Free Friends and Lovers by Tara Mills Page A

whine at me. This is going to jump start your new look and give us some direction about colors. So just chill, all right?”
    Lauren snatched a magazine off the table and flipped through it irritably. As far as she was concerned, this was completely unnecessary.
    When her name was called they both went back with the stylist, but as Lauren was lost behind the swirling cape Jackie took over, telling the woman exactly what she had in mind while Lauren fought to interject. She was hushed every time. Both women pulled at Lauren’s hair, fluffed it up, and nodded as they came to a mutual understanding that didn’t require Lauren’s input at all.
    An hour and a half later, Lauren looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit, Jackie knew what she was talking about. The cut was soft around her face yet still easy to manage. She could blow-dry and go, which was important to her. How did Jackie know that? The highlights were subtle but flattering and made Lauren feel younger. Not only that, it looked like she spent more time outdoors than she actually did.
    “Tell me you don’t love it,” said Jackie smugly.
    “I can’t. I love it.”
    “ Now we’re ready to shop.”
    * * * *
    They closed down the mall. Lauren had never closed down a mall before. When she dragged herself home she was exhausted, but she still couldn’t resist pulling everything out of the bags to look at what she’d bought. She loved, absolutely loved, the soft linen slacks and matching vest. She had two new flirty skirts and several tops to pair with the skirts or jeans. Then there was lingerie.
    Jackie insisted that rejuvenation begins close to the skin and what gave a woman a confident attitude? Why sexy lingerie, of course! Lauren’s pattern and color choices weren’t exactly what Jackie would have picked and she had found Lauren’s resistance to thong panties downright exasperating, but even Jackie couldn’t deny that the styles were on the right track. Lauren didn’t doubt that in due time Jackie would get her into bolder colors, hot prints, and easy access vamp wear. But for now she seemed content with the fact that baby steps were still steps in the right direction. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
    * * * *
    Saturday came and Lauren checked herself in the mirror at least five times while she waited for Wes. She chose to wear the linen suit to the shower then added her favorite gold earrings and a wide bracelet. She considered a necklace but in the end decided against it. Her neckline plunged enough as it was without drawing more attention to the obvious. Lauren was so tense when the knock finally came that she jumped and dropped her hairbrush.
    Facing the door, she popped up on her toes and strained to see through the peephole. Wes’s wonderful face looked back at her. Lauren slid back the chain, flipped open the deadbolt, turned the lock on the knob, and finally opened the door.
    “Think you’ve got enough locks?” Wes’s teasing chuckle died abruptly with his first glimpse of her.
    The look on his face, not to mention the whoosh of breath that went with it, tickled Lauren and banished her insecurities, but when his blatant stare turned into a visual caress all her amusement drained away. His warm eyes brushed over her like a lover’s touch. It smoothed over her hair, brushed across her cheek ever so subtly, and slid down her throat like warm kisses.
    Lauren’s entire body flared with heat at Wes’s thorough appraisal. She shifted her bare shoulders self-consciously when his gaze lingered on her cleavage. Lauren slowly glanced down herself, wondering just how much he could see from his vantage point. Quite a lot actually. With his height Wes had a very good view of her barely-there lace bra and what it was covering. Deeply embarrassed, Lauren’s hand flew to her chest, cutting off the peep show.
    Too late to plead innocent, Wes laughed instead. “Would it help if I told you how stunning you look?”
    “It’s possible.” The words