Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
“I really hope there are sun hats. I have my heart set on one now.”
Shaley grins. “Come take a look at the accessories. I think you’ll like what you see.”
CHAPTER 34
CASSIE
I ended up selecting a long floral lace dress, cream-colored with pretty pink roses and a sweetheart neckline. Tor wanted me to wear something shorter, but once I got in the fitting room, I found myself absolutely refusing to wear anything even remotely short the first time I’m really “meeting” his victim-blaming parents. I know he wants this dinner to go well, and I also know if they look at me wrong, I’ll blow a fuse, so I’m trying to plan ahead and defuse any potential situations before we come across them.
Tor’s rose metaphor inspired me when I was selecting my dress. I decided to go all in with the sweetness factor and picked out a matching headband with pink roses on it to wear as well.
Unfortunately, my pretty gold sandals do not match the look of this dress, so Shaley and I hit one more shop on the way home to look for shoes. I find a pair of mules with floral mesh and a peek-a-boo toe so I can still showcase my pedicure. They don’t match my dress precisely, but I think they’re beautiful and I want them, so I decide it’s close enough.
Tor meets me at my place to get ready.
I keep my makeup pretty simple, subtle eye shadow and mascara, a pretty mauve lip gloss that matches my dress. I’ll have to be strong and resist the allure of Tor’s lips because if he kisses me before we get there, he’s going to destroy it.
He looks so handsome in a pair of black dress slacks with a belt and a dusty rose shirt under a casual black dinner jacket. His shirt matches the mauvy color of the roses on my dress, but where the lace of my dress is creamy like a tarnished white, he’s wearing mostly black. We complement each other well. He’s just dark where I’m light.
My dress ties in the back instead of zipping, probably because the looseness or tightness will vary by bust size. It’s too complicated to do without looking, so I lift my hair and back toward him. “Will you tie me up?”
“Whenever you want,” he answers. Then, after a beat, he teases, “Oh, you meant the dress.”
I crack a smile. “The tie’s pretty intricate. Sorry. The dress was pretty enough that I overlooked it.”
“You know I like a challenge.” His fingers deliberately graze my back and send pleasant tingles everywhere. “Damn, this is complicated. Got a fucking pulley system going on back here.”
I laugh. “Listen, my boobs are gonna look great.”
“They always do,” he says, tightening the bodice. “I feel like I’m doing this wrong. I’m supposed to be taking your clothes off, not covering you up.”
“Hey, if you want to skip family dinner, I’m down. Take it off me, and we’ll go get in bed instead.”
He kisses the ball of my shoulder as he finishes tying the back of my dress. “You make a tempting offer, but I’m afraid we’ve put this off as long as we can.”
“We can put it off longer. We can do anything we set our minds to,” I joke, dropping my hair and arranging it so I can put on the headband. Once it’s on, I do a little spin for Tor. “How do I look?”
He catches my waist, pulling me close and teasing, “Like my perfect little Stepford wife.”
“Don’t!” I put my hand up to block my lips as he leans in. “Lip gloss. We can’t kiss until after dinner.”
He scowls. “I didn’t agree to that.”
I laugh, playfully swatting him away, then turning to leave the bathroom. “You can make it a couple of hours without a kiss. We both can. We won’t die.”
“Do you have the science to back that up? Doesn’t feel legit to me.”
“Now that you mentioned Stepford Wives, I kinda want to watch the movie. If we get back early enough tonight, we should watch it. I’ll stay in costume and make us some popcorn.”
His eyebrows rise with interest as he follows me out. “Hey, if you want to play the dutiful little Stepford wife, why stop at popcorn? We should do it tomorrow instead. You can make me dinner and rub my shoulders. Keep the roleplay going all night.”
“I know you’re trying to provoke me, but that kinda sounds fun. I’m on board for themed movie nights.”
“As long as I get to pick your costumes,” he says, his teasing smile making my stomach flutter.
Sadly, the butterflies are banished, and haunted moths take their place a short time later as we draw closer to Tor’s house.
I’ve never been to this one.
I’m not even sure what road it’s on, but I assume we’re getting close when he turns down a street I’ve never even seen before in my eighteen years of living in Holbrook.