Since I Saw You (Because You Are Mine #4)(71)

She moved restlessly in her high heels, uncomfortable at the topic. How could she answer him when she wasn’t sure of the answer herself? Jason’s attempts at convincing her tonight had bothered her in part because there was some truth to what he’d said. Ian’s life and priorities had changed since he’d met Francesca, and so would his business as a result. She’d changed. She wasn’t sure where she belonged anymore.

“I didn’t say that. Who knows what the future may bring?” she replied uneasily.

“Indeed.”

“Why are you so curious?” Lin wondered suddenly.

“Curiosity is one of the palest of my emotions when it comes to you.”

She felt her cheeks heating. Had he really just said that? He started to get Angus’s leash but paused. “Speaking of bolder emotions,” he said dryly, “I bought something for you today at this . . . unusual little boutique I found while I was walking Angus.”

“You did? Unusual, you say?” Lin asked, the tension brought on by their former topic of conversation breaking. She smiled.

“Maybe it’s not unusual. I haven’t lived in a city for years, so what do I know? It was a nice surprise, though. At least it was for me. Maybe you won’t think so.”

“You have to show it to me now,” she prodded softly. “I’m dying of curiosity.”

His nostrils flared slightly as he regarded her, coming to a decision. “Okay.”

He disappeared down the hallway. When he returned a moment later he carried a good-sized shopping bag. Her eyes widened when she saw the single black letter on the bag. It was a new boutique that had opened downtown. She’d read about it in Chicago magazine, but hadn’t yet been there. The boutique specialized in luxurious lingerie, tasteful sex toys, and specially designed jewelry, some of it for everyday glamour, some of it with light bondage or other sexual practices in mind. The boutique might have a racy edge to it, but it carried the highest-quality merchandise and catered to an affluent clientele. Every time the owner was interviewed, he teasingly gave a different word from where the E was derived. So far, Lin had read envy, exquisite, and erotic. It had been a genius marketing ploy, because of course the mind automatically searched for other possible meanings.

She stared at Kam wide-eyed. “You just strolled into E while you were on a walk with Angus this afternoon, did you?” she asked, a smile pulling at her lips.

He arched his dark eyebrows in a droll expression. “You think that’s odd?”

She shook her head and laughed softly. “I’m growing used to you. I’m beginning to think there’s nothing you either haven’t done or wouldn’t, once you decided you wanted to. The way you told off Jason tonight when he was being so uppity about the opera. Your strolling into the hottest, most risqué boutique in the city; those and a thousand other things, will serve as my lessons to never be too cocky about getting you, Kam Reardon.”

He gave her a one-sided grin and stepped toward her, holding out the bag. “I insinuated I didn’t like opening night, which is true. Too crowded. But I actually do like the opera. I used to go in London pretty regularly.”

“I figured. Did you used to go with Diana?” she asked, holding his gaze as she accepted the bag.

He nodded. “I think she was thrilled when she found something that I actually liked that suited her lifestyle.”

“But you were just being honest about a discovered passion, weren’t you?” Lin asked, studying his face. He shrugged. She smiled, loving his insouciance, his laconism . . . the fact that he was the most fascinating man she knew and yet hardly ever talked about himself. She loved him period.

“What’s wrong?” Kam asked, his gaze narrowing on her.

Lin willed herself to recover from her automatic, incendiary thought. She hadn’t meant she loved him loved him. Just that she adored his character. His honesty. His rugged good looks. And the way he made her scream in a frenzy of need in bed . . .

She cleared her throat and held up the bag.

“May I?”

“Please do,” he replied.

She set the bag on an end table. The first thing she drew out was an exquisite black silk, short gown with lace at the breast. “Oh, it’s gorgeous, thank you,” she whispered, running her fingertips over the detailed lacework and held up the fluid, soft silk against her cheek. She glanced at Kam. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes and the small smile he wore made her heart beat faster.

She withdrew two packages tightly wrapped in tissue. “Just open the smaller one for now,” Kam said gruffly. “The other one is just the hardware.”

Her brows lifted at that. She fleetly unwrapped the package. “Oh,” she murmured when she saw the four black leather straps with sturdy platinum buckles and small hoops and hooks attached. The cuffs were finely made and sturdy. Despite their obvious sexual intent, the bands were attractive—almost like edgy jewelry. She looked at Kam, her mouth hanging open, her pulse beginning to throb at her throat.

“They reminded me of when you were wearing those black leather high heels the other day,” he explained quietly. She stared at him in blank incomprehension. “The ones with the thick leather strap that buckled around your ankles? In Ian’s office? I was getting hard just looking at them. I was trying to figure out why the sight turned me on so much. It was something about the contrast. Thick leather against silk. You’re so delicate, and your skin is flawless. I wouldn’t have thought ‘leather’ for you, but there you have it,” he finished a little sheepishly. “The boutique has a really talented artist—Jarvis Cooper—who hand makes all the jewelry, including the watches. I talked to him for a while and he showed me his workshop. When he showed me these, I thought of you.”