Page 66 of The Ice Prince's Fated Mate
“Oh,no,” Milly said immediately, sitting upright. “And force me to miss out on the sight of you in this? Absolutely not. Get your clothes off. You are going to dinner, and you are going like this. End of story.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” I pointed out.
Milly arched an eyebrow. “I might only be eighty or so percent back to normal, but I can still take you.”
“Now Ireallywant to wear it.”
“Oh, come on. This is amazing. You asked Dirk to do things formally. To sweep you off your feet and show you he’s different.” Milly gestured at the dress. “This is most definitely different.”
I couldn’t argue that.
“Why am I doing this?” I moaned, walking over to the bed and touching the dress. “At least it’s soft?”
“You’re doing it because youlikehim, and one day you might evenlovehim,” Milly said in a singsong.
Love? Dirk? I bit my lip. I hadn’t considered that word before, not with him. Could we get to that point?
Maybe?
A slight rush of approval reached me, though it didn’t feel entirely “mine.” I frowned. Was that my dragon? Was she waking up?
But nothing followed it.
“Come on. Time to get in,” Milly said. “Dirk is waiting for you.”
“Right.” I stared at the abomination. “Okay. I can do this.”
Together we got me dressed and in front of a mirror. I tried to get over the ridiculousness while Milly braided my hair into a dozen strands. It wasn’t easy.
The dress was a bright floral green in color with a built-in bust squeezer that managed to make even my little bumps look bigger. It also cinched my waist so tightly I couldn’t bend. Even breathing was a chore, forcing me to go up instead of out. All of which made my cleavage more prominent. I could only imagine what someone like Anna or Holly would look like in it.
“It’s so poufy,” I complained. “And feathery. And ridiculous.”
“Shut up and stop moving,” Milly ordered, tugging on my hair.
There was yellow frilling around every sleeve opening, and the wrists were draped with feathers of blue and white that would make eating an absolute pain. The neck swam back behind my head, and more feathers were splayed out there so that they framed my head from behind while looking at me from the front.
Two big loops of material ran around my hips, ending in a giant bow just above my crotch, before the dress scooped outward in a circle. Bells were attached to the hem of the dress. Bells. Every time I moved, they chimed lightly.
“There,” Milly pronounced, stepping back. “You look … perfect.”
I turned my gaze on her.
“Perfectlyridiculous,” she howled, falling onto the bed and gasping for air as more tears streamed from her eyes. “This is the best day ever. I never want to forget this or the look on your face.”
“I hate you.”
“I don’t even care. This trumps that!” She wiped at her face. “Come on. Let’s get you to the Honorable Lord Dvorak, Warrior of your cleavage, Protector of your Posterior, Plunderer of your Pu …”
“You will stop that right now!” I cried before she could get more profane.
Milly was still clutching at her sides, but she managed to lead me from the room. My bells led the way, followed by the rest of me. Kolar walked steadily at my side, matching his pace to mine.
“I hate payback,” I grumbled, though underneath it all, I had to admit it was humorous how ridiculous we looked. In time I would probably look back and laugh.
For now, I pouted.
We rounded a corner and I saw Dirk. It was impossible not to. His entire outfit was white. Every single bit of it. The pants that could fit two of him in each leg. The top so skintight I could see his nipples through it. The hat, cut like Kolar’s but also white.
