Page 215 of Bridesmaid Undercover
But despite that perception, there are little moments like this where that night, that very special and memorable night, feels so real again.
“You’re…you’re beautiful, Everly,” he says softly, his eyes gazing into mine. Washed away is the sarcasm, the antagonizing behavior, and in its place is only appreciation.
The type of appreciation that’s breaking down my thin, poorly constructed wall.
But there’s still some resilience in me, so I turn my back toward him. “Can you zip this up for me, so I can make sure it fits?”
“Yes,” he says as he steps in closer.
I look up, into the mirror in front of me and catch the way he gently gathers my hair and drapes it over my shoulder before gliding his hands down to the zipper and slowly dragging it up.
The air around us is so quiet, so still that I can practically hear and feel every tooth of the zipper as it moves up the chain until I’m fully secured in the dress.
And then, he looks into the mirror as well, our gazes locking as he rests his hands on my hips.
I feel my breath start to slow as the room falls silent.
His fingers press against the dress, creating an imprint on my skin.
And when he wets his lips, I can feel my resolve slipping.
No, Everly. Don’t.
Don’t fall for his awed expression.
Don’t fall for the way he holds you.
Don’t fall for his words that make you feel desired and wanted.
“I don’t think you need to try on anything else,” he says, his voice hoarse. The catch in his throat weakens me.
I press my lips together, my body tingling with desire despite my mind telling me otherwise.
“Yeah, I think this will work,” I reply softly.
His eyes remain on mine as we continue to stare at each other in the mirror. The electricity bouncing between us makes the vibe feel so heady, so strong that I fear it might take over. That it might create a bad scenario that I’ll regret, so before I can let myself slip into decisions I’ll end up regretting, I say, “Can you unzip it for me?”
“Yeah,” he says quietly. He brings his hands to the zipper of my dress and through the reflection of the mirror, I watch his intense stare as he slowly…and I meanslowlyunzips my dress, all the way down.
I cup the front, so it doesn’t fall off me and then take a step away from him. “Can you shut the curtain?”
He hesitates. I can see it in his expression that he doesn’t want to, but he offers me a curt nod and then shuts it. I let out a sigh of relief when I’m alone.
Okay, that was intense.
More intense than I prefer.
For a second there, I thought there was a chance we were going to have a repeat of what happened at the office.
And even though I’m so angry at him, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I gave in, because despite the way I feel about him and the way he treated me, I still feel this clawing attraction toward him.
I still very much like him…
On a heavy sigh, I slide the dress down my body, step out of it, and then gather it by the hanger loops. I bring it up to the hanger and carefully situate it just as I hear Hardy’s voice right next to the curtain.
“Want to hand me the dresses you’re not getting so I can hang them up?”
I gulp, because having him that close when I’m wearing nothing but a thong has my body tingling, very aware of his presence.
