Page 11 of Cursed Touch
“My sister-in-law’s birthday is coming up, and I’d like to buy her something,” he said.
“Oh.” Her single word was breathy, then a smile that did things to him brightened her face. “Do you know what she likes?”
On cue, his phone vibrated against his thigh.
Brandy: She has two holes in each. Why?
“She wears earrings.” He shrugged as he slid the phone back into his pocket.
The woman laughed, and the sound was sweet as it flowed over him. He wanted to hear it again. “You have a pretty laugh,” he said before he could stop himself.
Her cheeks became a deeper rose color at his compliment, and his chest puffed with pride. “Thanks.” She moved past him, and her scent wafted to his nose. She smelled sweet and flowery. “Here are some earrings. I’m guessing you don’t know if she likes dangly ones or studs?”
His brows rose.
The woman chuckled, and his dick stirred in his pants. “Favorite color? Animal? Hobby?” she asked.
“She and my brother like to flip houses,” he stated as he realized how little he knew of the woman his brother loved.
The woman shook her head, and her smile was teasing. “Okay, well do any of these look like something she might wear?”
Carter forced his eyes toward the display. It was a hard feat with the beauty standing next to him. “Um… maybe those,” he said, pointing at a charm with a stack of books. “She likes to read.”
“Okay, that’s good. Why don’t we set these aside. I have a few things that appeal to the bookworms in our lives.” Earrings in hand, she returned to the counter, her hips swaying in a mesmerizing pattern, causing him to lick his lips. “I have a matching bracelet for those earrings. They came out really good and have been a hit.”
He followed her to another case as his words pushed past his desire-induced fog. “Did you make these?” he asked in wonder.
A timid smile tipped her lips. “A lot of things in the store are my creation, but I have some I’ve bought.”
“Wow,” he said sincerely. “You’re really good.”
She paused and met his eyes. “Thank you. I guess we’re both good with our hands.”
“Excuse me?” he asked as his brain short-circuited with images of the many things they could do with their hands.
“Well, doctors use their hands quite a bit when handling patients,” she said, and he was thankful she had missed the underlying innuendo of her words.
“Oh, yes. Add the bracelet to the earrings,” he told her after one quick glance at her craftmanship.
She nodded, but instead of adding it to the earrings, she leaned past him. “I promise I’m not trying to sell you the entire store, but this is a book sleeve. You can put the book you’re currently reading or your tablet in it for safe keeping, instead of shoving it into a purse where it can be damaged. Not to say you have a purse, but readers who are female and have purses…”
Carter grinned at her flustered words. “Nope, I don’t have a purse, and I have no one’s purse to hold.” She bit her lower lip, and he was tempted to pull it free but managed to restrain himself.
She cleared her throat. “That shelf down there also has cups, mugs, wine glasses, and bookmarks for book lovers. Go ahead and take a look, and I’ll set this down with the earrings,” she said, waving the bracelet back and forth.
Turning his back toward her, he grinned at the knowledge he made her nervous. It was another reminder that what he felt was not one-sided.
“How long have you owned this shop?” he called as he knelt for a closer look of the items she’d mentioned.
“About three and a half years now, but I’ve been creating things since high school. My skill has vastly improved since then,” she said, and he earned another sexy chuckle.
Taking in her words, he realized he was older. “A lot of ambition for someone so young,” he muttered as he rose with a ribbon bookmark in his hand. When he faced her, he met her hard eyes. “I didn’t mean that—”
One well-groomed eyebrow rose as she crossed her arms under her breasts. The action drew his attention to them, but he knew better than to allow his gaze to drop. “Well, what did you mean?”
He’d pissed her off. While he felt bad for it, a bigger part of him enjoyed the vixen hiding behind her professional façade. Carter strode toward her. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m impressed by your talent. My father taught me at a young age to never bring up a woman’s age. If he were around to witness my grave error, he’d have socked me good, so please accept my apology.”
Chapter 7
