A few minutes later, he found himself in front of a directory, staring at the map and the list of stores upon it. The names meant little to him. When he pulled out his phone to check what the stores sold, nothing would load. The internet signal was terrible here. Likely a result of too many humans with their handheld devices crammed into one place at a time.
Humans milled about him ceaselessly, occasionally brushing against his back and arms as they passed. He curled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth, his tail—which was stiff after the long drive—twisting around his leg.
It had been hard to leave home this morning. Gabriela had slept with him again last night, and there’d been no hesitation this time; she slid right into his arms after they’d climbed into bed, curling up against him as though it were the most natural thing in the world. But perhaps the most heartening part of it was that she’d asked him to deactivate his disguise before they’d gone to sleep.
She’d wanted him in his true form.
If she could accept an alien as her mate, Broxen could brave crowds of Christmas shoppers. He wanted nothing more than to see Gabriela and Ana smile. He wanted nothing more than to make them happy. If that meant he had to walk the entirety of this mall while it was this busy, if it meant he had to check every damned store along the way, he would do so.
Twisting the bag from the video game store a little more snugly around his hand, he plunged back into the mass of people.
Broxen hadn’t gone far before a patch of bright pink, exactly the shade Ana loved, caught his eye. He found himself looking into one of the stores ahead. Though storefront and the walls and ceiling inside were dark, the place had warm lighting, and there were those splotches of pink to contrast the black. The name of the store, like so many others, held no meaning to him. But that shade of pink…perhaps he could find more gifts for Ana there?
He returned his attention to the people around him as he walked toward the store. His course carried him through several streams of moving humans, each of which was meandering in its own direction, at its own pace. Though Broxen towered over most of them, they were largely oblivious to him. He avoided several collisions only because of his own reflexes and alertness.
By the time he finally reached his destination, his jaw muscles were ticking, and he was barely holding back a growl. He tilted his head sharply to the side, popping his neck, and finally lifted his gaze to look at the store he’d just entered.
Broxen’s eyebrows shot up, and that growl escaped him. “Not for Ana.”
The store was filled with female undergarments in more colors, fabrics, patterns, and cuts than he’d ever thought possible. Nearly everyone inside was female, including the employees, and the couple other males present had looks of uncertainty on their faces.
Broxen stepped over to a nearby table that had rows of lacy panties laid out atop it. He plucked up a pair to study the tiny floral designs in the lacing. In his imagination, he pictured what it might look like on Gabriela, pictured her wearing this in place of the bikini bottoms she’d worn during the summer.
His cock twitched, and another growl threatened to emerge from deep within his chest. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the sound.
Laying the underwear on the table, he swept his gaze around the store. There were dozens of things he’d love to see Gabriela wearing, dozens of things that would flatter her body—not that she needed anything to look sexy as hell. The clothing choices in McCall’s stores had been limited, especially due to the season. She looked good in anything she wore, but he thought she’d like things like this—pretty clothing for a beautiful woman.
His eyes settled on a set of displays deeper in the store, where mannequins without arms, legs, or heads were dressed in clothes that looked like mixes between undergarments and sleepwear, most of which were quite revealing.
Broxen pictured Gabriela wearing those items as he walked toward them, but he knew his imagination would never do her justice—and that, if he did this for too long, he wouldn’t be able to hide the evidence of his lustful thoughts.
Kruk, this place could be my undoing.
He knew enough about humans to understand that such a display wouldn’t be looked upon kindly.
Lifting one of the garments off the nearby rack, he frowned at the sizing tag. It had taken him long enough to figure out men’s sizes for clothing and shoes; puzzling out the sizes on these items would be like deciphering an alphanumeric code in comparison. And he’d never been good at that sort of thing.
Holding the hanger by the hook, he lowered the garment until it was roughly around the height it’d be if Gabriela were wearing it. She was so tiny—but most humans seemed small to him, and it was hard to tell if the hem of this garment would reach her mid-thigh or down to her knees. His frown deepened as he adjusted the height of it again.
“Can I help you, sir?” asked a female from nearby.
Broxen turned his head to see one of the store’s employees standing nearby, her smile friendly but her brow slightly furrowed.
“I want to buy some of these for my mate,” he replied, turning his attention back to the garment.
“Great. I can totally help you with that.” The female moved closer to him, smile softening. “Do you happen to know her size?”
Flattening a hand, Broxen held it up to the middle of his chest.
“Um…” The female tilted her head.
“She is this tall,” Broxen said.
“Oh!” The employee laughed nervously. “I meant her clothing size and her bra size, but I guess that helps a bit.”
He only realized then that all the clothing Gabriela and Ana had selected when he’d taken them shopping had tags displaying their sizes. He should’ve saved himself the trouble and checked before he left.
What was Gabriela’s bra size?
Returning the garment to the rack, he cupped his hands in front of his chest, imagining the soft flesh of Gabriela’s breasts in his hands. “About this big.”
The female’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Okay. Well, the good news is that we have a ninety-day return policy if stuff doesn’t fit, so…let’s work with what we have.”
He exited the store sometime later with a large paper bag stuffed nearly full, wondering why the females at the cash register had been giving him such surprised looks. Had he bought more than seemed normal?
Broxen didn’t dwell long on the matter, however, as his gaze fell upon a jewelry store across the way, where the lighting made everything sparkle and glitter. Surprise her this Christmas, said one of the signs on the counter, bearing a picture of a gold necklace with shining diamonds on its pendant.
But his thoughts were not upon that necklace as he approached the jewelry store. No, his mind had turned to something else, to something new—the rings lined up in the display cases.
He knew the human custom, what they called a proposal. He knew, at least in vague terms, the way they went about becoming mates. He’d seen it in their shows and movies, had read it in several books.
And it always started with a ring. Even if he didn’t understand why the gifting of a ring was important to human mating, it was important.
I could claim her in my way, and in the way of her kind…
But would she be ready for that? Would she be prepared for that sort of commitment? He knew he was moving fast, that he was being too bold, but he also knew what he wanted.