Player's Princess (A Royal Sports Romance)(51)

I turn beet-red and rush back into the dressing room, where I change back into my original outfit.

When I emerge, I carry all the clothes to the clerk and buy them.

Jason takes the bags with a small sigh, but waves me away when I try to carry them myself.

We continue working through the mall.

I spot a store that sells underwear. My face reddens just from looking at the mannequins. They're quite lewd, and they all have such ridiculous big breasts. I eye the store, my stomach fluttering.

"Will you wait outside for me?"

"Yeah, they'll get mad if you give me a fashion show in there."

I grin and run inside, slowing when I see the breadth of the selection. There is so much, and I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Usually I choose something practical, but I want something Jason will want to see me wear.

"Excuse me, miss?" I ask one of the employees. "I need thongs. Do you have those?"

She gives me a quizzical look. "Yes. Ah, this way."

Jason seemed to like the idea of black silk, so I find some of those in my size and carry them with me while I shop.

I spot what I'm looking for, though I didn't know what it was until I saw it. It's black, lacy, and there is not much of it.

"May I try this on?" I ask the clerk.

"Sure, honey."

I hurry back to the changing rooms and strip out of my clothes to put it on. When I turn around and look at myself in the mirror, I gasp and start to turn red. My heart pounds at just the idea of Jason seeing me in this.

I quickly remove it and change back, and rush to the register to pay for it.

Making sure it's tucked in the bag so he won't see it, I hand the bag to him.

"All that to buy one thing?"

"Yes. Don't look."

"I won't. Uh, why?"

I grin. "It is a surprise."

He smiles, slowly.

"So what did you think of the mall?"

"I love it," I shout. "This will be a lot to carry on the bus."

"We'll Uber back to campus."

"What is an oo-ber?"

He gives me a funny look and just laughs while he plays with his phone.

"How are you going to get this stuff back in your house? I don't think you can carry it in the window."

I look at the purchases and frown. "We are not done, are we? It is only just afternoon."

"No, we're not done. I'll get us a ride back to my place."

A car pulls up, and Jason opens the door for me. I sit inside while he puts the things I bought in the trunk, and then he gets in with me and pulls me across the seat so I sit close with him.

"This whole place is completely strange to you, isn't it?"

I nod.

"You need to see more than a mall. This was so cheesy. We'll do other stuff, I swear."

The ride back is much faster than a bus trip. Back at the house, Jason rushes me inside before carrying all the bags in from the sidewalk.

"The brothers must be out. Hey, let's put this together."

He fishes out the first thing we bought, the building set.

Together, we sit on the couch in the front room. I start sorting the pieces first, putting like with like. It makes a series of piles that cover the whole table. Jason drags the table closer to the couch, and I hunch over it, rubbing shoulders with him as we read the directions.

"You're adorable when you concentrate," he says.

"Mmm-hmm," I reply, engrossed in the project.

The directions take some getting used to. It's all pictures, and I have to count the studs on the bricks. Jason helps, and we pass the pieces back and forth and slowly start building a castle from the bricks.

When the little drawbridge goes up and down, I swell with excitement and pride.

"Ana?" Jason says casually. "Have you, um, never done this before?"

"No. I never had any toys or dolls. I should buy some dolls. Do women buy dolls? I do not wish to be silly."

"I don't care if you buy dolls. It's not silly to me."

I grow bold, though my voice wavers. "I do not want a doll. I want a kiss."

Jason gives me one, softly on the lips. I kiss him back, and warmth spreads through my body. His big fingers gently pinch the tab on the zipper of my stolen hoodie, and he tugs it down, and spreads the garment open. He puts his hands up under the fabric, up my sides, and pulls me on top of him as he falls on his back.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know. You're warm."

"Am I?" I say, and touch his cheeks.

He yelps, and jerks under me.

"Your hands are cold."

I smile at him and tug his shirt loose from his jeans, and run my hands up his chest. He shivers from the chill, but he's so warm to the touch I can't believe he's cold.

"You like being cold," he murmurs.

"What makes you say so?"

"You don't wear a lot of heavy clothes in the winter. You go running in just a shirt and warmup pants."

"You've been watching me run."

"Princess, I have something terrible to tell you."

"Tell me. Then I'll get angry and show you how cold my feet are."

"I've wanted you since the first time I saw you."