“Oh, for the love of hell! Pepper, will you call off your dog, for fuck’s sake?”

I just finished pulling the dress up and securing the zipper when I heard, “Oh, baby,” Tomas purred. “I won’t bite… unless you want me to. But you feel free to use your teeth whenever you want. Hard.”

“Pepper!”

“Tomas, take it down a notch or a thousand, babe.”

“You got it, sweets.”

I stepped through the curtain just in time to watch Tomas hold his pinky and thumb up to his face, mouthing call me to Rowan as he walked away from him.

“All right, Pepper.” I laughed as I climbed the two steps onto the small podium in front of the three-way mirror. “This is the last one I’m trying on. It better damn well be good enough.”

She emitted a startling, ear-splitting screech that had me spinning around to look in her and Rowan’s direction. She went all girly with a squealing, “It’s so perfect!”

“Oh, sugar,” Tomas breathed with his clasped hands tucked to his chest. “You’re bringing a tear to my queer little eye.” To prove the point, he sniffled and ran a finger across his cheek.

Turning back to the mirror, I gazed at my reflection and was inclined to agree. It was a gorgeous Grecian-style gown in a soft, cream-colored chiffon. It flowed from my ribs all the way down to my toes in four layers, the three top layers made sheer so it looked like water as I swayed from side to side. The A-line bust was designed with a shimmery gold appliqué that twisted all the way around and wove into the one and only strap on my left shoulder. It was classy without being overstated. It accentuated my body while still being unbelievably comfortable. But the main selling point was the fact that I felt beautiful in it.

“Oh, wow,” I breathed as I ran my hands down my waist, my fingers skating over the smooth material, taking everything in with wide eyes.

“Rowan? What do you think?” Pepper asked, pulling my attention away from the mirror to look back. What I saw left me nearly breathless. The muscle in his jaw ticked like it did every time I saw him get angry. But the way his throat moved as he swallowed, the way his crystal-clear gaze darkened as his eyes raked back and forth over every inch of my frame, the way his fists clenched and unclenched over and over… well, something about all of that led me to believe that anger was the last thing he was feeling.

And because of that, I felt warmth pool in my belly, a tingle between my thighs that refused to go away. At that very moment, I was thankful for the gathered material around my breasts masking the fact that my nipples had hardened painfully under his stare.

“I’m thinking he might like it.” Pepper’s voice held joyous humor as she joined Tomas in clutching her hands to her chest.

“Oh, baby. He more than likes it,” Tomas replied. “Judging by that python standing tall behind his fly, he loves it.”

That did it. That pulled both Rowan and I out of the heat of the moment. My head fell back in hysterical laughter at the same time Rowan exclaimed, “Jesus, Mary, and motherfucking Joseph. Come on, Tomas!”

“What?” He shrugged innocently. “Just stating the facts, stud. If she wasn’t so goddamned sweet, I may have to cut a bitch.”

“Aww, thanks, Tomas.” I giggled as I turned back to my reflection.

“Anything for you, sweet tea.”

It was official. I was in love with Tomas. And I was so getting this dress.

It was official. I was so fucked.

I tightened my fist around my aching cock as I tugged faster and harder. Those familiar tingles started at the base of my spine, my balls tightening as I got closer to blowing. And the one vision behind my lids as I pumped my dick at a furious pace, chasing after my orgasm, was Navie.

God, Navie.

That fucking dress was going to be the death of me.

But it wasn’t imagining her in that dress that was going to push me over the edge. It was that dress, and the way she looked with her head thrown back in laughter, and that goddamned look on her face when she turned to me. I’d been hard just staring at her. Watching those navy-colored eyes dilate with want, like I was a lake in the middle of the desert and she hadn’t had water in ages. That look was what had me grunting as I lay in my bed, in my dark room, shooting my load all over my hand and stomach.

Jesus Christ.

If an orgasm was that good just thinking about her, I couldn’t imagine what it would have felt like if it had been her small hand wrapped around me. Or better yet, her tight pussy snug all around me as I pounded into her.

Yep, I was royally fucked.

It felt like the night of the gala had snuck up on me unexpectedly. Yes, I had a fabulous dress and amazing high-heeled strappy sandals in the same shade of gold as the applique on my dress. My hair and makeup were both flawless, thanks to Pepper and Harlow’s impeccable work. I’d managed to find the time to create chandelier earrings that looked like hammered gold leaves, plus a thin slave bracelet with matching leaves that ran from my wrist up the back of my hand where a thin chain looped around my middle finger. But mentally, I was freaking out.

Other than Rowan, I wasn’t going to know anyone there. And to say I didn’t fit in with the crowd that attended an event such as the AHA gala was an epic understatement. I hadn’t felt so out of my element since I was a teenager.

“Stop fidgeting.” Rowan reached across the seat and wrapped his long fingers around my hand that had been tugging at my bracelet.

His soft words and gentle touch pulled my attention from the passing buildings outside our limousine's window. “I can’t help it.”

His grip on my hand loosened as he flipped my palm over and looked down, the tips of his fingers whispering over the gold leaves wrapped around my wrist. “You keep yanking on this bracelet and you’re going to break it.” I turned my attention from his handsome face, his strong jaw covered in a day’s worth of stubble. He still managed to look slightly rugged, even while wearing a designer tux, and my body had been tingling since the moment I climbed into the limo and first caught sight of him. “You make this?” he asked, jerking me back to reality.

“Yeah. And the earrings. I needed something to match my dress.”

“Gorgeous,” he said on a whispered breath. I thought he was talking about the bracelet, but when I looked up from our hands that crystal gaze was focused solely on my face. My breath hitched as his eyes roamed every inch of my features. He leaned in closer, his hand on my wrist tightening as though he was afraid I’d pull away. I had absolutely no intention of pulling away. I didn’t have it in me to fight any longer. Denying myself something I wanted so badly was exhausting, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. Consequences be damned, I’d find a way to deal with the aftermath when that time came.

Which it undoubtedly would.

“Rowan…” That one word came out like a plea, soft and breathy, full of need. We were so close I could see his eyes flare at just the sound of me saying his name. He wanted me. I wanted him. It was undeniable.

Then the curtain came crashing down on our moment.

“Mr. Locklaine, we’ve arrived,” the driver’s voice called across the intercom.

“Fuck,” he nearly growled as he pulled away, resting his back against the seat as he raked his hands through his hair. His words were mumbled, but I could understand them perfectly. “Fucking shit. Goddamn it.” And I couldn’t have agreed more.