While I teetered on the threshold of the door, Oliver turned and looked directly at me.
Oh God.
His emerald eyes pierced through my clothes, my skin, my muscle and bone, until I was sure he could see directly into my soul.
“Hi,” I mouthed.
The corners of his mouth curled up. “Hi,” he mouthed back.
I took a few tentative steps inside the shop. He didn’t move, calmly waiting for me to come to him, like a spider who’d already weaved his web. I didn’t care if I was eaten alive. In fact, I welcomed it. Being completely consumed by him was infinitely more appealing than the alternative—turning around and returning to a life that now seemed tragically mundane.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when I stopped in front of him. He wore a fitted black T-shirt and blue skinny jeans—a simple outfit that looked incredible on him.
“Looking for new sunglasses. I lost mine a few days ago.” He smiled. “How are you?”
“I’m great.” Bumping into him here felt like a stroke of luck. “You?”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he turned his attention back to the display. “A little tired.”
“Long night?” Ritual Disruption were still at the club when we left.
“Yeah. Jamie doesn’t like to be told that the party’s over,” he said with resigned frustration in his voice. “I needed to get some space from him before the show tonight.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how you do it for months at a time. It’s my third day on the bus and I already feel a little claustrophobic.”
He put on a pair of aviators and moved a step to the left to peek at the mirror. “You get used to it. At some point, you just say goodbye to all personal boundaries and start to relax into it. What do you think of these?” He turned his face toward me, hiking up a brow.
I cleared my throat. “I like them.” I was pretty confident I’d like everything on him.
“I suppose it’s harder for you,” he added, turning back to the mirror.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a woman. Some boundaries have to stay in place or… Well, I’m sure your brother wouldn’t want you walking around in your underwear on the bus.”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“His band mates might, though.”
The back of my neck prickled. “There’s nothing…like that happening, believe me. Some of them have known me since I was a child.”
“Good thing I didn’t, then.”
Our eyes met. Was he implying what I thought he was? His expression was neutral, but his gaze was making my face heat.
He extended his arm toward my shoulders, and for a moment, I thought he was going to touch me, but his hand passed by and reached for something on the display behind my head. He handed me a pair of earrings. They were delicate gold studs with tiny pendants that held crimson-colored gems.
“I noticed these when I first came in,” he said. “Try them on. I think they’ll suit you.”
“Okay.” I took the earrings and started to pry off the backings. Oliver steered me toward a mirror, then brushed my hair back over my shoulders with gentle hands. My fingers trembled. He was so close to me that I could smell his intoxicating cologne.
After a few tries, I finally got the earrings in. “They’re beautiful.”
Oliver stood beside me, his gaze lingering on my face in the mirror. “I like them,” he said, lowering his head so that his words filled the space behind my ear. “I want to buy them for you.”
He wanted to buy me a gift.
He liked me. He had to. Why else would he want to do this? I licked my lips. “Thank you. I love them.”
