I heard the knock at my door and kicked back in my chair to answer it. I opened the door, and Bella was standing there. I jumped up and grabbed her.

“Hey,” I said.

“I’m a little early,” she said.

“No big deal. I’m done here.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Hell yeah. You need a dress, darlin’. We’re going to a wedding.”

“That means you’re wearing a suit?”

“Yup.”

“Oh, I cannot wait to see that.”

“Funny,” I said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

We stepped into the hallway and, of course, there were Tate and Prick.

“Her tits were-”

I cleared my throat.

They both looked at me.

“Sort of like hers,” Prick said. “Except bigger.”

I heard Bella gasp.

“I’m going to kick your ass, Prick,” I said.

“What?” he asked. “I mean, she’s beautiful. Why the hell is she near you, Zayne? You must have a secret on her or something.”

Bella looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. “He grows on you. Like a disease that won’t go away.”

“Oh, I can get rid of him,” Tate said.

“But you won’t,” Prick said. “You love me, Tate.”

“Easy now,” Tate said.

“You’re just mad you lost your pussy-buddy,” Prick said. He nodded at me.

I wanted to break Prick’s jaw to keep him from talking.

“He’s full of shit,” I said to Bella.

“True,” Tate said. “Couldn’t get Zayne out in public if I paid him.”

“Okay, enough of this,” I said. “I’m heading out, Tate. I got plans with Bella.”

“Bella,” Prick said. “I like the way that rolls off my tongue. I could say your name over and over while I eat your-”

“You’d never get a chance,” Bella said.

Prick stuck out his tongue and showed off his tongue stud. “You know what this does?”

“Makes up for your small dick?” Bella asked.

Tate roared with laughter. He then grabbed Prick by the shoulders and shoved him back. “I love watching you getting burned by woman.”

“My dick isn’t small,” Prick said with a serious face. “At all.”

“I’m sure,” Bella said.

“As always, Prick, it’s a pleasure to talk to you,” I said.

I slipped a hand around Bella’s shoulder and we walked out the back door of St. Skin.

She had my heart racing. The way she handled herself in front of Prick. That was a hard thing to do. The guys at St. Skin would give you the shirt off their backs to help you, but they were rude, crude, and didn’t give a shit. They were hard to deal with. But they were wicked loyal.

I decided to drive my truck to work knowing I was going to meet up with Bella to go get her a dress. And of all fucking things to think…to go get her a dress.

I opened the passenger door and grabbed for Bella’s wrist. “I’m sorry about Prick. He’s actually a really good guy. And from what I hear, his dick actually isn’t small.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Bella said. “But I like yours the best.”

“Thanks,” I said. “And you don’t need a dress to look beautiful, Bella. We could go to this wedding in jeans and hoodies. Crash it. Eat the food. Knock over the cake. Steal some booze and run.”

“That’s really tempting,” Bella said. “But I like a slow-burn torture. Imagine her face as I stand there in a dress, you in a suit, her engagement ring on my finger. It’s going to drive her crazy all night.”

“That’s cold, Bella. I love you for that.”

The words slipped out of my mouth the way Prick’s asshole words slipped out of his mouth.

We stared for a second before I turned and walked away.

I love you for that. Shit. What the fuck was that about?

I got into my truck, started it, and took off.

Bella and I didn’t speak a word for the entire drive.

* * *

I leaned against a pillar in the store just outside the dressing room and waited. I never thought I’d be doing this. But this was my fault. This was what I wanted. I wanted her to go to the wedding with me. This was all my doing.

The dressing room door swung open and shut with a soft squeak. A few seconds later, there was Bella, standing in a royal blue dress. Her hands at her sides, looking nervous as anything.

“Well?” she asked.

“Holy fucking hell, darlin’,” I managed to say.

My heart and brain fought over the last few breaths of air I had because I had never seen a woman look like this in a dress.

It stopped just above her knees. The curves of her hips looked ready to rip the dress open, but that’s how it was meant to be. Her body was made to hug the dress, not the dress to hug her body. The top was low-cut but not too much. It came just a sliver below her shoulders and went around her back. Her hair was back in a ponytail as she stood there, eyes wide.

“You look amazing,” I said.

“You’re just saying that.”

I walked toward her and shook my head. “Bella. You don’t understand how beautiful you look.”

I reached back and touched her hair. My fingertips found the hair tie and I pulled. I slid it down her hair and off, sliding it over my wrist. I stepped back, and she fluffed her hair for a quick second. Some of her hair fell over her shoulder, some didn’t.

“Fuck,” I said.

