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A short and skimpy one. “I’m not the best person to ask. I wear the same thing every day.”
She put it back. “I bet it makes things easier, though.”
“It does.” I followed her around a rack of glittery tops. “I’ve always worn uniforms.”
“Military?” She stopped with a hanger in her hand, looking back at me with curiosity. Had I not told her about my past at all? We hadn’t spoken much, period, at least one on one. We all chatted as we played games in the evenings or watched a movie together, but I rarely offered information about myself.
“Yeah, the Navy. The SEALs. And I went to a military academy for high school.” I tucked my hands into my pockets, scanning the crowds passing by outside. “Uniforms are very convenient. Orderly.”
“You never tired of wearing the same thing?” she asked, picking up a leather jacket. She studied it before peeling off her own coat to try it on. I took her coat for her. “I had to wear a uniform for high school, and I kind of hated it. I did as much as I could to accessorize while staying in uniform.”
“No, I never did.” I tried to think of ‘accessorizing’ my uniforms and nearly laughed. “I was never the fashionable type.”
“What’s your favorite thing to wear when you’re not working, then?” Her tone was equal parts flirtatious and genuinely curious. The flirtatious half of it made blood rush toward my cock, while the curious part made that inconvenient flutter appear in my stomach.
“Just t-shirts. Sweatpants. Jeans. The stuff you’ve seen.” I shrugged. “I work most of the time, anyway, so it’s not like I need to think about it.”
“Hm.” She nodded, cocking her head to the side. I liked the way her brown eyes brightened as she studied me, taking in my words carefully and understanding them. “Sometimes I wonder about that. About how much you all work.”
“We’re compensated very fairly.”
“But it’s not everything.” She slid the leather jacket on and wandered over to a mirror to check how it looked. “What about time with your family? Or friends?”
The idea of willingly spending time with my family was laughable.
“My mother has always been distant, and my father passed away. I was an only child growing up. I’m used to my solitude.” I explained.
“I’m sorry,” Taylor said, turning from the mirror to look me directly in the eyes to show her sincerity.
“Don’t be. I’ve created my own family. My only real friends are Cody and Harrison.”
“Do you miss him? Your dad?” She wasn’t going to let this go, and for some reason, I wanted her to know more about me.
“I don’t. We were never close, and nothing I did was ever good enough for him. I wish he would have lived longer, so maybe we could have healed the relationship. But I don’t miss him. He wasn’t a good father,” I told her.
“I’m sorry you don’t have fond memories of him. The memories of my father are all I have to hold on to. I miss him so much.” Her eyes filled with tears, but she turned back toward the mirror in a futile effort to hide her feelings.
I walked toward her and took her hand in an effort to comfort her. I wanted to take away all the pain that plagued her.
She squeezed my hand, and then lifted it to her mouth to kiss my palm. It was such an intimate gesture—one that I didn’t expect. The warmth of her lips against my skin made my breath stop. I had to remind myself to inhale and exhale for the next few breaths.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and I moved my palm to her cheek, brushing away a tear with my thumb.
She gave her head a quick shake and smiled before using her hands to smooth down the leather jacket she had tried on.
I looked at her reflection as she gazed at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t her style—hers was very light and feminine—but it still looked good on her. Everything did. “It looks nice. The jacket.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll get it.” She pulled the jacket off, and I handed her coat back to her.
She went to the front and paid. While the man working there carefully packed up her new jacket, she turned back to me.
“So, you, Cody, and Harrison are close?” She smiled. “That’s adorable.”
I nearly laughed. “Adorable? I don’t think that’s the right word.”
“No, it totally is.” She grinned. “Best friends, working together.”
Something passed through her eyes that I didn’t have a name for, but her smile returned. She thanked the clerk, and we walked toward the exit. I checked in with Harrison and Cody before walking Taylor to the next shop over. This shop was much bigger, the music loud and pulsing. All the clothes were absurdly bright and feminine, much more of what I thought of when I saw her.
