Without taking his eyes from me, he said, "Lock the front door. I'd like us to have the store to ourselves."

"Sure thing." And off she went to do exactly as he'd said, even shooing out another customer who'd just come in.

Biting back the comment that was on the tip of my tongue, I tried for an impressed expression. "I feel so Pretty Woman-ish right now."

"I'd like to see what I'm buying before it walks out of this store."

I didn't miss his meaning. Turning on my heel, I found an unlocked room and hung the clothes I'd found inside.

"Try the pink dress first," he ordered, then sat down in a chair near the 3-way mirror.

Shutting the door so he couldn't see me, I flipped him off as I kicked off my shoes, then got undressed. In no hurry to obey my new master, I tried on three pairs of shorts, a few vintage-looking, short-sleeved tops in blues and greens and golds, and a pair of pants to wear around the house. They were bright green, baggy, and comfortable, and after only a short argument with Luca, they were mine. Apparently, he's not a fan of the color.

“The dress, Veda.”

Making a face at his patient tone, I removed the damn thing from its hanger, slipped it over my head and tugged it down. I had no bra, but I wouldn't be able to wear one with this anyway. It was pretty, the openness of the back setting off the more modest front nicely. The skirt was an A-line that landed right at my knees. The bodice darted to flatter my figure. The only thing I couldn't reach were those darn laces.

"Let me see, Veda."

Barefoot, I opened the door and walked out.

Luca was quiet for a moment as he looked at the dress. "Turn around."

I glanced up sharply at the growl that had entered his tone.

"Turn around," he told me again, spinning his finger in a circle.

Holding the dress together where the laces gapped right above my ass, I turned around until my back was to Luca.

"Stop."

I watched in the mirror as he rose from his chair and came toward me. Brushing away my hand, he started to straighten out the laces, the backs of his knuckles skimming the bare skin of my back from the base of my spine to my neck. Everywhere he touched, I burned, little thrills of pleasure shooting straight between my legs.

"All done." His voice was low. Strained.

Dragging my eyes from his reflection, I stepped to the side to see myself fully, smoothing down the skirt and twisting to see the back before standing still again. I was a little thinner than normal, and the dress was very flattering.

"You look beautiful," he told me.

He stood so close I could feel his breath ruffle my hair. "It would help if I had shoes," I said. Luckily, the bodice was layered, and mostly hid the fact that my nipples were hard and sensitive, vying for his attention.

"Mmm." Taking a seat in the chair again, he crossed his ankle over his knee, the picture of a patient boyfriend. "We'll take that one. What else do you have?"

"Maybe one more thing." I started to walk away, but Luca stopped me with a hand on my arm. He stepped behind me, and I felt the laces loosen across my back.

"We definitely need this dress," he murmured in my ear. Sweeping my hair to the side, he lightly brushed his lips against the side of my throat, lingering there as he inhaled the scent of my skin before he released me.

A hand over my stomach to steady myself, I returned to my dressing room and nearly ripped the thing from my body, not sure what I hated more—how much Luca liked it, or the fact that what he liked wasn’t me at all, but me dressed as my sister.

The only things I had left were some bras, underwear, and a swimsuit I'd grabbed without really looking at it. I'd already tried on the bras but refused to model them for him. The underwear I knew would fit. And I was loathe to try the bathing suit on after what had happened with the dress, for it also had laces. Gathering up the rest of the clothes I wanted to get, I left the suit in the dressing room and joined Luca. "Actually, this is it."

Taking the clothes from me, Luca took them to the front to pay. I stood beside him, my heart still thumping and my knees locked as he chatted pleasantly with the salesgirl.

I could still feel the brush of his lips and the rumble of his voice in my ear. It sent chills up and down my spine.

"Would you like to change?"

Snapping myself out of those obtrusive memories, I blinked up at him, and realized he was speaking to me. "What?"