The stylist cleared his throat, and I let Niall go. I’d only wanted to make Niall uncomfortable. The poor man was just collateral damage.
Smiling, I said, “I got carried away. He does that to me.”
“Yes,” the man said, cheeks pink. “I can see why.”
He gave Niall an appreciative glance, and then his face turned even redder. “I mean… I… I was told you needed clothes for a tropical island vacation.”
“Yes.”
“That’s right.”
Our answers ran over each other.
I grabbed Niall’s hand and squeezed hard. Most men would have flinched, but he was dangerously still.
“I’m taking this gorgeous man on a special trip, and I want to be sure he has everything he needs.”
“That sounds lovely. My name is Saffron, and I’ll be taking care of you today. I took the liberty of selecting some pieces for you to look at. Once I know more about what you like, I’ll bring out additional items. Before we get started, would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? It’s never really too early for champagne, is it?”
“No,” Niall said. “I’d love some.”
I’d succeeded in putting him off-balance. “Coffee for me. Thank you.”
“Excellent. We’ll be using this area.” He pointed to a corner of the shop where a white, semi-circular sofa sat in front of a round table. A set of three mirrored panels faced the sofa, and I imagined there was a changing area behind them. “Please have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
I could really get into playing this role if everyone was going to suck up to me like Saffron was. We crossed the shop, and I sat so close to Niall our legs were touching. “So far your audition for the part of my sex slave isn’t going as well as I would’ve hoped.”
“Fuck you,” he muttered under his breath.
“No. That’s not the vibe I’m going for either.” I laid a hand on his thigh and caressed the smooth fabric of his suit pants. “You’re my devoted boy. You can sell that. I know you can.”
His look told me he was contemplating the most painful ways he could kill me.
Saffron returned with our drinks. “Who would like to go first?”
“Niall,” I said before he had a chance to speak. “I so enjoy picking out things I know he’ll look fantastic in.”
“Excellent.” Saffron rolled out a rack filled with garments in an array of colors. Since I rarely wore anything that wasn’t denim or black, and I’d never seen Niall in anything but black, white, or gray, this was going to be interesting.
“What about this?” Saffron lifted a silky white shirt that looked like it would feel amazing and a pair of teal shorts I was sure would make Niall’s eyes appear the same shade.
“I like it.” I squeezed Niall’s thigh. “Go try it on, baby.”
Niall turned to me with a shy expression on his face. “Do you think that’s a good color for me?”
Jesus Christ. His voice had completely changed. He was practically purring, and it was hot as fuck.
“I do. I really want to see you in it.” I knew he was seething underneath his shy facade, but he rose elegantly, took the garments from the stylist, and went behind the mirrors to change.
When Niall stepped out a few moments later, there was nothing fake about my reaction. He was gorgeous in a cold arrogant way in his suits, but now… I wanted to throw him down on the couch and devour him without caring who was watching.
“You like it?” Saffron asked.
“Very much.” My voice was low and rough. I wasn’t bothering to hide how turned on I was.
“The fabric feels amazing,” Niall cooed.
Saffron clapped his hands. “Perfect. I have a few more selections here, then I’ll pull some more from our cruise collection. I assume you’ll need swimwear as well?”
“I don’t think I—”
“Definitely,” I said, cutting him off. “The smaller the better.” I winked at Saffron, and he smiled.
“Of course. We can easily accommodate that request.”
“Oh, darling,” Niall purred. “You know I’m too shy to wear those little bitty suits.”
“You would do it for me, though, wouldn’t you?” I made my eyes huge and pushed out my lower lip. If I didn’t already sleep with a gun under my pillow and a knife under the mattress, I sure as hell would have to now. Niall would try to kill me. I had no doubt.
Niall tried on several more outfits, a few casual, others dressier, all a combination of white and island colors—teal, salmon, sunny yellow. He looked fantastic in all of them, not that he wouldn’t look damn good in a pair of my cut-off sweats or nothing at all. When it was time for swimwear, Niall frowned at the tiny suits Saffron handed him.
“You’ve done an excellent job picking out my size in everything. I’m sure I don’t need to try these on.”