Chapter 24: Chapter 24

"You want to take me shopping for clothes?" I question him, disbelief lining my voice. We're standing in front of several clothing shops, all of them packed full of clothes and people.

"Yep. I want you to choose whatever you want," Tobias explains, lightly nudging my shoulder. A warm feeling fills my stomach and I turn to give him a small smile --

"Thank you, that's really sweet but I can pay for myself Tobias." I say gently. He raises one brow at me, taking hold of my hand. His grip is firm and when he begins to drag me towards the first shop, I don't protest.

"I'm doing this for you Sugar. . . Besides, I can't wait to see you try things on." Tobias says suggestively, his eyes flickering over to me. I feel my cheeks begin to grow warm, my mouth sticking together so it's hard to respond.

"What makes you think I'm trying things on in front of you?" I say confidently despite the nerves niggling away at me. Tobias doesn't respond but gives me an intense stare instead, his brown eyes sparkling mischievously. The corner of his lips twitch up into a smirk and when he winks, I understand why he's so confident. His look is enough for any girl to allow him to do whatever he wanted.

"God, you're impossible." I chuckle, shaking my head. His smirk stretches out into a full blown smile and I can't help but question why someone like him is interested in someone like me. Simply having him so close to me causes me to grow nervous, my hands growing warm and clammy. I've never reacted to a boy like this before, ever.

"What guy willingly enjoys shopping with a girl?" I tease him. He intertwines our fingers together, glancing at me from under his dark lashes.

"When he finds the right girl."

I don't expect that kind of answer. The muscles in my stomach tightens and I feel my throat closing in. A shiver runs down my back and when Tobias notices the expression on my face, he chuckles quietly under his breath. The sound of it causes electricity to soar through my blood.

"You look terrified Sugar."

"I'm not terrified, I'm. . . surprised." I say truthfully, breaking away eye contact with him. His intense stare is hard for me to hold and I'm afraid if I continue looking into those eyes, he'll decide I'm not what he really wants. I know that I'm guarding my heart like flamin' soldiers in Area 51 but I can't help it, I don't want to end up heartbroken.

"Surprised? Why?" Tobias questions, aimlessly looking through clothes with his free hand. I'm intrigued to see what he finds but grimace as his hand lands on a bright pink frill blouse.

"Just surprised. Please say you hate that shirt and you want to buy it to burn it. It's hideous." I laugh nervously. Tobias chuckles, dropping the blouse back onto the rail.

"It's very old Trish, don't you think?"

I nod my head, agreeing with him.

"Yep and old Trish is dead." I say before my words dawn on me. I close my eyes, Leroy's face flashing through my mind for the first time since I've been with Tobias. I can't believe I managed to forget him so easily but now the pain is just as raw. My features crumple up and Tobias remains silent but his thumb begins to draw circles on the back of my hand. The small action comforts me and reminds me I'm not alone. . . He's right here.

So I plaster a fake smile on my face, pretending like everything is okay.

"Smile Sugar, you've got this." Tobias murmurs down my ear. I close my eyes, feeling his presence directly behind me. The warmth radiates from his body and I lean into him.

"You don't understand how grateful I am for you," I whisper under my breath. He remains silent and I'm not sure whether he heard me or not. I don't repeat my words but eventually he wraps an arm around my shoulders.

"Are you ready to carry on?" He asks softly, brown eyes hooded over slightly as he looks down at me. I nod my head, noticing the stares of numerous girls surrounding us. I can't blame them, Tobias has the ability to cause everyone to freeze and stare as soon as he enters a room. He has this incredible mysterious aura around him that is simply intriguing and beautiful.

"You do realise the entire female population of this shop is currently drooling over you?" I tell him, an amused smile on my face. Surprise flashes through his eyes and he glances around, seeming oblivious to it. Eventually he shrugs his shoulders, gently pulling me towards the dress section.

"It's usually Jake that gets the attention but I guess when he's not here, I'm second best." He grins boyishly, his dark hair falling over into his eyes. I shake my head because I don't think he realises how striking he really is.

"What about this? I like this," Tobias says, holding up a little black dress with crochet detail around the waist. I raise my brow and take it from his hands, holding it against my frame.

