Free Dead Alert by Bianca D' Arc

brightly colored fabric over her arm. It was a dress that didn’t have much of a waist. It would work really well for a pregnant woman. The fabric floated downward from an ornate neckline and was light as a feather. Some sort of gauzy cotton fabric that was dyed with bold orange and red flower patterns.
    “I think we have a winner.” He picked up the dress and folded it over his arm.
    He hadn’t intended to mix personal shopping with business but he figured he was killing two birds with one stone. He really did need presents for his sisters and if helping him shop drew him closer to Emily, it would help his mission considerably.
    Plus the smile on Emily’s face made his guts clench in a mix of pleasure and dread. He was falling fast for the pretty pilot. That hadn’t been part of the program but he would have to deal with things as they came at him. He’d always been quick on his feet. He’d just have to figure a way to handle the attraction that sparked between them whenever they were together.
    “How about this for Amy?” Emily lifted a delicate pink shawl from one of the tables and held it out in front of him, displaying the fabric. It was thicker than the dress and even softer.
    “What’s it made of?”
    “Raw silk.”
    “Fancy.” He took the shawl out of her hands and added it to the growing pile on his arm. “She’ll like that. Now, what do you want as a reward for helping me? How about that blue number over there? You’d look killer in it.” His gaze moved to a form fitting Chinese brocade dress displayed on a mannequin, then back to her. He’d noted the way she eyed the silk dress when they’d walked in.
    “No, I don’t want anything for helping you.”
    “At least let me buy you lunch.”
    “We’re on an expense account. The company is paying for our lunch.” She rolled her eyes at him.
    “Can’t blame a guy for trying. Come on, I saw the way you were looking at that blue dress.”
    “It wasn’t the blue dress,” she caved in, moving toward the rack of dresses like a bear to honey. “Though the blue one is pretty.” She looked through the hangers checking sizes until she found the one she wanted. “This is the one I was looking at.” She pulled it from the rack and held it in front of her as she looked into the mirror a few feet away. She was totally entranced by the floaty black dress.
    It was the typical little black dress most women wore but with a Bohemian twist. The skirt was short and flirty, made of whisper thin fabric and the top part would hug Emily’s curves like a lover.
    Damn. Sam wanted to see her in that dress. He wanted it bad.
    And then he wanted to see her out of it. Doing the things he’d done with her in his dreams last night. All of them. All night long.
    Sam cleared his throat around the lump that had formed there, moving the bundle of fabric over his arm so that it hid his rather blatant reaction to those provocative thoughts. Luckily Emily was still totally absorbed by the dress, looking at it with longing in the mirror.
    Then she glanced at the price tag and her expression fell.
    “Well, there goes that. Too rich for my pocketbook.” She put it back on the rack, but not before Sam peeked at the size. She seemed to lose interest in the store then, a sad little crinkle at the corners of her eyes.
    He didn’t quite understand. If she was the sole heir to her mother’s stock in the airline, why didn’t she have enough money to buy a dress? Furthermore, she was a fully employed pilot with years of seniority in an airline her mother had founded. Where was her cash? Was she just thrifty or was there some other reason?
    Suddenly, he wanted to shower her in gifts. He wanted to spend some of the money he had socked away for a rainy day on her. It didn’t make sense, but there it was.
    “Why don’t you go on ahead while I pay for these,” he suggested. “Snag me a couple of those shepherd’s pies you were telling me about. Extra onions.”
    She seemed