Page 45 of Out of the Shadows

“Open it.” He wanted to pat himself on the back for how casual the two words had sounded, considering his heart was threatening to beat right out of his damn chest.

With a suspicious look, she rolled her chair closer to the boxes. “What are you up to?” she muttered, lifting the lid of the top box. Then her jaw dropped. “Hiking boots?”

Jaw dropping was a positive thing, right? “Yeah. Wilson said you went out with him in a pair of Converse sneakers. I figured, this way you’d be prepared for next time.” He bit back a grin as she pulled one of the boots from the box, analyzing it like it was a foreign specimen.

“You know, when we’d talked about you owing me another pair of shoes, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” She swiveled in her chair to fully face him and kicked out her feet to show off the flame-red heels she’d worn last night. Today, she’d paired them with a black flowy skirt that hit right above her knees and a white sleeveless blouse. He knew she had a white cardigan floating around somewhere because he’d noticed every damn detail about her the second he’d seen her walk by his office this morning.

He schooled his features and shrugged. “Hey, you never know when you’ll take my advice and decide to go hiking. Remember, the great outdoors can do a lot to reset the brain.”

“Fine, Smokey the Bear, I’ll give it a shot one day.” Her nose scrunched. “Maybe.”

Damn, she was cute. Then her words penetrated his brain. Before he could tell himself to shut the hell up, he blurted, “Did you know his name’s actually Smokey Bear and not Smokey the Bear?”

For a second, she simply stared at him, and he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

Shaking her head, she chuckled. “The fact you know that says a lot about you. But either way, that’s the only famous outdoorsy name I know. It was either that or Yogi Bear.” She gave him a sheepish smile and replaced the lid on the box. “Thanks, boss.”

“Gavin.” He shrugged when she tilted her head to the side. “I like it when you call me Gavin.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand, stepped toward her desk, and swapped the boxes, placing the smaller one on top of the hiking boot box.

Suspicion colored her face, but this time, there was a hint of a smile that warmed his insides.

He tapped the top of the box, winking at her. “Hope you like these.”

She lifted the lid and pushed the tissue paper aside. Her mouth fell open, and she let out a small gasp. She sat frozen for the longest three seconds of his life. Shit, had he overdone it?

“Gavin, holy crap,” she finally said, her voice a reverent whisper. “These are the Louboutin Follis Strass stilettos. They’re like honest-to-God glass slippers.” She carefully pulled one of the shoes from the box, held it in her hands, and stared at it in wonder, gently caressing its side.

He’d never wished to be a shoe before, but here he was...

Seeing her fawn over the shoe filled him with pride and eased the embarrassment he’d harbored over how long he’d spent researching fancy heels. In the early morning hours, he’d gone down the rabbit hole of high-end footwear. Someof the things he’d seen were god-awful. There were heels that were basically plumes of feathers—like a giant purple bird had exploded and died on the model’s foot. Did women actually wear that shit in real life? Then he’d come across the ones she was holding in her hands. They’d screamed Bean. The heels had the designer’s signature red sole and were tan and glittery but not too much.

They were simple and classy and had just the right amount of sparkle. Just like Bean.

She could wear them at the office in her sexy librarian clothes. Or, if she got all dolled up in the dress from last night again, the heels were fancy enough to go with that. What truly sold him was he could easily picture her in those sky-high, twinkling heels... and nothing else.

“Gavin, I can’t accept these. They’re like over a thousand dollars and?—”

“What am I going to do with a pair of stilettos? Besides, like I said last night, it’s not going to break the bank.”

“But—”

“Do you like them?”

Her eyes remained fixed on the shoe as she placed it back into its box. She let out a sigh before she met his gaze. “I love them, but still?—”

“Still nothing, B. They’re yours. No strings.”

She stared at him, and he worried she could see right through him. Then she stood, and he sucked in a breath when she stepped close and hugged him.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and brought his lips to the top of her head.

“Thank you, Gavin. No one’s ever . . .”

He waited for her to finish her thought, but she remained silent. Squeezing her tighter, he inhaled, letting her soft floral scent fill every pore in his body. “You’re welcome.”

This. He could get used to this . ..

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