Page 28 of Pressure Point

“I’m happy if you’re happy.”

Biting her bottom lip, she tried to get a read on him, to see if there was something more he wanted to say. He was so stoic that he was hard to read at times. Even though she thought she was starting to get good at it, starting to know his little tells, it wasn’t an exact science, and she knew she had a long way to go. Right here, right now, if he was lying to her, she had no idea. She wanted to believe him though. He’d never led her to believe anything other than what he’d just said, so she accepted it as truth.

She let out another squeal and skipped back into the dressing room, lightly closing the door behind her. Taking another look in the mirror, she couldn’t believe just how perfect this dress was. It was like it had been made just for her. The neckline was demure and alluring, while not drawing attention to her complete lack of breasts. As a lifetime member of the itty-bitty titty club, she’d always had a hard time filling out the top of dresses. Add in her lack of hips, and most of the time she looked like she was wearing a potato sack. But not in this. She was going to wow in this dress.

Her mind flashed to a fantasy of Dash’s party. The lights down low, the din of the crowd around them, the look on his face when he saw her walk in, her red hair contrasting perfectly against the deep blue of the dress. How he’d ask her to dance, wrapping his arms around her, drawing her in close, moving in time to the beat. Would Dash’s arms be as warm and comforting as Liam’s were just now? Or would they feel different? There was something special about the feeling she got when Liam held her. Like she fit perfectly right there. Was that just Liam though? Or would every guy feel that way?

Shaking her head, she took one last look at herself in the dress and reached around behind her to unzip it. Only the zipper wouldn’t move. Reaching around with her other hand, to hold the top part of the fabric still, she gave it another tug, but same thing. The zipper was not moving.

Oh, shit…

“Ummm, Liam?” she called out, trying not to panic.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“I, uh…need your help…” Opening the door, she stuck her head out and waved him in.

“You…need my help? In the dressing room?” he asked, looking around him like they were up to no good.

She nodded furiously, beckoning him again. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was starting to race, and not in the good way it had earlier. Liam slowly got up from the chair he was sitting in, looking around him again, and then slipped into the stall.

“The zipper is stuck. Help!”

“Okay, breathe, it’s just a zipper,” he said, although Avery wasn’t quite sure if he was talking to her or himself.

Liam placed one of his large hands on her waist, while the other went to her back, pulling at the zipper. Just as it had with her, it remained in place. A wave of worry hit her, wondering what on earth they were going to do if Liam couldn’t get her out of it. Heat moved across her back as Liam repositioned his hands, both of them now at the bottom of the keyhole cutout, toying with the little metal piece. Closing her eyes, her mind wandered to them in Liam’s bedroom, his hand back on her waist as he slid the dress off of her, letting it fall to the ground. The feel of his hands against her bare skin, his hard chest against her back as they breathed in time together.

The sound of the zipper pulled her from her thoughts, the feel of the dress loosening against her. He’d done it. Spinning around, she looked up at him, into his deep blue eyes, trying to find the words to thank him. Her whole body flushed, still caught up in the idea of him taking the dress off of her.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“Any time,” he whispered back, never breaking eye contact with her.

Sucking in a breath, she willed herself to say something, do something, but she couldn’t. She was hypnotized by his gaze, by the feel of his hands still on her. Her teeth found her bottom lip again, a bad habit she’d developed forever ago, as she placed her hands on Liam’s chest, pushing up on her toes. He leaned into her, dipping his head, and Avery felt like she could hear her own pulse thrumming through her. It was like his lips were calling to her, and all she had to do was move in a little closer.

“I lied,” she suddenly sputtered.

“What?” he asked, taking a step back. He looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, upset and guilty at the same time. Had he been feeling the same pull she had? No, that was crazy. She was just caught up in the moment because she’d been fantasizing. That’s all that was.

“Shoes. Our work isn’t done, cause I’ll need shoes.”

She felt ridiculous even as the words were leaving her mouth. But she needed to say something. Whatever was going to get her mind off of the fact that she had almost kissed Liam.

“Then shoes we shall get.”

Chapter Ten

Just what the fuck were you thinking, dude? You cannot kiss her…

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Liam exhaled slowly, trying to clear his mind and forget about what just happened in the dressing room. She'd just looked so damn beautiful in that dress. The satin had clung to her skin, highlighting every little curve of her body. Her breasts may have been completely obscured by the material, but the cut of the high neckline still managed to put them on display in a way he didn’t fully understand. All he knew was that it had made his dick come to life.

What had really done him in was unzipping the dress though. Placing his hand on her waist and feeling her soft body under the satin had only been the start, and he’d known better than to take a peek once he’d gotten the zipper unstuck. But he couldn’t help himself. Then she’d turned around, her lip caught in between her teeth—again—and he was a goner. His body had taken over, fixated on finding out just how soft those lips were.

Stop. Just stop. She doesn’t like you, she likes Dash. That is why you are here. Don’t let yourself get in any deeper…

“Maybe I need some of that,” Avery commented.

Liam stopped in his tracks, his thoughts a jumbled mess. She needed some of what? Had she been talking to him and he’d missed it because he was too busy thinking about the bra she wasn’t wearing? Shit, he needed to recover, and fast. Looking around him, he couldn’t figure out what on earth she was talking about though. All he saw were the makeup counters. They were nowhere near the shoes. What on earth had he missed?