a pair of red bottoms, ridiculously tall, sexy ones I can barely walk in. I bend, my hand hovering over both pairs.
The reason for my indecision? Lucas hates it when I wear heels. I’m five foot six, barefoot, so add in the heels, and that takes me to five-nine—only one inch shorter than my ex-fiancé. He loathed it and always said he preferred it when I looked smaller and daintier. Obviously, it was an ego thing, and he didn’t like me almost being his height. But for eight years, I only wore flats or a tiny heel to please him. Since we split, not only have I stocked my wardrobe with belly tops, but also some tall heels that make me feel good about myself. Confidence comes anyplace you find it, and mine is found in a pair of killer heels.
I look back at myself in the mirror, my mind whirling. As the doorbell rings and I hear Aubrey shout that she’ll get it, I reach down and grab the stilettos. Sod it. Theo is so tall that even in these heels, I’ll barely come up past his chin. He always makes me feel small and dainty anyway. Screw Lucas. The whole point of tonight is, I’m supposed to be showing him that I’ve moved on and make him die with jealousy.
I sit on the bed and put them on, fastening the straps around my ankles, taking deep breaths to try and calm my nerves. I can hear Theo in the hallway, talking to Aubrey, and the sound of his voice makes me smile. I’ve missed him all week. Talking to him on FaceTime hasn’t taken the edge off. I can’t wait to see him again.
Deciding to forgo a handbag so I don’t have to carry it all night, I shove my bank card into the back of my phone case and find my lipstick before heading out of the room. Theo has his back to me.
Aubrey sees me though, and her eyes go wide. “Damn, girl, if you were on a red carpet, you’d even give Blake Lively a run for her money.”
I chuckle, but my eyes are firmly on Theo’s back. As he turns, my breath catches. He’s in a black suit and a crisp white shirt, which he’s left unbuttoned at the throat so a tiny sliver of tanned chest peeks out from the top. It fits him to perfection, and I feel a little internal swoon threaten to break free. I gulp as my desire for him makes my palms sweaty.
Damn. Panty-melt central. Clean-up on aisle two!
Theo’s eyebrows shoot up as he sees me. He raises his hands and laces his fingers together behind his head, blowing out a big breath, his eyes going wide. “Fuck,” he growls.
I can honestly say that in all the years Lucas and I were together, there was never a moment in our relationship when I looked at Lucas and thought about pinning him down to the floor and ravaging him until we both passed out. I fancied him; don’t get me wrong. He’s a good-looking man, and he has a commanding presence about him that not only makes him a great businessman, but also gives him that attractive, masterful edge (just ask his personal trainer).
But Theo …
I sigh dreamily and step closer to him. “Jeez, you look so handsome.”
Unable to control myself, I reach out and touch the lapel of his jacket, smoothing down his shirt as an excuse to feel the hardness of his chest against my fingertips. He smells intoxicating and edible. I want to lean in and press my face into the side of his neck, inhale so deeply that my lungs burst. My head is fuzzy with desire.
“You should model. I could arrange a photoshoot for you; we could put you on some book covers. They’d be instant bestsellers.”
They’d sell a million copies if he were on the cover. I’d snap one up without reading the blurb just so I could have it on my bedside cabinet and it be the last thing I saw before I went to sleep.
Theo doesn’t smile at my suggestion. In fact, he doesn’t even look like he heard me as he drags his eyes down my body—from the top of my head to the tips of my shoes and back again. When his eyes meet mine, his pupils are blown.
“Lucie …” He huffs out another breath, and I chew on my lip, waiting to see if he suggests I change,