“Y-yes, we’ll get these,” she said in a rush. Brendan tightened his grip again, lifted, and she went up on her toes, her lips falling open on a gasp. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Brendan planted a kiss on the side of her neck, biting down on the spot and slowly sliding his hand out of her jeans. When she stopped swaying, he left her flushed in front of the mirror and edged out into the waiting area. “Good girl.”
“You know,” she panted through the curtain. “Shopping is more about the journey than the destination.”
He gestured to the salesgirl as she walked in. “She’ll take them all.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Piper sniffed Brendan’s neck and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Nope, it’s not the right one yet. Too citrusy.”
Brendan leaned an elbow on the glass counter, half amused, half impatient. “Piper, you’re going to run out of places to spray me.”
It was getting later in the afternoon, and after lunch downtown—during which Brendan tried his first tiramisu and liked it!—they were back at the hotel. Her boyfriend had seemed quite inclined to get her upstairs as fast as possible, but she’d dragged him into a men’s shop just off the lobby to see if they could find him a signature scent.
Was she stalling? Maybe a little.
For some reason, her nerves were popping.
Which was crazy. So they were going upstairs to get it on. They’d done that twice before, right? There was no reason for the extra race of bubbles in her bloodstream. Except a new torrent of them was set loose every time Brendan kissed her knuckles or put an arm around her shoulder. And even in the air conditioning, the skin of her neck flamed, and she found herself taking deep, deep breaths, attempting to still her sprinting heart.
If she could just focus on finding him the perfect cologne, that would give her enough time to relax. Or at least figure out why she couldn’t.
She leaned across the glass to pluck up a square, sage-colored bottle, and Brendan splayed a hand on the small of her back. Casually. But her pulse spiked like she was taking a lie detector test and being questioned about her past spending habits. Mentally shaking herself, she lifted the bottle and took a sniff. “Oh,” she whispered, smelling it again to be sure. “This is it. This is your scent.”
And maybe it was the craziest thing, but finding that elusive essence of Brendan, holding it right there in her hand and having it flood her senses . . . it dropped that final veil that had been obscuring her feelings. She was hopelessly, irrevocably in love with this man.
The change in their surroundings made it impossible not to acknowledge every little reason she gravitated toward him. His honor, his patience, his dependability and steadfast nature. How he could lead and be respected without being power hungry. His love of nature and tradition and home. The way he so delicately handled his father-in-law’s feelings even got to her.
As soon as she acknowledged the depth of her feelings, those three little words threatened to trip out of her mouth. That was the source of her nerves. Because where would that leave her? In a relationship. A permanent one. Not only with this man but with Westport.
“Piper,” Brendan said urgently. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I am,” she responded, far too brightly. “I—I found it. It’s perfect.”
His eyebrow raise was skeptical as he turned the bottle around. “Splendid Wood?”
“See? You were made for each other.” She stared into his eyes like a lovesick puppy for several too-long seconds, before breaking the spell. “Um, we have to smell it on you, though.”
Brendan was regarding her with a puckered brow, practically confirming that her behavior was off. “You’ve already sprayed my wrists and both sides of my neck,” he said. “There’s nothing left.”
“Your chest?” She looked around the small men’s shop. The clerk was busy on the other side with another customer. “Just a quick sniff test. So we don’t waste money.” She beamed. “Oh, listen to me, Brendan! I’m practically cutting coupons here.”
Affection flashed in his face. “Be quick,” he growled, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his flannel. “I’m going to need three showers to get this stuff off.”
Piper danced in place, excited by the imminent breakthrough. This was going to be perfect. She just knew it. With an effort, she held back her squeal and released a puff of mist into Brendan’s chest hair while he held open the flannel. She leaned in, burying her nose there, inhaling the combination of the earthiness and Brendan’s salt water . . . and oh Lord, yes, she was in love all right. Her brain sighed with total contentment and joy at having captured him, found a way to breathe him in anytime she wanted. She must have stayed there in a dreamlike state, exhaling gustily, for long moments, because Brendan finally chuckled, and she opened her eyes.