Page 79 of Exes and O's

I’m too distracted by my hair tangled in the clasp of my bra to enlighten him on my plans with Daniel. After a solid minute of bending and contorting my body like a pretzel, far beyond my natural flexibility, I let out a strained, cowlike groan. “Help,” I plead.

Before I get the chance to hike the gown back up to covermyself, the curtain rips open. When I yelp, Trevor’s eyes rivet directly to my cleavage bursting over my double-push-up bra and downward to the tiny triangle of lace fabric between my legs.

He swiftly clamps a hand over his eyes like his retinas have been scorched and backs out of the changing room. “Damnit, Tara. You could have told me you were half-naked.”

“I didn’t know you were right outside the stall. And don’t act scandalized. You see me in a bikini almost every night in the hot tub. It’s the same thing,” I hiss, still struggling. “Get back here. I need your help.”

“Seriously?”

“My hair is stuck in my bra clasp. I need you to untangle it.”

He lets out a tortured sigh, like a teenager being forced to finish their calculus homework. When he finally peels back the curtain again, his hands are still snug over his eyes. It’s not a large space by any means, but it feels infinitely more claustrophobic with a Thor-size man behind me, along with my massive, fifty-pound dress. Maybe Trevor has a point about the excessive fabric.

His proximity behind me instantly dries my throat. I’m desperate to chug a gigantic water bottle. His strained, minty breath soothes the sensitive flesh on the back of my neck, which is bent at an odd angle from the weight of the tangle. When his rough fingertips graze my back, a hum of electricity comes alive, circuiting to all my nerve endings from my fingertips to my toes.

He tugs my tangle free, little by little, careful not to rip my hair out. The odd, gentle graze of his knuckles brushing against my back is enough to send any straight woman into a bout of unconsciousness. After a couple of deep inhales of his scent, I’m a rag doll. Pliable, floppy, and an all-around hot mess. When he tugs onestubborn section of hair a little harder than expected, I tip into him, relying on his body for support. He splays his massive hand over my bare hipbone to steady me.

My breath hitches the moment the small of my back presses flush against something very unexpected. And hard. My mind splits into fragments. Trevor Metcalfe is insanely turned on.

“Why are you...?” I don’t dare move, backward, forward, sideways, or otherwise.

He instantly backs up half a step, which doesn’t mean much in the tiny changing room stall. He lets out a frustrated huff. “Can you blame me? You’re half-naked and pressed against me,” he quips, evidently offended and entirely broken up about it. I whip around, about to descend into manic laughter when he wags his finger at me. “Do not laugh.”

Holding my dress over my boobs in one hand, I slap the other over my mouth to suppress my reaction while trying not to look directly atit. “Okay, okay. It’s forgotten.”No, it’s not.

Pained, he pointedly stares at the ceiling, probably wishing he could eject himself out of here, straight through the roof, Iron Man–style. He looks about as uncomfortable as Dad when Mom forced him to be part of our birds and the bees talk when I was thirteen.

“What exactly are your plans tonight? Girls’ night?” he probes.

Is he really trying to have a ridiculously casual conversation afterthat? No wonder the man doesn’t do small talk. I log this as a victory, no matter how scientific. Then again, I have heard of men popping boners over less.

“I’m going on a date, actually,” I say through a cough,inadvertently ripping the remaining lock of hair free from my bra clasp. I have a bald spot now, I’m sure of it.

He perks up with renewed curiosity. “A date? With who?”

“Daniel.”

“What? You didn’t tell me you got in touch with him.”

I lift my bare shoulder with a dismissive shrug. “Sorry. I meant to tell you.” I describe our LinkedIn DM reunion in great detail.

He clears his throat, awkwardly resting his arm on the wall behind my head. “So... you’re going to dinner? Tonight?”

“I’m taking him to that Italian place I told you about a few blocks from our place. Mamma Maria’s. Grandma Flo had her engagement party there last year. Their fettuccini is on a whole different level,” I say over the echo of my heartbeat. “Sorry if I’m rambling. I’m just nervous. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. What do you think the chances are that he’ll also be down to be my gala date on Tuesday?”

His eyes search mine, but he doesn’t respond. The silence is palpable as the walls of the changing room threaten to close in around us.

“You think I’m getting my hopes up, don’t you? Being too intense about it?” I venture.

“I don’t think that at all.” He catches a loose strand of my hair through his fingers. His jaw is so tense, he’s at risk of cracking his beautiful teeth. He’s literally inches away from my face, and if I went on my tiptoes, I could probably close that gap. I think he might even want to, until he says, “You’re gonna make some guy really happy one day. And I hope for your sake that it’s Daniel.”

I flinch. His words solidify the harsh truth. Regardless ofwhether or not he was turned on by me in an enclosed space, he sure as sugar is not my hero.

The sooner I come to terms with that glaring, indisputable fact, the better.

There’s a stretch of silence as he exits the stall, closing the curtain between us yet again.

chapter twenty-six

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