Page 2 of Tempting the Dhampir

I duck my head to meet her gaze and offer her a small smile. “I say, wear whatever makes you happy. There’s no one to impress tonight. No boys allowed, remember? Besides, you look absolutely stunning in that dress.”

Cece’s ivory skin pinkens as a delighted smile stretches across her face. “If you say so.” With a definitive nod, she takes the dress from me and holds it against her body, one hand gliding across the floral chiffon fabric. “This really is my favorite dress. I love how I feel in it.” Looking up at me, she says, “You’ve always been good at knowing what will look good on people and what suits their personalities.”

“Thanks, Cece.”

Her words hit me straight in the chest, warmth crawling up my neck and staining my cheeks.

I love pretty dresses and making women feel good about themselves. Styling my sister and friends for parties comes naturally to me. But it’s never been a career I could afford to pursue.

“What are you going to wear?”

Cece’s question yanks me back into the present, and with a subtle shake of my head to clear any lingering thoughts about my dream job, I take out my pink minidress. “What do you think about this one?”

My sister’s lips tilt into a rare smirk. “I think all those extra squats before this trip are definitely worth showing off in that number.”

I straighten my back and do a little shimmy. A warm, contented feeling spreads through me with the knowledge that the hard work I’ve put in is paying off, and I reply, “I hated doing them at first, but I love how they make me feel.”

“Well, you look fantastic with your peachy butt,” Cece says cheerfully.

“And you look beautiful with your willowy elegance,” I admit.

I have always loved how Cece and I embrace our differences and support each other. She’s so graceful and kind, and she motivates me to be a good sister and friend. Something that doesn’t come easily to my more critical, outspoken nature. For all Cece’s sweetness, I more than make up for it with my spice, and I’ve landed myself in quite a few tricky spots over the years because of my runaway mouth.

Refocusing on tonight, I say, “Let’s talk accessories.” I squint my eyes and tilt my head as I envision the ensemble and what would look best. “You need a bikini under that dress in case we have to wade through water to get from the island to the beach.”

“Yes! That’s smart thinking.” Cece goes to the curtains and draws them closed before putting on her crochet bikini.

The afternoon light is bright enough to filter through the beige curtains, but I turn on a small light anyway before slipping into my skintight mini.

“Are you going to wear your fancy pink stilettos?” Cece asks me, knowing how much I love my fuchsia Jimmy Choo Averly 100 pumps with their delicate ankle straps and oversized organza bows. I had saved up for months to get those beauties for myself and only wear them on special occasions.

“I wish, but no. Taking them on the beach is just asking to ruin them and I refuse to commit shoe murder.” My dainty heels deserve plush carpeting or hardwood floors to show off their beauty, not sand on those pretty bows and—god forbid—scuff marks on their soles. “Besides, shoes usually aren’t allowed on boats. I saw it on a reality show I watched.”

Cece finishes putting on her clothes and turns to me. “What do you think?”

I give her an appreciative once-over. “Your tits look spectacular, and your legs look like they go on for days. With your hair down just like that, you’re all kinds of elven princess aesthetic goals.”

She seems genuinely pleased with my assessment, if her wide smile is anything to go by. “You’re the best little sister ever. I’m keeping you.” Gesturing with a finger up and down my body, she adds, “You look absolutely ravishing in that. The sparkles on the shoulder straps add that extra oomph you like.”

This time it’s my turn to beam at her. “With compliments like that, I’ll be keeping you around too.”

Chuckling, Cece moves to the full-length mirror and starts humming a vaguely familiar melody while finger combing her beachy waves. With her hair long enough to reach the small of her back and its naturally sun-kissed shade of pale blonde, she really does look ethereal.

I pad over to the curtains and open them again, needing the natural light to finish my makeup, and move to the table holding my beauty supplies. Bending forward to position my face closer to the travel mirror, I try to apply the smoothest flick to my eyeliner that I can muster, despite the slight quivers of anticipation moving through my hand.

“Do you want to borrow any makeup?” I call to Cece as I finish up.

I think I might inadvertently have shares in Sephora at this stage in my quest to achieve the ultimate no-makeup makeup look. Special nights out are for a bold lip or a strong cat eye to make my blue eyes pop, the extra effort adding some pep to my step.

“Can I maybe borrow some lip gloss? I’m still deciding if I want to go through the effort of putting on mascara,” Cece asks, not one to habitually wear anything but sunscreen on her face.

I grab a pink nude shade with a pearly gloss and join her in front of the mirror. Staring at our reflection, I can’t help but think we make such a cute pair, with my bright pink complementing her pastel lilac.

Our heads instinctively lean toward each other, and we share a grin.

“You ready for the best night ever?” I ask, my heart pounding so hard with excitement that it feels like my insides are vibrating.

Cece’s eyes gleam as she gives me a toothy smile. “Oh yeah. Let me grab my shoes, it’s about time we leave.”

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