Noelle
I hadn’t been to the mall in a few years. I didn’t have the money to shop in those brand-name stores, usually hitting secondhand places when I needed something, and I mostly stuck to the small local shops in Garland Grove. I didn’t have any extra money today either, but at least I could enjoy watching Remy shop. And maybe I’d get to see him try on jeans. He was probably like most men, who bought clothes without trying them on, but it was still a fun fantasy.
We walked into Gap where he grabbed two pairs of jeans off a shelf, two pairs of sweats, and a couple of long-sleeve shirts. He didn’t look at anything but the size and turned to me with a grin.
“Wanna get matching flannel?”
“What?” I blinked in confusion.
“I was thinking you’d look cute in that—” He pointed to a green and black flannel shirt on one of the racks. “And they have one for guys too. We could be twins.”
I laughed. “You’re almost a foot taller than me and probably a hundred pounds heavier. I’m thinking we’re never going to be twins, no matter what we wear.”
“Come on, let’s see.” He pulled the shirt in question off the rack and tossed it at me before walking back over to the men’s section and grabbing a similar one. He put it on before I’d even moved and I shook my head, wondering how someone could look so hot in a flannel shirt.
“Fine.” I put it on and we stood next to each other in front of one of the mirrors.
“Totally twins,” he said solemnly. “I can’t even tell which of us is which.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re kind of dorky, you know that?”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Maybe.” I tried to keep things light so he wouldn’t see my inner struggle, but deep down I knew what he was doing. My clothes were old and ratty, so this was his way of buying me something new without making me feel bad.
For what felt like the hundredth time, I battled with my conscience. I wanted to spend time with him. Hell, I wanted to sleep with him. Even if I never saw him again, I wanted to know what it would be like to be intimate with him. Every fiber of my being told me it would be good, and there wasn’t a whole lot of anything good in my life. It wasn’t a question of morals, either, because I firmly believed a woman could enjoy sex with a man just because she wanted to. But this was different. The idea of sleeping with a man who’d just bought me clothes felt…wrong.
Had he noticed the holes in my socks? How old my bra was? I’d done my best to hide those things by taking them off in the dark, but he seemed to notice everything, and most of my clothes were old and worn. My jeans were ripped at the knees, I didn’t own a pair of socks that didn’t have at least one hole, and the soles of my winter boots were wearing thin. I had money in the bank, but that was so I could get an apartment at some point, and I’d wear everything I had until each piece fell apart before I dug into my nest egg.
If I was honest, I needed sex and companionship a hell of a lot more than I needed a new flannel shirt or socks, and Remy was the kind of man most women only ever dreamed about. He was tall and solid, with the body of a professional athlete. His shoulders filled the doorway of his room at the bed and breakfast, and the cropped dark beard on his face gave him an edgy look. His hair was such a dark brown it was almost black, which made his golden eyes stand out even more, and when he reached up to grab something from an overhead shelf, the muscles rippling in his arms made me wonder what he would look like naked.
I’d been thinking about seeing him naked a lot the last two days and was starting to feel like a teenager with a crush.
“So, what do you say? Matching flannel?” He interrupted my thoughts, and I shook my head.
“Are you trying to tell me you don’t like my clothes?” I asked, taking off the flannel shirt and handing it back to him.
“Not at all. I’m telling you I want us to match.”
“I live here,” I said lightly. “So I’m not the one that needs clothes.”
“Fine.” He gave in gracefully, putting the green flannel shirts back where he’d gotten them and grabbing a black hoodie. “Okay, then, I’m done.”
We walked around the mall a little while longer and I paused in front of a children’s shop, staring at the display window thoughtfully.
“Do Alexander and Daphne need clothes?” he asked before I could say anything.
“Alexander does. He’s growing so fast, even the pants she bought him at the beginning of the school year are starting to get a little short. I try to buy him fun things at Christmas, but this year I think I need to be more practical.”
“What if—” he began.
“Don’t.” I turned to him, holding out a finger. “I know you’re rich and can buy anything you want for anyone you want, but it’s hard for regular people like me and Connie to accept gifts like that. She let you pay for the plumber because that impacted the kids—being wet and cold is dangerous, especially in the winter—but the rest of the time we manage okay.”
“Do you?” He lifted one big hand and cupped the side of my face. “I like doing nice things for people. It’s the holidays and I’ve been incredibly lucky in business. Giving back makes me happy. Why won’t you let me?” His voice was filled with sincerity, and I sighed, though I couldn’t back down.
“Because I’ve been taking care of myself since long before I met you and I’ll continue to do so after you’re gone. Can’t we just have fun while you’re here?” I leaned into the warmth of his hand because I couldn’t help myself; his touch was addictive.
There was indecision in his eyes as he stared into mine, but it was shrouded in undeniable heat. The magnetism between us was hard to ignore and I unconsciously licked my lips, the need for him to kiss me almost more than I could stand. Then he tilted his head and lowered his mouth to mine. His lips were soft but more demanding than they’d been the last time he’d kissed me, his tongue slowly slipping between the seam of my lips. It was both sexy and sweet, all wrapped up like a sensual gift box of promise.
Before I had a chance to lose myself in him, it was over, and he brushed his mouth across my cheek, lips against my ear as he whispered, “This is neither the time nor the place. But we’ll pick this back up later.”
He slid his hand around mine and we headed for the parking garage.
“You want to get an early dinner?” he asked once we were headed back to Garland Grove.
“I’m not hungry,” I said softly, squeezing his fingers.
He looked down at where our hands were linked and then stared straight ahead. “Noelle, I want to take you back to my room and lick every inch of you. I really do. But I’m leaving soon, probably for good, and I don’t want you to have regrets.”
“Believe it or not,” I said quietly, “women are just as interested in sex as men are, and we don’t all need proclamations of love to enjoy it. I’m well aware that you’re leaving, and like I said earlier, I just want to enjoy the time we have together. You’re not going to be here long enough for either of us to get invested, you know?”
His jaw tightened a little, but he was still staring at the road ahead so I couldn’t see his eyes. That seemed to be the best way to read him, by the emotions that lurked behind those golden eyes of his, so I felt unsettled when I couldn’t see them.
He was quiet for a long time before he said, “We should stop at a drugstore.”
“There’s one a few blocks from your bed and breakfast.”
“Do they sell big boxes of condoms?”
I chuckled. “I don’t know. I’ve never bought any there.”
“I don’t think those little boxes of six will be enough.”
“No?”
He glanced over at me. “Probably not.”
“Twelve?”
“I was thinking a supersized box of like thirty-six or something.”
I laughed. “We don’t have a Costco around here and I don’t think I’ve seen a box like that at any local stores.”
“Guess I’ll have to stock up then.”
“How long are you staying, exactly?” I asked, still chuckling.
“Probably until the twentieth or so. I’m going to Vancouver for Christmas and that’s when I’m thinking of heading out.”
I did a quick mental count. Today was December fourth. Which meant I had approximately sixteen more days with him. Hopefully, that would be enough.