Chapter Two
Braelyn loaded Skylar down with a few more bags that held her most recent purchases. He accepted them without complaint, juggling the others he already held so he wouldn’t drop anything. Once it looked as if he’d manage, she turned on her heel and headed for the store’s exit. She heard him fall into step behind her.
When they were back out on the sidewalk and walking side by side, Braelyn smiled to herself as she looked at Skylar from the corner of her eye. It wasn’t too hard to see he’d almost reached the point where he’d become fed up with all the shopping. She’d decided to take pity on him after they made one last stop at a shoe store.
“Where to now?” Skylar asked.
“The shoe store at the end of this block.”
He glanced down at her feet. “Is there something wrong with the ones you have on?”
She looked at the Jimmy Choo blush-colored suede clog sandals she wore. They had a one-inch platform and a four-inch heel that pushed her five-foot-nine height to almost six feet. Even with that lift, Skylar still had at least nine inches on her.
Braelyn met his gaze. “No, there isn’t anything wrong with my shoes.”
“Then why do you need to go look at more?”
She gave him a look that said he had to be kidding. “You can never have enough shoes.”
He rolled his eyes. “Are you at least going to buy something more practical than those ankle breakers you have on?”
“Hey, I happen to like theses shoes, a lot. They also make my legs look long and sexy. Don’t you think so?”
Skylar’s heated gaze ran down the length of her legs, leaving a trail of warmth behind. It also had her body standing up and begging for some attention. He really was gorgeous with his heavily muscled body, light blue eyes, and long, light brown hair he wore pulled back in a ponytail that hung between his shoulder blades. His chiseled good looks matched those of any male model, but unlike them, Skylar didn’t act as if his face would land him any woman he wanted.
If anything, he’d stayed completely focused on her, not really looking at another woman, for the hour they’d been shopping together. She was used to men making her the center of their attention, but Skylar’s was different. He didn’t just look at her with lust in his eyes—though he did do a fair amount of that. He looked at her as if he’d found some great treasure. The combination of those two types of looks left her feeling edgy with arousal. His heated stares made her pussy ache and her nipples tauten beneath her shirt. And when he happened to stand behind her, she felt the warmth of his body seep into hers. That sensation only increased the desire that built inside her.
Braelyn broke out of her thoughts when Skylar spoke in a husky voice. “Do you really want me to answer that? Because if you do, you’ll find yourself thrown up against the nearest wall and kissed senseless.”
Her heart beat a little faster, and she swallowed as they both stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, facing each other. She had to lick her suddenly dry lips. Skylar’s gaze locked onto her mouth. “Is that a threat or a promise?” she asked, her voice a bit breathless.
“It depends on what you want it to be.”
For a split second, Braelyn thought she saw Skylar’s eyes take on a strange, muted glow. But it disappeared so quickly she could only assume it was her eyes playing tricks on her.
“And if I took it as a promise?” She played with fire, but with the turn of their conversation, she’d become more turned-on.
He shifted as close as the bags he held allowed. “Skip the shoe store and let’s go someplace more private and I’ll show you.”
Tempting, so tempting, but she wasn’t ready to take him up on his offer just yet. She’d had too many men think she was easy in the past. If Skylar wanted to get to first base, he had to prove he was interested in her for more than a quick lay or because she had a pretty face. That being the case, he would have to jump through some hoops first. Some of her friends thought she was just being a bitch when she did this with the men she’d become attracted to, but it was no surprise to Braelyn how well it worked to weed out the ones who really weren’t interested in forming a relationship with her.
She took a step back. “Oh no, I’m not going to give up the shoe store.” Braelyn started walking again, and Skylar fell into step beside her.
“All right. You can do the shoe store, but I get a kiss for being so cooperative.”
Braelyn shook her head. “No kiss. Not until after you take me out for dinner tonight.”
“How about this? We go to the shoe store, you give me that kiss and then I’ll take you out to dinner.”
She felt herself weakening when Skylar’s arm brushed up against hers as he moved out of the way of a pedestrian coming toward him. Every time he accidently brushed up against or touched her, she felt a tingly sensation as if a low voltage of electricity had passed between them. This time, like all the others, she managed not to show any kind of reaction to his touch.
Braelyn cleared her throat, making sure any huskiness from the arousal she felt didn’t show, and said, “Shoe shopping, one kiss where you can touch me only with your lips and nothing else, then you take me out for dinner tonight.”
“Deal,” Skylar answered quickly.
At the shoe store, he rushed her inside.
“You know, it’s still early in the day. Since you won’t be taking me out for that meal for hours, we can take our time,” she said as he gave her an impatient stare.
“That may be so, but I get to claim that kiss as soon as you’re done in here.”
“I never said when you’d get your kiss.”
Skylar shook his head. “I think I deserve to get it when I want it, especially after you tortured me with all those bras and panties.”
She chuckled. “You didn’t appear to be suffering too much at the time.”
Actually, she’d known she’d put him through hell. She’d selected some of the slinkiest bras and panties the store had to offer and had Skylar tell her if they would suit her as she held them up against her body. Even though she really didn’t know him that well, she felt comfortable enough to play with him a bit. And not once had he lost his cool with her. In some ways, it almost felt as if they’d been made for each other. Their personalities seemed to be basically the same and seemed to mesh. Then there was the sexual attraction between them. She couldn’t deny that the thought of getting naked and having some mind-blowing sex with Skylar hadn’t crossed her mind. Braelyn would have to be dead not to be affected by him. The man practically oozed testosterone.
Skylar took a noticeably deep breath. “Can we just hurry it up? Talking about the lingerie store has made me want that kiss even more.”
Braelyn sighed dramatically. “If you insist.”
She turned from Skylar and walked to the section of the store that held the expensive designer shoes. Looking at the ones out on display, she stopped when she came to a light brown high-heeled ankle boot in suede. It had a lattice detail that would wrap around her ankle with a zipper up the back of it. The heel was almost four inches, just the way she liked her heels. The designer was Manolo Blahnik, and after looking at the price tag, she saw it was also on sale.
Grabbing the boot off the shelf, Braelyn turned in search of a salesperson, catching the eye of the woman who stood behind the counter not too far away. When she came over, Braelyn asked for a pair of the boots in her size. The saleswoman nodded, then walked to the backroom to get them.
Skylar made a choking noise, drawing Braelyn’s attention. He stood in front of the display where she’d gotten the boot. “What?”