Chapter 4: Brett's hands linger too long on Ashleigh's hips as he 'inspects' the fit of her new bikini, his breath hitching when the scrap of fabric reveals more than either expected.
The chill of the boutique’s air kissed Ashleigh’s skin as she stood before the three-way mirror, the scent of new fabric and expensive perfume doing nothing to settle the low tremor in her stomach. Brett’s reflection watched her, his architect’s eye clinically assessing the cut of the crimson fabric. “The support’s all wrong across the back,” he murmured, his voice a practical rumble that belonged in a boardroom, not here.
His fingers, cool and deft, brushed against her spine as he tugged a stray strap. The contact was brief, surgical. Ashleigh held her breath. “Better?” he asked, stepping back, but his gaze remained fixed, not on the adjustment, but on the way the minuscule triangles strained against her full breasts. A flush crept up her neck. “It’s just for lying by the pool, Dad. Not a structural engineering project.”
He didn’t smile. “Presentation matters, sweetheart.” He moved to the rack, selecting a final piece—a bottom so narrow it was a whisper of red lycra. “Try this with it.” The thong felt alien in her hand, a slick, weightless promise. Behind the curtain, the quiet snick of the latch sounded thunderous. She stepped into it, the fabric a tight, shocking line against her shaven skin, framing the full curves of her hips and rear.
When she pushed the curtain back, his quiet inhale was the only sound. He didn’t speak for a long moment, just looked, his expression unreadable. The chill in the air suddenly felt acute on her exposed skin. “Well?” Her voice was tighter than she intended.
“It’s the one,” he finally said, his tone devoid of its usual humor, strangely flat. He reached for his wallet, his movements deliberate. “Your mother would hate it.” The comment hung between them, a sharp, knowing blade. Ashleigh met his eyes in the glass, and in them, she saw none of the playful flirtation he’d shown those girls by the pool, but something else, darker and more confusing, a silent transaction now complete.