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I heard some light shuffling and a faintclick. The cool touch of metal met my neck, and I looked down to see a strand of diamonds and sapphires that fell to a stop right in the middle of my cleavage. The light danced off the gems in tiny rainbows.
“It’s only a loaner.” Ramsey trailed his fingers down my spine. When he took his hand away, the weight of another chain rested on my back. “Now you can look.”
I moved in front of the mirror and gasped. I really did look like a princess, including the stunning back necklace that was undoubtedly worth more than the sum of my worldly possessions. After a few spins, so I could see myself from every possible angle, Ramsey joined me.
He rested his hands on my shoulders, just below the sleeves, and pressed into my back. “You’re breathtaking.”
I really did look incredible. “This sets a new bar in the little-black-dress department.”
“I don’t mind.” Ramsey dragged his lips up my neck, to rest in the hollow behind my ear.
I met his gaze in our reflection. We were straight out of a fairytale.
“The last few days have been a whirlwind, even by our standards.” He moved his hands to my hips, holding me tight. “I want to make sure you’re still okay with what we talked about last night.”
“The dating again, or the fact that we’re explicitly non-exclusive?” My non-answer was a stall, and it shouldn’t have been. I should have been able to sayabsolutelywithout hesitation.
“I was thinking the latter, but now that you ask, both.”
I frowned. This was when I should move away, but I didn’t want to lose his touch. “I want to be okay with it.”
“But you’re not.”
“I don’t know. I’m notnotokay with it. It feels like it’s worth seeing through.”
Ramsey pressed his lips to my neck again, letting the kiss linger. “I feel it’s worth it too. When we get home, we’ll have some alone time, just you and me. Catch up. Actually date.”
I leaned more of my weight into him. It was a lovely suggestion. “When are you going to have time for all of this? Me. Hunter. Alone. Together. Campaigning.”
“When are you?” he countered. “Loading Java. The shelter. You’re about to move into either a massive remodel or a construction project…”
Touché. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Exactly.” Ramsey tangled his fingers with mine and pulled us from the mirror. “I almost forgot…” He pulled a shoe box from the dresser.
A pair of stilettos sat inside, with straps that wove in a crisscross over the foot and had ridiculously long leather laces.
He set them on the floor. “I’ll tie you up.”
“Frequently.” I laughed and let him slip on the first shoe. He wove the laces up my calf and tied them a few inches below the knee. With the slit in the dress, only a hint would show when I walked. It was the perfect subtle touch.
Ramsey secured the second shoe and stood. “Those, you can keep. In fact, only the necklace has to be returned tomorrow.” He held out his bent arm. “Shall we?”
I hooked my hand near the crook of his elbow. “Let’s.”
Our path took us downstairs and out back, to a set of tents. It didn’t look very fancy from the outside, but stepping into one was like moving into an entirely different world. I had no idea how they put chandeliers in the middle of a tent. Crystal lined the tables. There was silk and linen everywhere.
“It’s stunning.” My awe tumbled past my lips.
“Isn’t it, thought?” Hunter joined us. He looked me over, brows raised. “Though… no competition. You look incredible.”
“Thanks. Ramsey has good taste.”
Hunter nodded. “So much truth there. You ready for the grand tour, to set your mind at ease?”
If the main hall looked like this, I wasn’t too concerned about how everything else looked, but I did want to see for myself.
For the next hour or so, Hunter led us through to the kitchen and the staging area, and gave us a sample of the hors d'oeuvres.
