“Nothing would get done,” she said out loud, taking an armful of sweaters and…what to do with sweaters? At home, she stored them in a drawer. Eyeing the dresser, she wondered…perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad to put them there. Just for now. She needed them at night, but the days were too hot for them. Looking down at her sweaters, she realized that she might need to get different kinds of sweaters. These were pullovers in wool and…one or two in cashmere she’d found at a deep discount last spring. She hadn’t worn those because it was still summer, but once it was cold, she was pulling those babies on!
Jeans, leggings, summer shirts…all went into the various drawers and she was starting to feel a sense of accomplishment. Shutting the drawer, she turned around and…panicked!
“What are you doing?” she demanded, watching with horror as Reid peered down into the last clothing box. It was her underwear and…well, she really didn’t want him to see what she wore underneath her suits. She worked out hard, and had a lot of sports bras. But even the underwear she wore to work or just hanging out, relaxing wasn’t very pretty. It was…utilitarian. That was about all she could say about her tan, white, or black bras. She bought her underwear at Target, avoiding the pretty items, buying the un-fancy, unsexy, un-anything pieces that were comfortable and easy.
Reid gestured to the white, cotton panties in his hand. “Why do you wear things like this?” he asked a hint of horror to his tone.
“What are you doing in here?” she demanded.
“The front door was open. I came by to see if you wanted to come out to brunch with me.” He peeked into the box again. “And you’re not answering my question, Selena. Why?”
Her spine stiffened defensively, grabbing the underwear. “My underwear choices are none of your concern, Reid.” She turned back to the box. “You shouldn’t even know what kind of underwear I’m wearing.”
“Why not? I’m going to find out pretty soon anyway.”
She looked up at him, shocked by his assertion. “No! You’re not!”
He chuckled. “Let’s deal with the most important question first.”
“Which is?” she demanded, closing the flaps on the cardboard box and shoving it under the bed.
“Why you wear such boring underwear.”
She shrugged, unable to look him in the eye. “Because there’s no need for anything fancier. Why waste money on something I wouldn’t wear?”
His eyes widened. “You have no desire to wear pretty lingerie?”
“Absolutely not! Why would I?” She glared up at him. “It isn’t as if anyone wants to see me in them.”
She shifted uncomfortably under his direct gaze, afraid she’d just admitted something horrible to him. Something too revealing.
“So someone has seen you in your underwear,” he murmured. He understood immediately. “And he didn’t like what he saw.”
She turned away, picking up a perfectly folded towel and re-folding it. “It doesn’t matter. Not relevant.”
Selena moved away to the bathroom, but when she came back out, towel – a.k.a. “shield” – gone and she wasn’t sure what to do with her hands.
He was sitting on her bed, his elbows propped against his knees as he waited for her. “What happened?”
She shrugged. “As I said, not relevant, Reid. Did you need something?”
He stared at her. Need? Yeah, this gentle, strong, amazing woman was becoming a need. But more than that, he sensed a deep hurt in her. The more he got to know her, the more he realized that she was deeply wounded. Still strong and confident in business. But personally, she was shy and…wounded. There was no other word for it. His instincts told him that she had been hurt in the past. He suspected that someone in the past had not just rejected her, but had humiliated her.
How could someone do something so brutal to a woman who obviously was smart, brilliant even, and vibrant, funny, easy to work with, and a joy to be around…was beyond his comprehension. She was beautiful, strong both physically and mentally, and fun to talk with. Not to mention, she had a knockout figure and eyes that glowed with a humor born of intelligence, even if she might be scared to embrace some of life’s greatest joys.