Bought: The Greek's Baby(18)
He ignored that, walking around her in a circle in the wide marble bathroom, looking her up and down.
She lifted her chin defiantly, daring him to criticize her.
The sleekly modern, rather than sexy, blunt-cut pageboy hairstyle wasn’t her only change. Instead of the tight red dress and overflowing cleavage she’d had last night, she was now dressed in a cotton jersey cardigan and long knit skirt in pale rose. The simple garments were still pretty, she hoped, but natural—not to mention stretchy against her expanding pregnancy. And the pink flat sandals were certainly easier to wear than the stiletto heels.
She now felt comfortable in her own skin rather than like someone trying to gain attention through her clothing.
But he only frowned at her.
“I don’t understand,” he muttered, lifting his hand as if to touch her, then dropping it again. “Where did you buy this?”
“At a boutique in the Mercerie recommended by the concierge.”
“Did you take Kefalas with you?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “I didn’t want to, but he insisted on it. He wouldn’t even let me use the credit cards in my purse, but insisted I charge everything to your accounts.”
“Good.” He peered down at her. “You look different,” he mumbled.
Different as in bad? She shuffled her feet, feeling awkward under his scrutiny.
“Why the makeover?” he asked, tilting his head.
She took a deep breath. How could she explain how horrifying it had been to have men constantly gawking at her? How to explain how wretched she’d felt when Talos had nearly started a brawl against five men just because of some strangers’ low whistles and murmured appreciation of her charms that were too flagrantly on display? She licked her bare lips.
“Um,” she managed, “the clothes in my suitcase just, er, didn’t fit right.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “That’s not what you said when I bought them for you in Athens.”
“You bought the clothes?” she blurted out. “Even the red dress?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. Now she’d sounded ungrateful. “They were all lovely. Really. But…”
“But?”
“But they’re not comfortable. They, um, made people look at me.”
He stared at her. “I thought you liked that.”
“It was still a lovely gift,” she stammered. “And I’m so grateful. That you picked them out for me is terribly sweet.”
“Lovely?” he repeated in a surly voice. “Sweet?”
“And I don’t mean to be critical of your taste, but—”
“I didn’t pick them out for you,” he ground out. “I just paid for them. You chose.”
She had? What had she been thinking? “Oh. Um. Don’t worry, I’m sure the charity shops will sell them quickly,” she said apologetically. “They’re so glamorous—so well-made!”
He glanced at her empty suitcase with surprise. Glanced at the many bags that Kefalas had just left inside the doorway before discreetly disappearing.
“You gave away all your designer clothes?” he said incredulously. “The Gucci? The Versace?”
“Are they your favorite designers?” she said, chagrined to be so rude.
“No!” he nearly shouted. “They’re yours!”#p#分页标题#e#
“Oh,” she said. She bit her lip. “Well, those clothes are just a little too tight for me now. Not to mention too sexy.” She brightened as a sudden explanation occurred to her. “Maybe my tastes have changed because I’m about to be a mother,” she said happily, relieved to have an explanation. “That’s probably it, don’t you think?”
He stared at her. He started to speak, then visibly bit back the words. Finally, he silently held out his arm. She took it in her own.
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly.
She peeked up at him, hoping he really meant it. “Really?”
“Yes.” He gave her a slow-rising smile. It lit up his face, making him so handsome that he took her breath away. Reaching down, he stroked her bare cheek. “I’ve never seen you look more radiant.”
She exhaled. She hadn’t realized until that moment that she’d been tense, wondering what his reaction would be. She’d cut her hair. She’d gotten rid of the lowcut, tight dress and the stiletto heels. Would he still approve of her? Would he still want her in his life?
His hot, smoldering glance told her that yes, he approved, and yes, he wanted her.
The real her. Without all the tarty trimmings.
“Now,” he said as his smile sharpened, “let’s go get what we came here for.”