Page 92 of Bodyguard By Night
Ransom
Sunshine, Wine and Ducks?
I closed the dressing room door behind me, leaving her to get her street clothes back on.
Not one of my finer moments.
For once, I didn’t regret any of it. That dress had put me over the top. The sweet one on the stage had taken my breath, but in the dressing room…
Yeah, I’d been toast.
Wanting her was a constant low hum in my blood. I could mostly put it out of my mind if I concentrated. The Army had trained me well. Focus was one of my biggest strengths.
Then Chaos had arrived to show me that training could only take me so far. I couldn’t even lie to myself that having her would take the edge off.
The need was growing, not waning. I was doubly fucked.
Yet so far, not fucked at all. Story of my life.
“Find everything you need, Mr. Douglas?” The older woman came over with a knowing expression in her eyes.
I hoped my shirttails covered the worst of my sins. It was going to take me more than a minute to get myself under control. “December is taking good care of us.”
Her lips twitched. “Not as good as you are, dear.”
I felt the flush creep up my neck. I cleared my throat. “Chaos—um, Willow—has quite a few things she’d like to get altered. Put it on my account, would you?”
Her eyebrow arched. “That’s how it is?”
“She had fun today. I’d rather leave it as fun instead of looking at how much she spent.”
“Hmm. I’ll take care of it.” She nodded toward me. “Em found a suit jacket to suit you. She’ll have it ready for next week.”
“Thanks.” I slipped into the other changing room and gingerly removed my own pinned clothing. December had mostly used a chalkline to get my measurements as most tailors did, but there were a few lines that had gotten messed up due to Chaos.
Quickly, I tugged on my jeans and swapped out the dress shirt for my worn Henley, and then I glanced into the mirror. Dark circles bruised under my eyes.
I needed to find a way to get some damn sleep, or I was going to make mistakes. Chaos already had me on edge in more than one way.
And she was the biggest reason I needed to get it together.
I gathered my things and hung them on the rack December had left for us. Chaos was still doing whatever she did in the dressing room.
I definitely wasnotgoing in for another visit. I’d end up finding out if her purse did indeed have a condom in it.
Em met me at the counter. “Did she find what she needed?”
I wasn’t one to preen, but she certainly had. I was the one with blue balls for the second day running. “If she tries to put that blue dress back, make sure it’s in the buy pile.” I slid over my Black Amex. “And whatever else she wants.”
If December was surprised to see the somewhat rare credit card, her poker face didn’t reveal it. She slipped it off the counter and rang up everything.
“I’d like to order an extra few shirts too. I don’t dress up much, but they were comfortable.”
“I started carrying them for the more…athletic men that seem so plentiful in this town.”
“Is that what they call them?” Chaos asked from behind me.
I glanced back to find her with an armful of clothes.