grounded.
“ I ’ m not getting into your pants, ” I breathed, all light and airy like
some flouncy seductress. The weird things were playing out in full force and
had apparently hijacked my vocal chords.
“ No, Julie. ” His mouth was stretched as far as it
could go into a wildly heart-stopping smirk. “ You ’ re not getting in my pants. ” Speaking of pants, I was pretty sure
that was what my breath was doing right now. “ But you are going to help me get
them. ” He held out an expectant hand for me to take. Cautiously, with the hesitation I ’ d lacked earlier with my words, I
slipped my palm onto his. His hands, though slightly rough at the edges and
knuckles, were smooth to the touch, much like the soft rasp of his enticing
voice, a perfect juxtaposition of tender masculinity. Seriously, was everything
perfect about this man? “ Come
on. We ’ ve
got some shopping to do. ”
***
“ I like those ones. ” I nodded my head excitedly, and then
tried to slow it down so I didn ’ t
look like a puppy about to go for a walk. If I had a tail, I ’ d certainly be wagging it, too.
“ You said that about the last four. ”
“ Because I liked those. ” I did. I liked everything Leo had
tried on. And I liked the thought of what he looked like in between trying
those things on even more.
“ You ’ re really not much help, you know
that? ” He stood facing the mirror with his chin tilted as he examined the jeans slung
low on his hips. They were faded in all the right places and hugged his backside
just enough that they didn ’ t
appear tight, but looked as though they were made specifically for his lean,
muscular body.
“ I warned you I wouldn ’ t be. And to be honest, I don ’ t really think you need my help here. ”
“ Yes, ” he said, his voice stern, but not at
all rude, just authoritative. “ I
do. I ’ ve
never bought a pair of jeans before. ”
How
that was possible, I had no idea. Everyone wore jeans. Hell, I even saw a baby
sporting a pair of jeggings last week during my morning walk. Jeans were
standard attire for anyone that lived on the planet. Instead of wrapping you up
in a knit blanket at the hospital when you were born, they should just throw a
pair of jeans on you, because you ’ d
end up spending about 78% of the rest of your life in them. I still hadn ’ t figured out if Leo actually resided
full time in New York or in Italy, but regardless, he was from planet earth,
and therefore, wore jeans. I, on the other hand, felt like I ’ d been floating somewhere out in
space all morning as I watched him slip in and out behind his dressing room
curtain. I could wear whatever I wanted, a spacesuit being the more appropriate
choice.
“ You ’ ve never purchased a pair of jeans? ”
“ No. ” He shoved his hands in the front
pockets to gain a feel for the stretch and give of them. “ My mom did all of my shopping growing
up. And I have a personal tailor that comes to the office to fit me for my
suits now. This is all new to me. ”
“ Maybe you should ask your mom ’ s opinion on these then, ” I teased, waving a dismissive hand
in the air.
“ There are a lot of things I ’ d like to ask my mom, but I don ’ t think her opinion on pants would
make the cut. ” Leo ’ s
eyes locked with mine as he twisted around to face me. They were softer than
usual, and the dip at the corners made him look like a little boy who ’ d just been told there was no Santa. “ My mom passed almost ten years ago. ”
My
hand flew to my mouth. “ Oh
God, Leo. I ’ m
so sorry. ”
He
forced a light laugh with an endearing smile attached to it and said, “ You say you ’ re sorry like you had something to do
with it, Julie. ” Stepping toward me, he ran a large hand down his jaw and shook off the bleak
turn in our conversation. “ You
like these? They don ’ t
make my butt look big? ”
Well
of course by saying that, he pretty much just glued my eyes to his
“ I ’ m not getting into your pants, ” I breathed, all light and airy like
some flouncy seductress. The weird things were playing out in full force and
had apparently hijacked my vocal chords.
“ No, Julie. ” His mouth was stretched as far as it
could go into a wildly heart-stopping smirk. “ You ’ re not getting in my pants. ” Speaking of pants, I was pretty sure
that was what my breath was doing right now. “ But you are going to help me get
them. ” He held out an expectant hand for me to take. Cautiously, with the hesitation I ’ d lacked earlier with my words, I
slipped my palm onto his. His hands, though slightly rough at the edges and
knuckles, were smooth to the touch, much like the soft rasp of his enticing
voice, a perfect juxtaposition of tender masculinity. Seriously, was everything
perfect about this man? “ Come
on. We ’ ve
got some shopping to do. ”
***
“ I like those ones. ” I nodded my head excitedly, and then
tried to slow it down so I didn ’ t
look like a puppy about to go for a walk. If I had a tail, I ’ d certainly be wagging it, too.
“ You said that about the last four. ”
“ Because I liked those. ” I did. I liked everything Leo had
tried on. And I liked the thought of what he looked like in between trying
those things on even more.
“ You ’ re really not much help, you know
that? ” He stood facing the mirror with his chin tilted as he examined the jeans slung
low on his hips. They were faded in all the right places and hugged his backside
just enough that they didn ’ t
appear tight, but looked as though they were made specifically for his lean,
muscular body.
“ I warned you I wouldn ’ t be. And to be honest, I don ’ t really think you need my help here. ”
“ Yes, ” he said, his voice stern, but not at
all rude, just authoritative. “ I
do. I ’ ve
never bought a pair of jeans before. ”
How
that was possible, I had no idea. Everyone wore jeans. Hell, I even saw a baby
sporting a pair of jeggings last week during my morning walk. Jeans were
standard attire for anyone that lived on the planet. Instead of wrapping you up
in a knit blanket at the hospital when you were born, they should just throw a
pair of jeans on you, because you ’ d
end up spending about 78% of the rest of your life in them. I still hadn ’ t figured out if Leo actually resided
full time in New York or in Italy, but regardless, he was from planet earth,
and therefore, wore jeans. I, on the other hand, felt like I ’ d been floating somewhere out in
space all morning as I watched him slip in and out behind his dressing room
curtain. I could wear whatever I wanted, a spacesuit being the more appropriate
choice.
“ You ’ ve never purchased a pair of jeans? ”
“ No. ” He shoved his hands in the front
pockets to gain a feel for the stretch and give of them. “ My mom did all of my shopping growing
up. And I have a personal tailor that comes to the office to fit me for my
suits now. This is all new to me. ”
“ Maybe you should ask your mom ’ s opinion on these then, ” I teased, waving a dismissive hand
in the air.
“ There are a lot of things I ’ d like to ask my mom, but I don ’ t think her opinion on pants would
make the cut. ” Leo ’ s
eyes locked with mine as he twisted around to face me. They were softer than
usual, and the dip at the corners made him look like a little boy who ’ d just been told there was no Santa. “ My mom passed almost ten years ago. ”
My
hand flew to my mouth. “ Oh
God, Leo. I ’ m
so sorry. ”
He
forced a light laugh with an endearing smile attached to it and said, “ You say you ’ re sorry like you had something to do
with it, Julie. ” Stepping toward me, he ran a large hand down his jaw and shook off the bleak
turn in our conversation. “ You
like these? They don ’ t
make my butt look big? ”
Well
of course by saying that, he pretty much just glued my eyes to his
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