“Ignore them,” Tristan said.
“I like them though.” Mia glanced over her shoulder and sighed. He realized that if things worked out the way he wanted them to, she’d be spending a lot more time with those girls.
She perused the dresses and picked out a few, always checking the price first. He held them while she looked, and grabbed a couple when she wasn’t paying attention. Most were probably shorter or tighter than she would’ve chosen.
Once he had an armful, they headed to the dressing room. It was empty, and he took the chair outside one of the rooms.
“One rule,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“You have to show them all to me, even if you don’t like them.” He wanted to see those dresses that were a little too short.
“I don’t like that rule.”
“Am I paying or not?” He smiled.
She shook her head. “Okay, fine.”
She looked fantastic in the first three dresses, but he could tell she wasn’t crazy about any of them. Neither was he for that matter. They didn’t show off her figure well enough for his taste.
“I’m not coming out in this one,” she called from behind the door.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not one I picked, and I’m pretty sure it’s a size too small.”
“Oh, come on.”
He knew which one she was talking about. It was a short sexy thing that he double-checked the size on three times because it seemed tiny. But she probably looked amazing in it.
“You just have to step out for a second.”
She peeked out the door and scowled at him. “This isn’t fair.”
“I’ve seen you in a bikini. You won’t be showing me anything I haven’t already seen.”
“It’s the way it fits.” She yanked the door open.
Tristan sucked in a breath. Her breasts practically tumbled out of dress, and he was certain if she bent over, he’d get an eyeful. But damn if she didn’t look good. He was used to dating gorgeous women, but Mia transcended them all somehow.
He tugged at his collar. “Not sure I want the other guys seeing you in that thing.”
She laughed. “You think? I don’t want anyone seeing me in this dress.”
“You look amazing though.”
She scowled again and shut the door. The image of her in the dress wouldn’t get out of his head. He waited for what seemed like too long.
He knocked on the door. “You okay?”
“No.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m stuck.”
“You want help?”
“No.” But she unlocked the door. “Get in here,” she hissed.
He slipped into the dressing room. She was still in the too-short dress.
“The zipper is stuck.” She spun around, revealing a low back, and pulled her hair over her shoulder.
He ran his finger lightly down her spine, and she shivered but didn’t say anything. He tugged at the zipper, and after a moment, it gave way and went all the way down.
She spun around and held the front of her dress against her chest. “Thank you.”
He stared for a half second before drawing her close and kissing her hard. She leaned into him and surprised him by wrapping her leg around his. He hoisted her up and pressed her against the wall.
She clutched at his back and kissed him hard. Breathing heavily, she broke the kiss.
“I still have three more dresses.”
“I should go.” But he didn’t want to go.
“Yeah, you should.”
Tristan gently set her down and slipped out of the door, right into Liz, who had an armful of dresses.
“Hey,” she said. “What did I tell you?”
“We weren’t. Her zipper was stuck.”
Liz winked. “Yeah, right. That’s why you’re all flushed.”
Blushing, he took his seat again and waited. Mia stepped out dressed in a very pretty red dress that came just off the shoulders, with lace across the chest. The skirt was short, but not indecently so, and it flared out.
“What do you think?” she asked, twirling around, a huge grin on her face.
“It’s the one,” Liz called out. “You look stunning.”
“Thanks,” Mia said. “I like it a lot.”
“Okay then, let’s go find me something to match,” Tristan said.
He waited for her to change and then took the red dress from her. He let her go first and snagged the black dress from the dressing room as well.
“I’m not wearing that in public,” she said.
“I don’t expect you to. But perhaps a private dinner in my room tonight would be appropriate.”
Her face turned bright pink. He loved it when she did that.
She took a careful walk around the menswear section and found him a black shirt with a red tie. “You look good in black,” she told him.
“So do you,” he replied and watched her redden once again. He wondered how long they would be together before she stopped flushing when he complimented her.
He hoped never.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I, um, should get ready or something…” Mia stood outside her door not knowing what the rest of the night would bring. Okay, maybe she did. Hell, they’d practically almost done it in the dressing room, but now, things were just awkward.
She and Tristan had left the others at the mall to eat dinner. No one seemed surprised that they wanted time alone.
“Can I make a request?” Tristan asked.
“Sure.”
“Can you wear your hair up?”
She ran a hand along the back of her neck. She loved it when he kissed her there. “Yeah, sure. Any other requests?”
He stared at her. “No.” Then he blushed. “Well, the dress of course.”
It was nice to see him a little insecure.
“Of course.”
“I’ll come get you after dinner arrives and Frankie bails.”
“Okay.”
He handed her the garment bag with both dresses and left without so much as a kiss. Maybe he was feeling weird about things as well. So, what would happen when they finally did sleep together? Would he change his mind about her?
She shouldn’t be thinking about that. She wanted him to look at their time as a fling. It was getting closer to happening, and she shouldn’t have any expectations, just as she’d told him not to.
