Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(31)
As great as Nick was though, he didn’t make her heart beat fast when he entered a room or make her palms sweat or her thighs tremble when she heard his voice on the phone. He might be as gorgeous in looks as his brother, but for all of the attraction he held for her, he might as well be her brother, too. Gray turned her on more from thousands of miles away than his brother would have walking through the bedroom naked. It just wasn’t there for her.
~~~
Soon the three amigos, as Suzy had taken to calling them, arrived at Broadway at the Beach. This was a shopping area of Myrtle Beach that she really loved. Dozens of shops and restaurants were built around a lake, and large bridges at each end allowed you to cross to the shops on the other side of the lake. The development also contained a movie theater, putt-putt course and an aquarium. She and Beth often came here on the weekend to spend a day relaxing.
Nick had dropped them off at the curb so that she wouldn’t have to walk so far on her crutches. They stood at the railing that surrounded the lake laughing at all of the fish that bobbed their heads from the water hoping to be fed. Beth took mercy on them and walked over to one of the feed dispensers that were located around the lake. The fish were soon in a frenzy, fighting for the food Beth was tossing in. Nick walked up beside them laughing at a small fish that was determined to beat his bigger brothers and sisters to the rest of the snack.
As the last of the fish swam away, they all took off at a slow pace careful to give her plenty of time to maneuver her crutches on the walkway. When they reached Victoria’s Secret, Suzy turned to Nick with an amused look on her face. “So comrade, does the all for one and one for all thing still apply when we are underwear shopping or do you need to sit out front with those retired gentlemen over there?”
Nick threw back his head and laughed. “Honey, Victoria doesn’t have a secret left that I haven’t seen. I’ll not only accompany you ladies in, I’ll help you pick out some stuff if you like.”
Suzy saw Beth clench her teeth, clearly not impressed with Nick’s offer to help. Suzy, however, was amused and intended to see if there was anything the store had to offer that would embarrass him. She had to draw the line, however, at letting him help her pick anything out. Somehow it seemed really wrong to let Nick see what she was buying to wear for his brother.
Nick started off admiring the displays in the store and then led them over to a see their new selection of micro-thongs. He held up a small black pair to Beth, saying, “Hey princess, what’d you think? Maybe a nice push-up bra to match? You can look for your size in the bra and I can look in the thongs,” Nick offered helpfully. As Beth’s mouth opened and closed like a guppy fish, Suzy took her chance and left them to their argument in the underwear aisle while she moved on her crutches towards the other side of the store where the nighties were displayed.
She looked wistfully at the displays showing the bustier with garters and stockings. There was no way she could pull that off with a cast. After browsing for a few moments, she found what she was looking for. It was simple, yet oh so sexy. She held up a black lace baby-doll top that would tie in the center of her br**sts while the sides fluttered open to reveal her stomach and matching G-string panties.
She was grateful to see that Nick and Beth had moved on from the underwear aisle so she could go back there and pick up a few new sets for herself. She cringed when she looked towards the back of the store and saw Nick holding up a red corset and Beth looking at him like he’d just grown horns. Those two were something else. She wondered how Gray had talked Jason into letting Nick be her babysitter while he was away. She knew that Nick worked at home a lot in the evenings and he was at the office as long as Beth was with her. Apparently Gray had been firm on Nick not traveling until he returned home.
Suzy was surprised to see Beth bring some items of her own to the register beside her. Beth’s face turned red as she noticed Suzy studying her purchases. She decided to walk away and give her some privacy. If her sister was finally trading in her cotton for silk, there was no way she was going to do anything to discourage her. She intercepted Nick as he was coming towards the check-out and steered him out the door so that Beth could have some privacy.
As Beth walked out of the door, Suzy was surprised by the size of the bag she carried. If there was a moment she’d ever been prouder of her sister, she couldn’t remember it. Could Beth finally be seeing what everyone else already saw? It was at least a good sign because she couldn’t remember the last time Beth had actually bought something from a girly type store. She didn’t want to embarrass her or make her regret her purchases so she kept up a constant stream of chatter to distract Nick and they grabbed a burger at Johnny Rockets before heading back to the house.
~~~
Claire and Jason arrived around seven and Suzy was surprised to hear the doorbell chime again a few moments later. Beth came back in the living room with an attractive woman around their age that Suzy didn’t recognize. This must be the new friend at Danvers that Beth had mentioned making. Claire walked towards them and, ever gracious, threw an arm around the new guest. “Ella, you look beautiful. I’m so glad you could come.”
Suzy only knew one Ella and this wasn’t her. Claire looked at her saying, “Suz, you remember Ella from the office, don’t you?”
As Suzy hobbled over to the trio on her crutches, recognition hit her, and before she could catch herself, she loudly exclaimed, “Holy shit, what happened to you?”