the coffee table before propping his feet on it, sipped his beer, and waited for Evie and Gwen to get home.
He didn’t have to wait very long. Evie burst through the front door still talking a mile a minute to Gwen about something called espadrilles before interrupting herself to shout, “Will, we’re home! Come see what I got!”
Hard on the heels of her words, Evie and Gwen turned the corner into the living room, weighed down by what had to be a large portion of Neiman Marcus’s stock. Ricky, the doorman, followed, his arms also overflowing.
Will flashed on a memory of Evie’s mother returning from marathon shopping in the early days of her marriage loaded down in much the same way. Evie must have inherited the gene from Rachel. “Did you leave anything at the store?”
“Just the stuff that needs to be altered. It won’t be ready until next week.” Evie was already headfirst in one of the bags, pulling out clothes and shoes for him to see.
Gwen’s smile was tired as she off-loaded bags and boxes and took bags from Ricky’s outstretched arms. “Thanks for saving us another trip.”
“My pleasure, Miss Sawyer. Miss Evie must’ve really enjoyed herself today.”
“I think she did.” Gwen graced Ricky with a smile that had Ricky blushing behind his freckles.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“So am I,” Will added, as Ricky pocketed a hefty tip and left. “But you look worn-out.”
Gwen sank to the couch and toed off her shoes. “Evie is a power shopper. I’m not. I’m never doing that again.”
“From the looks of it, she’ll never need to shop again.”
Gwen closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “Just wait until the new spring lines come out.”
Evie continued to rifle through bags, and clothing piled up around her.
“Evie, start taking all this back to your room.”
“Okay. Gwen, do you—? Never mind. I’ve got it. You just stay there and…and…relax.” She scooped up an armload and disappeared.
Gwen opened one eye. “What was that about?”
He sat next to her. “Remorse, maybe?”
“Trust me, the shopping elite care not who they exhaust in their quest.” Her eyes slid closed again, and the corners of her mouth twitched. “My sister says she has a good eye for style. She’s going to be a sensation.”
For the first time since he’d met her, Gwen seemed fully relaxed. Since her eyes were closed, he allowed himself to study her, his eyes roaming freely over the arch of her dark eyebrows, the curve of her cheek, and the line of her jaw. Her hair fanned behind her, the loose curls snaking along the back of the couch toward his hands. She had a beautiful, elegant profile, and he mentally traced the line down her face, over a soft neck until the chain of her necklace drew his eye to a pendant nestled at the top of gently sloping cleavage.
He had no business ogling the woman, but she intrigued him and stirred his blood in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. Unable to stop himself, he reached for the lock of hair that fell across her shoulder. He rubbed his fingers over its silkiness before tucking it gently behind her ear.
“My sister says you’re the best. I think I might agree.”
Gwen’s eyes flew open at the quiet statement and a shiver slid down her neck from the touch of his fingers on her ear. She turned to meet his gaze, only to see a heat there she didn’t expect.
Déjà vu. Same couch. Same desire pooling in her stomach, same fluttery feeling in her chest. As much as she’d tried to write last night off as an aberration, she couldn’t deny the repeat of sensations that rippled over her when Will’s eyes lit like that and the room shrank until there seemed to only be enough oxygen for one.
Will’s hand slid down her jaw until his fingers cupped her chin. Heat moved over her skin, and she wanted nothing more than to curl into his hand.
Bad idea, remember? It would be oh-so-easy to fall into Will’s arms, and every nerve ending in her body screamed at her to do so, but she couldn’t.
Nothing good could come of this.
Oh, yes there could, her body argued.
Will’s thumb stroked the sensitive skin under her chin, causing a shiver to run over her. She followed his gaze to the rapid rise and fall of her cleavage as her breathing grew shallow, watching in horror as her nipples hardened under his stare.
It took every bit of fortitude she had to pull away.
“Will, I…I…I need to go check on Evie. Excuse me.”
Coward.
Will’s confused look wasn’t lost on her as she fled down the hallway. Music blared from behind Evie’s closed door, so Gwen didn’t bother to stop and knock.
In the safety of her bedroom, she collapsed across the bed and tried to calm her rapid heartbeat. She stared at the ceiling and mentally recited her list of reasons why kissing Will would be a bad idea.
By the fourth time she made it through the complete list, she almost believed it. But once Evie was launched and she was back in her own house, she would have to start dating again.
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, but it seemed like only minutes later before Evie knocked at her door.
“Come in.”
“Are you okay?” Evie’s forehead furrowed when she saw Gwen on the bed.
“I’m fine. Just recuperating from your shopping trip. You nearly wore me out.”
The furrow disappeared and Evie grinned. “Sarah warned me you were a lightweight. But it was fun, and if I haven’t said ‘thanks’ already…”
“My pleasure, honey.”
“Will sent me to tell you that he made dinner reservations, and we’ll need to leave in half an hour to make it. So if you want to change or something…”
Gwen hesitated. She’d forgotten all about dinner. Considering what just happened, she should probably stay here. Better yet, she should pack and go home.
Evie picked up on her hesitation. “You are still coming, right? We’re going to Milano’s for pizza. I get to pick the movie, too. Please.”
“Wouldn’t you rather go with just Will? A little family time? You’ve been stuck with me all week.”
“It’ll be more fun if you come.”
How could she say no when Evie looked so eager and hopeful? “All right. Give me a couple of minutes to freshen up.”
“Cool. Will went to change, too, so we’ll see you in a few.”
Gwen fell back on the bed with a sigh.