“What?”

“I’m going to lose my mind looking at you, Bella.”

“Zayne…”

“No,” I growled.

I grabbed her hand and pulled. I walked her toward the dressing room, and she clawed at me.

“Hey, that’s the ladies…”

“I don’t give a fuck,” I said.

I walked right into the room and went to the little changing area she came from. I opened the door and pushed Bella into it. I shut the door and slid the lock. I made her face the mirror and stood behind her, my hands at her waist.

“How the hell can you not see it?” I asked.

“Well, to be fair, I do look good in this dress,” she whispered.

“You look good in everything,” I said. “But, yes, this dress is…fuck.”

Bella turned her head and looked up at me. The biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face.

“What?” I asked.

“You really mean it. When you say it.”

“Of course I do. I’m not a liar.”

“Except about my car. Remember?”

“One time. And it sort of paid off.”

“Yeah? You still need to make that up to me.”

“Is that so?” I whispered. “Well then…”

I eased my right hand down and grabbed the bottom of the dress. Her eyes went wide. I pulled the dress up, easing it over her body, my hand moving between her legs.

“Zayne, no,” she whispered. “Not here. There’s cameras.”

“There’s no fucking cameras in the dressing room,” I whispered. “I think it’s illegal.”

“You think?”

“Who cares? Let’s give them a fucking show.”

“Shit,” Bella said.

Her face was flush. I pressed against her and she turned and quickly put her hands to the wall separating our dressing room and the next one.

My fingers cut between her legs even more, feeling the silkiness of her legs. She was warm, getting hotter by the inch, right up to where I touched her panties.

“Fuck, darlin’,” I whispered into her ear. “You better not make noise, or else we’re going to get kicked out and you’re not going to get this dress…”

I loved fucking flirting with her. I loved fucking teasing her.

My fingertips pressed against her center, twisted against her panties. Her hands spread wide against the wall as she put her head back against my shoulder. Slowly, gently, I brought my hand up and eased down into her panties. Her smooth skin gave way to her sweet wetness.

Curling my fingertips, I pressed and pulled, driving her back against me harder, making her gasp.

“Careful,” I whispered in her ear. “No noise, darlin’.”

Her mouth opened in desperation and she turned her head to kiss me.

We kissed as I slid my fingers down and inside her. Exploring her depths with circles, pulling back, thrusting forward, feeling her body come alive to my touch. Her right hand slid down the wall and reached back for me. Her hand against my thickness, squeezing.

“Zayne,” she whispered. “Please…Zayne…”

Her lips kept touching mine as she talked. I grabbed her wrist and pried her hand off my body.

She then looked at me.

Our eyes locked tight, a few inches separating our lips.

My fingers kept moving, sliding back just enough, and then up just enough to find her sweet spot. The second I touched her clit, she jumped and sucked in a breath.

She mouthed to me, “Holy fuck…!”

I grinned.

Then she started to say “I… I… I…”

I wasn’t sure what the next words were, but something exploded inside me. A surge of emotions that I couldn’t remember ever feeling before. I hurried to rip my hand away from Bella’s tender body. I spun her around and put her against the wall, harder than I should have. The thud of her hitting the wall echoed like a slamming door. Then I touched her again, this time facing her, this time wanting to make sure she could see me and I could see her. Eye to eye. Heart to heart. Body to body.

Faster. Harder. Thrusting deeper. Twisting. Easing out. Gliding along her sweet button…

Bella was breathless, jaw falling open, her grip tight on my shirt.

I moved in and kissed her as she brought herself to her toes. She was just seconds away from coming as my tongue flirted with hers. I had to kiss her because I had words flirting that wanted out.

But whatever I had to say…that would only change our lives.

* * *

I leaned against the same pillar and looked around the store. Nobody knew a fucking thing, and if they did, they weren’t looking or saying a thing. Which was good. It was my business. My phone started to vibrate.

Tilly from Miami was calling again.

My thumb hovered over the screen, debating what to do.

“You ready?”

I looked up and saw Bella back in her normal clothes, as beautiful as she had been in the dress. Her hair was pulled back again, a wild look in her eyes. Her cheeks still blushed a little, that sense of wicked guilt racing through her body.

I stuck my phone into my pocket and gave a nod. I grabbed her hand and led the way to the register. With the same hand that I had used to touch Bella’s most delicate of areas in the dressing room, I took my credit card out of my pocket and tossed it to the counter.

The woman behind the counter smiled and asked, “Anything you need?”

I looked right at Bella, smirking. “Nope…I don’t need any other thing in my life right now.”