“Dylan … what happened on April eighteenth?” she asked.
He started at her question. She felt it in the slight tensing of his muscles because she was touching him. She’d caught him off guard.
“What?”
“You mentioned the first night you brought me here that you hadn’t been with a woman since April eighteenth. You said that exact date, like it was meaningful. Was it?”
He surprised her by closing his eyes for a brief moment. For some reason, her heart squeezed a little in anguish. For a split second, he looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Yeah. Very,” he said after a moment. “Something happened on that day that sort of monopolized all my energy. Come on, and I’ll show you the clothes.”
He grabbed her hand, and the moment vanished. Alice was left wondering if it had ever been there at all.
HE hadn’t just bought her a dress. Not by a long shot.
Alice watched in wide-eyed amazement as he brought several bags out of his enormous walk-in closet. She sat on the edge of the bed and he piled them around her. Inside one bag, she found a pair of sophisticated black pumps, in another a sleek zippered bag filled with personal hygiene items.
“I thought you might like to keep a few things up here at the house,” he said when she held up a toothbrush with a puzzled glance. He said it so matter-of-factly, she was forced to see his point. She’d been spending the nights with him. It’d be nice to brush her teeth properly or have something other than expensive men’s shower gel and deodorant to clean up with, even if the spicy scents on her skin did remind her of Dylan.
There was also a cosmetic set filled with top-of-the-line makeup, and she experienced a pang of embarrassment at the memory of his mention of her liberal use of her cheap eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, and mascara. There was a fluffy robe. Next, she discovered an assortment of lingerie wrapped in tissue paper. She held up a black silk bra-and-panty set and met Dylan’s stare.
“I suppose you have a thing for lingerie, too?” she asked dryly.
He arched his brows. “I have a feeling I’m going to have a big thing for you in lingerie,” he replied without pause.
Her gaze dropped to the bulge at the front of his towel. She snorted with laughter. He smiled full-out at her reaction. Her mirth faded.
Dylan’s smiles were really something to see.
Much to her amazement, he returned to his closet and brought out another armful of items.
“What did you do?” she demanded, distressed at the amount of shopping he’d done. Although more than likely, he’d had someone purchase the items for her. Still, he would have had to put some significant thought into the items. He placed two large glossy boxes one on top of the other in her lap. “I can’t accept all this,” she exclaimed, flustered.
“Sure you can,” he said nonchalantly. “What else am I going to do with it?”
She’d never seen such gorgeous packages, let alone received any. Curious despite her protests, she flipped open the lid on the sleek top box. She stared down at a beautiful pair of brown boots made of supple smooth leather. He must have paid more money for them than she’d ever had in her checking account at one time, never mind the cost combined with all the other items surrounding her. Something caught her eye, and she pulled out a pair of soft leather gloves that matched the boots. “Are these riding boots and gloves?” she asked dazedly.
“Yes. There’s something else for you in there.” He stepped closer and moved aside some tissue paper. He lifted a brown leather crop from the box. The rod was thin and whippy, and there was a two-inch-square black leather slapper on the end.
She stared up at him, bewildered. “I don’t ride.”
He walked over to the bedside chest, opened a drawer and dropped the crop inside. “Actually, that stays here. The other things are for horseback riding, though.”
She choked back incredulous laughter, her cheeks flushing at what had just occurred, even though she was still a little confused. “You’re not listening. I don’t ride,” she repeated.
“I’m going to teach you. Alice?”
She blinked at the sound of him saying her name sharply. She’d felt a little disoriented there for a moment.
“I hate horses,” she whispered.
“Why? What do you remember about them?”
She gave him an incredulous glance at his taut question. Wasn’t that an odd thing to ask?
“Remember about them? Nothing. There’s nothing to remember. We didn’t exactly have equestrian lessons offered at Club Little Paradise,” she laughed. “I just don’t like horses.”
“But why?”