We’ve made it to Wednesday. Considering the seven days starting the Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest periods for buying and selling all year long. It’s pretty much a no-brainer that the #1lineWed THEME for today would be **SHOP**. Since I’ve already posted the mall scene from Jen and Wizard’s current WIP, I had to go looking for another scene where shopping plays a part. I found this one, staring one of the Oklahoma Nightriders, Tag. You might remember him as the Wolf who was severely injured in REMEMBER THE NIGHT. He’ll get his own book eventually, and I’m thinking it might be a Christmas novel for next year. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this first meeting with his heroine, who is more than ready to give up retail. 😀

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I stared at him, all ropey muscles, granite jaw—who even said that outside of a romance novel—and those eyes. Oh m’gawd, those eyes. Oh, forget his eyes. I couldn’t take my eyes off his package, and I didn’t mean that package, even though I’d sorta checked it out, but the whole, complete present wrapped in black leather that was him standing there all insolent and full of more testosterone than any male I’d ever come across.

Opening my mouth, I waited. And waited. No words came out, only a sound. “Uhm…”
He arched a brow which only infuriated me.

“Uhm.” Dang it. I was a full-grown woman. Right? Right. Of course I was. I could handle this hunka-hunk-of-burning-love. I pulled together whatever brain cells I had left and pasted a professional smile on my face. Because I was all professional like that. “May I help you?”

A slow grin tweaked the corners of his mouth and I licked my lips. I could almost taste him.

His eyes followed my tongue before rising to meet my gaze. “I have the feeling you just might, darlin’.”

Oh my freaking god. He had a drawl. A real life southern drawl. I swallowed. Hard. Professional, I reminded myself.

“Are you shopping for something in particular, sir?”

He laughed, the sound deep and rumbling, which made the hair stand up on my arms.

“I wasn’t until I saw you. I got the feeling you’re something very particular.” He teased his fingertips down my cheek, his eyes all soft and sexy, his voice matching when he said, “Touching you like this feels so damn right.”

My knees all but buckled. It did. It felt so very right.

His grin crooked and a freaking dimple popped out to punctuate his face. I was a goner. I knew this deep in my very bones.

“My name is Tag.”

“Tag, you’re it.” And he was. I stared at him, pretty sure I looked as dumbfounded and idiotic as I felt. I didn’t believe in soul mates. Or sexy repartee. Or any of that stuff. Men were good for one thing and one thing only—reaching stuff on the top shelf. Tag was tall enough he could reach stuff in the attic.

“Yo, babe?” He didn’t snap his fingers to get my attention but he might as well have.

“Uhm…” So much for professionalism.

“I can call ya babe. Or darlin’. Don’t got a problem with that but I surely would like t’know your name. Since you know mine…”

“Yours?”

“Yeah, you will be.”

Wait! What? That’s not what I meant. “Your what?”

“My whatever you wanna be. What’s your name, darlin’?”

I pointed to my name tag—WINTERS. That was my name. Well, my last name. He leaned over the counter, caught my chin, and kissed me before I could do more than squeak.

“Ms. Winters, what is the meaning of this?”

Uh oh. My stick-up-her-butt boss. Dang it. Tag stiffened and I belatedly realized he wore a leather jacket. With patches. Like biker-type patches. Uh-double-oh-oh.

“I’ll take that one.” He pointed to the priciest gift set, reached in his pocket, and pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills. “And I’ll take you, babe. Tonight.” He winked at me. “Be sure to take that girly stuff home with you. It’s for you.”

He turned and sauntered toward the door. Man, but his butt in those jeans could saunter. I was mesmerized.

“You’re fired, Ms. Winters!” The dragon lady was right beside me, seething.

I could live with that. My purse was under the counter and my paycheck was direct deposit and had already cleared. I grabbed my purse and hopped up on the counter, swinging my legs over. I yelled after him. “Tag! Wait.”

He did.
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The shopping discussion has been on-going across my social media. I promise I’ll stop now. But…before I do, do any of you have any shopoholics, little shops around the corner, or shopgirls in your WIPs? Feel free to share a snippet here!