****
Paige dragged the red dress up her body trying to reach around to grab the zipper. It was no use. She couldn’t reach it.
Opening the clothing room door, she smiled at Donnie. He was sitting against a sofa, watching her.
“Could you do the zipper? I can’t.”
“Come here.”
He was always so good to her, so brotherly. No, not brotherly. He was a good friend. She hated it because she didn’t once think of him as a brother, but she thought about him as a friend, and more.
Closing the distance between them, she turned so that her back was facing him. Biting her lip, she locked her fingers in front of her as his fingers found the zipper, grazing the flesh at the base of her back.
“Your skin is so smooth.”
Slowly the back of his fingers glided up her back, sending electric shocks crashing all over her body. She closed her eyes, loving his touch, never wanting it to end.
Finally, he finished.
“Thank you.” She took a step away, but Donnie caught her hand. Glancing at him over her shoulder, her heart started to pound.
He was staring at her back, and his hand squeezed hers. “You’re welcome.” Donnie released her.
Stupid.
She was starting to imagine things now. For a split second she’d really thought Donnie was going to kiss her. Over the last few months she’d started to see him watching her. It all had to be in her head, imagining it. There was no way he’d want her, not with all the glamorous women she’d seen on his arm. He didn’t hide away the fact he was fucking everything with a vagina. At first, she didn’t care, but over time, it had started to really hurt. She didn’t know why. They were only friends. However, that friendship had started to develop. Paige tried to remind herself at every opportunity that he was her stepbrother. Their parents were in fact married.
“You look beautiful.”
His hand rested on her hip for the slightest second.
Pulling away, she gave a little twirl. “This dress will do? I hope so. I can’t stand to change again.”
Running her hands down the front of the dress, she let out a breath. Was it her, or was it getting hot in the room?
“Yes, that dress will have to do for now.” He sat back down on the sofa, but he no longer leaned back. “Go on. We’ll take that one.”
“Are we going home afterward?”
“No, I thought I’d treat you to dinner.”
“I’ll be okay in my uniform.”
He shook his head. “Get changed in this.”
It was the first time she noticed the bag at his side. Taking the designer bag, she looked inside to see an expensive pair of jeans and a green shirt. “Put them on for me. The restaurant won’t allow you inside in that uniform.”
“They can’t stand the competition, can they?” She chuckled, taking the clothes from him.
“What about your zipper?”
She’d forgotten. Presenting him with her back, she waited for him to release the zipper. This time his fingers didn’t touch her skin. She didn’t know if she was thankful or not.
Get a grip. He’s your damn stepbrother.
Taking a deep breath, she removed the red dress once she was inside the dressing room. She placed it back on the hanger, while pulling on the clothes that were a perfect fit.
Don’t think about how he knew your size.
No matter how many diets she attempted her size sixteen curves refused to budge. She refused to not eat to lose weight.
Putting her uniform in the bag, she finally left the safety of the dressing room. He was waiting for her.
Neither of them spoke while they went to the main desk to pay. The women tried to draw Donnie into a conversation. He simply glared at the woman, presenting her a card to pay. When they were outside, Paige blew out a sigh of relief. Jake was waiting by the car.
“Wow, you were all glary in there. What was the matter?” she asked, trying to break through the tension.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“That woman was trying to flirt with you, but you shot her down at every turn.”
“I wasn’t interested in her.”
“Okay, I thought all women interested you.”
“Not now they don’t. Get in the car.”
“Why are you being so grumpy? I’m not the one who forced you to go shopping. You had to force me, remember?”
“I know. I’m tired. It has been a long day, and Dad said something to piss me off.”
At the mention of his father, she relented. She knew firsthand what a total asshole his father could be. “Sorry,” she said, touching his arm. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No.”
The one thing she’d learned about Donnie and his father, there wasn’t anything she could do. The Family, which she learned was the nicer way to say the mafia, wasn’t a place for men to express their feelings. Her thoughts turned to Maria, Luiz’s sister. It wasn’t a good world for nice women either. Maria was such a lovely woman, but her spirit had been destroyed by a violent bastard of a husband. Paige would love to be alone with him and a baseball bat, providing she was the one who held the baseball bat, of course. She’d show him a lesson in respect.