13
LEXINGTON GALLERIA wasan upmarket shopping center with three levels, wrought-iron railings and a tuxedoed pianist tinkling away on a grand piano on the third floor. The most expensive floor. The one to which Shari draggedLuke.
“Figures this is where she’d have bridalregistry.”
“Percy and Fitz,” Luke read the store name aloud. “Should be Pricey andPretentious.”
“Shh.” She motioned him to pipe down, and they entered the hallowed marble hallways with its snooty staff and fingerprint-free glasscases.
A woman who could have passed for Queen Elizabeth approached them. “May I helpyou?”
Determined to be gracious at the wedding and not by word or deed to let B.J. and Randy think she so much as remembered having her heart ripped out and spat on, Shari explained to the woman why they were there, and then studied the list she produced of household items the couplewanted.
Discarding things like “Dishwasher, Bosch” as too expensive and any knives as possibly sending messages of suppressed violent feelings, she was still left with plenty of giftchoices.
While Luke studied martini glasses carefully—searching for the most breakable, she was certain—she hovered indecisively between a place setting of china and a set of sterling napkin rings. She preferred the napkin rings, but, unless B.J. had changed, she’d be judging her presents by the size of the box they arrivedin.
When Luke wandered by while she was in mid-dither, the Queen Elizabeth salesclerk said, “Perhaps your husband might have anopinion?”
At the same moment she said, “Oh, we’renot—”
Luke said, “We’rejust—”
She stared at him as his words petered out and she wondered what the end of that sentence was. What were they, exactly? And how did he think of them now that they’d spent the nighttogether?
Not that she had any complaints about last night—far, far from it—she’d sensed a certain holding back and assumed his slight hesitance was based on lack of experience or whatever disastrous fumbles had previously occurred in his sex life. Still, she hoped he didn’t get too serious toofast.
A quick, hot flash of panic seared her belly; perhaps shopping for wedding presents the morning after they’d first slept together wasn’t the brightestidea.
“The place setting,” she decided. “And I’d like it gift-wrapped anddelivered.”
“Of course. Have you your own card or would you care to choose from ourselection?”
Naturally, Shari hadn’t thought to bring along a wedding card, so she grabbed one with a bland verse and hearts and flowers on the cover, dug a pen out of her bag and signed it, “Love, Shari and Luke.” She may not want Luke thinking they were a couple, but she definitely wanted B.J. thinkingit.
Luke loitereda bit over the martini glasses, which were so thin she felt they’d break if she looked at them too closely. But eventually he decided to pass and to see what else they couldfind.
They wandered out of Percy and Fitz and Shari had the pleasant feeling of having discharged one of her obligations. The outfit was next, and it was by far the bigger job. She really wasn’t certain she wanted Luke around, though, while she tried on clothes. If he was anything like her brother, Luke’s shopping tolerance wouldn’t get him past the first dress, which, as every woman knew, and no man seemed to understand, neverfit.
“Do you want to look for something else for your father’s wedding?” she askedbrightly.
He turned to gaze down at her, sleepy green eyes wrinkling at the corners. “You wouldn’t be trying to get out of me seeing you in a whole lot of slinky, strapless things wouldyou?”
Absobloodylutely.But she wasn’t going to tell him that. “No. I don’t want to hog your Saturday, that’sall.”
“No problem. I can shop anytime. You’ve only got the weekends,right?”
“Well, yes, but we could splitup…?”
With an arm around her shoulders he pulled her close, put his mouth to her ear and spoke softly. “Not before chapterseven.”
How did he do this to her? She immediately felt as shivery as a virgin bride contemplating her weddingnight.
Shari had a pretty good idea what was in chapter seven, but somehow he made it sound as if they’d been visiting some exotic foreign land. Heat bubbled through her veins as it occurred to her that he might be a bit of a novice at oral sex and need guidance. Once more she’d be Shari, personal guide to all thingssexual.
She could teach him to please her; she could give him pleasure he may never have experienced before. She had to admit, when Luke had gone looking for a teacher, he could have done a lotworse.
Since they happened to be passing a ritzy boutique, she decided to test his mettle as a shopping companion and tugged him through the entrance. He followed her obediently from rack to rack, letting her flip rapidly through outfits, looking for exactly the right thing. She pulled out a pale green sheath dress with matching jacket that begged for a hat and pumps. A possibility. She handed it off to the hovering saleswoman who spirited it away to the discreet dressingcubicles.
