Page 23 of Seductive Secrets

Angela smiled at his back, thinking he really was an amazingly handsome man.

“Now, to hide those shoulders,” she muttered. She sifted through the shirts and sweaters. “I guess we need to do the same thing for him as we did for me,” she whispered, examining an over-sized, cotton sweater. The cotton wasn’t made of the superior blends that would bounce back when stretched. The material was one hundred percent cotton, so in an hour, the cotton would stretch and look horrible.

She grabbed a polyester blend shirt, one with a collar that was too big. “Perfect!” she whispered. However, she mentally admitted that she wasn’t particularly eager to see him in this disguise. She truly appreciated the man’s body and enjoyed admiring him, savoring the perfection of his hard muscles.

When James came back out, he still looked tall, but the broad shoulders and tight, yummy muscles were not nearly as defined. “This will help,” she told him, holding up the cotton shirt against his shoulders.

She was close enough that he could, and did, put his hands on her waist. “You’re killing me. You know that, right?”

Once again, she wasn’t sure if he was referring to her outfit decisions or the fact that she was close to him.

“I am?”

“Yes,” he growled. In that instant, she knew that he was referring to their closeness.

“Should I apologize?” she whispered, her body reacting to being this close. She wasn’t touching him, but he could easily pull her into his arms and then they’d be touching from shoulder to knee. Well, her shoulders to her knees. The top of her headdidn’t even reach his chin. And for some strange reason, she truly loved that feeling. It was almost as if his body wrapped around her, protecting her.

There she went with that protection thing again. She was strong and could protect herself!

She backed up to put a little space between them, then immediately regretted doing so. She wished she could step back into his arms and feel his arms close around her once again.

“We should hurry,” she whispered and turned away, trying to hide her expression.

“You’re right, of course.” His voice was clipped and she looked up at him, noticed his jaw clenching tightly.

“What’s wrong?”

James shook his head, stepping back. “We’ll talk later. Let’s get these clothes paid for. We both need underwear, shoes, and socks.”

They spent another twenty minutes shopping for undergarments, but they did so separately. She was grateful for the reprieve and hurried to get some plain underwear and bras that fit her adequately. She didn’t think about the pretty silk and satin lingerie sets back in her apartment, nor the lacy pieces she preferred. She also grabbed a silk nightgown, nothing special but something that would make her feel good after hours of feeling frumpy. At the makeup counter, she walked right up to the brand she preferred and asked for all of the makeup she’d left behind at the hotel, adding in moisturizer and a few other items, including perfume. She didn’t wear a heavy, sultry perfume, but chose a light, lilac-based fragrance that didn’t overwhelm.

When she was done, she met James back at the entrance.

“We should put this stuff in your car. It doesn’t make sense to haul them through the city while asking questions.”

“You’re right. Let’s do that, then we can start asking questions.” They’d both chosen sneakers for shoes, so it was an easy walk back to his car. He’d parked in a parking garage, so as to be a bit less conspicuous.

“There, now we’re ready to go,” he announced, plopping ball caps onto their heads. They were about as inconspicuous as they could possibly be. Angela had even grabbed a small backpack for a purse. Not leather, just a cotton pack that made her look young and more vulnerable.

“I feel very strange,” she grumbled, walking out into the sunshine.

James sighed. “I know the feeling,” he commented, pulling at the waistband of his jeans.

Angela couldn’t smother the laughter as he tugged at his pants. “Not very comfortable?”

He gave her a sidelong glance that spoke volumes. “Come on. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

James pulled out the map and they both looked at it, James shifting his body so that his body was cradling hers. His hand moved, brushing against her wrist as he pointed to a spot. “We should start here,” he suggested.

Angela nodded, trying to pretend that she wasn’t breathless from the contact. What was it about James that caused this sudden and intense reaction?

“That sounds like a good plan,” she agreed and they headed towards that business. It was a mailbox store where customers could rent a mailbox and mail packages. It was prettymuch the same concept as a post office, but it was a for-profit entity.

“Hey there,” James greeted the teenage boy standing behind the counter. The kid looked about seventeen years old with a face covered with acne and a bored, must-I-be-here expression. “We just moved into an old house and the previous owner left a stack of keys. We’re trying to figure out what they unlock. Any chance this key,” he pulled up the picture of the key on his phone, and turned the screen toward the boy, “might be to one of your boxes?”

The teen barely glanced at the image. “Not a chance.”

“Are you sure?” Angela asked, leaning forward slightly. “It could be important.”

---