Page 27 of Pressure Point

A bright smile crossed her face, and she bounced and turned to try on the next item. Liam closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing pulse. This was a bad idea. How was he supposed to help Avery pick out an outfit when all he could do was think about taking it off of her so he could do dirty, dirty things to her?

You’re helping her win over your buddy, remember? This isn’t about how badly you want her. It’s about helping her find her confidence…

“Oh my God,” Avery gasped, pulling Liam from his thoughts.

“What?”

Avery flung the door open and stepped out. If he’d thought her smile was bright before, now her whole face seemed to light up like a Christmas tree.

“It’s perfect, right?”

Holy shit…

* * *

Avery’s pulse raced as she watched Liam’s jaw drop, his eyes running up and down the length of her body. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her skin, sending her heart into overdrive.

“It’s…you…you look stunning,” he stammered, blinking rapidly a few times, followed by a hard swallow.

“You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Squeee!”

Bounding over to the trifold mirror at the end of the hall of the fitting room, she twirled on her tiptoes, trying to get a better view. She couldn’t remember the last time anything had made her feel this special. Come to think of it, no piece of clothing had ever made her feel this way. Not even the dress she wore to senior prom. The sapphire satin dress had a halter neckline, but with a full back, except for a long keyhole cutout that ranged from the neck to the middle of her back, where the zipper stopped. The waist tapered in just enough to make it look like she actually had curves, before flaring out in an A line and resting just above her knees.

Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to fight back the emotion that was rising up in her. She looked pretty, and better yet, she felt pretty. There was no way Dash wasn’t going to notice her in this dress.

“This is it. This is the perfect dress,” she said. “This will catch Dash’s attention for sure.”

“He won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” Liam muttered, his voice almost sounding sad. Catching his gaze in the mirror, she could see his eyes glued to her, one corner of his mouth tugged up in a smile.

“Then I think our work here is done!”

“Just the one? So are you going to wear that to both the party and the auction?”

“Auction, what auction?” she asked.

“The team charity auction,” he answered her, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” There was a team charity auction? Had she missed a memo? No, there was no way, she was caught up on all her emails. Liam must know something she didn’t.

“Oh, well, maybe Felicity hasn’t announced it yet. But it’s the day after Dash’s party. All of us players are being auctioned off to benefit the Special Olympics, for the special needs unified team that Felicity is creating with her best friend, Saxony. I guess Sax’s kid has special needs and loves the game, so she got the idea to do it. They’re holding it at Bunz since Felicity’s mentor owns the place, and Sax works there.”

“It’s a bachelor auction? So, I could bid on Dash?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. Her brain was firing at rapid speed, trying to figure it all out. Could that be her in?

Liam winced slightly, but Avery couldn’t tell if it was just a tic or what she had said. It must have been a tic. She couldn’t think of a reason why he would be bothered by the idea of her bidding on Dash. After all, he was here helping her pick out an outfit for the guy’s birthday party, so it wasn't like her crush on him was some big secret. Liam was her wingman; she knew he had her back.

“Yeah, we’re all up for bid, so you could take your pick,” he explained. “Well, not Gunnar. Felicity isn’t willing to share him. But I’m pretty sure she’s got Cowboy up for grabs as well.”

“OMG, Liam, this is perfect!” she said, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She was so excited she didn’t know what to do with herself. This could not have come together better if she had tried to plan it herself. “I can wow him at the party, and then I can win a date with him at the auction. This is my chance!”

Launching herself at Liam, she leapt into his arms, thankful that he caught her without second thought. Her arms flew around his neck, squeezing tight, while his wrapped around her waist, pulling her in to his strong, hard chest, her bare feet lifting up off the ground. His embrace was warm and comforting, just as it had been the other night. No, this was better than the other night. She couldn’t say why, but it was different, yet still felt right. He tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer, and she inhaled him deeply, enjoying his musky scent.

“Indeed,” he whispered, still holding on to her against him. She wiggled her legs, pulling back from him slightly.

“You don’t sound happy,” she commented. He loosened his grip, and she slid down his long torso, already missing the heat of him.