She took her time getting ready, figuring that it would be about forty-five minutes or so before Tristan would be back for her. She twisted her hair up and made her eyes all smoky again, and she left off the red lipstick and went with just a gloss instead. She put on the ridiculous dress and avoided the mirror. Tristan liked her in the dress, but it didn’t feel like it flattered her at all, too tight and squishing her breasts. She slipped on a pair of nylons and black heels.
Then she waited.
She wondered what his house looked like. If she visited him, would they spend romantic evenings on the beach? Maybe, just maybe, that would be her home too someday. She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes had passed.
She tried not watch the clock.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then forty-five.
After an hour, she slipped off her heels. She was such a fool. Of course she wasn’t good enough for Tristan. After he recovered from a lust induced haze, he came to his senses. He probably went downstairs to grab a bottle of wine and met a leggy blonde.
She went into the bathroom and ripped off her nylons and scrubbed her makeup off. The nerve he had, leading her on like this. What an ass. Normally in a situation like this, she’d be crying, but she was too angry to cry. She let her hair loose and reached for her zipper. It slid halfway down and got stuck again.
Dammit.
She tugged and pulled, and the zipper came off in her hand.
Oh, forget it.
She left the stupid dress on
and climbed into bed. Everything she’d done so far was to protect herself. Something had changed today though. Shopping with him was comfortable and relaxing, and she didn’t mind that he bought her those dresses. She let herself imagine a future, and of course, it all fell apart.
Just like it had with Drew. Him with the young high school girl and the rest of the guys that broke her heart. The betrayal. She’d made no progress forward, just kept running like a hamster on a wheel and never got anywhere.
Tristan was just like them, and she’d been dumb enough to trust him. She lay there simmering for a long time before she drifted off to sleep.
A hand touched her cheek, and she jerked awake.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She sat up and scrambled back. Now the bastard shows up, in the middle of the night? “What are you doing here?”
“Frankie let me in.”
“Of course he did. We’re going to have words about that.” She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and clenched her fists.
Tristan looked tired, but he grinned. “You still have the dress on.”
She tugged the comforter to her shoulders and gave him a death glare. “The zipper got stuck again. I don’t know why you’re here. Get out.”
“I can explain.”
She didn’t want to hear his stupid excuses. “What time is it?”
He glanced at his watch. “Two.”
“What’s her name? Shelly? Veronica? Oh wait, maybe you take after my boyfriend number two. Was it Frankie?” The words came out with venom. She didn’t even care.
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “No. Her name is Sera.”
It took a second for the words to register. She’d completely misjudged the situation. She was such an idiot. But she wasn’t fooling herself. If she continued to let herself fall for him, she’d always wonder if he was cheating on her. She’d never trust him. Not being able to have the trust in their relationship would doom it before he did. She was a complete mess. He really should run the other way.
“What happened to Sera?”
“Another dog attacked her and tore up her shoulder.” He said through gritted teeth.
“Oh my gosh. Is she okay?”
He nodded. “I should’ve called, but when the bellboy came up to tell me what happened, I just ran downstairs, and then I rushed her to the emergency vet. I didn’t even have my phone with me.”
“Where is she?”
“On your couch.”
Mia jumped up and ran into the living area. Sera looked up and whined. She had gashes all over her face and her shoulder was bandaged up. Mia crouched next to her and petted her head.
“Who did this to you?” she crooned at the dog.
“It was a lab. Sera bumped him while she was playing, and he jumped her. Frankie broke it up and got bit in the process.”
“That’s awful.” Mia continued to inspect Sera.
“Yeah, I owe him big time. Anyway, can she stay on the couch?”
“Does she normally sleep with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then she sleeps in the bed.”
Tristan stared at her for a moment. Then he reached out and pulled Mia up, desire in his eyes. “Okay, but maybe she should stay out here until things calm down a little. I do owe you.”
Her mind flashed back to the dressing room, and she felt warm all over again.
Mia stared into those gorgeous eyes and ran her hands down his chest. “You’re tired and stressed. We don’t have to do anything tonight.”
He crushed his lips against hers and then drew them away. “I’m not the one who’s injured.” He swooped her up into his arms. “Let’s see what we can do about getting that dress off you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mia woke the next morning with Sera pressed up on one side of her and Tristan on the other. She’d never felt more comfortable in her life, but she was afraid of this. This was no longer just a fling. She’d gotten way to intimate with him last night, and it went far beyond sex. She cursed herself for falling in love. She could feel it in the way her body ached and the way her heart sang.
While he’d loved her so completely last night, not leaving a part of her unsatisfied, all she could do was stare into his eyes. They burned with desire for her. Yet, she saw the hurt behind them too, and when she looked into his eyes, she could tell a lot about him past the hard exterior he’d been putting up.
