Reckless In Love (The Maverick Billionaires #2)(49)

His heart stuttered at her elegance and beauty. She wasn’t a model or a celebrity. She had no artifice. She was simply real, utterly perfect without any help from makeup or fancy clothes, and she made him crazy hot, hard, and reckless. When they finally came together, he knew worlds would collide. Oceans would overflow. Hell, volcanoes would probably erupt.

His mind whirling with images of her, he couldn’t find the clasp on the pearls slung across the plunging back of the black dress.

“I see how it works now.” She took the dress from him, standing so close that her all-Charlie, all-woman scent short-circuited his brain. “It unzips down here, then goes over my head.”

His heart started again, beating harder, faster as she pulled it on, all that beautiful, creamy skin disappearing from view. She presented her back for him to do up the short zipper until the velvet material hugged her figure, and his fingers trembled. When she stepped up on the dais again and slowly spun in a circle for him, he was unable to tear his eyes away from her.

She was dazzling, as if the dress had been made for her and no one else. The neckline scooped down to edge her cleavage and almost bared her shoulders. The bodice hugged her breasts, her waist, and the skirt flared gracefully as she twirled for him. But it was the rear view that did him in. Three strands of pearls draped the flawless skin of her back and the velvet plunged low, making him ache to put his hands and his mouth all over her.

“That’s the one.” He wanted her, needed her, in that dress, then out of it, the velvet lying on the plush carpet of his bedroom with Charlie spread out on his bed as the delicious main course.

She smoothed her fingers down the fabric, surveying herself in the mirror. Did she have any idea how badly he wanted the hands running over her body to be his? He might go completely insane if he had to wait another moment. He was certifiable for her.

And yet the waiting made his desire for her electric. It sizzled in the air around them.

“I like it too,” she said softly.

“Then it’s done.” He pushed a buzzer on the side table and the designer appeared so quickly she must have been standing right outside the dressing room. Her momentum swung her reading glasses on the end of their lanyard across her ample breasts.

“We’ll take it.” He needed to move quickly before the woman said anything about the price. “Can you wrap it up?”

“Certainly. Would you like an accompanying wrap or—”

“Wait.” Charlie cut her off. “How much is the dress?”

“Twenty-five.”

Charlie’s eyes bugged. “Twenty-five hundred?”

“Thousand,” the woman answered.

Charlie fumbled with the back zip, unable to get the dress off fast enough. “No. I’m sorry. I can’t buy this,” she said emphatically. “And you can’t buy this for me, Sebastian.”

“Charlie.” He had to have her in that dress. In every single possible meaning that statement contained. “Please, it was made for you and you alone.”

But she was already stepping off the dais, tugging the dress up and over. Women had never said no to Sebastian. Hell, no one said no to Sebastian for any reason. They always happily took whatever he wanted to give them.

“I can’t.” She put the dress back on the hanger. “I’ll come up with something else.” She fastened her jeans, pulled on her T-shirt.

He would have continued to argue his point about the dress, but just as he opened his mouth, Susan’s words rang in his head. Don’t push was what she’d said. But he knew her real meaning: Be careful not to push Charlie away.

“I promise I won’t embarrass you,” she said softly.

He couldn’t keep his hands off her, holding her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. “You could never embarrass me. No matter what you do. Do you understand that?”

He counted five beats before she nodded. Before he could give her a kiss, before he could do one single thing to fix whatever it was he’d just broken, she said, “I need to get back to the workshop. Have a good meeting.” And then she was gone.

* * *

“I just couldn’t take the dress, Mom.” Charlie threaded the needle and stuck it into the pincushion.

“I understand, dear. But you do realize he probably earns that much in half an hour?”

“I know.” She’d wanted to wear the velvet and pearls for him so badly, wanted him to tear it off her too. But even as she’d felt the gorgeous fabric like a caress against her skin and his gaze heating her from the inside out, she couldn’t let him spend that much money on it. On her. Even if she could look beyond the price of the dress, the woman who’d gazed back at her from the mirror hadn’t been anyone she recognized.

All these years of dating, she’d been so determined to remain true to herself, even when the men had hoped she’d change to please them. Sebastian had repeatedly told her how much he loved the way she looked in jeans and boots, but at the same time, it was clear he wanted her to shine in his social circles.

Was there a way for Charlie to shine while remaining true to herself? She didn’t know the answer, but she could only hope that it would end up being yes. The thought of things falling apart with Sebastian made her stomach twist even tighter than hearing the price of that dress.

She and her mom sat in Shady Lane’s lounge, as usual, but only for another two weeks. Magnolia Gardens had called yesterday. They finally had a room available. It needed fresh paint, new carpet, and new furniture, and then it would be Mom’s. Charlie’s fingers had trembled as she’d written the check for the remainder of the entry fee. She still felt slightly sick about it, especially with the monthly charges looming. She hadn’t even told Sebastian the news yet, as though not saying the words aloud meant she wouldn’t be on the hook for such a huge amount every single month from now on.