“So, do you have your dress ready for Saturday?” Nate asks, steering conversation back towards a safer topic. The gala.
“Yeah, your mom helped me steam it so it’s ready to go. I’m lucky that Holly is so close to my size. Otherwise, I’m not sure what I would have worn,” I reply as I take a bite of Nate’s shrimp.
“You could wear a burlap sack and still be the most beautiful woman at the party,” he tells me with bright, sparkling eyes. I prefer this look on Nate. He looks happier now, the previous conversation pushed out of his mind.
“Well, I don’t know about that. I do know that I will have an actual gown for this gala. I think it’s the gown that Holly wore last month to some award show in Los Angeles with Jase.”
“The red one?” Nate asks with that cocky smile.
“Yes,” I say with a surprised look. “How do you know?”
“Avery was showing all sorts of pictures of them the following week. If memory serves correctly, that dress is low cut and strapless, and it has a slit. A very, very high slit up the side,” Nate says in a husky whisper, leaning forward over the table. The look in his eyes is now predatory. Primal.
I lean forward, mimicking his movement. “It does.”
“I just got hard,” he deadpans.
I laugh loudly and shake my head at him. “Well, I guess you’ll have something to think about for the next three days,” I reply and sit back up straight.
“Oh, I’m already stripping that dress off of you and bending you over this table, in my mind,” he says without missing a beat and digs back into his steak.
The rest of the meal is pleasant and the conversation flows enjoyably as we keep the topics away from our pasts. Nate pays the check and places his big, warm hand on my lower back as he steers me toward the door. The hostess is standing nearby, smiling at Nate. Nate pays no attention to her as he pulls me closer to his side and runs his big hand down my ass. We pass the stand without even a second glance her way. She huffs a big breath as we walk by, Nate’s hand clearly marking his territory.
Point for me.
It doesn’t take us too long to get to the other side of St. Charles and find the mall. We head inside and walk straight toward the men’s store. The windows are filled with mannequins wearing stylish suits and handsome tuxedos. The man at the counter greets us pleasantly with a smile.
“Can I help you?” he says with a slight accent. I’m horrible at them, but I think it’s Australian. Or British? Hell, I have no clue. He could be from Canada for all I know.
“Nate Stevens. I have a tux to pick up.”
“Ah, yes. I received a phone call a bit ago from a gentleman named Will. He said you’re supposed to pick his up as well,” the man says before heading into the back of the store.
“Of course. Leave it to Will to leave himself no time get his tux. I’ll probably have to pay for it, too,” Nate says as he shakes his head.
“You’re a great brother,” I tell Nate as I wrap my arms around his waist.
“I’d rather be known as great in bed,” he says with that cocky smile.
“Well, you’re not bad,” I tease.
“Not bad, huh?” Nate asks with mock hurt on his face. “I bet you by the end of the night, you will be singing a different tune. I bet I can give you no less than three orgasms,” he says huskily. The dirty gleam in his eyes shining brightly.
“Three? Awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?” I tease.
“Three is nothing. I bet you have your first before we even leave St. Charles,” he whispers as the salesman comes back to the front carrying two garment bags.
“This one is yours, sir. The changing room is right through that curtain. Have your brother try his on as soon as possible so that we can get it fixed if something doesn’t fit right.”
“Done,” Nate says as he walks towards the changing room.
I stand on the outside of the curtain, patiently waiting for Nate to try it on. The salesman remains up at the front of the store, arranging dress shirts and ties in a meticulous way that boarders on a little OCD.
“Lia, can you help me with this?” Nate asks from behind the curtain.
“Sure,” I reply as I slip behind the curtain.
Nate is standing there, fully dressed. “What do you need help with?” I ask, not seeing what’s wrong with the tux. In fact it looks perfect. Ravishing.
“This,” he says as he tugs me against his body.
His lips are pressed firmly to mine, licking the seam of my lips. I can’t control the moan that erupts from my mouth, Nate absorbs it with his own. Nate spins me around and gently presses me forward slightly.