The Reluctant Beauty (8 page)

“Tasteless?” Peg offered, holding up a pair of white cotton panties and a pointy, white bra that could hold a couple of gallons of lead.

Priscilla cringed. “They insisted on helping. You should have seen the look on Rico’s face. He’s personally going to see to the banning of all such undies.”

“Ma, Buffy,” Peg said between gritted teeth. “I can handle getting dressed. No need to wait on me.” Pink cheeked and freshly scrubbed from her shower in the boss’s private bathroom off his office, she clutched a fluffy green towel around her.

“We need to talk, dear,” her mother said, smoothing her hair into place. Her new blue dress picked up the color of her eyes perfectly. “About the boy.”

By
the boy
, Peg knew she meant Austin.

“Peg, you know we only want the best for you, so don’t take this the wrong way,” her sister-in-law said, clutching her hands. She bit her lip. “Um…he’s smitten now…but it might wear off quick.”

“Cut to the run,” Peg’s mother said.

“Chase, Ma. Cut to the chase,” Peg corrected her.

“No one else has shown any interest. So don’t wait for the wedding. Put a ring on it before he changes his mind.” Her mother’s advice didn’t surprise her.

Priscilla shoved a bunched-up wad of material at her. “Here, Peg, try these. They’ll be much better.”

“Don’t try to distract me, Prissy,” Peg said, but grabbed for the black lacy lingerie. She backed into the bathroom and left the door halfway open while she dropped the towel and shimmied into the delicate fabric. “Mother, what are you up to?”

“We told,” Buffy piped up.

“Peg, it was for your own good,” her mother added.

“Told what?” she asked, looking down at the skimpy attire; it barely covered her important parts.

“The press—”

“What?!” Peg and Priscilla cried out in unison. Peg rushed out of the bathroom and into the executive office just as the outer door opened.

Austin, with Rico following, barged into the room. “Peg—” He whistled long and low.

Heat swooshed into her cheeks. “Hotness, what are you doing here?”

“O-M-G, Peg!” Rico cried out. “You’ve been hiding that all these years! Girl, you got some legs on you.”

With all eyes on her, Peg wished she could crawl away. Instead, she took a half step back and then another. Priscilla rushed to her side and tried to shield her. “Thanks, pal, I owe you,” Peg said, trying to avoid looking directly at Austin.

But he was there in front of her and nudging Priscilla aside. “I’ve got this,” he said and backed Peg up into the bathroom, slamming the door behind them.

On the other side of the door, she heard her family and friends talking all at once.
Chaos
. But it was nothing compared to what her insides were doing as she stood two feet away from his holy hotness with his light blue eyes nearly devouring her.

She pointed over his shoulder. “You should be out there.” Looking around, she gauged how far she had to stoop down to grab the towel off the floor.
How geeky and awkward would she look in next to nothing leaning over and trying to snag it up?

His gaze traveled over her.

Heat stole into her cheeks.

Austin leaned down and grabbed the towel, handing it to her. But he didn’t release it; he stepped closer.

Peg backed up, hitting the wall, trying to escape. “Mamma…Mamma Mia…”
Was she stuttering?

His dreamy smile caught her attention. His lips moved. “You owe me.”

“Huh?” Now she couldn’t talk at all. That was a first.

“A kiss.” He crowded close, dangling the towel from his fingers, just out of her reach.

The voices on the other side of the door rose.

“Peg, not before the wedding,” her mother scolded.

“Do it, girl! Hurry up. I’ll keep them away,” Rico called out. Something hit the door. “Ouch! Not fair.”

“A cheering squad?” Austin asked.

She snorted. “Rah, rah, sis cum bah. What’s next? Score cards?”

He lifted his hand and trailed his fingers over her cheek. His frown said it all. “This isn’t what we want.”

“Tell me about it.” She sucked in a sharp breath when he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. Little tingles started where he touched and shot out and beyond.

“No way,” Rico cried. “How can I win against a woman whose preggers?” He grunted. “That was my shin you just kicked!”

“It’ll be higher next time,” her sister-in-law warned.

“Peg? Peg!” Rico’s voice rose another octave. “Hurry up, will you! She’s aiming—”

Austin sighed, pulling away. His hot breath fanned over her face. Gently, he placed the towel around her.

