Page 74 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

She looked stunning in all the other dresses she’s tried on, but this one takes my breath away.

Dark purple silk caresses every curve of her gorgeous body. I’ve never been jealous of a piece of fabric, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Delicate straps drape over her shoulders. The fabric plunges low between her breasts, showing me a spot I very much would like to kiss right now.

She moves to spin around, her leg peeking out from a high slit in the flowing fabric. She turns the rest of the way, showing me her exposed back.

Fuck me.

She peers at me over her shoulder. “What do you think?”

I stand there blinking at her like a complete idiot, which makes her smirk as she turns to face me again. “That’s the one,” I say, my voice suddenly gravelly.

“But I have more to try on,” she says, motioning toward the dressing room.

“No need. That’s the one, sweetheart.”

“You think?” she asks, running her hands over the smooth material.

“I know,” I say, my voice more normal as I step toward her. “You look absolutely stunning in this dress. The three of us aren’t going to be able to keep our eyes or hands off you all night.”

She blushes as she reaches for the price tag. “But this one?—”

I press a finger to her lips. “I don’t care how much the dress costs. If I get to see you wear this all night and then take it off of you when we get home, I would spend every dime in my bank account on it.”

I pull her hand off the tag, kissing her knuckles.

“I was going to pay for it myself,” she says, blinking her dark eyes up at me.

“Please let me buy this for you,” I say, already imagining how it will look pooling on the floor when I get to strip it from her body.

She stands there, warring with herself. Hadley isn’t one to take handouts, so when she finally gives me a small nod, it feels like a monumental victory.

I lean down, whispering in her ear, “Now, go take this off so we can go pay for it, or I’m going to rip it off you and fuck you against the wall. Then none of us will get to enjoy you in that masterpiece.”

She swallows, stepping away from me. Just before she closes the door, she looks right at me.

“I guess you’ll have to wait to fuck me against the wall until next weekend, then.”

My eyes flare wide. I step toward her, but she slams the door shut. Her laugh rings through it.

I get as close to the door as I can, so hopefully she’s the only one who can hear me. “You’re going to pay for that, sweetheart.”

“Good,” her breathy voice meets my ears from her spot on the other side.

We’ve been sitting in silence for a good chunk of the drive. We had to go all the way to Denver to get her everything she would need for the gala next weekend, but I didn’t mind it one bit.

Four hours in the car and the whole day with her is damn near perfection in my opinion.

Her thumb traces over the side of my palm. “You and Brooks don’t talk about your family a lot.”

She doesn’t state it as a question, but I know she wants to ask.

“No, we don’t.” I run my free hand through my hair. “Our mom passed from breast cancer when we were fifteen. Our dad did his best after that, but without Mom, he was a shell of who he used to be.

“He started drinking, and when we moved out for college, it only got worse. He died a few months before we graduated.”

“I’m so sorry,” she says, gently squeezing my hand.