They shared a smile, and then Donatella excused herself briefly.
“You’re shopping?” Jacob asked, surprised.
“I am. You would undoubtedly find it boring, but I’m sure we can find you a spot to sit and wait with a good vantage point for picking out any danger.”
She was being a bit of a brat, and he kind of liked it. He liked when she was sassy.
It didn’t take long for word to spread that one of the Pemberton family was in house. Jacob watched the buzz around him as Charlotte and Donatella disappeared into the racks of clothing. From his vantage point, he could see the door and anyone who entered, as well as keep a good eye on the traffic within the store, patron and employee alike. Charlotte disappeared into the changing area and Donatella zipped back and forth with clothing items for Charlotte to try on.
He tried not to picture it, but it was hard. Since she’d opened the door this morning in a barely there nightie, he’d had trouble erasing the picture from his mind. Her clothing style looked wonderful, but it hid the lovely length of her legs and the fullness of her breasts.
It was over an hour later when Charlotte emerged, her face triumphant, carrying two large bags in her hands.
“Ready?” He wasn’t sure what put the pleased flush on her cheeks, but she looked gorgeous. More animated than he could remember.
“I’m going upstairs to meet with the GM briefly. You can follow along if you like. Or stay down here
. Your choice.”
He’d had a chance to look over much of the offerings on the main floor, which consisted of the fashion department. The whole thing was impressive and intimidating. Despite his expensive suit, he felt remarkably out of place. But he was curious. What did the upper floor hold?
“I’ll come with you. I don’t think I need to follow you into the office, though.” He smiled at her. “Do you want me to carry your bags?”
She shook her head. “That’s not your job, Jacob. Besides, they’re not heavy.”
He appreciated that. A princess would have wanted someone to carry her bags and be, well, subservient, he thought. Hardly ever did she pull any diva behavior.
The second floor was full of gorgeous lighting and glass cases, all showcasing Aurora’s cosmetics, scent, and jewelry offerings. The makeup didn’t interest him at all, but as Charlotte disappeared down a hallway to the offices, Jacob perused the jewelry cases.
“May I help you find something, sir?”
He looked up to find a lovely woman smiling at him expectantly. He wanted to say yes. He could afford it, after all, a fact not many people realized. Wolfe Security had proved to be very lucrative in the three years he’d been running it, and his needs were simple. No, the thing preventing him from buying any jewelry at all was that he didn’t have anyone to buy it for.
He thought of Charlotte and realized how ridiculous it would be for him to buy her anything. And yet... He couldn’t deny he had the urge to. He found himself saying, “Maybe something, I don’t know, unusual. Distinct.”
“Are you looking for a ring? Necklace, maybe a bracelet?”
He floundered. “I don’t know.”
“Well, what’s she like? What does she normally wear for jewelry?”
He thought for a moment about the last three days. He’d seen her with pearls, maybe, but truly he hadn’t noticed anything major, so his guess was that she went for an understated look.
“She doesn’t wear anything big, I don’t think,” he answered tentatively. “It’s like she tries not to stand out. But she stands out anyway. I wish she knew how beautiful she is.”
Oh, no. Had that just come out of his mouth? It was true, after all, but what surprised him was that he’d noticed.
“She sounds absolutely lovely.”
He didn’t know what else to say, so he followed as she led the way past the case in front of them to another section. “We’ve got some lovely pieces here, a little less traditional, a little more colorful. Things that stand out, but maybe not too much? How about this?”
She reached into the display and removed one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry he’d ever seen. It wasn’t just a necklace, it was art. A butterfly, suspended by a platinum chain, with a rainbow of colors sparkling in the gems within. “That’s stunning,” he admitted.
“The setting and chain are both platinum, and the gemstones include aquamarine, peridot, pink sapphire and, of course, diamonds.” She turned it over in her hand. “It’s bold without being brash, beautiful and yet not flashy or ostentatious.”
He took it into his palm, feeling the weight of it. Nothing flimsy or fragile; the piece had weight to it, a stability that he liked. And the butterfly... It would suit her. She was far more gorgeous than she let on, but like the butterfly, she wasn’t brash or flashy.
He shouldn’t buy it. He could never give it to her. A part of him was terrified that he wanted to. Another part was amazed, because he never thought he’d want to feel this way ever again.