“We don’t back down from much,” Seth replied.
Beck nodded in agreement.
“Fine. Let me braid my hair and toss on some clothes. I don’t suppose you’ll let me argue with you about where we’re shopping for this dress or who’s paying for it?”
“Not a chance in hell,” Beck shot back.
Seth patted her backside. “Ten minutes, and no crawling back in bed.”
She bristled and wriggled away. “Give me some privacy. I’ll be ready.”
Reluctantly, they tossed their dirty clothes in the hamper and left to search for clean threads. Once they’d cleared the threshold, she shut and locked the bathroom door behind them.
A few seconds later, he heard the toilet flush, the water run, a few drawers slam.
“She’s in a great mood,” he drawled to Seth when they met again, fully dressed, in the kitchen. “This ought to be fun.”
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Beck didn’t doubt that.
When Heavenly emerged twelve minutes later, she looked fresh faced. She’d donned a long T-shirt she’d knotted around her waist and a pair of shorts that were short on modesty and long on trying his restraint.
“That what you’re wearing?” Seth asked.
“Most everything I own is dirty, packed away, or meant for work. This will have to do.”
Beck bit back a growl, grabbed his keys, and led her out of the condo. Seth followed, arm around her waist as he guided her to the car.
Before too long, they ushered Heavenly into Nordstrom. Less than five minutes later, they had three sales associates bringing them dresses.
Beck watched protectively. She looked overwhelmed by the dozen black sheaths hanging in a semicircle around her in the dressing room.
“I-I don’t know.” Heavenly shrugged. “They’re all fine.”
“Would you like to try them on in any particular order?” one helpful associate asked.
Heavenly blinked. “Um…”
Since she hadn’t eaten for almost two days, Beck doubted her energy would last long enough to try them all on. Of course, when they’d offered her lunch first, she’d demurred…
“What’s your best-selling dress?” he asked because he didn’t know the first fucking thing about selecting a woman’s clothes, only getting her out of them.
“Well,” the salesperson began, “this one is less traditional and seems quite popular with younger ladies, but this one recently arrived and…”
Beck tuned her out when Seth, who had been surprisingly quiet for the last thirty minutes, pushed away from the wall and stepped closer to examine each dress. Finally, he turned to scan Heavenly up and down before he faced the sales associate.
“The first dress has too many ruffles. The last one and these few in the middle don’t have the right silhouette to flatter her body.” He pointed at another garment. “This one has no structure at all. And that one with the brocade pattern is just a no. The rest…” He shook his head. “No lace. No slits. No cleavage. Just simple basic black. Capped sleeves. Figure hugging. Classic.” He plucked two off the wall. “We’ll try these on. You need help with your zipper, angel?”
She gaped at him. “No.”
“Then I’ll be down the hall, choosing your shoes.”
“Um…thanks.”
When she shut the door on them, Seth stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered toward a shoe display, seemingly unaware that both he and the sales assistant were staring.
“What the fuck was that?” Beck muttered as soon as they were out of Heavenly’s earshot.