Page 74 of Grumpy Darling

“Not particularly hard when all you want in life is hockey and food.”

“And you...” I muttered as she returned to the fitting room. I’d said it so softly I was shocked when she spun to face me.

“What?”

“Uh, fondue,” I stuttered. “All I want is hockey, food, and fondue.”

She frowned at me, then laughed. “I think fondue falls under the food category, Gray.”

“Right. You know I can’t think straight when I’m hungry. It’s been hours since lunch.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’ll be quick. There’s only one more outfit, and then we have to make a decision.” I sighed as she disappeared behind the curtain again. Fondue? Was that really the best I could come up with? Parker was right. I needed to try harder, or I was going to fall even deeper into the friend zone. A part of me wished I’d just told her the truth about what I’d said. Told her she was all I wanted and everything I needed. But I knew she wasn’t ready to hear that—it would only freak her out.

Paige’s voice drifted over to me from behind the curtain. “Can you give me a hand?”

“What was that?” I swallowed. Had I heard her correctly?

“Can you give me a hand?”

“Uh, sure, what do you need?

Paige responded by pulling back the curtain and I felt my breath catch in my throat. She was wearing a short black dress. It was sleek and fitted and cut at all the right angles. Short enough to show off her perfect legs, but there was also still enough material to leave something to the imagination. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her wear an outfit like this before, and while it was definitely one of Bonnie’s selections, she looked incredible. I went to tell her she looked beautiful, like I had with almost every other outfit, but I found my mouth was suddenly dry and all I could do was let it hang open slightly. I was speechless.

“I need you to zip me up,” she said, beckoning me toward her before spinning around to reveal the zipper on the dress was open about halfway down her back. “Is that okay?” she added, glancing at me in the mirror.

Words escaped me, but somehow I managed to nod, stand up, and step toward her. When I reached her, I gently took the zipper and slowly pulled it up her back. She seemed to shiver as my fingers lightly brushed against her skin. When the zipper caught, I placed my hand on her waist to straighten it before I continued sliding it up to the base of her neck. She pulled her hair out of the way, sending the scent of her sweet shampoo washing over me. When the zip reached the top of the dress, I realized I was holding my breath. I let out a sigh of disappointment as I dropped my hand. But when she turned, I stopped breathing again.

The way her big brown eyes peered up at me had me frozen to the spot. My chest hurt from how much I wanted her, from the restraints I kept so firmly around my heart. It was time to let a little more of it go.

“Well, what do you think?” Her voice was breathy, like perhaps she was just as affected by our proximity.

“I think if you wear that dress for a second longer, I’m going to forget we’re just friends.” My voice came out as a low growl, and she inhaled sharply as sparks flared to life between us. They sizzled and hissed like a fire flaring too hot. I realized my hand was still gripping her waist, but instead of pulling my fingers away like they’d been burned, I felt the urge to pull her closer to me.

“Is that what you wanted to hear?” I murmured.

All she could do was nod her head up and down.

“How’s it going in here? Can I get you any more sizes?” A high-pitched voice pierced the silence between us and we both turned to look at the enthusiastic sales assistant who had just entered the fitting area.

“Oh,” she said, when she saw us standing on either side of the entrance to Paige’s fitting room, barely an inch between us. “I, uh...” She paused, and her lips twitched into a subtle smirk. “Sorry,” she added. “I see you’ve got everything you need.”

She spun on her heel and disappeared as suddenly as she’d arrived. I turned back to Paige, but she had taken a step away from me.

“So, uh, I guess this dress is guy-approved?”

Through the foggy haze clouding my thoughts, I worried I’d said too much, so I mirrored her reaction and took a quick step back.

“Yeah, I guess.”

She swallowed and nodded once more before giving me a smile. “I don’t know if I like it as much as the pink one, but I promised Bonnie, right? I think I’ll get this one and maybe the outfit with the stars. You did say that one would have all the guys checking me out after all.” She was bright and bubbly again, like she’d already forgotten whatever the moment was we’d just shared.

“Sounds good,” I said, struggling not to feel crestfallen. Had she really felt nothing? Could she not feel the sparks darting between us?

As she disappeared into the fitting room, I sunk back into my chair. Why did it feel like every time I tried to take a step forward with Paige, I actually took two steps back?

I was never coming shopping again.

Chapter 18

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