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  “You’re already hot for me, Grace. I like you hot.”

  I couldn’t do this. I didn’t want every single conversation we had to end up with me succumbing to his charms and him between my legs. As much as I wanted that now, I had to resist, so I removed his skillful fingers from my crotch and cleared my throat. “What were you doing in Vegas?”

  “Work.”

  “With a shaggy beard?”

  “Would you believe it if I told you I was living as a bum?”

  “I would. But why?”

  “Work. Grace, the thing you need to understand about me is that I can’t always tell you everything I do. It doesn’t matter if I want to, I just can’t.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  And how did his hand end up back between my legs again?

  “It looks like your little brother’s not giving up easily. I need you to stay with me. Make yourself at home, Magic Fingers. You’ll be living here from now on.”

  CHAPTER 11

  “Will you be following me everywhere?” I asked as Hunter paced back and forth in front of the fitting room, checking his messages.

  “Absolutely yes.” He scrolled his finger over his tablet as I lowered my stack of clothes. Lilly’s bachelorette party was this Friday and I had nothing to wear. My closet was in major need of an update, including a new dress. And since the birthday gift card from Emma had been burning in my wallet for the past three months, waiting to walk into a “by appointment only” designer store, I thought that this was the perfect time to use it. For the past hour Carol, the sales clerk, had been helping me choose dresses, sexy jumpsuit ensembles, and matching lingerie to go with every outfit.

  “Don’t you have to work?” I watched Hunter roll up his sleeves and take a seat in the white chaise. I was sure that on the hottest day yet, Hunter wore long sleeves on purpose, just to look so damn sexy as he rolled them up.

  “If you need anything, Grace, just press that button.” Carol pointed to the wall before she pulled the main curtain closed, giving us more privacy. The sound of the metal clips sliding along the rod provoked a pleasant tickle of goose bumps along my arms.

  “I am working, Magic Fingers.” Hunter’s concentration had been on that tablet since this morning. And if he somehow found a way to set it down for a moment, then it was his phone—first one, then the other. I’d never seen a man who could multitask as well as Hunter, but honestly, I was beginning to feel left out.

  Not that I was an attention seeker—definitely not. But you hear about these couples getting so used to each other that they no longer appreciate the time they spend together. I didn’t want to be one of those couples. And I still wasn’t sure whether we were a couple at all. But I didn’t want to take a chance. Not with Hunter. I’d die before that spark in our relationship went out. And while we were still in the beginning stages of whatever it was that was happening between us and the heat never died, I wanted to keep Hunter interested—all the time.

  I changed into my first dress, turned around to look in the mirror, put my heels back on, and went out. I twirled, adjusted my boobs, and stood higher on my toes, and Hunter’s gaze remained on the tablet.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  He looked up smiling. “You look nice, Grace.”

  I didn’t want to look nice. I wanted to look hot, maybe a little whorish as well. Hunter lowered his gaze and I went back to the changing room.

  The turquoise ensemble was next: a low-cut waterfall front, shorter hemline, and definitely tighter curves.

  I stepped out of the fitting room and Hunter hadn’t budged. I cleared my throat.

  “Do you like this one?” I asked.

  “You look nice.”

  I cocked my head to the side, waiting for another comment.

  “It’s better than the floral one,” he said.

  “I didn’t put on a floral one.”

  “You know, that one with the things on the fabric.”

  “You mean lace cutouts?”

  “Yeah, that one.”

  I didn’t even want to tell him there wasn’t one with lace cutouts, either. Frustrated, I went back inside to change again, wondering whether he’d notice if I wore an elephant costume. As I fumbled through the stack, one of my favorites caught my eye: the silver dress in which I couldn’t bend too low, as it’d reveal the tops of my stockings attached to a garter belt. The matching low-cut bra fit perfectly, giving the ladies an extra lift. It was a sheer gray, just like the hipster panties.

