“Ready, baby?” I asked, waiting for her affirmation.
“Yes!” She laughed, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks rosy from the cold. She’d never looked more beautiful.
We stepped gingerly onto the ice—it had been a few years for me, too—and started a slow loop. As we got more comfortable on our blades, we sped up and the wind whipped at our faces, fresh and clean. I loved living in the city, but the fresh mountain air made me appreciate the move I was making upstate.
The sun began to descend as we laughed and played like happy kids. Adding to the magic, a soft snow began to fall and I thanked Mother Nature for being in on my plans. Elisa put her head back, stuck her tongue out, and swirled around. She looked indescribable. So gorgeous, she took my breath away. And she was mine. Mine.
***
I checked my watch for the tenth time and called out, “Baby! We’ve got reservations, we need to go.”
“Keep your boxers on, Brysen. I’m coming.”
Yelling out “not yet” was just too cliché. That didn’t stop me from thinking it, though.
“Baby, that idiom doesn’t apply to me. You know as well as I do I don’t wear underwear.”
“Great,” I heard her voice behind me and turned in her direction, “we’ll match.”
She stood there, my every fantasy come to life. The black cocktail dress swept across her chest, just above the swell of her breasts, her shoulders were bare, but the sleeves ended at her wrists, where my ring twinkled on her hand. The skirt fell to mid-thigh, showcasing her long, long legs with black strappy stilettos on her feet. Her hair was pinned up, emphasizing her slender neck, just asking to be nibbled and sucked. I was instantly hard. Somehow, I kept my outward composure, but mentally, I was drooling and panting like a dog after a bone.
“Matching?” I managed to croak.
“Yes, as in, neither of us have anything on under our clothes.” Her sweet laughter tinkled in the air and she winked at me. Son of a bitch. She was naked under that dress. How was I supposed to focus on anything else now?
Fuck the restaurant, I have my dinner right here. The thought prompted me to stride over and bend to pick her up, but she danced out of my reach and laughed when I growled in frustration.
“You bought me this beautiful dress, waited for me to get dolled up, the least you can do it take me to dinner before you mess it all up.”
I huffed in annoyance. “Fine, let’s go before I rip that dress in two and feast on you.”
Again, she laughed, and the sound brought a smile to my face. I loved everything about this woman, but her laughter was at the top of the list, right next to hearing her scream my name.
I picked up a cashmere coat and held it out for her to slip her arms in. She shook her head ruefully. “You have to stop spoiling me, Brysen. I feel like a gold digger.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re going to be my wife, baby. What’s mine is yours. And, even if you weren’t...” the thought made me frown, “these things are gifts. Now, move your sweet little ass.”
Giggling, she turned around to let me help her with her coat and I got my first glimpse of the back of the dress. “Oh, fuck no. Get back into that room and change,” I boomed.
The scrap of fabric that had no business being called a dress was completely backless. Attached at the side of the front piece was a strap, keeping it in place. But there was nothing else, and it rode so low, I would have been able to see the string of a thong, had she been wearing one. That’s when I remembered she was bare underneath. Yeah, that wasn’t fucking happening. “Now,” I stressed firmly.
Elisa whirled around and snatched the coat from my hands. She glared daggers at me as she slipped it over her shoulders and buttoned it up. “Thank you, Brysen, for telling me how beautiful I look tonight. How sexy this dress looks on me, and that you can’t wait to show me off. That’s what you meant to say, right?” I didn’t respond, my anger fuming, but slowly deflating at the hint of hurt in her voice.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I said, stepping closer. “You look absolutely amazing. But no one should see you practically naked, except me. I don’t share.”
“Brysen, you bought the dress for me, don’t tell me you didn’t notice the back.”
I cleared my throat, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah...I had my assistant pick it out.”
Elisa rolled her eyes. “Serves you right for not picking it out on your own, babe. You have only yourself to blame.”
My eyes narrowed, my ire sparking again, but it quickly burnt out. She was right.
“Will you at least put on some underwear?” I grumbled.