Page 22 of Knocked up By the Minotaur

“Good grief, Gracie, I haven’t seen you look this hot in years!”

Ella and I sit on the couch at her house, with Rho upstairs tucking the twins and Lucas into bed while I wait for Oli to come and pick me up for our fake date.

“I don’t know,” I mutter, tugging self-consciously at the hemline. “I haven’t worn something this short since my twenties.”

“You’re stunning. Oli doesn’t stand a chance.”

I scrunch my nose. “Against what? It’s his ex we’re supposed to be impressing—or rather, annoying—tonight.” After thinking about it all day, I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s why he gave me this gorgeous outfit. So she’ll take me seriously as his ‘date’, and back off.

“Girl!” Ella throws up her hands. “As if you’d dress like that for another woman! You’re wearing lipstick—I haven’t seen you glammed up since Mr. Thailand left. Just admit it, you’ve put on the world’s hottest outfit and decided to seduce our resident flirt.”

“First of all, I didn’t choose the dress,” I mutter.

“What d’you mean?”

“Oli left it on my doorstep this morning.”

A devious smile slides across her face. “I hope you don’t think he goes around buying four-hundred-dollar gifts for just anybody.”

My jaw drops. “How much?”

“I’ve seen that dress at Persephone’s Boutique. I’ve been convincing myself not to buy it for a month now, despite my huge belly.”

My mouth is still hanging open, not knowing how to process why he would spend that much on a fake gift for a fake relationship, when the doorbell rings.

“God, please don’t make me stand up,” Ella groans when I don’t immediately move, since all I can think is four hundred dollars? on repeat. “Answer the door and head straight out, don’t worry about us here. Rho has everything under control.”

Shaking myself out of it, I grab my clutch and clip across the hardwood floors in my heels, which I’d only just run out to buy today. I haven’t gone out in years, having been so worn-down working from home and looking after everyone, that I didn’t even realize I no longer owned a pair of nice pumps until today.

“Alright Lucas, mommy is leaving now!” I call up the stairs, since I can still hear my son giggling and running around. “Goodnight!” And I swing open the door.

The first thing I notice is how much more suave Oli looks in a slick, black evening suit instead of the ones he wears to work. His broad shoulders are crisply defined against the barely-there light of the sunset behind him, his dark horns polished, and the slightly longer hair around them stylishly disheveled, as a perfect strand falls into his eyes. Tall, strong, and handsome, I can’t help the way my eyes rake over his body as he stands before me with one hand in his pocket.

The second thing I notice is the way he’s looking at me.

“Beautiful,” he whispers as if he isn’t even aware of it, his face a little slack as his eyes roam over me from head to toe. He’s staring as if he’s stumbled across a goddess, his eyes burning a trail along my curves that I can almost feel, lingering at my breasts and hips. It sends a shiver of heat through me. “You’re even more stunning in that dress than I imagined.”

My cheeks heat, and I fiddle with my clutch. I haven’t felt beautiful in… god, I can’t even remember.

“Horsey!” A patter of feet accompanies the happy squeal behind me, and I turn just in time to see Rho scoop Lucas up by the waist before he can run down the stairs. “Horsey, come tuck me in!”

“Sorry, little goblin,” Oli replies smoothly, his face pulling into amusement as he turns his gaze to my son. “We have a reservation, but I’ll take a raincheck on that.”

“What’s a remesation?”

“It means we’re going to be late,” I say as I step out.

“What’s a raincheck?”

“It means I’ll tuck you in another time,” Oli replies, leaning past me to shut the door. “Goodnight!” I catch a glimpse of Rhokar hauling a wriggling Lucas over his shoulder, and then the door is shut and I’m standing before the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, feeling awkward for some reason.

I clear my throat. “Thank you for the dress, but you shouldn’t ha—”

“It’s my pleasure, Grace,” he interrupts, and I let my words trail away as he smiles and offers me his hand. I should tell him this is too much, too expensive to spend on me for no reason. But the thing is, I’ve… I’ve never actually gotten a real gift from a man before. I haven’t been in many relationships, and I was the one buying things for Brad. He-who-must-not-be-named never spent a dime on me either, he was always saving up—presumably to fund his relocation to Thailand. Something deep inside me, something girly and suppressed, is responding to the gesture. It feels so nice to know that he thought of me and went out of his way to buy me something beautiful, and…

I shake my head and move to walk around him. “I’ll pay you back for the dress, honestly, this is—”

“You will do no such thing.” He sidesteps to block my way. “You will accept my gift, take my hand, and allow me to escort you on our date.”

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