  Maybe I should just walk out in this? I thought, looking at myself in the mirror. Although by now I was beginning to wonder whether presenting my naked self would move any muscle. While I loved dressing up underneath my clothes as well, I didn’t own anything this luxurious. I slid on the silky ensemble, pinned my hair up in a bun, adjusted the fabric over my hips and stepped out.

  “And how is this” I asked.

  Hunter’s gaze flew up just like the other times. “That’s ni—” but this time the tablet fell out of his hands. And Hunter didn’t seem in a hurry to pick it up. His mouth was open as I twirled, surely revealing the surprise underneath. “You think the girls will like it?”

  A growl vibrated through Hunter’s chest, making my pulse surge. He set his phone aside and cleared his throat. “And where are you planning to wear it?”

  “To the strip club.”

  “That...” He stood up, taking predatory steps toward me. I bit my lip, watching the bulge in his pants grow as he neared. I drank the full length of him, reading all his wicked intention in his provocative body language. “... Is off limits, Grace.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He stood so close to me, I could taste the flavor of his mint gum on the tip of my tongue, yet we didn’t touch. His finger skimmed over my shoulder, down along the spaghetti strap that held my dress, and over my cleavage. He gently pulled the fabric out to peek inside.

  “Fuck me.” The rasp in his voice slithered along my body. Finally, I was getting the reaction that I was waiting for. Hunter moved toward me, brushing his hard front against my belly, which caused my insides to flip. My legs softened as Hunter’s demanding heat roamed over my skin.

  “If anyone sees you in this, all they’ll want is to fuck you, Grace. I don’t want another man to be thinking about you that way.” He pressed his right leg to my left, making me shift. I stepped backward, feeling his penetrating gaze devour me.

  “How do you know what they’ll be thinking?”

  “Because that’s what I’m thinking.” Hunter moved forward with his other leg, forcing me backward again.

  “I thought you were busy working,” I teased. An incoming message buzzed on his tablet, yet his attention hadn’t wavered. “Shouldn’t you get that?” I felt my mouth curve up.

  “Whoever it is can wait. I cannot wait.”

  “For what?” I batted my lashes with innocence, feeling my body make it completely back into the fitting room. My back pressed against the mirror, and Hunter leaned his full weight on me. He bent down to my ear and whispered, “To fuck you.”

  His breath weaved down my face and neck, meandering between my breasts, settling there because there was nowhere else to escape. Anticipation rose in my chest, making my breaths hotter and shorter. The rest of my body was attached to Hunter, feeling every enticing curve of his hard muscles, especially that one that pressed stiffly against my belly. I slid my hands up his arms, wishing that damn shirt was off so that I could appreciate the view of his sculpted perfection, and feel the rippling field underneath my palms.

  He took my lips, tracing their seam with his tongue.

  “Turn around, Grace.” His low throaty tone was like an aphrodisiac, pulsing through me, drugging me, making my head spin and tightening my belly.

  Hunter lowered his hands to my hips, twisting my body. My cheek and palms pressed against the mirror as he lifted my dress. I arched my back with a soft moan as the first touch of his fingers tracing the undercurve of my
ass flickered through me. He lowered my panties, leaving the garter around my waist. The sound of his zipper was amplified in my ears, adding to the uneasy excitement. In the side mirror, I saw Hunter release himself, bend his knees, and drag his tip over my ass and down toward my opening. Our reflection, breathing heavily and wanton, was like some kind of porn movie. I couldn’t believe that was us: so full of impatient longing, my ass reaching higher, his knees bending lower, tongue skimming over his lips as he probed my opening, unable to take it slow, diving into me with one swift push, pressing my entire body against the mirror and holding still. My sweaty hands squeaked against the surface.

  “Try to stay quiet, Grace.”

  Hunter slid in and out in slow rhythmic motion at first. I watched us from the side, the view in itself more stimulating than anything else. In the reflection, he gently bit my shoulder, kissed the reddened mark, and swept my hair to the side to lick my neck. His hands were all over me, slowly drifting lower and to my front until his fingers touched my heated mound. He licked them before returning, circling around my clit, causing new yearning to surge through my veins.

