Page 21 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Do you like it?” I nervously met his eyes, interrupting their conversation.

He was sitting on a white leather armchair, holding a glass of champagne in his hand.

I frowned when he didn’t say anything. “You don’t like it, do you?”

His mouth was hanging open, but I didn’t know how to interpret that. Desperately, I searched his eyes before he scanned my body.

“You look … divine.”

A flattered smile spread across my face as I felt a rush of relief.

“What about the back?” I asked, pivoting a 180.

“Stunning,” Noah said, and I blushed at the compliment, turning around again.

“Those shoes look amazing with that dress,” the saleslady added. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

“I can take whatever you’re keeping to the register.”

“That would be great, thanks.” I handed over four very expensive cocktail dresses, three pairs of open-toe heels, some jeans, as well as a few cardigans and vest tops (for casual wear). The store had an amazing selection of clothing that catered to almost every occasion.

“I’ll be right out,” I said to Noah.

“Take your time, sweetheart.”

Once I was in my dressing room, I reached back for my zipper and tried to pull it down. Well, this was quite a predicament I was in! Zipping it up had been a lot easier. Timidly, I opened the door and looked for that blonde saleswoman, but she was nowhere in sight.

“Is something wrong?” Noah set the champagne glass on a table and leaned forward a bit.

“Um … it’s my dress. I can’t reach the zipper. Can you help me out?”

“Yeah, sure.” He stood up and stepped inside my fitting room, slightly shutting the door, but not all the way. I assumed he planned to make a quick exit.

We were both facing the mirror now, and I couldn’t help but feel this indescribable energy when he stood behind me. Noah gathered my hair and brushed it down the side of my neck. I breathed out, feeling goose bumps forming on my arms. There was a gentle tug at the zipper, and I focused on our reflection in the mirror while he pulled down the zipper all the way. Even though I had heels on, he stood much taller than me. I shivered when he placed a hand on my waist.

Why is this happening? Why am I reacting this way?Feeling a little embarrassed and somewhat naked, I hugged my body so that the dress wouldn’t fall. “Thank you,” I murmured, as we locked eyes in the reflective glass.

“Anything for you, baby.” Noah placed his hands on my shoulders and kissed the side of my head.

The contact scorched my skin, triggering a sweltering heat to spread between my thighs. The way he looked at me was incredibly seductive. The whole dressing-room experience felt erotic. What was wrong with me?

“I’ll wait for you outside.” He left and I finally let my dress drop to the floor. I felt so aroused and my face was slightly flushed. The feeling was definitely familiar to me, but at seventeen years old, I was still a virgin. All my friends had boyfriends and girlfriends with hyperactive sex lives, while I, on the other hand, had never dared to go that far with a boy.

The fact that I was turned on by an innocent little kiss had me deeply concerned. This attraction was wrong. So very, very wrong.

****

After all the places we ventured to, I was pretty tired, and it was only late afternoon, not even dinnertime yet. We placed all my shopping bags in the trunk of his car, filling the back seats, then he opened my door like a gentleman.

“Is this your car?” I asked.

“No, it’s a rental,” Noah answered. “I drive an Audi convertible, the R10 model.”

I had no clue what kind of car that was, but I knew it was expensive.

“You’ll see it when you come to Cali with me,” he continued. “I might even let you drive it. Do you have your license?”

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