Peg gulped hard as his palm brushed her skin. He stilled, gazing into her eyes. “Peg—”

She heard the bang of the wood hitting the wall and felt a sudden breeze right before she realized someone had entered the room.

***

“What the hell?” Austin asked, twisting around to see Rico bolt into the tiny bathroom, grab the doorknob, and slam it shut in both Mrs. Newbury’s faces. He turned the lock. The loud click resounded in the air. He leaned back against the barrier, breathing hard. His eyes were wide.

“They got a piece of the devil in them. Girl, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s getting too crowded in here,” Austin pointed out as Peg nudged him aside so she could see her friend.

“Rico, you were supposed to hold them off, not surrender.”

Still pressed against the entranceway, Rico held out a hanger with clothes on it. “Me? That sis-in-law of yours can kick. Girl, any higher and I’d be crushed. Literally.”

Peg took the offered clothes, turned the hanger around to look at the back and front, and then eyed them suspiciously. “Is there a skirt?”

“Just try it, will ya?” His breathing had finally slowed and he pushed away from the door. Another bang hit. Rico jumped away. He grabbed Austin’s arm. “You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

“It’s me they’re after,” Austin said. “You just got caught in the middle.”

“Nah, fellas. It’s me.” Peg nearly moaned at how ridiculous her family was acting. In the background, she heard her father and brother’s voices join the fray. “Holy Saint Nick. Does everyone have to be out there?”

Austin grabbed the clothes she thrust at him and held up the hanger as she yanked the white silk blouse off of it.

“Black camisole first,” Rico said, nodding to the dangling scrap of silk.

Peg dropped the towel and avoided their stares. “Mind? I’m half naked here,” she said.

“No. I don’t mind at all,” Austin said with a smile. “In fact—”

She smacked him on the arm.

“Did you teach the rest of your family that?” He rubbed his arm. But he didn’t turn away. How could he? She was tall, with perfect curves, soft smooth skin he’d love to keep touching, and had the longest, sexiest legs he’d ever seen in his life.

 The constant hum in his body just increased in vibration, like turning up the volume. That only happened when he played music. Never with a woman before.

Austin shook his head, wondering, once again, what was happening to him.

With quick, jerky movements in the cramped space, Peg slid the camisole on, poked her arms through blouse sleeves, straightened the black collar and black cuffs on the sleeves, and then grabbed for the rest of the outfit. “Shorts? Leather shorts?” She froze.

“To die for, aren’t they? D-I-E, honey.”

“I don’t wear this kind of stuff, Rico. You know that.”

“Girl, you’ve been covering up those gams way too long.”

“Beautiful gams,” Austin corrected.

She jerked her head to look at him. He heard her swallow hard.

“It’s true,” he said, looking directly into her chocolate-brown eyes. His heart did this funny little flip.

“I don’t have time for this,” she said. “I got a store to help run.” She pulled the shorts off the clips on the hanger and shimmied into them.

He heard the double meaning. She didn’t have time for him, either.

She was right, of course. Neither of them had time to deal with this. His plan of escape closed in on him. Hadn’t being on display in the window this morning shown him that much? People knew who he was and where he was. Word would spread.

King’s was his refuge, for the time being. But it would all come to an end soon once he walked into real life.

Looking at Peg now, he tried to convince himself this liquid heat in him wasn’t what he wanted or needed.

She wasn’t what he wanted or needed
. Yeah, right,
his body seemed to mock
.

***

Peg straightened the last of her clothes, liking the outfit, but not certain she could pull off the look. Or even dare to leave the room with so much skin showing. Slipping into the black sparkly heels Rico shoved at her, she thought she was someone else.

“Rico, I never wear heels. I’m already a beanstalk, towering over most people.”

“Oh, honey. You look G-O-O-D!” her friend said.

Austin whistled again, low and long. Heat dotted her cheeks. With a last-minute hair fluff from Rico, a brush of mascara, and sweep of lip gloss, she was done. She blinked at herself in the mirror.

“Geez Louise, who is that?” she wondered aloud.

