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As Seth pulled his evening clothes from the closet, Dawn retreated to the bathroom with her clothes. It didn’t take her long to dress. Her hair was to her shoulders now, layered about her head so it lay naturally and easily around her face. She added a slight curl to the ends, then applied a minimum amount of makeup.
She changed panties. She wore the bronze. The bow at the back was tiny, flirty. If she moved just right, the impression of it would show through the dress.
And the dress was a dream. Light as air, it flowed over her. Snug and flattering, it shimmered over her body to just below her thighs. The strappy sandals added to her height, and as she stared in the full-length mirror, she let a rueful smile tip her lips.
She loved girly clothes. She loved dressing up, but there had been no fun in it with no one to see her efforts but herself. No, that wasn’t true, there had been no fun in it without the chance of seeing Seth.
She brushed at the long fringe of hair that fell over her forehead, a narrow ribbon of it brushing past the side of her eyes, then applied a light gloss to her lips before reentering the bedroom.
Seth was lacing his dress shoes. He glanced up, then froze. His expression shifted from curious to downright wickedly lustful as his gray eyes darkened.
“You didn’t last five seconds,” she informed him as she posed before him, one hip cocked, propping her hand on it and letting him look his fill.
She felt beautiful when he stared at her like that. She felt awake, aware, and all female.
“God have mercy on mortal men,” he finally breathed out roughly as he came to his feet.
His white silk dress shirt emphasized his broad shoulders. The black slacks cinched at his flat abs and made his ass look like a female fantasy come to life.
He breathed out roughly, shook his dark head, then moved to the dresser across the room. When he returned, he was carrying a gold chain, close to half an inch thick and gleaming with a soft sheen.
“Seth, you can’t keep buying me things.” She stared at the chain until he laid it around her neck and attached the clasp.
It lay just at her collarbone, and as she turned to the mirror, she saw how the rich luster picked up the light tan of her skin.
“And these.” The gold hoops were simple in design, but as they came together with the dress, Dawn realized she looked classy. That understated elegance she had always admired in other women was now a part of her.
She touched the chain as his hands settled on her shoulders and his eyes met hers in the mirror. They gleamed with possessiveness, with hunger and something more. Something she could hope was love.
“I want to see you in emeralds.” He bent his head and kissed her shoulder, his fingers playing with the thin strap next to his lips. “Nothing but emeralds. A necklace of them, with a tiny gold bow as a clasp. And dew drops of emeralds falling from your pretty ears.” He nipped her earlobe.
“Yeah, those would go great with my uniform.” She frowned in the mirror. The woman looking back at her was too familiar, somehow, too easy to get used to.
“You don’t have to go back to Sanctuary, Dawn.” His fingers tightened on her shoulders. “You could stay, with me.”
In his concrete jungle. Where cement and iron covered the earth and the smell of the land was obliterated by the smell of toxic fumes, industrial waste and those who would no more know how to survive in the mountains than a babe.
But, as she stared back at him, she realized that unless she could adapt to his world, then she would face her world without him.
“You don’t have to decide right now.” He stepped back, his expression becoming bland, cool. “We can talk about it later.”
She stared at the gold chain, already warming from her flesh, shimmering against her flesh, and realized that Seth had given her more than a piece of jewelry.
“I don’t want to leave.” The concrete jungle couldn’t defeat her, but being without Seth could.
His expression stilled; the clouds raging in his eyes calmed. He gave her a small nod, as though he were hesitant to push that declaration, then picked up the small purse that matched her dress. The one she hadn’t known she had.
“You have a weapon, a comm link and a dagger inside,” he told her, his lips quirking in amusement. “I made certain your accessories would fit.”
“Seth?” She took the purse but couldn’t break away from his gaze, not yet.
“Yes, Dawn?” He touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers, the caress striking her heart with a weakening blow.
Her lips trembled, the words there, ready to spill between them as fear held her back. What if she said them and he didn’t return them? If he rejected her and it was just the heat holding them together, the certain knowledge of it would destroy her.
“You’re beautiful,” he finally whispered. “So beautiful you steal my breath.”
She nodded slowly and inhaled slowly, deeply. Later. She would face this battle later. When she was stronger. When she didn’t feel off balance, when she didn’t feel the heavy panic weighting her stomach.
