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“Yep,” she said, lowering the hat on her head. She took a step toward the jeans and he swallowed the lump in his throat.
So, she was dating someone. Who?
He shook his head. What was he doing? Why was he wondering that? It was none of his business. Dani could date anyone she wanted. He wasn’t interested like that, so what did it matter?
She pulled a pair of jeans off the shelf and shook them to unfold them. Then she put them against her legs. “Do these look terrible?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Are you sure they’re okay? They won’t make me look fat?” She looked down at the pair of jeans she had been holding against her.
Austin didn’t have any sisters, but he knew better than to tell a woman she looked fat. Besides, Dani was far from overweight. If anything, she could stand to gain a little. “Not at all. I don’t think anything you could wear would make you look fat. You’re super thin.”
She frowned. “Are you saying I’m too skinny?”
Oh, no. He hadn’t wanted to say anything of the sort. Why was he putting his foot in his mouth? He reached out and took her arm, pulling her to him. “Hey, I didn’t mean that. You’re perfect.”
She stared up at him, and he realized that he’d pulled her quite close to him. He hadn’t meant to do that. His fingers grew warm where he touched her skin, and he dropped his hand.
She blinked, then took a step back. “It’s okay.” She tossed the jeans into the cart. “I think these will work.”
They didn’t speak for a few minutes while Dani found several other things to put in the cart. For some odd reason, Austin had a difficult time concentrating on shopping. All he could think about was how it felt to have Dani pressed up against him in the clothing section of SaleMart, which was completely stupid. She’d just told him she was taken. If that wasn’t a massive red stop sign, he didn’t know what was.
Still, his heart didn’t get the message because it continued to thump in his chest so loud, he was afraid she could hear it.
“I’m going to be over that way,” he said, pointing.
She nodded. “Sure.”
He wandered off so he could look down another aisle. He needed to get his head on straight. Plus, he knew he needed to grab something, he just couldn’t remember what it was. If he wandered around a bit, maybe he would remember. And that would give him time to get his heart under control.
Chapter 11
Dani tugged the hat lower on her head, her stomach doing that stupid fluttering thing again. Why did Austin have to be so sexy in his white T-shirt and jeans? He looked like a cowboy, or a linebacker or something. He definitely had the muscles for either one. And they were making her a bit crazy.
She wasn’t sure why she’d told him she was taken other than it seemed like a good idea at the time. She was starting to get that kind of vibe from him, the one that told her he was starting to like her. And that wasn’t a good idea.
Not that she wouldn’t date a maintenance man. It had nothing to do with him not being famous. In fact, if she ever did decide to have a relationship again, it would be with someone unknown. She was done with all the rich players who just used her for her fame.
No, it was more about her emotional state right now. She wasn’t ready to put her heart out on the line again. She’d been hurt too much, and Rafael Scavo had ripped whatever shreds of her heart she had left to pieces. It was going to take more than a couple of weeks to get over it. Besides, Austin was being way too nice to her, and she had no idea why. He had to want something. She just hadn’t figured it out yet.
But still, she felt bad for lying to Austin. He seemed like a nice guy. He looked like he was trying to put out a feeler, and she shot him down. As soon as she told him she was taken, the guilt had risen in her throat. She wasn’t great at lying. She always felt guilty and ended up spilling the truth later anyway.
She pushed the cart toward the makeup section. It was cheap stuff, but at least she could get a bit of eye shadow and mascara. She’d order more of her usual stuff after her father came around. She pulled out her phone, to see if he’d messaged her, and bit back the disappointment when nothing had come through.
Maybe he hadn’t gotten her last message. She’d try again tonight, after Austin helped get her situated into her new room. He’d found one, right? She’d forgotten to ask. Hopefully not all of the resorts were as booked up as the Billionaire Club.
Austin joined her as she walked toward the checkout lines. He took the cart from her. “I can meet you outside if you don’t want to stand in line.”
He seemed to be acting funny. She took the cart back. “No, I don’t mind staying with you.”
He motioned toward the door. “It’s fine. You’ll like the fresh air outside. Let me check out.”
She peered at him, her suspicion growing. Why was he being like that? He awkwardly pushed the cart forward with one hand as the line moved. She stepped to the side. “What do you have behind your back?”
“Nothing.”
He was lying. She could see something in his hand. What was he hiding? She gave him a flat look. “Why are you lying?”
