Page 92 of Never To Be Mine

“I might have.” He was completely unrepentant.

Serena gestured toward the selection. “These are all from our latest collection. Feel free to try on as many as you’d like. I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

She disappeared, leaving us alone in the dressing area. I walked over to the dresses, running my fingers over the fabrics. Silk, satin, delicate lace. All of it was gorgeous and probably more expensive than anything I’d ever purchased. I liked to dabble with mid-level designers. Gucci and Prada on clearance, but never anything like Blackwell Couture.

“Hollis, these are too much.”

“They’re perfect.” He came up behind me, his hands settling on my waist. “Pick whichever one you want. Hell, pick all of them if you want. I just want to see you in something that makes you feel as beautiful as you are.”

I turned in his arms, searching his face for any sign that this was some kind of power play or an attempt to buy me. But all I saw was the genuine desire to make me happy.

“Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll try them on.”

“That’s my girl.”

I grabbed the first dress, a gorgeous pistachio green that reminded me of the dress I’d worn to that first shoot with Hollis. This one was more formal and maybe just a little more risqué than I would normally wear. I disappeared into the dressing room and slipped it on, struggling with the zipper until I gave up and called for help.

“Hollis? Can you zip me?”

He appeared immediately. He slowly pulled the zipper up. His fingers lingered at the nape of my neck, and I shivered.

“Come out,” he said, his voice rougher than usual. “Let me see.”

I stepped out of the dressing room and onto the small platform in front of the three-way mirror. The dress fit perfectly, hugging my curves in all the right places without making me look like a busted can of biscuits. The color made my skin glow and brought out the blue in my eyes.

But I wasn’t looking at myself in the mirror. I was looking at Hollis’s reflection.

He was staring at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. His eyes traveled slowly from my face down to my toes and back up again, not hiding his attraction for even a second. The heat in his gaze made my breath catch.

“Fuck,” he breathed. “You look incredible.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He walked toward me, stopping just close enough that I could feel his body heat. “Although if you wear that tonight, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on anything except getting you out of it.”

I laughed, feeling powerful and desired and beautiful in a way I hadn’t in years. “Maybe that’s the point.”

“Dangerous woman.” He kissed my shoulder, then stepped back. “Try on the others. I want to see everything.”

I tried on four more dresses, each one more stunning than the last. A black number with a plunging neckline that made Hollis actually groan. A soft pink that made me look and feel like a princess. A navy blue with delicate beading that caught the light with every movement.

But it was the last one that stopped me in my tracks.

The dress was a deep purple. It looked like something royalty would wear. It was elegant and sexy. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt pretty enough to be on Hollis’s arm.

The off-the-shoulder top exposed my shoulders and cleavage without being too much. It was ruched at my right hip and then dropped into a skirt with a thigh-high slit.

I couldn’t. It was so much. But damn, it highlighted my hourglass figure. I loved it. I loved the fabric and the way it clung to my body.

“Last one,” I called out.

“Let’s see.”

I took a deep breath and stepped out.

“Fuck. Me.”

“Is that a good or bad fuck me?” I asked.