We’ve been in the store for forty minutes, and Scout has tried on no less than ten different dresses.
All of them are wrong.
“No. Next.”
“Excuse me?”
I barely glance up from my phone, but it’s long enough to see it’s still not the right dress. “That’s not the one. Next.”
She huffs, her hand going to her hip. “You didn’t even look.”
“I did, and it’s a no.”
“Miller…come on. I’ve tried on so many dresses already, and you’ve said no to every single one. My boobs are sweating, and I’m starving.”
“We’ll go to lunch after this, I promise. And besides, have there been any dresses that you love?”
She chews on her bottom lip, which tells me just what I suspected—no.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s looked incredible in just about every single dress minus the one that had feathers—because, well, it had feathers—but none of them are the one.
“How much longer is this going to take? It’s a charity fundraiser, not a red-carpet event.”
I sigh, then look over at the shopkeeper, who is watching all of this unfold. “Can you grab the forest green one?”
Her eyes light up, and she nods enthusiastically before turning away to grab it.
“What forest green one? And why are you saying things like forest green? You’re a guy.”
“First of all, that’s sexist. Men can know colors. Secondly, I like to, uh, color.”
She tilts her head. “You like to color?”
“Yeah.” My cheeks begin to warm because fuck, now that I’m saying it out loud, it sounds stupid, and for some reason, I really don’t want to look stupid in front of Scout.
“Like…in coloring books?”
“Adult coloring books, but yeah.” I shrug, shifting around in the chair I’ve been parked on since we arrived. “It’s relaxing. Sometimes it’s helpful after stressful stretches of games.”
Her lips pull into a smile. “That’s cute.”
I narrow my eyes. “I feel like you’re making fun of me.”
“I’m not!” she insists. “I honestly think it’s—”
“Cute?”
“Yeah. Cute.” Another grin. “It’s…you.”
I like the way she says that, like it’s something she means, like it’s a good thing.
“Here’s that dress,” the shopkeeper says, thrusting it into Scout’s arms.
She looks down at it, confused. “Where did this come from?”
I lift a shoulder. “It was on one of the racks you didn’t look at.”
“Yeah, because I don’t want anything strapless. I…don’t have the arms for strapless.”
I want to walk up to her, grab her by the shoulders, and shake her because she’s clearly out of it if she thinks there’s a single thing wrong with any part of her body.
“Try the dress on, Scout.”
She eyes the fabric draped over her arms, mulling it over.
I know she’s going to love the dress if she just gives it a try. I know she’s going to love it because I love it, and I want her to see herself from my point of view.
“Please,” I add, and she finally looks up at me.
“Fine,” she says with a soft sigh, shaking her head like she can’t believe she’s about to actually do it, then she slips behind the curtain.
The shopkeeper looks over at me, grinning like a fool because I bet she knows what I know—that Scout is about to walk out of that dressing room looking like a million bucks.
“I’m going to go check on the front, but I’ll be right back,” the woman says to me.
I nod my thanks, she disappears, and I wait.
Then wait some more.
And more.
After what feels like twenty minutes, I can’t take it any longer. I rise and make my way over to the dressing room.
“Scout?” I call out softly.
She lets out a loud yelp and flings the curtain open. “Jesus, Miller! You scared me!”
She’s glaring at me, I’m sure, but I can’t be bothered to care right now.
Because this dress? This dress is the one.
It’s hugging her everywhere it should be—her tits, her waist, and her ass. And the slit up the front? It’s so fucking hot. It’s just enough to tease but not enough to be inappropriate. I’m already sad I’m going to have to wait so long to see her in it again.
She looks… “Stunning.”
“Huh?”
Fuck. Did I say that out loud?
I clear my throat, then drag my eyes back up her body to her face. “You look stunning, Scout.”
Her cheeks turn redder than I’ve ever seen them get. “Stop it.”
The words are whispered.
“What?”
“Stop it,” she repeats, a little louder this time.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t mean it.”
“I don’t?”
She shakes her head. “No. You’re just saying that because I’m doing you a favor by being your date and you feel obligated. Or maybe you still feel bad about not recognizing me. Or—”
Her words are cut off when I begin stalking toward her.
She takes a step back. I take another forward.
Back. Forward.
Back. Forward.
Like I’m a fucking lion, and she’s my prey.
I have no clue what’s come over me. All I know is I can’t stand here and listen to her not believe me.
“Miller…” She says it quietly, and I’m not quite sure if she’s asking me to come closer or to step away.
“I want to set a few things straight, Scout.”
She swallows thickly.
I lean closer, trying not to get drunk on the sweet scent of baked goods that seems to cling to her skin. “I’m not saying anything because I’m obligated to. I’m saying it because I mean it. Also, I will never lie to you, ever. If I say you’re stunning, it’s because I believe you are. And you are, Scout. You’re stunning.”
Her breath hitches, and her pupils dilate at my words. She’s peering up at me with those damn hazel eyes she won’t stop rolling, and we’re trapped together inside the small changing room. I have a feeling I could do anything I wanted to her right now, and she’d let me.
Like kiss her. And at this moment, I really want to kiss her.
I don’t know where the thought comes from. I also have no fucking clue how I’m supposed to feel about it, especially since we’re just supposed to be friends.
I do know I hate the way she’s talking about herself, hate that she can’t see how gorgeous she looks right now.
“You’re stunning, and I wish you could see it.”
I spin her around until she’s facing the mirror.
I grab her waist to help keep her steady—or at least that’s what I tell myself. Really, it’s just an excuse to touch her because I really want to fucking touch her.
“See this dress?” I say, dropping my lips to her ear, loving the way she shivers at our proximity. “See the way it hugs every inch of your body?”