14. Reed #2
Which is how I find myself being guided to a private boutique the second we dock and are back on land.
Knox and Beckett excused themselves, which honestly I’m grateful for, but the stone cold wall that is Wilder Miles is now trailing behind us.
If Matteo has noticed anything strange between us, he hasn’t mentioned anything, but my entire body is on alert.
I can feel his stare, like it’s a phantom limb stroking along my spine, as I try to listen to Matt talk, but as if I am still on the job, my focus is only on Wilder.
“They have some absolutely stunning clothes from what I saw online, and I paid to book out the whole boutique so we will have it to ourselves,” Matteo is saying, and I’m barely listening.
“I also had the staff sign NDAs so nobody will even know we were ever there.” Now that gets my attention, as my stare whips toward him.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him firmly, not used to someone being so effortlessly kind, not without strings at least, but Matteo only shrugs.
“You are one of us now, mi pequeno artista, I always look after my friends,” he states simply. “Just ask my wild ride back there,” he adds, wiggling his brows at his friend, and Wilder makes a non-committal sound of agreement behind me.
“Well thank you, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.” It's not the money he spent, I grew up in similar wealth, so nothing tends to surprise me in monetary terms anymore. No, it’s the simple act of being seen so fiercely, not just by him, but by Wilder too.
“Oh I didn’t do it for you, I did it so I can watch you try on slutty little outfits,” Matteo replies with a wink, making me choke on a laugh.
“How do you think I managed to convince Wilder to come along?” My stare flicks back to the man in question, and he is grinding his jaw so hard that I am afraid it might break.
Thankfully I am used to Matteo’s particular brand of teasing, so I don’t linger on the way Wilder is watching me.
“Then I’ll try my best to make it worth it,” I respond, my stare still on Wilder’s, but Matteo tosses his arm around my shoulder as we reach the entrance to the boutique.
“Let’s do some damage.”
True to his word, we have the whole place to ourselves, with racks of pre-picked outfits waiting and glasses filled with champagne. He was right, they have some beautiful stuff here, the kind I would buy for myself back home, from the one trusted store I like to frequent in New York.
“Hai dei pezzi bellissimi,” I tell the owner, complimenting her taste, as she follows me around and picks pieces out for me, adding them to the rail.
I didn’t pack many of the types of clothes I prefer, as I honestly never imagined I’d get any chance to wear them.
My suitcase is filled with suit pants and designer shirts and loafers, but nothing that I’d wear to pick up a guy at a bar, so it feels nice to be indulging myself now.
I have picked out more stuff than I even know what to do with, but Matteo has told me repeatedly that tonight won’t be our last night out.
After vetoing a few picks, I finally land on something I like, a long sleeve, black mesh top, that clings to my defined muscles and has a strap of black fabric across the chest to cover my nipples.
It technically covers my entire torso, while still showing off my stomach and arms, paired with a pair of black leather pants.
When I step out of the changing room, Matteo gasps, “Muerda, que rico!” I’m not sure what he said, but it has Wilder grinding his jaw again, as Matt jumps to his feet.
“So beautiful.” He trails around me slowly, inspecting every inch of the outfit in delight, as his eyes move over me from head to toe.
“It’s perfect, and don’t worry, I’ve put a diamond choker on hold down the street, so we can hide these pretty bruises,” he adds, trailing his finger along my throat.
Wilder instantly jumps to his feet. “I’m out of here,” he snaps, not even bothering to wait for a response, and Matteo’s grin only widens.
“Tonight is going to be so much fun.”
Matteo and I spend another three hours shopping, selecting multiple outfits, jewelry, and everything in between, until I feel a freedom that Prescott Lamont could only dream of.
We stop in town for a late dinner, before making our way back to the yacht to get ready for the night.
I don’t see any of the guys when we get back on board, so I can only presume they are getting ready themselves.
Rushing back to my room, I dump my bags on the floor with the intention of going straight for a shower, only to pause when I see a bag on my bed that I definitely didn’t put there.
Frowning, I head toward it and pick it up, only for my entire body to freeze when I see what’s inside.
Tipping it upside down onto the bed I find hair dye, the easy wash-out kind, a blue nail polish and nail polish remover.
My heart starts to thump heavily in my chest at the sight, at who it could be from, at what it could mean.
I dye my hair plenty of colors when I am out with my trusted circle, constantly loving to experiment, but I have only ever dyed it the color on this box once.
I look down at the baby blue dye in confusion.
Knox and Beckett both saw me that night at Simon’s party, but I highly doubt the contents of this bag is from either of them, it has to be from Wilder, but why?
What reason would he have to buy this for me?
Sure I can remember the night on the balcony, how he looked at me, I can even remember the anger from our conversation the day his dad hired me.
I saw his distaste for me being in the closet, and as he is so openly out and himself, I also understood it.
What I don’t understand is why he has ignored me all week after our kiss, and now left me a gift.
Especially when he is the one who chose to make things weird between us, but he’s also the one who knew the reason why I didn’t hook up with anyone last weekend.
I didn’t tell him, he didn’t have to ask, he just watched me and knew.
And I wish I could say it was okay, that I could pretend something so simple didn’t affect me, but then he had to go and do this too.
Is this because he wants me to feel free, or because he wants a repeat of what happened on that balcony?
I guess there is only one way to find out.