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“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. Do you mind?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. Today is all about having fun and a good time, Grace. If this place doesn’t check those marks, then it’s time we hightail it out of here.”

Her expression transformed from serious to happy almost instantly. I interlaced our hands as we walked through the restaurant, which had gotten fuller since we first went to the bar.

“Oh, crap,” she exclaimed once we were outside.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“The strap of my sandal. The buckle fell off.” She looked around. “I can’t see it.”

I glanced at the concrete floor too. “Grace, there’s zero chance of finding it.”

“I agree. Do you mind if we go to my place real quick so I can change shoes?”

“Not at all. I told you this weekend is just about having fun, so there’s no reason to stress about anything.”

During the drive, I tried to gauge if Grace was still thinking about the incident, but she was talking about how much she enjoyed the summer in New Orleans, so I assumed she’d moved on. After parking the car, I went up with her into her apartment and waited in the living room.

“Damn. None of the shoes I own actually go with this dress,” she said. She was standing in front of a closet full of shoes.

I stared at her. “Is that a trick statement?”

She looked at me. “What? No, never mind. It’s a woman thing. I’ll change my dress real quick, too, okay?”

“Sure.”

As she went into her bedroom, I tried very hard not to think about the fact that she was going to take off her dress. I could visualize her naked body in my mind’s eye. I was on the verge of bursting in on her already.

Fucking hell, Zachary.

“Oh, shoot,” I heard her say through the door.

“Grace?” I asked.

“I just got caught in my dress. Damn it.”

“Need help?” I jumped to my feet. I wasn’t going to barge in, but if she needed assistance, that was an entirely different thing.

“Um, yes, please. I don’t think I can do it on my own without ripping off my dress.”

I went into her bedroom before she’d even finished the sentence. And what a damn sight.

She had her dress over her head, both arms stuck. Her legs and ass were on full display. Her lingerie was once again lace, covering only the upper part of her buttocks.

“I don’t understand what happened. Must have caught on my bra.”

“I’ll check.”

Indeed, it had caught on the back of her bra. I unclasped it, and then she tugged at the dress, pulling it over her head. She turned around, grinning up at me.

“Whoops. Sorry about that.”

Her hair was wild around her head from the dress. I liked her like this, all messed up.

Then she gasped slightly. “Oh, you undid my bra.”

“Yeah. It was the only way to...”