Ryan’s arms stretched up above her head before she’d even opened her eyes. She could tell from the brightness and angle of the sun that it was earlier than she usually cared to wake up. But she wasn’t surprised. Not only had she slept in a place she wasn’t used to, Ben had promised that they were going to do . . . whatever it was he was taking her to do today.

She stayed in bed a few more minutes before finally swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and planting them on the cool hardwood. As she headed toward the kitchen, the scent of coffee and bacon grew strong enough that she could almost taste it in the air. “Should I get used to this?” she asked, referring to Ben standing in front of the stove cooking.

He spun around to face her, a spatula in his hand as he moved to lean against the countertop. “That depends. Should I get used to you walking around without any pants on?”

Ryan had forgotten that she wasn’t wearing any, but since her white T-shirt covered all her important parts—albeit barely—she didn’t think it mattered. Shrugging, she gave him a playful “probably” before grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup of coffee. “You have any cream?”

“No. I actually drink mine black.”

“That’s disgusting.”

Ben laughed. “I like it. There’s milk in the fridge, though. Will that work?”

Ryan moved some sports drinks around and grabbed the half-gallon jug in the back. “No,” she said, noticing the date. “It expired two days ago.”

“Really? Let me see.” Ben moved closer to her, pressing up against her as he looked over her shoulder. “That’s the sell-by date, not the expiration date. You can still drink it.”

“I’m sure I could, but I’m not going to. It’s probably been in there for weeks.”

Ben laughed her comment off like the notion was ridiculous. “No, it hasn’t.”

She put the container on the counter and crossed her arms to let him know she was challenging him. “Okay, when did you get it?”

Ben stared blankly as his eyes looked to the ceiling. He bit his lip as he thought.

“Okay, this is going down the drain,” she said, already unscrewing the cap and heading for the sink.

“Wait. I didn’t even tell you when it’s from.”

“I know. That’s the problem. You’re not doing advanced physics. It shouldn’t take you this long to come up with the day you went food shopping.”

“It’s only because I wasn’t the one who did the food shopping.”

Ryan’s head jerked back in confusion. “Who did it?”

“There’s a company in the city that I use. They go to different stores and pick up what I need and deliver it.”

She was sure her expression must’ve looked like he’d spoken Mandarin because though she was certain words were flowing from his mouth, she couldn’t seem to understand them. “But you still had to order it,” she said.

“I paid for it, but I don’t tell them what to get. I’ve been using them for years, so by now they know what I like and how quickly I go through everything. It’s all computerized. It basically creates a genius playlist for food, and the delivery people buy what’s on it. I don’t have to suggest anything unless I need something specific.”

“You need milk,” Ryan said, causing Ben’s eyes to crinkle with a smile.

“I’ll add it to the list,” he said with a nod. “Now go get ready. We can stop at Starbucks downstairs if you want.”

Ryan was tempted to tell him that she didn’t even know what was on the menu at Starbucks because she never had the money to go there. She was also tempted to ask again where the hell he was taking her, but managed to keep her mouth closed as she turned around and headed back down the hall to her new room. If this was how Ben Williamson lived, then it was how she lived too.

At least for now.

* * *

Ben held the thick glass door for Ryan so she could enter, and then he walked casually over to the marble counter in the back of the store. “We have an appointment with Charlotte,” he said. “Benjamin Williamson.”

Giving him a warm smile, the woman nodded politely. “I’ll let her know that you’re here, Mr. Williamson,” she said before heading into the back.

Ben thanked her and then turned back toward where Ryan was standing, looking at the racks of clothing that ran along each of the two long walls. He’d never been in L’une before, but Jace had told him some of his teammates’ wives shopped there, so he figured he’d give it a shot.

“What is this place?” she asked, her eyes still drifting over the racks and freestanding shelves placed around the middle of the shop.

“Ummm . . . a clothing store?” Ben answered.

“I know that much, smart-ass. I mean, is L’une some designer or something? I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s not a single designer. They carry all different ones. Do you have certain ones you prefer?”

Ryan looked like she’d been asked to recite the alphabet backwards. Her mouth opened slightly as if she were about to speak, but she hesitated for a few moments before finally formulating a thought. “I like lots of them.”

Ben almost laughed at her response but before he could, another woman approached them.

“Good morning. I’m Charlotte,” she said, extending her hand toward Ben. “It’s so nice to meet you.” Then she turned to Ryan, who looked oddly uncomfortable, though Ben wasn’t sure why. “And you must be Ryan.”

“That would be me,” she replied.

“Neither of you have been here before, correct?” Charlotte asked, glancing between the two of them.

“No. It’s our first time here,” Ben said.

“Well, let me tell you a little about L’une before we begin. The store’s name means ‘The One’ in French. We take pride in the fact that no matter what you may be looking for, L’une has it. So tell me, what brings you in today?”

Her question was to Ryan, but she looked too stunned to respond.

“We need to get her a dress for my brother’s wedding.” He put an arm around Ryan, pulling her closer to him. “And anything else that catches her eye.”

Charlotte nodded. “How formal is the wedding?”

“Very.”

“What season?”

“Summer. In a few weeks. Will that be a problem if alterations need to be done?”

“We’ll see to it that it isn’t,” she said before directing her attention to Ryan again. “Are there any certain colors you’re looking for? I feel like with your skin tone, pastels would look fabulous.”

“Whatever you think,” Ryan said. “I didn’t have anything in particular in mind.”

“Perfect. I’ll start pulling some dresses, and you can take a look around to see what else you’d like to try on. There’ll be a dressing room started for you in the back when you’re ready.”

Ben and Ryan thanked her before she turned to go. Once Charlotte had disappeared to the front of the store, Ryan spoke. “I appreciate all of this. I really do. So don’t take this the wrong way—”

“Anytime anyone says not to take something the wrong way, that’s the only way it can be taken.”

“I understand that I need a dress for the wedding, but I have enough money to buy one. You don’t need to pay for that. And you definitely don’t need to pay for other clothes too.”

It didn’t surprise him that Ryan would decline his offer. He might not know her well enough yet to bring to his parents’ for an extended stay, but her independence and self-reliance had been clear from the moment he’d knocked her in the face with the door. She didn’t need anyone taking care of her, and a part of her was probably insulted by the fact that someone would even try to.

“I know I don’t need to pay for it, but I want to.”

Ryan rolled her eyes, though he could tell that she wasn’t as annoyed as she was pretending to be.

“Look, you told me yourself that the clothes you have aren’t really appropriate for the job I’m asking you to do. I’m asking you to spend a few days with the pretentious posse I refer to as my relatives, the least I can do is help you prepare for it. And if buying you a few outfits will make you feel like you fit in a little more, then it’s well worth it.”

Ryan shook her head, but he could hear her concession when she sighed heavily. She didn’t even need to say the “fine” for him to know he’d won. Ryan was going to get some new designer clothes. And she was going to look damn sexy doing it. He was certain of it.