He shakes his head dismissively. “That’s not important.”
I lift my chin in acknowledgment, then go back to what I came in here to do. “I need to take this dress off.”
Struggling, I slide my hand up the back of my dress and wiggle my fingers to try to find the high zipper, but fail to reach the awkward clasp. “I can’t reach.”
“Here, let me get that for you.” Leon strides with confidence in my direction while I sweep my long hair to one side to give him better access as he comes to a standstill behind me.
Slowly, and with the greatest care, he slides the zipper down from my neck to the base of my spine, causing it to make a low, raspy sound as he unfastens the interlocking teeth.
“Done,” he announces, not moving away.
I pull my arms out of my dress, revealing my white lace bra, then shimmy the layers of fabric down my hips and accidentally brush my ass against Leon’s dick, which, even over his black dress pants, feels rock hard.
Holy shit. Does he have a hard-on? For me? No way.
“Oops, sorry,” I stutter, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment at my clumsiness as I let the dress gather into a soft heap around my feet before standing tall.
“Don’t be,” he says, his voice now deeper and slower. Sensual even.
With his jaw clenched so tight that it looks painful, I watch the thick vein in his neck pulse wildly as he unabashedly drops his gaze down and then back up my body, which is barely covered in the finest lace and silk lingerie I spent a ridiculous amount on.
My body responds to his appraisal. My nipples harden as he drinks me in, and heat gathers between my legs, an undeniable pull that feels almost wrong. Not just because he’s my best friend, but only an hour ago, I ran out on my own wedding, leaving the man who was supposed to be my future at the altar. I should be drowning my sorrows in a tub of ice cream, lost in regret. But instead, for the first time in a long while, I can breathe. I feel alive. And with the way Leon is looking at me, I feel beautiful, utterly turned on, and his for the taking.
Standing in only my white bra, thong, thigh-highs and garter belt, Leon presses his front to my back, his hard length now firmly nestled between my ass cheeks.
Then, he does the most startling and unexpected thing: he drops his lips to my shoulder, then my neck, before kissing the sweet spot behind my ear.
My breath catches in my chest, and a gasp escapes me at his sudden affection and gentle touch.
“You look beautiful.” His hot breath puffs against my skin, setting me on fire as I lean back into him.
“You’ve seen me in a bikini before,” I chide, my pulse racing through my veins.
“I’ve never seen you dressed likethisbefore,” he replies, his lips hovering over my skin as he locks eyes with mine in the mirror.
We might be best friends, but we don’t have sleepovers, jump up and down on the bed, or have pillow fights because we’readults. We do lunch, movies, and hikes on weekends when our schedules allow, and we binge-watch series together, mostly at his place. He even comes to the hospital to have dinner with me and eats in the cafeteria. This always makes me laugh. The man is rich enough to eat at any restaurant in the world, yet he chooses to dine with me at one of the cheapest and most clinical places in all of Edmonton while wearing a five-thousand-dollar suit. He’s mostly ridiculously playful, but he’s my ridiculous friend, and I love everything about him, even his old fuckboy ways, which I’ve learned to live with.It’s not for me to judge, so I don’t.
I lower my voice. “It’s just lingerie, Leon.”
“It’syouin lingerie, Erika. You are fucking gorgeous.”
I chuckle nervously. “Gorgeous?” I scoff, waving him off.
“Sexy.”
“I’m not sexy. It’s only because you never see me in anything other than my scrubs, running gear, and jeans, and today I have my hair and makeup done.” It’s something I never have time to do because I work fifty-hour weeks, sometimes more.
“It’s not.” His fingertips sweep down the curve of my waist, causing goosebumps to rise across my skin. “You are the sexiest woman I know.”
That can’t be right. Leon hooks up with models and pop stars who look flawless all the time, while I walk around looking disheveled and exhausted, with bags under my eyes most of the time.
“Stop it. That’s not true, Leon.” The skin of my chest heats, making it blotchy in places as the air thickens with tension.
I suck in a breath when Leon rests his hand on my hip, then dips his fingers inside the delicate waistband of my panties, causing my pulse to thump so hard I can feel it banging in my ears.
“It’s true. Every inch of you is perfect.” Painfully slowly, he removes his fingertips from inside the lace, and before I know what’s happening, he’s hooked a finger inside one of the elasticated straps of my garter belt, just under my butt. He pulls it, then lets it go, snapping it against my ass cheek, which causes me to yelp and jump at the same time.
Well, this is new.
