about Travis and all his talk of soul mates and forever that she was dreaming what-ifs. But when she found the dress, it was like a sign. An omen.
Even if it came with more yards of frothy tulle than she’d had frosty winter mornings.
Even if it teetered so very dangerously on her own personal borderline between classy and meringue. What the hell did that matter?
It was a Vera Wang two thousand dollar dress on sale for three hundred and fifty bucks.
And she’d had to have it.
Travis would love it, she’d told herself. He’d get the surprise of his life when she turned up on his doorstep, and then she’d be wearing it in mere weeks! She’d beat her sensible sister down the aisle and wouldn’t she be the good daughter for once?
Idiot!
“You okay?”
She looked into Mitch’s sky -blue eyes and blinked away the past. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”
He made her try on a dozen gorgeous cocktail dresses, any of which she would have been perfectly happy to wear, but he only let her stop when he found it : emerald green and the perfect foil to her hair, in a strapless design that hugged her breasts and fitted slim over her waist and hips in layers of ribbon-wide satin.
“You look amazing,” he said, and it wasn’t his words that warmed her through and through, it was the husky quality to his Aussie drawl and the raw heat in his eyes. If she’d had any qualms that he was dressing her to make his ex feel bad, they were banished before they could take root. He was dressing her for him.
She’d never thought blue was a warm color, not until now, not until she’d felt this slow, warm glide of his eyes over her form leav ing a smoking trail of heat.
So sex wasn’t part of this deal?
Didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen.
Shoes and accessories were next. He took his time, not rushing and not checking out the sale items like she was, but going for top shelf every time.
S he wondered whether he was as attentive a lover as he was a shopper.
And then she remembered that first encounter in Bella’s, and the hot stroke of his tongue against her breast.
Oh yeah!
“We should work out some kind of story,” he said, when the shopping was done and they stopped for a bite of lunch, “ for when we’re in Broome. Someone’s bound to ask how we met.” Like Kristelle for example.
“Sure. So who are we expecting to meet up there? Apart from your ex and her lover.”
He shot her a dark look. “We’re staying at the same resort as Robbo and Kristelle and their parents.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What, with the bride and groom and both sets of parents?”
“Yeah, and the bridesmaid. Sharon, I think her name is.”
The reality of the task ahead suddenly loomed. Maybe this wouldn’t be quite the cake walk she’d imagined. Pretending to partner Mitch for an ex who might or might not be out for revenge was one thing. But questions would invariably be asked and the lie would grow and grow, and barefaced lying to decent people whom she had no wish to deceive and who’d never and were never likely to do her or her nearest and dearest any harm was another thing entirely. “That sounds like fun,” she fibbed. “Will there be alcohol?”
“Lots, I’m hoping. The villas have full butler service with all the trimmings.”
“Excellent.” Those butlers would no doubt be busy. “So what’s our story then?”
“I’m thinking we keep it simple. We met in Kalgoorlie. You were backpacking around Australia and we bumped into each other.”
“Now there’s a bit of creative genius.”
“So what would you say?”
“No, I like it, let’s keep it simple. We met in Kalgoorlie. No lie there. Me the hapless tourist and you who just happened to be in town for a few days. Almost the truth. How long have we been seeing each other?”
“Long enough to cover a couple of my leave periods. Let’s make it a bit over a month.”
“Okay. I was barely in Australia back that far, but nobody’s going to check my
Even if it came with more yards of frothy tulle than she’d had frosty winter mornings.
Even if it teetered so very dangerously on her own personal borderline between classy and meringue. What the hell did that matter?
It was a Vera Wang two thousand dollar dress on sale for three hundred and fifty bucks.
And she’d had to have it.
Travis would love it, she’d told herself. He’d get the surprise of his life when she turned up on his doorstep, and then she’d be wearing it in mere weeks! She’d beat her sensible sister down the aisle and wouldn’t she be the good daughter for once?
Idiot!
“You okay?”
She looked into Mitch’s sky -blue eyes and blinked away the past. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”
He made her try on a dozen gorgeous cocktail dresses, any of which she would have been perfectly happy to wear, but he only let her stop when he found it : emerald green and the perfect foil to her hair, in a strapless design that hugged her breasts and fitted slim over her waist and hips in layers of ribbon-wide satin.
“You look amazing,” he said, and it wasn’t his words that warmed her through and through, it was the husky quality to his Aussie drawl and the raw heat in his eyes. If she’d had any qualms that he was dressing her to make his ex feel bad, they were banished before they could take root. He was dressing her for him.
She’d never thought blue was a warm color, not until now, not until she’d felt this slow, warm glide of his eyes over her form leav ing a smoking trail of heat.
So sex wasn’t part of this deal?
Didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen.
Shoes and accessories were next. He took his time, not rushing and not checking out the sale items like she was, but going for top shelf every time.
S he wondered whether he was as attentive a lover as he was a shopper.
And then she remembered that first encounter in Bella’s, and the hot stroke of his tongue against her breast.
Oh yeah!
“We should work out some kind of story,” he said, when the shopping was done and they stopped for a bite of lunch, “ for when we’re in Broome. Someone’s bound to ask how we met.” Like Kristelle for example.
“Sure. So who are we expecting to meet up there? Apart from your ex and her lover.”
He shot her a dark look. “We’re staying at the same resort as Robbo and Kristelle and their parents.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What, with the bride and groom and both sets of parents?”
“Yeah, and the bridesmaid. Sharon, I think her name is.”
The reality of the task ahead suddenly loomed. Maybe this wouldn’t be quite the cake walk she’d imagined. Pretending to partner Mitch for an ex who might or might not be out for revenge was one thing. But questions would invariably be asked and the lie would grow and grow, and barefaced lying to decent people whom she had no wish to deceive and who’d never and were never likely to do her or her nearest and dearest any harm was another thing entirely. “That sounds like fun,” she fibbed. “Will there be alcohol?”
“Lots, I’m hoping. The villas have full butler service with all the trimmings.”
“Excellent.” Those butlers would no doubt be busy. “So what’s our story then?”
“I’m thinking we keep it simple. We met in Kalgoorlie. You were backpacking around Australia and we bumped into each other.”
“Now there’s a bit of creative genius.”
“So what would you say?”
“No, I like it, let’s keep it simple. We met in Kalgoorlie. No lie there. Me the hapless tourist and you who just happened to be in town for a few days. Almost the truth. How long have we been seeing each other?”
“Long enough to cover a couple of my leave periods. Let’s make it a bit over a month.”
“Okay. I was barely in Australia back that far, but nobody’s going to check my
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