It was a good speech, Heidi thought, pleased he hadn’t spoken the truth, which was her own clothes were awful, and she looked as if she’d chosen the most unflattering garments available.
Madam eyed her critically. “She is a delicate flower.”
“That she is,” Jamal agreed. “I want clothes as beautiful as my wife. Nothing less.”
Heidi blinked. As beautiful as his wife? Had he said that? And was Madam really calling her a delicate flower?
“Of course, Your Highness,” Madam Monique said with another quick bow. She clapped her hands, and she and her clerks disappeared into the rear of the shop.
“I’m many things,” Heidi said dryly, “but I’m not a delicate flower.”
“You are to me,” Jamal said.
Did he mean it? Did he really think of her as a delicate flower? She was intelligent and competent, and she apparently scared the crown prince. But maybe Jamal didn’t see her that way. Maybe there was hope that he would be interested in her as herself, and not just in her as Honey.
But before she could pursue the conversation, Madam returned with her arms filled with dresses and blouses and slacks and Lord knows what else. All three clerks trailed behind her, each equally laden. In a matter of minutes Heidi had been whisked off to a dressing room as large as a small house where she was stripped to her underwear and draped, fitted, pinned and poked.
She tried on morning dresses and evening dresses and skirts and camisoles and blouses and stockings and bras and slips and jackets and sweaters and pants and jeans and pumps and sandals and boots.
Some things she modeled out in front of the large triple mirror and her husband who had been seated with coffee, a cell phone and several magazines. When she twirled around in a black evening gown that made her feel like a movie star, Jamal nodded his approval. He announced one dress to be cut too low, informing Madam that only he was allowed to admire his wife’s perfection. Another dress plunged low in back, and he left the choice up to her, but not before running his fingers along the length of her spine.
The caress left her breathless. When she returned to the dressing room, Madam Monique smiled knowingly. “The prince is a happy man, yes?”
“I hope so,” Heidi said, still reeling from the light touch. How could the man reduce her to little more than cooked spaghetti with just a little brush of his hand, and how could she learn to do the same to him?
“The beautiful clothes help,” the woman said. “But the woman who wears them makes all the difference.”
She looked at Madam and wondered if the boutique owner would do her a favor. “I agree,” she said as Monique helped her out of the gown, then pulled a shimmering silver-white nightgown over her head. “I need to ask you something.”
“But of course. What?”
“I’m interested in buying some veils. You know, the kind people dance with.”
Madam’s dark eyes lit with understanding. She sighed. “Oh, to be young and in love. You wish to surprise your husband.” She glanced around the massive dressing room, then lowered her high-pitched voice. “I do not have such things here, but I know of what you speak. Give me a few minutes. I’ll send one of my girls to buy them for you.” She stepped back and in a louder voice said, “The prince will be pleased.”
“The prince is pleased.”
Both women turned toward the sound of the male voice. Heidi gasped when she saw Jamal leaning against the entrance to the dressing room. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, as if he really was larger than life. He had his arms folded over his chest, and he raised one eyebrow as he stared at her.
“You’re buying that, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t really a question.
Heidi had been so busy talking about the veils that she hadn’t noticed his arrival, nor had she paid attention to what she was wearing. Based on Jamal’s comment, he hadn’t heard what they were talking about, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. She turned her attention to her reflection.
That sigh of relief caught in her throat and nearly choked her.
The silvery nightgown shimmered around her like gossamer fairy wings. Slender straps held up the lacy see-through bodice. The shape of her br**sts and ni**les was plainly visible through the delicate fabric. The skirt of the gown flowed to the floor, brushing against some curves, skimming over others, making her body look long, lean and completely feminine. She’d never felt more desirable in her life. And if the expression in Jamal’s eyes was anything to go by, he felt the same way. Which meant the whole issue of seducing might not be as difficult as she’d first thought.
Chapter 11
Heidi had been nervous from the moment he’d walked into the boutique dressing room, and Jamal had seen her in the silver nightgown. He had to admit he couldn’t blame her. Despite telling himself he had to go slow where his innocent wife was concerned, he hadn’t been able to keep his desire from showing. Probably because he’d wanted her more at that moment than he could ever remember wanting any woman before.
The need had been intense…almost desperate. The intensity had startled him into exposing his thoughts before he could conceal them. Now, nearly two hours later, Heidi was still a little skittish.
“You bought me too much,” she said, standing next to him in their suite while Rihana carried in several bags of clothes.
“You are a princess and my wife,” he said. “You need to dress appropriately. Besides, I want to show you off.”