Chapter 20 #2
Without waiting for an answer, she grins. “Very romantic. I’ve got a lot of options for you. Stand there while I pick.” She pivots. “This is going to be fun.”
Twirling away, she glides around the store, picking pieces from various racks and shoving them into the arms of the woman standing at the rear of the store.
Five minutes later, she swings by and grabs my hand to tug me to the back as well. “I recall how good pink looks on you. Try on that dress first.”
I gulp and frantically look back at Macklin, but he’s lifting his phone to his ear. Resigned, I head into the dressing room, where the pile of clothes and the woman are waiting for me.
With long, silky brown hair to her waist, she glances at me with chocolate brown eyes that seem oddly familiar. “Hello. I’m Amara. Victoria’s a whirlwind, isn’t she?”
I study the clothes with their beautiful fabrics and trendy prints, then reach for a tag. “I don’t know if I can afford anything here.”
Amara grabs the first item. “Don’t look. How long has it been since you tried on something new? And this gorgeous?” She slips the pink dress off the padded hanger and motions for me to undress.
Caught up in the cost of things, it didn’t hit me until now that I’d have to take off my clothes in front of her. My chest tightens, and my breathing becomes shallow as panic takes hold.
Amara slowly hangs the dress up on one of the hooks in front of me. “Why don’t you slip it on and come out in a second?” Her cool voice is steady and calming as she steps out. Unable to answer, I concentrate on breathing in and out to the count of five until I calm down.
A few minutes later, I hear murmuring outside the curtain. I undress quickly and reach for the pink shirtdress with its high collar and long sleeves. Slipping on the silky dress, I turn from side to side. It’s cute and hides all my scars. Plus, the color looks good on me.
I walk out, fingers tugging on the collar, and Macklin stops talking into the phone. He motions for me to turn in a circle, and after a brief hesitation, I do. He shakes his head and flattens his hand, then waves it to silently tell me it’s okay, then returns to his conversation.
Rolling my eyes, I step back into the dressing room.
One little gesture from him, and the tension inside me eases.
I scan the rack. Unfortunately, most of the other dresses have bare shoulders or midriff tops.
The small black dress with sleeves might work.
I grab it and put it on. Turning to the side, I grimace.
It sort of looks like a bandage wrapped around my body.
It’s not terrible, but with my small curves, there’s nothing to give it shape.
Stripping it off, I reach for the green silk, surprised to see it’s a body-suit-blouse combination with a second hanger, holding a black miniskirt.
Intrigued, I slip it on and blush at the deep V that dips below my tan bra.
I pull on the black miniskirt and stare at the mirror, wondering why it doesn’t seem right. Am I supposed to tuck it in?
“Um, Amara? Can you help?” I ask, knowing she’s standing right outside.
She steps into the room. “Mm. Hold on.” She disappears and comes back a minute later with a black bra. “Put this on.” And immediately steps out.
I slip on the black bra. The two sides are connected with a gold chain in the center instead of the usual fabric or clasp. Putting the shirt back on, I inhale sharply when I see the sexy woman in the mirror. Instead of a bra running across the V, there’s a delicate gold chain.
“Ready?” she calls, stepping back inside when I answer. “Okay, let’s fix the skirt.” She straightens the lines, tugs on the blouse to make it drape more, then steps back. “Do you have black boots?”
I shake my head. “Black flats okay?”
Her nose wrinkles, and she holds up a finger. “Size?”
I shift from side to side. This green is amazing on me. “Seven.”
“Give me a second.”
As I wait for her to return, I stare at the stranger in the mirror. It’s as if I went from a na?ve eighteen-year-old to a confident twenty-three-year-old between one blink and the next. Amara returns and hands me a pair of tall black boots and some knee-high socks.
I giggle. “I haven’t worn socks like this since I was in grade school.”
She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “There’s nothing grade school about this outfit. Wait until you put the boots on.”
I pull them on and zip them up. The boots transform my average legs into the long, sexy things seen on models.
“It’s magic,” I breathe, shifting from side to side to look from every angle.
The only thing I don’t like are my stark white legs, but I can fix that with a little instant tanning spray.
Cara made me use it in college when she realized I couldn’t really go out in the sun.
I had to stop buying it when I was on the road because it was too expensive, but it’s the one thing that makes me feel normal and healthy.
Amara’s eyes sparkle with satisfaction.
With a big grin, I step out of the dressing room.
Macklin freezes, phone to his ear. I twirl in a circle and stop, waiting for him to give it a thumbs up or down.
He fixes his gaze on me and stares. Tension and heat fill the space between us.
My chest rises and falls with every breath, the gorgeous silk sliding sensuously against my skin.
His deep blue eyes begin to glow. Raising his hand, he extends his thumb. Up.
Heart racing, I turn and stride back to the dressing room, feeling powerful and scared all at the same time. Who is this creature in the mirror, looking so confident?
I grin. The one who has a date tonight with an incredibly handsome gargoyle who’s not going to know what hit him.