Page 20 of Beautiful Sight
She tilted her head back to look up at him. Her ice-blue eyes were wide as she asked, “You’re not mad that I spoke up?”
“Why would I be? You made some very good suggestions that none of us had considered.” With that, Jefferson kissed her and did not stop until the elevator doors slid open.
“Remember where we were and we’ll get back to it when we return home.”
Tessa’s soft giggle made the erection he was sporting worthwhile.
“Where would you like to shop first?” he asked. Two of the guards went to fetch the black, bulletproof SUVs they would be using for their outing.
“An all-in-one box store would be fine,” Tessa answered quickly. “But before we go there, can we stop by Theo’s apartment so I can get my purse?”
“Of course, I should have thought of that myself,” Jefferson said and kissed her temple. He had been so wrapped up in the claiming and mating portion of their new relationship, he was having a hard time thinking practically.
“I can pack up my clothes and things and then we won’t have to go shopping at all,” she suggested shyly.
“We can do that, but I have a feeling we’ll still need to go shopping,” he responded, remembering what she had been wearing when he’d first seen her. The t-shirt may have once been black but had been washed so many times it had faded to a gray. Her jeans had been tissue-paper thin as well.
After helping her into the back seat of the SUV, he followed her in before giving the address of her old apartment to the driver. “When was the last time you went shopping for anything new?”
Tessa shrugged and dropped her head and shoulders forward as if trying to make herself a smaller target. “About the time I went blind, I guess. Theo didn’t like to shop, and since I never went anywhere, he thought it was a waste of money to buy me new clothes.”
Jefferson could not help the growl that escaped at the thought of his beautiful mate being neglected by the son she had raised on her own. “Well, from now on, you don’t have to worry about that. While shopping isn’t my favorite activity, I am looking forward to dressing my beautiful mate.”
“Being the alpha’s mate, I suppose I’ll have to let you,” she said, sounding resigned. Then she giggled, ruining the effect of trying to be a suffering woman.
When they reached her apartment building several minutes later, Jefferson allowed the guards to do their job before he and Tessa climbed from the SUV.
“There’s still no one up there,” the guard who stayed just outside their SUV reported once they were on the sidewalk.
Jefferson nodded then wrapped his arm around Tessa and led her into the building.
Twenty minutes later, they emerged again. The three guards who had accompanied them inside each carried a plastic garbage bag full of Tessa’s belongings. Jefferson’s heart had broken again and again as he’d helped Tessa pack up what she wanted to take with her.
While the apartment had two bedrooms, she had been living in the smaller one, which had been smaller than his walk-in closet. He was surprised Theo had not gotten rid of everything once his mother was gone, but according to Tessa, everything was where it had been when she’d been carried out of the apartment the week before.
Seeing the condition of her clothing, all of which were five or more years old and nearly worn through, Jefferson determined they would be shopping for everything his mate needed from the skin out, whether she liked it or not.
Chapter Eleven
By the time they returned to Jefferson’s penthouse apartment hours later, Tessa was exhausted.
Instead of taking her to the big box store she’d requested, he instructed their driver to take them to the largest mall in town. He then proceeded to take her into every ladies’ clothing store in the building.
Once he understood her requirements for clothing—soft, comfortable, and preferably in black or white to make mixing and matching easier—he took over as fashion consultant. She had no idea if he had honored her black or white requirement, but he assured her that she looked wonderful in every outfit she tried on.
The only dark spot in their afternoon was when she tried to pay for the clothes at the first store. He growled at her, and actually took her card away when she fought to hand it to the clerk who stood on the other side of the counter giggling.
After that, she stepped back and tried not to listen to the vast amount of money he spent on her. Twice, two of the guards had carried things out to the vehicles while they moved on to the next shop.
Halfway through their marathon shopping spree, they passed the food court where she demanded to stop and refuel. Jefferson was skeptical but agreed. The guards, who had been schlepping their bags all afternoon, fetched the food without comment. Their last stop was a jewelry store, where Jefferson bought her a diamond ring that she’d spent the ride home touching in admiration.
“In my world,” he had explained once they were back in the SUV, “that ring and the bite mark at the base of your neck, as well as my scent, will keep you safe.”
Once the guards had brought all the bags up and left them in a spare room, Jefferson led her to the kitchen and set her on the stool she’d come to think of as hers. “Are you hungry, tigress? Thirsty? Need a strong drink?”
“Just a glass of milk would be great,” she said with a wide yawn.
“You’ll have a sandwich with it,” Jefferson stated.