  The boundary between a dream and reality blurred. This had to be what heaven felt like: being possessed, wanted, yearned for, and deliriously happy all at the same time.

  “Faster, please.” I closed my eyes, concentrating on his unforgiving rhythm, feeling the cold zipper of his pants against my ass each time he pushed in.

  Hunter strummed my clit until my body began trembling. My thighs tensed, and I couldn’t hold on any longer as my orgasm ripped violently through me. But Hunter didn’t stop. His breaths strained each time he plunged harder, until the last heavy groan left his lips as he stilled and joined me in the shattering bliss, leaving my body boneless.

  I leaned against the mirror, completely spent and sweaty, watching the patch of fog condense to little drops and drip down.

  “Looks like this dress is a winner after all,” I said, smiling.

  Hunter slowly pulled out. I felt his seed drip down my thigh. He pulled out a tissue from his pocket, wiping me clean.

  “You’ll definitely wear it again. At home.” Hunter stood up, kissing me gently on my lips. “Grace, I didn’t use a condom.”

  I closed my eyes, counting the days in my head before breathing out in relief, “It should be okay. And I was tested after the accident…”

  Hunter’s brows rose as he zipped himself up. “It’s been a year since then.”

  “I know.” I looked to the ground where my clothes were scattered. “It’s been a long twelve months.”

  “Please don’t feel ashamed,” Hunter whispered. “You’re a very special woman and I’m glad you choose your men wisely.”

  “Well, it’s not every day that a caveman walks into my salon.”

  “For what it’s worth, this caveman is clean too, Grace.”

  I shifted uncomfortably, wishing we were home so that I could jump in the shower with Hunter. “I think I’m ready to go.”

  “Is that all I’m gonna see today?”

  “If you’re good I’ll show you more, but not here. There’s this tiny little outfit I wanted to try on…”

  “Not here, please.” Hunter began collecting my wardrobe from the ground. “But whatever you think I’ll like, we’re buying it.”

  “Well, then I hope you have a big limit on your credit card.”

  “For you, Grace, there’s no limit.”

  Hunter kissed me once more before looking around. “Thank goodness for privacy.”

  I giggled, “You think anyone heard us?”

  “Does it matter if they did? What’s wrong with two people wanting each other so much they cannot wait to get home? Besides, it’s their fault.”

  “How is that?”

  “Well, if they didn’t carry such sexy clothes, there wouldn’t be a problem. I don’t understand how a guy is supposed to help himself when he sees a beautiful woman seducing him.”

  “Seducing?”

  “I’m sure I’m not the first. And if you said you didn’t seduce me, Grace, you and I would know that was a lie.”

  He was right. I had been trying to tempt him since the first outfit I put on. My cheeks heated. Was I being too forward?

  “And I loved every single minute of pretending to be busy.”

  I felt my mouth open, and I punched him in his arm. He grasped my wrist and kissed my bunched fingers until my full palm opened up. At that moment, the words the one began drumming in my head, over and over again.

  CHAPTER 12

  The screams pierced my ears. Who knew that a few glistening male bodies strutting along a mirrored walkway could turn the hormones of mature women to those of teenage girls.

  If you can’t beat them, join them, I thought, waving a ten-dollar bill in my hand. The Hercules look-alike slid on his knees to the edge of the stage, jutting his hips forward so that I could stick the paper down his teeny-weeny G-string, which barely covered a gigantic bulge. First, I just stared. That thing couldn’t be real. I mean, I knew that men came in all shapes and sizes, but this guy had to be stuffed. Maybe they make implants…

  My thought was interrupted when he tugged on the top band of his glittering strap, giving me a sneak peek at his package. Gross! I wouldn’t want that inside me for the life of me. I was sure that as soon as his balls hit me between my legs, I’d be gagging on his tip.

  “Which one of you bitches chose this joint?” I asked, laughing. Even after a few rounds of drinks I was sober enough to know that it took a special kind of man to do right by me. A man who flipped my world upside down each time I saw him—one who made me wonder whether I’d finally found the one on the doorstep to my salon. No, I had to stop that kind of thinking about Hunter, because every single time I’d thought about a guy being the one, I’d failed. And I hadn’t had enough of Hunter yet to let myself fail. He’d been absolutely wonderful, checking on me every day since I went back to my salon. Sometimes I wondered whether he had parked outside, watching me work.

