Page 22 of Forever a Thief

“Oh, that’s pretty!” Delaney declares.

“I think I found the perfect dress—for Savannah!” Brighton pulls a royal blue gown off the rack and spins around to show us. It’s slim-fitting, and covered in delicate beadwork and blue, green and gold peacock feathers. “It’ll go fabulous with your hair and eyes.”

“A peacock for the peacock,” Delaney says, and they crack up laughing.

“You think Laurent is a peacock?” I reach for the gorgeous dress and run a hand over the exquisite design-work. Wow. It’s spectacular.

“Well, he is rather showy…” Addie states.

“And arrogant…” Delaney adds.

“And he does strut around you,” Brighton finishes. More laughter erupts, and I’m not sure how I feel about their observations. I mean, he might come off a little…well, a tad snobbish. But that’s only because he likes nice things. And who doesn’t?

“That’s not exactly true.” The urge to stick up for my peacock turns me into a protective mother hen. He did save my life, so he deserves my respect.

“Oh, c’mon,” Delaney scoffs. “Have you ever met a more self-centered man than Laurent? He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“He saved my life.” Although I say the words low and soft, the reaction I get from the women couldn’t be louder.

“You said he pulled you out of the burning restaurant.” Addie’s eyes narrow. “Playing the hero isn’t typical of Laurent.”

Funny, he said the same thing to me.

“Luckily, I had just stepped outside,” I tell them, “but I ran back in and grabbed the fire extinguisher. It was stupid of me, but I thought I could put the flames out. But it was much bigger than I realized. Before I knew what was happening, Laurent had run inside. He ran right toward the flames, scooped me up and carried me out. If he hadn’t…” A shudder runs through me. “Suffice it to say, I’m not sure I’d be here.”

“Mon dieu,” Brighton gasps, clapping a hand over her heart.

“Oh, Savannah, I’m so sorry.” Addie gives me a hug. “Ryland told me how much Charlie’s Place means to you. But your life is so much more important.”

“You can rebuild,” Brighton states optimistically, patting my arm.

Delaney nods, offering me a thoughtful look. “Maybe I misjudged our peacock and there actually is a heart buried beneath his designer suit.”

“I definitely saw a glimpse of it,” I assure them.

“Have you glimpsed anything else?” Brighton asks, turning cagey and batting her lashes at me.

My eyes go wide. “What? No!” I shift from one foot to the other. “I mean, I might’ve seen him shirtless. And then washed his arms and back—”

“You what?” Addie bursts out.

“He couldn’t reach,” I shoot back defensively as they all exchange knowing looks. “Don’t forget, he got stabbed. I was just…helping.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Sounds like you helped yourself to an eyeful.” Delaney chuckles.

“Did you see anything you liked?” Brighton asks suggestively.

“Oh, my God!” My cheeks heat up. “You guys are terrible.”

“Hmmm.” Addie is studying me so closely, I can’t help but squirm like a bug under a microscope. “You might be exactly what the infamous Laurent needs.”

I’m not exactly sure what she means, but I’m done with this conversation. If they discover the truth—how truly attracted to him I actually am—I’ll never hear the end of it.

“I’m going to try this on,” I announce and spin away to head toward the dressing rooms. Because I have a feeling my preening peacock will approve of the royal blue gown.

Approve is definitely an understatement. We all meet at the A-Squared office, and the moment Laurent sees me, there’s no missing the fire licking at his irises. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he wants to strip me of my feathered gown and skip the party.

“You look ravishing, chérie.” His lips brush the shell of my ear as he whispers the compliment, taking hold of my elbow and leading me away from the others.