Free Wanted: One Ghost by Loni Lynne Page B

the store, taking him by the arm to keep him from stopping and ogling. He was too busy gawking at all the items to be paying attention to where he needed to be. The smattering of early morning shoppers stared at him as he touched and fondled everything he came across. He didn’t seem to find their looks daunting at all. He stopped from time to time, doffing his tricorne and greeting people as they stared at his costume.
    “What size do you wear?” April asked as she took in the shelves of jeans.
    “Size? I had my clothing tailored to fit.” Shrugging, James went back to touching the material of a half-zippered fleece pullover. “Soft. This would be warm.”
    “Do you like it?” Smiling she held up a pair of jeans to his waist, measuring length and width. He took the pants from her hands and examined them.
    “These are like the ones you wear.”
    “Kind of. They’re called blue jeans. They were created back in the late 1800’s by a man known as Levi Strauss. He made them for the men out in the western states during the gold rush.” She trailed off in her explanation when James studied her with interest as if one of her students settling in for a history lesson. His cocky grin left her feeling flushed. She didn’t want to feel like a history teacher right now. “I’ll explain later. They’re comfortable and modern. They can also be used for casual dress or more semi-formal. I think a pair of jeans or two and a pair of black dress slacks will suffice for now.”
    She found a couple of pairs for him to try on in close sizes and pushed him in the direction of the dressing rooms, along with a couple of dress shirts and sport shirts.
    He stopped short as he held out the jeans, pointing to the zigzagged enclosure down the middle. “What is this?”
    Oops, she forgot. They didn’t have zippers in his day. “It’s a zipper. It’s used as an enclosure for clothing. You pull up on the little copper tab after you put the pants on.” April bit her lip. “Be sure you have everything out of the way first.” She cleared her throat nervously.
    She never thought something as mundane as a zipper could make her uncomfortable but thinking of where the zipper would be touching left her fantasizing about the man history had insisted was a ‘ladies man.’ What was it about him boasted the image, other than his dark good looks and charm?
    James’s brow quirked but he smiled teasingly as he disappeared into the dressing room.
    Yeah, just don’t zip your dick up. I hear its hell bringing it back down. And I’m not going to be the one to do it.
    A few minutes later, James modeled the clothing for her.
    “How do the jeans feel?”
    “It would seem they are a bit uncomfortable if they constantly rub against me. Wouldn’t I break out in a rash?”
    Didn’t he wear linen drawers?
    “I prefer to be au naturel,” he remarked as if sensing her confusion. “It’s easier for the ladies…”
    “Here.” She cut him off, tossing a package of cotton briefs to him. “Try these. I would hate to have you chafe.” And no, she didn’t want to hear why it had been easier for the ladies! The grin on his face told her he was one big tease. Should she expect anything less from the James Addison? She tossed a couple more packages of briefs into their shopping cart.
    With a full wardrobe of pants and shirts for any occasion, and even a winter coat, James was set for however long he might be staying. They purchased enough toiletries to get him through for a while and went to check out. Anything else, they could figure out and come back later. April realized what time it was and how exhausted she should be.
    James pointed to the advertisement of a young boy enjoying a soft-serve ice cream cone as they passed the small ice cream store inside the Super Mart. “What is that?”
    “Ice cream,” April replied. She could eat ice cream any time of the year. “Frozen milk or cream, served in a crunchy, cake-like shell. Would you like to try