The Reluctant Beauty(23)

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.