Kati reappears, breaking the spell between us. “These should do the trick,” she says, her smile bright as she approaches us with a pair of silver stilettos in her hands.
I take the shoes, glancing down at them. They’re beautiful, with delicate straps that glitter in the light. Before I can benddown to put them on, Koen takes them from me, and without a word, he slowly sinks to his knees in front of me.
The sight of him there, on his knees, stirs something deep inside me. My pulse quickens, and heat blooms low in my belly as my imagination starts to wander, thinking of all the dirty things he could do from that position.
Pushing the dress higher, checking what kind of panties I’m wearing…or maybehe pushes them aside, licking me until I forget my name.
Koen glances up at me sharply, and then, almost as if he can read my thoughts, his hands remain steady as he guides my foot into the shoe by touch alone, adjusting the straps, his fingers brushing against my skin. His palms are warm and his touch is sure as he glides his hand over my calf, his fingers lingering longer than necessary.
When he’s done with the straps, he grips my calf firmly, and the warmth of his touch seeps into my skin. My breath catches when his eyes meet mine again, dark, full of a knowing glint that makes my stomach twist in anticipation. He gives me a gentle squeeze that intensifies the heat already pooling inside me.
What is happening?
Finally, he rises to his feet, still holding my gaze as if challenging me to say something, to acknowledge the unspoken tension crackling between us. I say nothing, biting my lip to stop the words that are dangerously close to slipping out.
The shoes fit perfectly, almost as if they were made for me. I swallow, trying to steady myself, from the high heels and the feeling Koen’s touch left in its wake.
“Do you feel okay like this?” Koen’s voice is soft, almost too gentle, and the warmth creeps up my neck to my cheeks once again.
I take a breath, forcing myself to chill. “Yeah, it’s… it’s good.”
Koen nods, his lips curving into that small, knowing smile that makes me want to smack him and maybe kiss him, which is a new and dangerous thought.
Instead, I look down at myself, running a hand along the dress’s silk. It’s beautiful, but there’s still that nagging feeling, a need to hide, to cover up what I don’t want anyone to see.
“Can I wear glitter?” I ask, meeting his gaze. “For the party, I mean.”
Levi chuckles from a few feet away. “Of course you can. It’s fucking Vegas. You can come as glittery as you want.”
Right.
“Okay. Then it’s perfect,” I whisper.
It scares me how comfortable I’m becoming around them. It isn’t only Koen’s touch that makes me feel grounded or how Levi’s grin makes me forget, even for a second, but about everything that weighs me down. It’s the feeling that maybe there is a life beyond the scarred pieces of me.
And maybe they could help me find it.
Kati claps her hands together, clearly pleased. “All right. You can change back, and I’ll make sure everything gets sorted out for you.”
Levi and Koen walk with her to the counter, chatting animatedly, and I step behind the curtain again, taking out my phone.
I look at myself in the mirror one last time, then raise the phone, snapping a picture from my cleavage down, making sure the burn scar isn’t in the frame. Just the dress.
I want to look at it a thousand times until I can put it back on tomorrow.
The dress slips off easily, and I change back into my sweats. As I’m pulling on my hoodie, my phone buzzes on the chair next to me. Glancing down, I see it’s a message from Captain Bossy.
Captain Bossy
Did you guys find a dress?
A grin spreads across my face and without hesitation, I send him the photo I took.
There’s no immediate response, so I wait, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face looks different, softer somehow, the edges of my usual guarded expression smoothed out, and it’s as if Rosalee is looking back at me.
Would she like the dress?
“I hate wearing all black,”Rosalee pouts, tugging at the leather jacket I wear daily.
