“This is a sparrow.” He looked down and fingered the bird charm. “Unlike most birds, when a sparrow finds its soul mate, they stay together until the end of their life.” Raising his head again he met her gaze. “Making them the symbol for finding one’s true love.”
Finding one’s true love. Lucie merely wanted to find her one true companion and wasn’t holding out much hope for the love part anymore. Regardless, the sentiment was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard, and knowing he’d thought of her when he saw it touched her deeply.
He carefully placed her foot back on the floor and rose to tower over her at his full height. She tried thanking him but the words got stuck somewhere in her throat as her gaze traveled up from the open V of his shirt revealing the tan skin at his neck, past his freshly shaven jaw and full lips, until it was trapped by his eyes. They changed colors depending on his outfit or his surroundings or even the lighting. Now they were a light green shot through with streaks of caramel, reminding her of a taffy apple.
Reid Andrews was an absolute enigma. In Vegas she knew he lived the life of a rich playboy fighter, spending the majority of his time either training or casually “dating” more women than she cared to think about. But since he’d moved in with her for this truly crazy deal they’d struck, he’d been nothing but charming, supportive, and thoughtful. Just like she remembered him to be when she was young and hopelessly crushing on her big brother’s best friend. If she’d thought he was fantastic back then, he’d grown to be even more so now.
She cleared her throat and gave the whole speaking thing another shot. “Thank you, Reid. I love it.”
“You’re very welcome. Now let’s go. I can’t wait to see that doctor’s jaw unhinge when he sees what he’s been missing out on.” When she scrunched up her nose in doubt he kissed it and said, “Trust me,” and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the room.
Thirty minutes later they arrived at the restaurant and the hostess escorted them back to the rented-out room where the shower was being held. Lucie placed her gift for Lizzie on the designated table by the door and then nervously scanned the sea of people.
“Stop fidgeting,” Reid said in her ear. His hand at her lower back helped to ease her, but not by much.
“I’m not fidgeting.”
“Yes, you are.”
He was right. She was practically hyperventilating, which was likely to come next. She couldn’t seem to stop. Why did she feel like she was stepping into the lion’s den? These were people she’d known and been comfortable with for years. But what if they didn’t like her new look? Or what if they thought poorly of her for changing her appearance?
She barely managed to keep her startled squeak contained in her chest when Reid yanked her out of the room. “Hey!”
“Shh,” he ordered as he dragged her down a hall, turned a corner, and then sandwiched her between his large body and the wall. “You’re freaking yourself out for no reason, so I’m going to teach you a trick I use before a fight.”
“Reid, I hardly think—”
“No thinking. Visualizing. Before I step into the cage I visualize every punch, every kick, every takedown. I know my opponent well from studying his previous fights. I anticipate how he’ll react to my attacks so I’ll be ready for any situation. That’s exactly what I want you to do right now.”
She knew she must be looking at him like he was crazy, because that’s exactly what she was thinking. How could this technique could help her talk to Stephen? If she needed to anticipate the guy’s punches there was a bigger problem than wanting a date.
“Close your eyes.” Seeing his determined look—and in all honesty desperate to try anything to get rid of her nerves—she obeyed. “I want you to picture yourself walking into that room, your head held high, and your confidence even higher. You know you look fabulous. This dress fits your body like it was designed for you. The heels make your legs look impossibly long and every guy in that room will be picturing them wrapped around his waist.”
She was slightly cold with the A/C blasting from the vent above them, but when he placed his hand on her waist, any chills disappeared from the heat of his touch. He stepped into her body, her breasts lightly grazing his hard chest with every breath she took. Her eyes remained closed, but the magnitude of his presence was palpable. Focusing was definitely no longer an issue. She was wired into him now, brain and body, whether she wanted to be or not.
“Pretend I’m him. I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you since the moment I saw you. I’m wondering how I could’ve been so blind not to have noticed how truly gorgeous you are.”