Page 36 of Madness Becomes Her

“Should I?” I manage as his forehead presses to mine.

God, it’s almost too much.

As a girl who’s loved and lost, been let down and mistreated, left and betrayed, Finlo feels like the fresh start I deserve. He feels like the fairytale ending I’ve been waiting for after a lifetime of letdowns.

But do I want that?

Fin wouldn’t fit in my world; he never did. But do I fit in his?

I swallow, tightening my grip on the front of the dress as his fingers dip even lower, to where the zipper rests against my hip bone in front. Trailing circles over it, Finlo’s breathing changes as his eyes close.

“Keep this dress for just us,” he whispers.

My eyes close, my breath expelling in a quake.

His lips press to my forehead, and for a moment, I think he will move to my lips. He’s gone when I open my eyes, and the curtain blows because of his exit.

I take a few moments to get my bearings as I leave dressed in a new outfit: dark, tight-fitting pants, a flowy white top, and boots up to my knees.

Smiling up at Finlo, I hand him all the clothes. “They’re perfect.”

“All of them?” he asks, innuendo in his tone.

The black dress lies at the top of the pile, and I flick my eyes down to it, grinning. “All of them.”

He nods, walking toward the counter where Esmerelda stands. The look on Esmerelda’s face tells me she knows each pick she chose was perfect. Something also tells me she knows what happened between us in the dressing room, almost like she’d enchanted the zipper herself for dark intent.

If she did, she deserves a tip.

I bite my lip at the inner monologue, straightening when Fin grabs my bags and leads me out of the store.

I catch Esmerelda’s stare as I turn to follow. “Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day.”

She smirks knowingly. “You, too.”

The cold, sweet-scented air of Wonderland wraps around me as I exit. Fin shuts the door on the carriage once done loading the seat across from where we rode, with all my purchases.

“Come.” He offers his arm. “Let’s get a rainbow cake.”

“A what?”

CHAPTER TEN

TWO TWEEDLES

Ihave a portion of Finlo’s closet now. I could continue dreaming about every aspect of Erotsy and my trip with him, but I can’t keep dwelling on it. He got me all the dresses I wanted, treated me to lunch, and even bought me rainbow cakes, which were terrific. The ride home was quiet but comfortable, and I watched the mice work on Thunder and Jett long after Finlo excused himself.

I haven’t seen him since, but I put all my clothes away and came out in time to see the mice pulling dinner from the oven.

One mouse, in particular, seems to be in charge. She’s on the counter, ordering the others this way and that with a stern but slight tone.

“Good evening,” I say to her, holding out my hand on instinct, then pocketing it in my robe, as I realize my hand is far too large for her to shake.

She turns and looks me up and down, her nose twitching and moving her whiskers as her beady eyes seem to judge every inch of me. “Good evening to you, mistress.”

I laugh. “That’s too formal for my liking. Call me Eleanor, please.”

“Very well. Eleanor.”