Page 15 of Laying His Claim
He chuckled. “Well, I’m not complaining, but I’d be happy to take you shopping.”
She gave him a quick hug and then immediately stepped away. “I’ll just go shower.”
* * *
It was funny how little things could bring him pleasure, Justin thought as he followed Jalissa from boutique to boutique at the mall in downtown Montreal. Most men complained loudly about the trials of going shopping with women—and, truth be told, he used to be one of those men—but he was havingfun.Go figure!
“Do you like this?” She held a pale blue dress up against herself, swaying slightly as she admired her reflection in the mirror. It was beautifully cut, with the skirt falling to the knee and a pretty, off-the shoulder neckline that would show off her lovely, smooth throat without being too revealing.
“I do,” he said sincerely.
Happily, she added it to the growing pile of outfits she wanted to try on. “Now,” she announced, “let’s go see if they fit!”
The salesgirl removed the hangers and handed Jalissa a small square of wood with the number of outfits she was taking in printed on it. As Justin moved to follow her in, the woman stopped him. “I’m sorry, Monsieur, but you aren’t allowed back there.”
He’d suspected as much, but Justin wasn’t the kind of man who took no for an answer; he hadn’t risen to the position of wealth and power that he had now by doing so. Negotiation was everything, he believed. Deftly, he removed a sizeable currency note from his billfold and slipped it to her in a smooth gesture. “She may need my help to zip up,” he advised. The woman took one glance at the money in her hand and stepped aside to let him pass.
Win.
Jalissa chortled as she yanked the curtain to the dressing booth closed. “I guess money talks.”
“Volumes,” he agreed soberly. “Now, let’s see how these look on you.”
Jalissa treated him to a mini modeling show, and Justin enjoyed every second of it. When she tried the blue dress she had liked, she spun around, admiring her reflection. “I can’t believe it; can you?”
“Believe what?” he asked.
“How different these things are from the kinds of clothes Kaiya bought for me. Half of them look like I’m heading clubbing, and the other half, well…”
“I am not complaining,” he joked.
But her expression was sober. “I can’t shake the notion that this look is new for me. I’m pretty sure Kaiya bought clothes for the friend she remembered. Am I so different now, that clothes like that just don’t feel like me?”
“You’re different, all right. But that doesn’t mean to say there was anything wrong with the way you used to dress. You’ll still have plenty of opportunity to embrace your glamorous side.”
She seemed to accept his idea. “But for now, I’ll stick with classically stylish.”
“I like that idea.” The proximity forced upon them by the small booth reminded him of how deeply aroused he’d been earlier, seeing her sweaty from a workout, and that desire was threatening to overcome him again. It felt as though with every passing moment, his need for her grew.
To his relief, she gathered up an armload of clothes and announced, “I’ll take these.”
He slipped out behind her, back into the shopping area, where the salesgirl was still waiting. She was gleeful from the tip Justin had slipped her and her eyes glowed even brighter when she mentally calculated the commission she’d make on Jalissa’s armload of garments. Before Jalissa could even try to get her purse out, Justin was already handing over his credit card.
She threw him a surprised look. “Thank you, Justin.”
“My pleasure.” The emphasis was onpleasure.
It was too much for the salesclerk who giggled excitedly. “You two are so cute! Are you shopping for a vacation? Honeymoon?”
Jalissa politely told her no and hurried away, as if stung by the implication that she and Justin were a couple. As for him, he was highly amused. He decided to taunt her. “We do make a cute couple, don’t we!”
“Oh, hush,” she said, and picked up her pace.
As they headed through the store toward the exit, they both noticed a kiosk at the same time. It was half-hidden under a mountain of stuffed animals. “Ooh!” she said excitedly. “Let’s get one for Seb!”
Justin smiled. “Seb already has a dozen teddy bears.”
“But does he have a stuffed,” she grabbed up a toy, “iguana?”
