He puts his hand around my waist and pulls me in and kisses me softly as he lowers his voice. “When we get to Bumfuck, Nowhere, you can go shopping wherever you want. But tonight, we have a dinner date for you to meet my family, and we need to buy you a dress and shoes. So humor me and try some things on, or this is going to be an all-day fucking ordeal.”
I stare at him.
“Comprender?”
“Fine.” I flick through the rack. I get to a nice gray dress, and I turn the price tag over, and he snatches it out of my hand before I get a chance to see the price.
I roll my eyes and keep walking.
“Do you have these dresses in her size, please?” Christopher asks the shop assistant.
“I’ll check, sir.” She smiles before walking out the back.
“How does she know what size I am?” I mutter under my breath.
“Because it’s her job,” he mutters back. “You get what you pay for in New York.”
“So there’s a car hiding in that dress, is there?”
He chuckles as he keeps looking. “Maybe.” He takes a few more things off the rack and throws them over his arm.
“Well, where are we going for dinner tonight, anyway?” I ask him. “Do I really need to wear a dress? Couldn’t I just wear jeans?”
He smiles softly and leans in and kisses me. “I love you?”
“Is that a no?” I frown.
“That’s a”—he stops while he chooses his words—“that’s a . . . you wear whatever you want, sweetheart, and I will love you in it.”
I roll my eyes. He thinks I should wear a dress. “Fine.”
The shop assistant comes back over. “I have the dresses waiting in the changing room, ma’am.”
“Hayden,” Christopher corrects her. “Her name is Hayden.”
“Hello, Hayden.” She smiles. “I’m Camelia.”
“Hello, Camelia,” he says in his sexy, deep voice.
“And your name, sir?”
“Christopher Miles.”
Her eyes widen, and she glances to the other girls. “Mr. Miles.”
She knows who he is.
Fuck.
“That’s right.” He smiles. “Hayden has a”—he pauses—“a special occasion tonight, and she’s from out of town. Can you help her find what she’s after, please?”
“Of course, sir.” She smiles knowingly.
Oh crap.
I totally do look like his fix-up-a-hooker project. I exhale heavily as I look around. This is so embarrassing. He walks over to the counter and slides his credit card across to the girl. “Hayden has no clothes with her at all.”
“Yes, sir.”
He comes back and kisses my lips. “I’m going to get a coffee next door, sweetheart. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Camelia.”
You’re leaving me here?
“I’ll be just next door,” he replies as if reading my mind.
“Fine.” I scratch my head in embarrassment and watch as he walks out the front door.
“Hayden.” The assistant smiles, bringing my attention back to her. “Let’s make you absolutely stunning for tonight.”
“Not sure that’s possible.” I exhale, feeling defeated.