“It’s fine.” I flash him a brave smile, still nervous about the cost of theclothing. “I’m fine.”
He stops outside the door. “I’ll be right here.”
The fitting room door closes behind me while I undress carefully, removing my huge boot so I can try on the jeans.
I use the wall, balancing awkwardly while trying not to aggravate my ankle. Or fall.
Lord knows, Daltyn would break the sound barrier getting to me if he heard a crash.
A minute later, I step out wearing dark jeans and an oversized cream-colored sweater.
Daltyn looks up from his phone. And freezes.
My stomach flips. “What?” I ask nervously. “Don’t you like it?”
His eyes drag slowly over me before returning to my face. “No, it’s not that.” He clears his throat. “It’s very… nice.”
Liar.
His voice sounds rougher than before.
Heat crawls into my cheeks. “You hate it?”
“No.” The answer comes out way too fast.
His jaw tightens slightly before he clears his throat. “You should get it.”
Butterflies explode in my stomach.
The sales associate nearby smiles knowingly. “We also have that sweater in blue,” she tells me. “Your boyfriend might like that color, too.”
My pulse starts sprinting.
Across from me, Daltyn goes very still.
I open my mouth to correct her, but he steps closer to me, his hand settling against the small of my back. Warm. Heavy. Possessive.
“She should get both,” he says calmly.
The sales associate beams.
Meanwhile, my soul leaves my body.
Three stores later,Daltyn’s arms are full of shopping bags while I carry one small, measly bag, only because I kept insisting.
“You know,” I say suspiciously, “you’re weirdly good at this.”
“At shopping?”
“At surviving shopping with a woman.”
His lips twitch slightly. “I’m an athlete. Endurance training.”
I snort loudly. The sound earns me one of those soft looks again. The dangerous ones. The ones that make my chest feel tight and fluttery at the same time.
By the time we stop for pretzels and coffee again, I’m exhausted. Yet somehow happier than I’ve been in months. Which is terrifying.
Daltyn carries most of the bags despite my protests. He ignores them entirely.
