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Then a shadow passed across his face, and the moment shattered.
“What happened?” I stepped into him, catching his cuffs and straightening them out. “Cufflinks. You have some, right?”
“Rex dropped them off an hour ago. I’ve got to go down for photos.” He passed me a small box.
“Huh.” I turned the sparkly studs in my hands and fixed them to his shirtsleeves. “I figure you can button yourself up.”
“Nisha...” He caught my wrists in a firm grip and swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he traced his gaze over my face and hair. “You’re beautiful.”
That damn blush shot up my neck and danced on my cheeks.
“It’s a lot of makeup and colour and...things.”
“I’d still like to see you with your hair down though. I want to brush it,” he mused.
I swore my whole headglowed.
“Um, you said something about a dress,” I whispered, studying the tops of his shiny dress shoes. When had those gone on? Did he strip behind me and I missed the whole thing because I was gawking at thepark?
“Give me a sec.” He disappeared into the walk in robe, and came out with a garment bag much like the one his suit came in, though this was white. “For you, ma’am.”
“Don’t you ma’am me,” I threatened, smiling through my embarrassment. Ford’s gaze weighed on me as I unzipped the top of the bag and peeked inside.
Miles of luxurious, shimmering forest green velvet studded with what looked like diamonds filled the inside of the bag. I dipped a finger to touch the soft cowl neckline and sighed.
“You like it?” Ford stepped a little closer, wrapping my arms around the bag and pressing his fingertips between my shoulder blades. “Let me see it on you.”
I swallowed hard. The dress must cost a fortune, and... “This is too much,” I whispered. “I barely know you and I’ll never repay you.”
“I never asked to be repaid. In any way,” Ford said firmly. “If you want to go home after tonight, toyourhome, without me...and never see me again, that’s fine. I mean it’s not, I’ll be a lost, heartbroken wretch and all but you know,” he affected a sniff, “it’s fine.”
“Dick,” I muttered, elbowing his stomach.
“You’ll crease the shirt,” he warned me. “I have to be down there in less than half an hour. I don’t want to rush you but you know...I really did buy that with you in mind, Nisha. I just hoped you’d say yes.”
His words hung between us, their double meaning on a wedding day evident, even if the day belonged to someone else.
“I’ll be right back.” I retreated, bumping my back on the corner of the bathroom door and managing to make it inside and shut the door without suffering any further damage. Once I was inside, I dropped the robe from my shoulders and rubbed the sore spot. “Owww.” I glanced over my shoulder ruefully. A small red mark bloomed beneath my skin. “Okay. I can do this.”
“Does the dress talk back?” Ford called through the closed door.
“Let a girl dress,” I admonished him lightly, stifling a laugh.
The man wasimpossible.
I hung the bag on the top of the dry shower glass, and pulled the dress free. The floor length sheath was perfect. I slipped into it on my own, only needing a little help with the stubborn zipper, but Ford could assist with that in a moment. The cap shoulders sat slightly off centre, and the cowl hung between my breasts, dropping to a borderline low that exposed skin without the risk of a nip slip.
Diamontes sewn into the material glittered like fresh snow over the forest whenever I moved.I’ll have to dance in this. A slit to mid thigh showed just enough skin to tease. It was probably time to tell Ford about my two left feet.
The dress made me feel beautiful, like he said I was, even if I was just still tour-guide Nisha in seasonal dress finding strays to help or bring home for Christmas dinner. After all, wasn’t that what I did with Ford, to an extent? If the situation was somewhat reversed.
“Everything okay in there?” Ford knocked gently.
I pulled the door slightly ajar. “Can you help me with the zip, pretty please?” I begged, batting my eyelashes.
“How on earth am I going to refuse you anything?” he murmured, his voice low and deep.
Reindeer swooped in my stomach. “Guess I’ll have to make outlandish demands on you then,” I said dryly. “Starting with, could you please zip me up?” I quipped, turning my back to him.
