Chapter Three
The more people stopped to stare and whisper, the more Olivia wished she hadn’t asked Torren to bring her into town. They’d spent the last two days at her new home, mostly in bed, and she’d felt it was time to finish buying the things she needed. But she should have rethought the trip to town and just bought her clothes online like Torren had suggested. People had always talked about her, but this time was different. It wasn’t just her they were talking about. Some of the women looked at Torren with jealousy, obviously wanting him for themselves. But others were scared of him. She supposed he did have an air of danger about him, but she didn’t think for a minute that he’d ever hurt her. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the spanking he’d given her, but that had been more of a turn-on than painful.
His amused gaze clashed with hers. “And just what are you thinking about that has your cheeks such a rosy color?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, ducking her head.
He chuckled and she knew he didn’t believe her. His hand tightened on hers as they pushed through another throng of women, and then he dragged her into a little boutique. Olivia looked around, feeling extremely out of place. She’d never been inside any of the upscale stores in town, and this one definitely counted as being way out of her price range. They hadn’t really discussed finances, other than him insisting on buying what she needed. Did Torren have even a clue as to how expensive this place was?
He tugged her further into the store and when she didn’t move from his side, he began pulling clothes off the racks. Her eyes widened as the pile grew until he had to release her hand. If he weren’t a shifter, the weight of the clothes draped over his arm would have likely made him drop them all to the floor. Just how many outfits did he think she needed? The wolf he’d sent to town a few days before had purchased three outfits for her, and a pair of tennis shoes since the ones she’d been wearing were bloodstained.
“Um, Torren. I think you’re going a little overboard,” she said, eyeing the growing stack.
“I want you to have everything you need.”
“I don’t need much. Especially from here,” she muttered. “Have you even looked at the price tags? You probably have around eight hundred dollars’ worth of clothes in that pile.”
He led the way to the fitting rooms, shoved everything inside then turned to face her. “I want you to have nice things. The jeans and plain shirts that Leandra purchased for you are fine, but there will be times we meet with other packs. And maybe I want to take you out on some dates where we dress up.”
She eyed the clothes again. “All right, but that’s still way too much.”
“Pick four outfits, including two dresses, and then if you want to buy the rest of your stuff elsewhere I won’t argue.”
Olivia looked at the fitting room, feeling resigned. She entered the small space and pulled the curtain shut. She could see Torren’s boots under the bottom of the curtain as he turned and faced the store. A smile crossed her lips as she imagined him guarding her, arms folded over that massive chest of his, almost daring anyone to come near her. It was sweet, and as much as she’d given him grief about taking care of herself, it was nice that she had someone watching over her.
Surprisingly, everything Torren had selected not only fit, but looked really good on her. Olivia chewed on her lower lip as she stared at the outfits. There was no way she was buying all of them, no matter how pretty they’d made her feel. There was a fifties-style navy dress with a red band around the waist. She added it to her “yes” pile, then flipped through the others. Her second dress was solid black, but flared out from the waist and stopped right above her knees. The top was fitted and molded to what little curves she had. Before she could reach for anything else, she heard growling on the other side of the curtain.
“Everything all right, Torren?” she asked.
“It’s fine. Just feel a little like I’m in a zoo.”
She peeked through the curtain and bit her lip when she saw the women trying to look at him without trying to be too obvious. They were failing miserably. Olivia grabbed the two dresses she’d liked the most, then stepped out of the fitting room.
Torren narrowed his eyes at her. “I told you four outfits.”
“You also said you plan to fatten me up, which means none of these will fit for much longer. These were my favorites.” She glanced at the women before looking up at him. “Do you really want to stay here any longer?”
“No,” he said curtly, taking the dresses from her and carrying them to the register.
Olivia winced at the total, but Torren didn’t seem bothered. He grabbed the sack with her new dresses, took her hand, and quickly led her from the shop. When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, she pulled him toward the truck they’d used to come to town. It had seemed odd that he didn’t have his own vehicle, but he’d explained there were six the pack owned and anyone was allowed to use them.
“You only bought two things,” Torren said. “We’re not going home yet.”
“I’ll buy more stuff, but you’re taking me to one of those stores that carries everything. I’ll get some dress shoes, a few more outfits, and anything else I need from there. If you really are going to fatten me up, there’s no point in spending a ton of money on clothes I won’t be able to wear in the upcoming weeks or months.”
Torren looked up at the sky and sighed. “Fine. You make a valid point.”
He opened the passenger door of the truck, tossed her sack into the back, then helped her up onto the passenger seat. Olivia buckled up as he walked around the front of the vehicle, then slid behind the wheel. Their town was small, but it boasted two twenty-four hour stores that carried a little of everything. Torren took her to the nearest one, and grabbed a shopping cart as they walked through the door.
Olivia tossed in a few bras and two packages of panties, some socks, then added more jeans and shirts to the cart. The weather would be turning soon enough, so she snagged a jacket that would be roomy enough should she gain weight, and added it to the growing pile. Satisfied she had enough clothes for the time being, she headed toward the bath and body section. Not that Torren’s body wash and shampoo smelled bad, but she preferred something a little more girly. After she’d made her selections, and added some ponytail holders and a brush, she was more than ready to go home.
“Shoes,” Torren reminded her.
Olivia cursed under her breath, but headed toward the shoe department. He talked her into some cute red heels, a black pair, and some boots. It seemed like a bit much to her, but he insisted. The look in his eyes told her that he’d like it if she picked out even more than what was already in the cart, but that wasn’t happening. She’d never been one to spend money unless it was absolutely necessary. Probably because she’d never really had any to spend. But Olivia liked to think that even if she were suddenly a millionaire, she still wouldn’t throw money away on things she didn’t need.
They checked out, loaded everything into the truck, then headed back toward the village. Partway down the two-lane highway was a dirt path. A large metal gate blocked the way withPrivate Entranceon a yellow sign. Torren punched in the gate code, then pulled the truck down the bumpy road. Olivia looked through the back window and watched the gate swing shut once they were clear.
“How far is the pack village from the highway?” she asked.
