A Flame To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 4) by Sloane Meyers Page A

delicious picnic. And she had been shocked when he actually kissed her. She put her fingers to her lips, which still burned with the heat from Trevor’s kiss.
    Now, he had brought her here to buy something to wear to dinner tonight. She didn’t know where he had made reservations, but if his planning for the evening was anything like his planning for the rest of the day had been, she knew she wouldn’t be disappointed. She felt guilty using his credit card to get clothes, but she had to admit that she really wanted something other than these stupid sweatpants to wear. She was almost embarrassed to even go into a clothing shop looking like this.
    But until she got her passport and credit card—which, hopefully had made it to her today—she had no way of buying anything decent. Even if her credit card was already back at the hotel waiting for her, she wouldn’t have time to get anything before dinner. And, damn it, Bailey wanted to look good for dinner tonight. It had been so long since a man had given her butterflies, but her heart beat faster every time Trevor’s eyes locked with hers. And today was Valentine’s Day. How could you go on a date with your crush on Valentine’s Day and not look amazing?
    Bailey marched into The Gilded Thread. She would find the hottest damn dress she could, and some sexy clothes for the next few days. She was going to show Trevor that she knew how to work her curves. She would swipe that credit card and just consider it a loan. As long as she paid him back, she wouldn’t feel guilty about spending whatever she wanted right now.
    She pushed away the little voice in the back of her head telling her that she didn’t have a job and needed to be sensible. She’d spent the last decade being sensible, and look where it had gotten her. Almost killed in a grungy hotel that had gone up in flames, and with a career that was dead in the water. Today wasn’t a day for being sensible. Today was a day for living.
    A slender, smiling saleslady looked up when Bailey came through the front door of the boutique. Bailey thought she saw a look of surprise pass over the woman’s face at Bailey’s appearance, but it was gone so quickly that Bailey couldn’t say for sure whether she’d imagined it.
    “Good afternoon. Can I help you?” the woman asked pleasantly.
    “I hope so,” Bailey said. “I’ve got a date tonight for Valentine’s Day. The first time I’ve had a date on Valentine’s Day in about half a decade, actually. But I’m from out of town and lost all the clothes I have here in a hotel fire a few days ago. I desperately need something to wear that isn’t, well, this,” Bailey said, gesturing down at her baggy outfit.
    The woman put her hands over her face. “Oh, my! You poor dear. Was that the hotel fire in Red Valley? I heard it was awful. They said one guy even died.”
    “Yeah,” Bailey said, looking down at the floor. “I knew that guy, actually. He was a coworker of mine.”
    The woman clucked sympathetically. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Listen, don’t you worry about a thing. We’re going to make sure you look stunning for your date tonight. Come with me.”
    The woman led Bailey to the dressing rooms in the back. The area outside of the dressing rooms was decorated with plush couches and ottomans in vibrant pinks. A gilded glass coffeetable sat in the middle of the couches with a bowl full of colorful candy, and off to the side a water pitcher with icy water and fresh lemon slices sat waiting to be enjoyed. The saleswoman told Bailey to have a seat, and poured her a glass of water. Bailey hadn’t realized how thirsty she was, and she relished the feeling of the fresh, citrusy water cooling off her throat.
    The woman asked Bailey a few questions about her size, and color and style preferences. Then she disappeared into the sales racks for a few moments, coming back with five different dress options. Bailey loved every single one.
    “Wow, you have some really cute