I glance over at Ollie, but he’s no help. He’s just watching us, his phone no longer in sight. I push my braid over my shoulder and lick my lips. “See, hooker dress.” I force a lightness into my tone, trying to break up the tension.
Hand still traveling up my thigh, Dante’s eyes track the movement. With a deep inhale he cups the back of my thigh and moves in even closer, his mouth going to my ear. “You look amazing,” he almost growls.
A shiver skates down my back, pebbling my skin into gooseflesh. I swallow and mutter a low, “Thank you.”
“How’s it going back here?” The salesgirl leans on the door with a few more dresses draped over her arm. She pretends to ignore Dante is in the fitting room with me. “That one is fabulous, what do you think?”
“Not for this event.” Milo finally turns back around.
She gives me a quick conspiratorial wink. “Brothers never like the sexy ones.”
“Not her brother,” Milo growls through his teeth, his arms folded over his wide chest.
She waves him off with her hand. “I brought a few from the back.” She holds up the dresses one by one. “See anything you like?”
“That one,” I blurt out when she holds up a champagne-colored dress. The bodice has small flower appliques stitched all over, scattering lower onto the tulle bottom of the dress. It’s notpoofy, but it flares out a little.
“Great choice, this will look great with your hair and skin tone.” She hangs the dress on one of the few hooks not already filled, and places her hands on her hips. “Do you need a hand getting that one off?” I know she’s offering to get the guys out of here.
I feel Dante’s grip tighten before he drags his hand off my leg. Without another word, he spins and brushes past the girl in the doorway.
“I think I have it,” I answer her, watching Dante’s retreat. She gives me a tight smile before closing the door. I hear the handle jiggle like she’s checking to make sure it’s locked.
Undoing the side zipper, I slip off the red dress, returning it to the hanger. I walk over to the dress I asked for. Up close I can see it’s a few shades darker than champagne, the small flowers are ivory with shimmery taupe embroidery in the center. I finger the fine tulle at the bottom, noting how soft and light it feels. When I twist the hanger to find the zipper, I realize howverylow the back is, there is no way I could wear a bra with this dress. My heart sinks, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable without one.
I already have the straps of my bra tucked under my arms for the last dress, so I decide it’s worth a shot. I really love this dress too much not to try. I make quick work of removing my bra. Grabbing the thin straps, I step into the gown and pull it over my hips. The cool satin of the lining glides over my skin, and it’s light as air.
“Oh, wow.”
“Good wow?” Ollie calls quickly.
I roll my eyes, I’m sure if the doorwasn’t locked, he would have snuck in. “Shush,” I admonish him, looking into the mirror. The dress has areallydeep sweetheart neckline, but there’s a nude mesh fabric that gives the illusionthatit’s your bare skin. The bodice stops high, on my natural waist, with a few of the appliques hanging a little lower in a few spots. The tulle skirts are full, but not like a ballgown, it gives the dress areallyfeminine shape.
“Muenster, come on, let us see.”
“Just a second.” I hold the dress to my front and spin, looking over my shoulder to see the back. I let out a hiss, it’sreallylow and I can see my entire back. Removing my braid, I shake out my wavy hair to see how much would be visible if I wore my hair down.
“What is she doing in there?” Milo gripes.
Blowing out a breath I reach for the door handle. I really hope they like this one, because even without a bra, I love it. “Can one of you guys do the zipper?This one’s in the back.”
I hear scuffling sounds, and Milo is standing in front of the door when I open it. Dante gives him a shoulder check, but he doesn’t even budge. “I got it,” he says with a smile, ignoring Dante altogether.
They all stop moving and focus on me. Milo takes a step in my direction. “Wow, you look… beautiful.”
“That’s definitely the one,” Ollie confirms with a nod. “This one won’t get anyone killed.”
I look over at Dante to gauge his reaction again. He’s always so quiet, and his eyes scan me up and down a few times. He swallows and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Yes, you look beautiful.”
I spin around and grab my hair, pulling it over my shoulder so Milo can zip me. “What about the back, do you think it’s too much?”
“Oh, hell,” Dante curses, and I hear a thump.
“No, it’s not too much, you can’t see anything,” Ollie consoles. I feel Milo’s fingers on the base of my spine, searching through the fabric for the zipper. He slides it up a few short inches and I watch his reflection as he takes a step back.
“Do you like it?” Dante asks, and I nod, answering his question.
“I really do.” I run my hands over the soft, loose flowers then down to the tulle. I do a little swoosh from left to right, watching the fabric sway. A wide smile blooms on my lips. I’venever had anything that makes me feel this pretty.
