand.
Tris came in before I could say anything. “Did you guys find anything you like?” she asked.
“Definitely,” I answered, still looking straight at Skye.