SWNOVELS Miss Belief: Chapter 15
I pushed all thoughts of our kiss aside until she left my office. Damn. I was in trouble.
It was one thing to figure it was inevitable for any man, including me, to experience an attraction to a beautiful woman like Teagan. But it was quite another to realize my attraction had shifted to craving. I wanted another taste of her. Our kiss was in my head on constant repeat. The way her lips had been soft. The way she’d been unexpectedly shy at first but then had seemed to awaken. Or the way her breath had caught, and she’d seemed to sink into it when my tongue had tangled with hers.
Jesus, my imagination was running overtime. Just because I was having this reaction to our kiss didn’t mean it was reciprocated. If Teagan Larson was interested in a man, I had no doubt she would not be shy about telling him.
The prospect of more “fake kisses” was beginning to mess with my head. What would happen if she realized I was no longer faking it?
That night after work, we headed to the Mall of the Emirates. Dubai might be the desert and a conservative nation, but the malls were a sight to see. Hell, this one was six million, five hundred thousand square feet and boasted an indoor skiing facility.
I already knew Teagan was unlike other women I’d known, but I didn’t realize how different she truly was until we parked in the giant lot. Vanessa would’ve been giddy with excitement at the prospect of shopping. Teagan, on the other hand, seemed as though she was heading for an execution.
If her lack of enthusiasm meant we could get in and out quickly, then perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing. I wasn’t exactly big on shopping either.
“I figure we’ll hit the Harvey Nichols department store first, and see what they have. You okay with that plan?”
She simply nodded. She’d been uncharacteristically quiet ever since we’d left the office.
“Everything okay?” I was concerned she might be feeling weird after our kiss earlier. Worse, she might have realized how hard it had been for me to pull away.
“I’d tell you if it wasn’t.”
Of course she would. I needed to stop imagining she was uncomfortable and instead worry about how I could keep my attraction in check. “Okay, let’s go shopping.”
We headed into the department store. Today, Teagan had worn a green wrap dress to the office. Now that I was thinking more about her, I noticed how the color brought out her eyes while the cut of the dress set off her curves.
“What sort of things do I need?” she asked.
“It’s a beach wedding, but the ceremony is to be quite formal, so you’ll need a mix of beach casual to dressy. I made a list.”
She made a face when I presented it to her. “That’s a long list. When does the mall close?”
She was right. It was a long list. There would be a cocktail reception, the rehearsal dinner, and, of course, the wedding. “The mall doesn’t close until nine o’clock, which gives us about three hours. What we don’t get tonight, we can get tomorrow.”
Her sigh made me smile.
“Why don’t we start with a dress for the wedding itself?”
Over the next ten minutes, I learned a few things about Teagan. She avoided anything red, pink, coral, or orange, she bit on her thumb when she was anxious, and she seemed absolutely out of her element.
“What’s wrong?” We’d been circling the same racks of dresses. Although I’d suggested a few, she hadn’t selected anything to try on.
She gave me a look but wouldn’t reply.
“Teagan, tell me.”
Finally she turned to face me and whispered even though we were alone. “These clothes are thousands of dollars. You cannot expect me to wear anything that costs more than a rent payment.”
Ah. When was the last time I’d been with a woman who cared what I was about to spend on her? The answer was never. “I wouldn’t have suggested you pick whatever you wanted if I was worried about the expense. Consider them gifts for doing me such a big favor. Now, how about you don’t even peek at the price tags?”
She huffed, rolled her neck, and blew out a long breath. “Fine.”
“And if you’re not fond of what you find here, we can go to other stores.”
“Shoot me now. No. This store should do fine. But afterwards we’re eating a carb-filled dinner to make up for this torture.”
My laughter came easily. I found myself amused at the way she was so prickly about shopping. “Absolutely. Lady’s choice for dinner.”
Thirty minutes later, we were done with dresses—she’d selected four—and moved on to the shoe department. I watched her take stock, looking like she was at a meat counter perusing the ground beef choices instead of picking out shoes. Every woman I knew had a weakness for shoes, but once again, Teagan was proving me wrong.
“The sandals there should do.” She pointed at a black strappy sandal, and the salesman quickly departed to fetch her size. “It’ll go with all of the outfits.”
“You need to find at least four more pair. Casual for the days, and dressed up for the nights.”
“But the black goes with everything.”
“Yes, but you can’t go wearing the same pair of shoes with each outfit. People would notice.” I was trying to save her from any judgment by the other guests. Teagan might have grown up poor, but I didn’t want her to feel lacking in anything at this wedding. I wanted her to feel like she belonged.
“We wouldn’t want that. Okay, fine, I’ll pick some more.”
We were in and out of the shoe department in record time with a less-than-happy Teagan holding her purchases. I suspected the next chore would probably send her through the roof.
“You’ll need a bikini or two. And other beach stuff.”
Her glare would’ve slayed a lesser man.
I was not a lesser man. And frankly, the prospect of seeing Teagan in a bikini wasn’t such a hardship. “It’s a beach wedding, which means there will be a beach.”
She rolled her eyes. “Designer beachwear? There’s such a thing?”
“Indeed. And it’ll include new sunglasses, a hat, and a cover-up. Then we’ll go over to the purses. You’ll need one for day and a couple for night.”
Her narrowed gaze made me grin.
“Come on, it won’t be that bad.”
“Lead on, but know I’m getting my revenge tomorrow night after work.”
“At the gym?”
She smirked. “You will only wish it was the gym.”