Page 51

Shaking his head, he told her, “I don’t like it.”

He was thankful for his honesty when she happily went right back to the dressing room and he no longer had to look at it.

The second she shut the door, Dom couldn’t help but down the contents the second his lips touched the glass.

“Here.” Maria took the now empty flute out of his hand and handed over her half-full one.

Dominic stared at the outstretched glass, making sure his large hand grazed her fingertips when he took it from her. Immediately, he regretted it, as now his body screamed out for him to touch her more. “Thanks.”

He couldn’t say he had the same effect on her when she immediately called out for the woman to bring them more champagne.

“You don’t come here often, do you, princess?” he asked sarcastically when the lady began refilling up their glasses.

Maria laughed. “N—”

“Oh, yes. Ken gives Maria a call every time a new collection arrives.”

“Is that so …?” Dom asked, a sly smile touching his lips as he looked at the lying blonde.

“Thanks, Sherry,” Maria said through clenched teeth after she filled up her glass.

Dom took a sip, still smiling. “It’s probably good to start practicing now, if you plan to be on your fifth husband by thirty-five.”

“That’s not why I like to come try on the dresses. I try them on because I know I’ll never wear one.”

Looking over at her, he couldn’t figure out what he heard in her voice. It wasn’t sadness, but rather a … void.

The sound of Kat’s footsteps on the pedestal had him looking back to his sister. This white dress was uglier than the first.

“No.” Dom took a sip, desperately not trying to down the contents with Kat around.

Ken stood there, looking appalled, clearly no longer thinking Dominic was attractive, since they didn’t share the same taste.

It was too bad, as he was sure the dress was fucking expensive and would be pretty on another girl, but not his Kat.

“The dress I have is fine, Maria,” Katarina groaned, clearly not liking this experience.

He knew the dress they were talking about. It was a strapless, white dress, with a short, puffy tulle skirt. Dominic had surprised her with it when he had turned the basement into a fake high school prom. He couldn’t get her to go to her high school one, since she had been like him in the “having no friends department.” So, because he didn’t want her to miss out on an experience like he had, he threw her, her own prom. Dom had even managed to get Lucifer out for the night so they could blare their music, and he, his brothers, and Kat had laughed and danced all night. Kat had somehow even managed to get Cassius to dance with her. To this day, it was one of his favorite memories of them all. That one memory slightly made all the other horrible other memories in that house bearable.

The tall, legged blonde suddenly stood up and went over to her. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re beautiful, but this just … isn’t me.” Kat awkwardly stood in the big white dress, staring at herself in the mirror.

“Go back in there and get this thing off,” Maria quickly told her. “I’ll be right back.”

When Kat and Ken went back into the dressing room, Dominic watched Maria carefully as she left the dressing area on a mission, then came back a moment later with a dress in her hands.

“What do you think of this?” Maria asked, holding the dress up in front of her.

Dominic stared up at her from the couch, his breath getting caught in his throat. “I don’t like it for you”—he stood up, making her move the dress off to the side carefully, not liking to see her in that color—“but, for Kat, it’s perfect.”

Staring up at him, the blonde beauty looked caught off guard. She didn’t leave to take the dress into the dressing room until Dominic sat back down.

When she turned her back, Dominic downed the champagne again.

Returning to her spot next to him, Maria sat down differently, like she was now aware of how close they had been sitting on the couch. Dominic had noticed it immediately. The smell of her sweet perfume had called out to him to get closer, but he’d forced himself to be a gentleman, when that was last thing he wanted to be with Maria.

He already had two different images playing through his mind; one dirty, one criminal. He’d take both, but he preferred the one where he pressed her up against the glass on the storefront window over the one where he took her in the dressing room for five minutes.

Slightly adjusting himself on the couch, he tried not to inhale too deeply, but he couldn’t resist letting his legs spread wider, which put him that much closer to her.