Chapter 71 Chapter Seventy-one
Chapter 71 Chapter Seventy-one
Bella
My face drained of all color the moment Gray pointed at the dress. It was a long, floor-length piece with a delicate net pattern that looked more like it was designed to seduce than to cover.
The neckline plunged so deep it was practically criminal, the kind of dress that promised sin, not sophistication.
“I can’t wear that, Gray,” I hissed under my breath. “It’s a family dinner.”
He lifted one eyebrow, completely unbothered.
“And?”
“It’s not decent enough. If you’re only going to buy this one, then forget it. I’ll wear something from my closet.”
Gray turned to the elegant sales attendant hovering nearby.
“Give us a moment.”
The woman smiled politely. “Take your time.”
The second she walked away, Gray took my hand and pulled me toward the quieter men’s section at the back of the boutique. He backed me against a display of tailored jackets, caging me in with his body. The scent of his cologne wrapped around me like chains.
“Give me one valid reason why you don’t want that dress,” he said, his eyes locked on mine.
I swallowed hard. “Because my mother will lose her mind. Because your relatives will be there staring at me. Because it’s too revealing for a family event where everyone is pretending to be civilized.”
Gray’s hand came up, his fingers tracing the edge of my jaw before sliding down to rest possessively on my throat, a reminder of exactly how he liked to hold me.
I swallowed thickly, trying not to lean into his touch more than was necessary.
“That’s not a valid reason,” he murmured. “Try again.”
My breath hitched. “It’s too… sexual. I’ll look like I’m trying to seduce someone at our parents’ pre-wedding dinner.”
A dark, dangerous smile curved his lips.
“Good,” he whispered, leaning in until his mouth brushed my ear. “I want them to see you and know you’re already claimed. I want your mother to look at you in that dress and realize she’s losing control. I want every man at that table to understand they can look… but if they touch, I’ll burn their world down.”
His thumb stroked over my racing pulse. “And most of all,” he continued, his voice dropping even lower, “I want to sit across from you all night knowing that underneath that net, your body knows me enough to answer when I'm near. I want to imagine all the ways I can peel the dress off your beautiful body and make sweet love to you.”
Without thinking, I lifted my hand to cup his face, stroking his stubble.
“Gray…” I breathed, trying to sound firm but failing miserably.
He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, the intensity in them making my knees weak.
“So tell me again, Red. Why don’t you want the dress?”
I opened my mouth, but no valid protest came out. Because I wanted to wear it for him.
“I guess… I want the dress after all,” I whispered, so quietly I almost hoped he wouldn’t hear it.But of course he did.
Gray leaned down, his lips hovering dangerously close to mine, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath.
My eyes fluttered shut, waiting for the kiss. But it never came.
He turned his head sharply, glaring at the CCTV camera mounted in the corner like it had personally offended him.
“Damn monitoring spirits,” he muttered darkly. “Come on, Bella.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the women’s section with that same possessive grip that made my stomach flip.
The sales attendant reappeared instantly, her professional smile in place.
“We’ll take the net dress,” Gray said before I could change my mind. “In her size. Please make it quick.”
The woman nodded and disappeared to fetch it. Gray didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he pulled me closer until my back was against his chest, his arm wrapping around my waist from behind.
His lips brushed the shell of my ear as he spoke low enough that only I could hear. When he bit down gently on my earlobe, I let out a soft moan.
“You’re going to look like pure sin in that dress tonight,” his voice was rough with promise in my ear. “I can feel that you're desperate to let me have my way with you, do you want me to do it right there, where there will be an audience?”
His hand slowly slid down my side, stopping just above my ass. “Because you’re already dripping for me. Aren’t you, Red?”
I shivered, pressing my thighs together. “You’re impossible.”
“And you love it.”
When the attendant returned with the dress, Gray took it from her without a word and led me straight toward the luxurious fitting rooms at the back.
He pushed the heavy velvet curtain aside and guided me in, stepping inside with me before I could protest.
“Gray—” I started.
He hung the dress on the hook, then turned to me with that dark, predatory look that always made my heart race.
“Try it on,” he ordered softly. “I want to see how it looks on you before I fuck you in it later.”
My pussy lips throbbed in hunger and anticipation..
He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, watching me like a wolf waiting for its prey to bare its throat.
“Or do you need help taking your clothes off, baby?”
The fitting room suddenly felt way too small. And the hunger in Gray’s eyes said he was barely holding himself back.
“No, I got it,” I said quickly. “But I’ll need you to turn around.”
Gray smirked. “No. I won’t pounce on you if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“It would be a lot—”
My mother’s voice suddenly cut through the boutique like ice water.
That wasn’t right. What would she be doing here? Of all places?
My blood ran cold. I was already halfway out of my clothes, standing there in nothing but my panties when her voice floated closer.
“His bike is parked right outside. I’d like to know if he’s with a redhead. She’s—”
The sales attendant’s panicked voice followed immediately. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t disclose personal information about our customers. Ma’am! Please turn around. Ma’am!”
Gray moved like lightning. He switched off the lights in the fitting room, plunging us into complete darkness, then pulled me flush against his body, one large hand clamping firmly over my mouth. His other arm wrapped around my bare waist, holding me steady.
I was very conscious of the fact that I was in just my lingerie, and he was fully clothed.
It was dark, but his solid warmth against my bare flesh felt grounding.
“They're my children, and I want to see them.” My mother argued in response to whatever the sales attendant had told her.
I was trembling against Gray so much that I nearly fell. To distract me, he tilted my face up and the next thing I knew, he was kissing me and I was kissing him back.