  Lilly’s hand flew up. She pulled her lips away from sucking on her magic mojo mix to yell out, “Me!” Her white veil nearly fell off. Our bride to be was so gone, I was sure she wouldn’t remember anything from the last-minute bachelorette party Emma had planned. We were all to be bridesmaids at her wedding in two weeks, and I couldn’t wait to see my friend walk down the aisle. I’d already added Hunter as my official “plus one.” “What’s wrong with him?” she added.

  “Lack of gravity two weeks ago messed up Grace’s marbles,” Emma teased. “Or maybe it was someone else?”

  “I hate you!”

  “I love you too.” She wrung her arm around my shoulder, leaning into my ear. “Please don’t be mad. I’m only teasing.”

  “I know, Em. I know.”

  “So we’re all good?” she asked, half surprised. “I mean, we’ve never missed two weekends in a row.”

  “Yup, we’re all good.”

  “And how many drinks have you had? Or did Hunter do something this afternoon to make you smile? He did, didn’t he? Grace!” She shook me by my shoulders. “You’ve been holding out on me. Tell me everything!”

  “There’s nothing to tell—yet—but I think we’re officially dating. I really want to give it a chance, Em. He may be…”

  “Please don’t say the one!” Emma plugged her ears, acting like a five-year-old who didn’t want to listen to her parents.

  I pulled her fingers out of her ears. “I’m not, Em. But I really like him. This one could last.”

  While I kept looking at the stage full of pure male muscle and nakedness, all I could see was Hunter’s face pasted on every single stripper. I ate them alive with my gaze, feeling hotter each time I thought about Hunter exiting from behind the curtain, walking straight at me with a wicked smile, and telling me how much he wanted to please me, right there in front of everyone.

  “Earth to Grace!” Emma shook me by my shoulders again. “You need to stop thinking about him for a momen
t and enjoy.”

  “I can’t help it,” I shrugged.

  “I bet you it won’t last.”

  At the sound of a potential bet against Emma, my ears perked up. “All right, what do you want to bet?”

  Emma had a devious smile on her face.

  “If you last more than three months, I will personally go up on a stage at a strip club with nothing on buuuut…” She dragged her but out, searching for a piece of attire. When she’d found a white shiny stone on Lilly’s tiara she picked it up between her fingers, saying, “Gems. Little tiny gems glued to my privates and only covering my nipples.”

  “Emma, that will never fly. Because your brothers will kill you.”

  “No, because you will never last three months,” she laughed. “Are you chicken?”

  “One month,” I countered.

  “Two.”

  I put my hand out as I made my final offer. “Considering that I’ve lasted eight days at the longest, one month is the best I can do. That’s another two weeks, Em.” Honestly, I had no doubt I’d last two months, or even longer, but the prospect of having Emma let herself go on a stage was really growing on me. Maybe I could get someone to fall for her as a stripper instead of as a ruthless PI.

  She finally reached out for a shake. “Deal!”

  Emma must have had quite a few drinks, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed so easily. Or maybe deep down, stripping was on her bucket list?

  “Can’t wait to see you strut your stuff, Em.”

  “Ain’t gonna happen. You haven’t lasted more than nine days with one guy in over a year!” she laughed.

  All right, maybe she was right, but she hadn’t seen me with Hunter. She hadn’t felt what I had—lust mixed with a one of a kind friendship, desire blended with mutual understanding and respect. Hunter had given me more every twenty-four hours than the guys I’d dated had in two weeks. Every morning I wondered what each day would bring. Would Hunter tear me apart from head to toe with one of his mind-blowing orgasms, only to put me back together with his kisses? If so, I couldn’t wait. And the way he’d treated me, like I was the center of his world, made me thankful no other woman had been lucky enough to snag him.