He groaned. “You’re killing me, woman.”
Playfully, she shoved him away. “Behave. I’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.”
It was impossible not to watch her go. That sweet ass of hers needed to be bitten. As she entered the store, she looked back over her shoulder at him and caught him staring. He didn’t bother trying to hide it. She frowned in amused exasperation and waved him away. Busted. Well, it wasn’t like his interest in her was a secret.
Condoms. They needed condoms. At least he hoped they did. He might have to take a long, solitary walk later this evening.
He wandered down the hall, looking for a drugstore. Atlas, Fox, and Addison had all texted him about a million times, and he sent the group chat a quick message letting them know where he was.
Down the hall and around the corner, he found a small pharmacy where he bought condoms, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and a few other odds and ends. It would have been easier to pack at home rather than try to make do with what they could find, but Ophelia had been in such a rush to leave the city it made him wonder what she was avoiding. Something to do with her dysfunctional family, maybe? Money problems? A life of crime?
He snorted. No. That was him.
Fifteen minutes later he was back at the lingerie store and, on cue, Ophelia emerged, carrying a small bag. She eyed his pharmacy bag and raised her brows.
“What’d you buy?” she asked.
“This and that,” he replied. “Chocolate bars. And condoms.”
She made a sound of irritation and headed for the mall exit.
“What?” he asked, catching up to her.
“There aren’t condoms in there.”
“There are, in case we decide to have sex.”
“You love embarrassing me!”
“Uh-huh.”
She stopped just outside and turned to face him. “Yeah, well, now that I know that, it’s going to be a lot harder to shock me. You’re going to have to up your game.”
The sweet thing was doing her best to seem intimidating, but it was like watching a kitten fluff its fur.
He drew himself up to full height and narrowed his eyes at her—something he’d avoided doing before in his effort to keep her from being afraid of him, but it seemed safe enough to try now. Eyes widening, she fell back a step, like she’d just discovered her pet was a monster.
“Was that a challenge, princess?”
“Um . . . no?” She bit her lip.
“That’s what I thought.” Although he winked at her, she kept a greater distance between them.
They walked back to the SUV in silence. When they were back on the highway, Luke wondered if he’d spooked her too much. It was hard to remember how to act around vanilla girls sometimes. He sorted through a few topics to get conversation going again, but drew a blank.
“I’m glad you bought condoms, but I’ve been tested twice since my last partner, and I’m on the pill.”
Bold of her. It caught him by surprise.
“Same here, minus the pill part.”
“Oh, like your bed has been empty long?”
It had been. He didn’t like the hassle of casual sex anymore, and his line of work made it difficult to get into a serious relationship. “Work has been a bit . . . intense lately.”
Idiot. He shouldn’t have mentioned work. Now she was going to start fishing for details.
“So,” she said, delicately clearing her throat, “are you a Dominant?”