Page 16 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges
He steered me toward the designer coat section with a light touch to my lower back that definitely didn’t make my skin tingle. “You deserve something nice.”
As we walked through the store, his hand kept finding excuses to brush against me. Each touch felt deliberate but casual enough to maintain plausible deniability.
Part of me wanted to grab his hand and be done with this dance. A larger part felt guilty for even considering it.
I mean, Josh and I had been together for two years. We’d talked about marriage. Sure, he’d turned out to be a cheating jackass, but shouldn’t I be more torn up about it? Shouldn’t I be crying into a pint of ice cream instead of getting butterflies every time my incredibly attractive boss touched my hand?
Or anytime I saw one of my attractive bosses?
Oh, God. I was experiencing some kind of heartbreak brain psychosis.
“Earth to Emery?” Levi held up a gorgeous emerald-green wool coat. “What do you think about this one?”
“It’s beautiful.” I reached out to touch the soft material.
“Perfect.” He draped it over my shoulders before I could protest. “Try it on.”
As I slipped my arms into the sleeves, Levi stepped behind me, adjusting the collar and smoothing the material across my shoulders. His hands lingered longer than necessary, and I caught his gaze in the mirror.
The heat in his eyes made my mouth go dry. Two years with Josh, and he’d never looked at me the way Levi was looking at me now—like I was something precious and desirable.
“Beautiful.” Was he talking about me or the coat?
I needed to get a grip. This was just my boss being nice. Incredibly, confusingly nice, but still just nice. Right?
Chapter Eight
Levi
Did I pick out a coat that matched my eyes? Why, yes, I did. The sudden possessiveness I felt for this woman was unmatched, and I cleared my throat as I backed away before I did something like spin her around and claim her as mine.
I helped her out of the coat, putting it back on the hanger. “Let’s go look at shoes.”
“Shoes?” Her eyes went wide with disbelief, and I had to fight back a grin at how adorably flustered she looked. “Levi, really, the coat is more than enough. I can’t let you buy me all this.”
“You can and you will.” I kept my tone playful as I guided her toward the shoe section with a gentle hand at the small of her back. There was no way I was letting her walk out of here without a complete outfit, especially when I was planning on picking everything out.
“This is so unnecessary,” she mumbled, but kept step with me.
The shoe department wasn’t too busy, and I took the coat to the clerk at the counter to hold. Emery was already at the display of boots, running her fingers along the smooth leather.
“Anything catch your eye?” I grabbed a pair that would look perfect on her. “What size?”
“Eight.” She sighed and handed me another pair. “You aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“Nope.” I flagged down the clerk as I scanned the displays, spotting a pair of black heels that made my mouth water imagining them on her. “You need these heels too.”
“Sir, really, I-” Emery started, but I was already handing them to the eager clerk.
I guided Emery to a plush bench. “Sit.”
She sank down, looking simultaneously flustered and amused. “You’re kind of bossy, you know that?”
“Only when necessary.” I knelt in front of her, my hands hovering over her foot. “May I?”
Her breath caught. “I can do it.”
“Let me.” My voice came out rougher than intended, and her pupils dilated in response.
