“Let’s do this.” He stepped forward and held the door open for her. Once they were inside, he gestured to the left. “Clothes first.”
She obediently followed him to the apparel section, which contained rack after rack of clothes made out of impenetrable-looking, space-age material.
“Pants,” he said, pointing to the first rack. She dutifully thumbed through the offerings, sending a silent thank-you to the universe that Hiking HQ actually carried plus sizes.
“Pants!” She held up two pairs to try on, and he moved her to the shirts.
“These are not cute,” she complained as she slid her fingers over hanger after hanger of solid colors and earth tones.
“Nature’s not always cute, Dutch. Bloody in fang and claw and all that.”
“I didn’t agree to blood or fangs.” She shuddered and got back to picking out options, at which point she dumped her armful of clothes into a dressing room and started trying on her new gear. Both pairs of pants worked, along with a few of the magical moisture-wicking shirts.
“Do you have a waterproof jacket?” he asked when she emerged from the dressing room.
“Does faux leopard count?”
He lifted his eyes to the heavens and beckoned her to follow him to outerwear, where she found an acceptably cute hot-pink number.
“You’re turning into Richard Gere fromPretty Woman,” she announced as she draped the jacket over the pile of clothes in his arms. He rewarded her with a smile, and she hoped he was remembering how they’d spent hours watching classic rom-coms on her bedroom TV in high school.
“Okay, Vivian. Let’s do shoes next.”
“Shoes,” she crooned as she followed him to the next part of the store.
“Sit.” He pointed to a bench, then flagged down a Hiking HQ employee. “What’s your shoe size, Dutch?”
“Nine and a half wide.”
He turned to Sheila the shoe department worker. “Can you help me pick some options?”
The two of them disappeared into the wilds of the footwear section, and he returned with half a dozen pairs of socks and three shoeboxes.
“Start with these,” he said. “They’re the brightest colors they have.”
She picked up the first pair of socks and ran her fingers over the pink, yellow, and aqua stripes. He’d picked out socks he thought she’d like. “That was thoughtful,” she managed to say through the lump in her throat. He eye-crinkled at her, and she forced herself to tear her gaze away as she kicked off her flats. When she pulled on the socks, she wiggled her toes in delight at the thick material.
“I will never get cold in these,” she declared.
“You will if they get wet. That’s why you pack multiple pairs.” He shoved the first box over to her. “Here.”
She pulled out a pair of disappointingly practical tan boots, which she slid on and laced up. Leo knelt and pinched his thumb against the tip of the boot. “Too big. Next pair.”
“Okay,” she said a little breathlessly. She hadn’t been physically, spiritually, or emotionally prepared for Leo to fall to his knees at her feet.Thatman inthatdress shirt withthoserolled-up sleeves, kneeling in front of her with his head of unruly curls? A girl needed a warning and some electrolytes first.
Then he handed the next box to her, and its contents managed to distract her from the Leo show. “I love them!” she gasped, holding up a pair of boots with a bright teal body.
His lips twitched. “Then let’s hope they fit.”
She shoved her feet into them and hastily tied the laces so Leo could repeat his toe-pinching action. He nodded in approval, but when she made a move to stand, he pressed his palm against her knee.
“Hang on.”
He slid his hand down to wrap his fingers around the back of her calf, holding her steady as he tightened each of the laces on one boot with a finger. His brow furrowed in concentration as he worked, and when he glanced up at her, his gaze was far hotter than it had any right to be given his task.
She might’ve whimpered out loud. She wasn’t quite sure. All she knew was that his hand on her leg seemed to have a direct line to her vagina, which gave a little pulse when he stroked his thumb gently along the outside of her calf.
Thank the sweet baby Jesus she’d worn a skirt today—and that she’d shaved that morning.
