Page 72 of Failure to Match

“Why? What’s the issue?”

“Have youseenthis dress? I’m not letting you anywhere near it with that thing.”

His eyes raked down my body, taking their time. “Yeah, it’s a shame.” He rolled his lips. “Guess I’ll just have to buy you a new one.”

He snapped the scissors threateningly as his long strides swallowed the space between us. When my back hit the wall, hishead slanted to one side. “Would you rather I rip it apart using my hands again?”

The sudden flash of the memory made my stomach swim, a spark of heat igniting in my core. When I didn’t answer, he tossed the scissors onto the bed. “Hands it is.”

I pressed tighter against the hard protection of the wall. “No, wait. Tell me how much it cost first.”

He frowned. “How would I know?”

Right. What was I thinking? “Ask your shopper.”

His frown dug deeper. “How would any of them know?”

“Don’t they keep the receipts to, like, send to your accountants or whatever?”

“They would if they bought it.”

“Did they not buy it?”

“No.”

“Then who did?”

“Me.”

I blinked up at him, then down at the dress. “Wait, you picked this out?”

“Yes.” And then, “Was that not clear?”

I shook my head slowly. “The shoes, too?”

He nodded. “What else did you think I was doing on my computer this afternoon?”

“Yourjob.”

He scowled at me with disgust. “It was afterlunch, Jamie.”

“Okay, you know what, you went from having no sense of humor to straight-up too much of it.”

He chuckled, twirling a finger. “Turn around.”

Another deep, quiet command.

I swallowed. “Okay, real talk since we’re now friends, I might not be able to pay you back right away if this thing costs anywhere close to what I’m imagining. It would have to wait until the rest of my bonus comes in at the end of our thirty days.Or maybe even longer depending on how much the mirror also costs to replace. Is that okay?”

The more I talked, the deeper his scowl dug.

“You’re not paying for a mirror that fell on your head because it wasn’t properly secured. If anything, you should be lawyering up.” He nudged my temple with his knuckle like I was being a knucklehead. “And the dress was a gift. Do friends usually pay each other for the gifts they receive?”

“I mean, no…”

“Great.Nowmay I tear it off you?”

Really, that should have eased my hesitation. But instead of dropping my arms and allowing him to Hulk me out of yet another gown, I tightened them around me, feeling protective of the fabric for a whole new set of reasons.

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