"One, its super short. Two, I don't think it's really daily wear, do you?"

"I can totally see you rocking that daily." Tobias hits back, the smirk returning to his lips. I can't help but laugh and put the dress back before moving along.

An hour later and Tobias is carrying three pairs of jeans, two tops and one simple dress. He refused to let me carry anything so he continues to trail behind me as I search the store. Eventually I signal towards the dressing room, watching as his eyes light up.

"I'm going in alone." I say firmly, taking the clothes from him. He rolls his eyes, handing me the clothes before taking a seat in the waiting area.

"I won't be long," I call out from over my shoulder. He pulls his phone from his pocket, waving it in the air.

"Take your time, I'm sure we'll be here for a while."

As I walk away from him, I notice several girls wondering around him resembling lost puppies. I mentally roll my eyes, closing over the door and hanging the clothes up. The jeans are all a perfect fit and I smile happily, grateful to expand my wardrobe after the fire. The dress I chose is a simple white one. It fits snugly around the top half of my body before cascading down and ending around the middle of my thigh.

I reach over to try and zip it up but the zip is too far down. I breathe out unhappily and try it again from a different angle, no luck.

"Tobias?" I call out, listening for his reply.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me please?"

He knocks once on the door and I hesitate for a moment before letting him in. As I push open the door, his eyes land on my face before flickering down my body. I immediately begin to heat up, my cheeks growing warm.

"I need help with the zipper," I mumble, gathering my hair in my hands and turning around. Tobias steps inside the changing room and that's when I hear the soft click of the lock. I watch him from the mirror as he turns around slowly, his eyes darkening considerably.

"You did this on purpose," he murmurs, dropping his head low towards the crook of my neck. I scoff, rolling my eyes at his words.

"Please, don't flatter yourself."

He doesn't say anything which causes my nerves to increases, bubbling away inside the pit of my stomach. I'm aware my skin is exposed on my back where the dress needs to zip up yet I can't seem to tear my eyes away from Tobias. His hands reach up, playing with the edge of the zipper. My eyelids flutter closed and I feel the tips of his fingers ever so lightly graze against the skin on my back.

I can feel his breathing begin to shallow out from behind me but I keep my eyes closed, frozen in place from his close proximity. His scent wraps around me causing me to swoon. Whenever he's this close, I lose all common sense and forget how to think rationally. My actions don't have consequences when he's around me.

The sound of the zipper being pulled up fills the silence and I jump in surprise when his large hands rest on my waist. His head drops low into the crook of my neck and I feel his warm shallow breaths against the naked skin on my neck.

"You look really good in this dress." His voice is husky and low, a sexy murmur down my ear. I breathe in sharply, naturally pressing myself back into him.

"Thank you," I manage to reply, my throat completely drying out. Goosebumps appear all over my arms, travelling up to my neck where his lips are still hovering. I slowly open my eyes, glancing at our reflection in the mirror. His eyes have completely darkened and I let out a small gasp in surprise when his hands skim down my waist, playing with the hem of my dress. His fingers cause tingles of electricity to ripple down my thighs and I let out a soft sigh, falling back into him.

"You should probably stop backing up into me, this changing room isn't very spacious." Tobias warms me off, his voice strained. I bite down on my lower lip, studying his broad shoulders, dark hair and eyes that I dream about.

"I like it like this," I respond, my voice a hushed whisper. It's like my words are an invite to Tobias because as soon as I say them, his fingers curl around both of my thighs, pressing into my skin. At the same time, he begins to kiss the exposed skin on my neck. My eyelids fall closed and I let out a soft sigh, legs weakening underneath me.

"You drive me crazy whenever I'm around you, it's so hard to control myself." Tobias almost growls down my ear, his fingers travelling dangerously high on my thighs. I don't say anything but the warmth fills my stomach, travelling lower and lower.

"You don't have to control yourself." I whisper, letting my head fall back so he has further access to my neck.

"You're going to regret saying that," Tobias responds, fingers continuing to stroke against the inside of my thigh. Every kiss he places on my body is forceful, letting me know that he has further plans for us.

Thinking about what those plans could be drives me crazy, sending shivers of excitement and anticipation rippling through my body.