I look at him from the corner of my eyes. “Where?”
“There’s no need to sound so suspicious. I can guarantee it’s a place you’ll be completely at home in.”
“Where?”
He taps my hip. “You’re a little small without heels. Do you know that?”
I smack his stomach. “Aaron! Don’t change the subject! And I am not short.”
His lips spread into a grin. “I know, but you’re a good few inches shorter.”
“This isn’t the conversation we’re having. I want to know where you’re taking me later. And I want to know now.”
“Is that a demand, Miss Black?”
“It’s a requirement I know, Mr. Stone. Or I’m not walking another step.” I stop and put some extra oomph into stamping my foot down.
Aaron chuckles quietly and stands in front of me. I put my hands on my hips and stare him down.
“God, you’re sexy when you get that fire in your eyes,” he murmurs huskily, cupping my chin.
“Don’t try and seduce me.”
“I thought you didn’t get seduced.”
I run my finger down his chest. “Don’t play dumb with me, baby. Now tell me.”
His blue eyes bore into mine for a long moment, and he sighs. “Come on. We’ll go now.”
That’s not telling me. Still, I let him link his fingers through mine and tug me after him and back to the car. He pulls out his cell and informs someone that we’ll be there early as we drive through the streets, and I press myself against the window, trying to work out where we’re going.
“Oxford Street?” I squeak. “You said no Oxford Street.”
“Incorrect. I said no ridiculously expensive store. This time,” he adds under his breath. “The store I’m taking you to is here.”
I narrow my eyes and grab my purse before slamming the car door. Aaron takes it from my hand and throws it back into the car.
“You won’t need that, Dayton.”
“I might want it.”
“Don’t be so f**king difficult. You don’t need it. Want it or not. Now move your sexy little ass or I’ll be forced to haul you down this street over my shoulder.”
“Is that a demand?”
He spins me so forcefully that I fall into his hard body. “You’re pushing it, woman. Move. Now.”
I smirk. “I don’t know where I’m going. Remember?”
“You’re sure earning that spanking. I’ll tell you that much.” He flattens his hand on my back and forces me forward. I smile to myself as he steers me to wherever we’re going.
I take in each storefront as we stroll down the iconic street. I recognize hardly any of them—and I especially don’t recognize the one we stop in front of.
But I do recognize what it sells.
“You’re bringing me to buy lingerie?”
Aaron places his mouth by my ear. “And the whole store is yours for one hour.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You think one hour in a lingerie store is enough? Oh, baby. You have a lot to learn.”
He pushes the door open and we step inside the empty store. One wall is covered in baby dolls and chemises, one with bras and panties, and another holds a doorway to a section at the back labeled “18+ only.”
Well, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that that’s where the toys are.
The bright colors assault my senses and a streak of excitement fizzles through my body. Lingerie shopping is my favorite thing ever, but in a store I’ve never been in? This is a whole new level of heaven.
“Go wild,” Aaron whispers in my ear, lightly squeezing my ass.
I walk to the wall of bras and trail my fingers across a few different styles. T-shirt, balconette, push-up… There’s lace and frills and trims, and oh, God. I can’t.
I turn back to Aaron and shake my head.
He raises his eyebrows. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
I shake my head again. “I can’t. I don’t know if you realize how financially destructive I am in this environment.”
He walks to me and pulls me close. “It doesn’t matter. One day, everything I own will be yours, so you might as well spend it now.”
My breath catches. “You have to get me to move in with you before anything remotely close to that happens.”
He smirks and puts his hands on my shoulders. He turns me so I’m facing the underwear again. “For the record, I like that turquoise bra with the black lace. And the matching panties. They have my mind spinning with all the ways I could take you out of them.” His lips brush my earlobe. “Just in case you were so inclined.”
I look at the set he’s picked out and my heart flutters a little. So it’s pretty. Really pretty, actually. And it would look good on me. And it would replace the turquoise set I have to throw out.
I make a sound somewhere between excitement and defeat and hold my hand out. “Get me a basket.”
Aaron releases me and hands me one. I skim through the hangers until I find one in my size and grab the bottoms to match. I prod Aaron in the chest.
“You better make it good, Mr. Stone. Real f**king good.”
My hair flicks over my shoulder as I turn away from him again and peruse the underwear. Damn him. He knows how to work me and manipulate me into doing what he wants. Not that I need much convincing in a store like this, but I’d really rather be handing over my card at the end of it.
Soon enough, I’ve exhausted the bra-and-panties section and I’m swapping baskets with Aaron. He hands me an empty one with a smug smirk curving his lips and takes the full one. He sets it on a chair next to the register and combs through it.
“What are you doing?” I pause, holding a red basque in front of me.
“You didn’t think I’d let you buy anything without prior approval, did you?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Well, don’t let me stop you from combing through my choice of underwear yet again.”
He laughs at my subtle dig. “Dayton?”
My eyes find his.
“Put that in the basket.”
I check the tag. “It’s a lot of money for something that will just come off.”
His eyes darken. “That one won’t be coming off.”
A quiet cough comes from beside him, and I flick my eyes to the woman behind the register. She’s in her mid-forties, at a guess, and there’s a light flush on her cheeks.
“Mr. and Mrs. Stone. Can I help you at all?” Her crisp British accent doesn’t betray her embarrassment at having walked in on our conversation.