“Pegalicious, girl! Or should I say luscious, right, Austin?” Rico clapped his hands.

“Luscious would be correct,” Austin agreed, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

There it went again. Her cheeks burned at his hot, lazy perusal of her.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Peg said, turning away from the reflection and heading for the door. “Follow my lead, fellas.”

She sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, and then opened the door. The voices stopped. All eyes were on her as she sauntered out of the bathroom with Austin and Rico following close behind.

“Peg?" her mother asked.

“Is that you, my little girl?” Her father’s voice was filled with wonder.

“Sis?” her brother and his wife asked in unison.

“What, haven’t you ever seen someone this tall before? The heels add three more inches. How’s them apples?” She didn’t wait for any more comments. “Clipboard?”

Priscilla rose from the desk chair and handed it to her. “You look great, Peg! Man, what I’d give for those legs.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now I got a job to do, so all of you can talk amongst yourselves while I get down to business.”

“Griff’s in the lobby, entertaining the troops,” Prissy said with a smile.

“Pickles and pasta, not that. Why, he’s gonna scowl one too many times and scare them away. Why didn’t you say something?” Peg rushed out of the office and down the hallway to the elevator. She stumbled a few times and then righted herself in the heels.

“Wait for me,” Rico cried out.

“Us,” Priscilla added. “And he’s not snarling, well, too much, today. I brought Ruby to keep him calm.”

“Between you and the baby, you two have kept him under wraps. Thank all that is holy and good for that,” Peg said, scanning the list on her clipboard. Everything was set up yesterday afternoon, checked, double-checked, and closed for the night. But who knew what her family had done to the setup overnight? She grabbed for the pencil attached to the top of the board and began to scribble in the margins of her lists. “Triple check.”

“Peg.” Austin’s voice brought her up short.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw him walking to her, all good-looking and smiling. For crying out loud, he didn’t have to do anything, just stand there, for her to tremble. This was not good. Not by a long shot.

She heard her family’s voices before she saw them storming down the hall.

“Break up,” Peg said. “One hour. Downstairs. In front of everyone.”
End it now
.

“Do you always order everyone around?” His smile took the bite out of his words.

“Yep. Works for me.”

The elevator doors dinged open. Rico and Priscilla hustled her inside and joined her. When she turned around, she found Austin gazing at her. His eyes, intense and searing, held her stare. This time she shivered.

“Bye, Peg.”

Gulping hard, she nodded. “Roger and out,” she whispered.

No more kisses. No more close calls. No more hottie.

Oh, Jiminy Cricket. She swore her heart just cracked open, leaving a Grand Canyon of an ache behind.

Back to all business, Peg got the group organized and assigned each family a personal King’s shopper. She handed out a copy of the already filled-out family’s wish list to them and waved them off.

“Good choices,” Griff said, nodding to the handpicked employees who seemed to enjoy the adventure just as much as the families did.

“You may not have a way with people, Boss, but you do know who does and you put them together.”

“Leave it to you to call it like it is,” he muttered.

“You grumpier than usual, Boss?” She checked off the personal shopper event and moved down to focus on the next thing on her list. “Prissy said she brought Ruby. Where’s that baby of yours? She’ll sweeten you up in no time flat.”

“What? You run out of sugar, Peg? On what’s his name? Rhoades?”

“Now you’re asking for it, buster,” she said, putting her hand on her hip and tapping her foot.

Griff glanced at her. “Never seen you in heels like that before. Don’t think in shorts, either.”

She hadn’t worked with him this long to know he was trying to joke with her. Maybe in another couple dozen years, he’d get it down pat. “Watch out or I’ll sic my family on you.” Smiling, she turned and walked away.

His soft chuckle reached her.

People stared as she went by. Men looked at her. Some even did a double take. Peg tried to brush it aside, but she got a tiny thrill at their reaction. For one day, she’d take it all in. Then tomorrow she’d be right back to her old self again.

She caught a glimpse of his hotness, his stare locked on her as a group of teenagers surrounded him. He looked downright uncomfortable with all the attention.

But just his look did the strangest things to her.

Gulping hard, she wondered, after spending the weekend with Austin, would she ever be able to go back to her old self ever again? Would she want to?