She still couldn’t see how this was possible. Not only was Tristan hot, but he was sweet and had more money than she could ever dream of. He was definitely too good to be true. She squirmed a little and moved her arm, which had fallen asleep. Tristan pulled her tighter into him and buried his face in her hair.
“Morning, gorgeous.”
“Morning.”
He gave Sera a pat. “I tried to get her to sleep on my side, but she kept moving over to you. I hope she didn’t bother you.”
“Nah, she was fine.” As if on cue, she licked Mia’s nose. Mia giggled and scooted back.
“Why did you name her Sera, anyway? That seems like such a common name.”
“It’s Tessera actually. It means four.”
Mia thought for a moment. “Nona means nine, right? So all the dogs are named after numbers?”
“Yeah.”
She wiggled around until she was facing him. “What do they stand for?”
He looked away from her. “It was kind of an agreement we had in school. We agreed to get the dogs once all of us hit our first million. The numbers are the order we got it.”
Mia shivered. That was money like she couldn’t even fathom. And he had said first million.
“And you were number four.”
“Yep.”
“And… um… have you made more millions than that?” She regretted the words as soon as they slipped out of her mouth.
“Wow, you don’t waste time, do you? Asking me my net worth. I’m impressed.”
She blushed. “I was just curious.”
He chuckled. “It’s okay. It wasn’t a question I thought someone like you would ever ask.”
Her ears burned. “I didn’t mean it. Seriously, I feel so silly.”
He kissed her nose. “It’s okay. I have made more. If I got a dog for every one I’d have about a hundred.”
Holy shit. Mia’s stomach dropped out. Here she was worried about a few ornaments in a Christmas store. That was pennies to him. No wonder he loved to shop.
“I feel completely and entirely inadequate. Do you realize I don’t even have a thousand dollars in the bank?”
He waved to the floor. “Well, that dress we tore apart last night was worth more than that.”
She gasped. “No way.”
“It’s okay. Worth it.”
He slid his hand across her stomach and over to her back, and pulled her tight against his body.
“How about a repeat?” he asked.
She melted against him knowing she couldn’t say no if she tried.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tristan’s phone buzzed, and he reached for it. Mia collapsed back into bed. She was a hundred percent positive she would never recover from Tristan. They needed librarians in the Keys, right?
Yeah, right.
Tristan wouldn’t want her around after this week.
He gave her a quick kiss. “I’m gonna go shower. You should as well, and get dressed. I’ve got plans for us.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” Mia pouted. “We’re going to decorate and make cookies. I don’t want plans today. I certainly don’t want to get dressed.”
He gave her one of his crooked grins. “I know. This won’t take long, and you’ll love it. I promise.”
Mia sighed. “Fine. But it better be good.”
“Oh, it is. Trust me.”
Tristan pulled on his pants and padded out of the room. Mia waited until she heard the door click shut before she climbed out of bed and hopped into the shower. This was going to be the most me
morable Christmas Eve she’d ever had. And to think she’d been worried it would be the worst.
Tristan hadn’t specified what his plans were or how they should dress, so she picked a deep green sweater and jeans. She’d put leggings on when they got back to the room. She couldn’t wait to share all of her own traditions with him.
She grabbed her phone and texted Vi.
So… I had the best night ever last night.
Really?
Yeah. Maybe I can just live here forever.
Haha.
I’m worried that I’m going to get hurt. This was supposed to be just a fling, but you know me. I’m falling pretty hard.
Maybe he feels the same way.
Yeah, right.
Her sister was delusional.
Gotta go. Kids screaming.
Love you.
You too.
If Mia were at home, she and Vi would be in the kitchen making breakfast for the family and doing prep work for the cookies. Her dad would put on Christmas music, and they would reminisce about Christmases with Mom.
Mia pulled out her cookie list and perused the ingredients. She was pretty sure she had everything. Flour, check. Sugar, check. Eggs, check. Milk. Crap.
She called to the desk.
“Hello, love,” Frankie said.
“It’s weird that you know who it is. It could’ve been Tristan.” She fought to keep the grin off her face.
“And my sentiments would’ve been the same.”
“I thought you were off today. Didn’t you get bit by a dog?”
“Yes. But I’m okay. Why do you think I’m answering phones? No dog walking for me.” He sounded very smug. He must not have gotten hurt that bad.
“Ah. I planned on making cookies, and I’m out of milk. Can I get some from you, or do I have to go to the store?”
“Do you underestimate my abilities?”
“No. But with your gimpy arm.”
“Ha! I’ll be up in a flash with a gallon. Do you want skim or whole?”
“Whole. Skim is just water.”
He laughed. “On my way.”
She put down the phone and tapped her fingers on the counter. Maybe she should go over to Tristan’s, but she didn’t want to appear needy. No. She would wait here for him. Besides, she wanted to talk to Frankie and see how bad he was hurt.
Christmas and Commitment (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 6) Page 12