Page 18 of Trusting Tanner
“So do I.” His voice was raspy and tight with need. “I like that one a lot.” He cleared his throat then held his arms out to his sides. “What about this one? Is it better than the last?”
Her gaze was languid and torturously slow as she appraised him, her eyes traveling the length of his body, not once but twice. His lips twitched and then curved into a smile.Just friends my ass.
“This is definitely much better than the last one. You’ve got a John Travolta thing going on.” She nodded. “I really like it.”
Her approval had his smile widening. “All right then. This one it is.”
“I’m going to go try on the last one. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into her dressing room.
Tanner quickly changed back into his normal clothes, returning the costume to its hanger. He stepped out of the room at the same time she did and froze. She now wore a long-sleeved mini-dress. And holy hell was it short. It stopped mid-thigh, and like the last costume, this one melded to her body, showing off every asset she possessed. She spun around, and the back of the dress appeared to be even shorter, barely covering her ass. God, those legs. He wanted to explore every inch of them with his hands and his mouth. He bit down hard on his bottom lip to stop from moaning out loud at the vivid, erotic thoughts consuming him.
“Which do you like better?” she asked.
“Both,” he blurted out. “I like them both.”
“So do I. But I only need one.”
“Maybe not.” He propped his arm on a rack of shirts. “There’s this Halloween thing I’ve been invited to. It’s a big charity event I go to every year. There’s going to be a haunted house and a corn maze, pumpkin carving, dancing. If you want to go, you could wear one costume to the roller-skating party and the other one to the Halloween thing.”
She frowned. His heart sank, but he waited for her to respond, hoping his instincts were wrong. “I already made plans with Devon for Halloween.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t sure what was worse—being rejected or knowing she was spending Halloween with another guy. She swore they were only friends, but he hated the thought of her wearing either of those costumes with anyone other than him. The nasty, green-eyed monster of jealousy clawed at his chest.
“I’m sorry.” She looked up at him through her long, thick lashes.
“No, it’s okay. So, which one are you going to get?”
She groaned. “I don’t know.” She approached the floor-length mirror hanging on the outside wall between the two fitting rooms and twisted from side to side, smoothing her hands down her sides and over her hips.
He curled his hand into a fist then flexed his fingers, working out the burning itch to touch her. She turned her back to the mirror then twisted around to look over her shoulder. Ass stuck out, back arched slightly, she ran her hands over the back of the dress and down her butt, then she tugged on the hem. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. This was now the second time she’d seduced him without even knowing or trying.
“Hmm.” She turned back around and tilted her head. “I really like the dress, but it’s a little short. I mean, if I fall while skating, everyone’s going to see my ass.” She laughed.
“Yes, that could be problematic…” He caught her gaze in the mirror and held it.
“But?” She raised a brow, her eyes sparkling with that same challenge he’d seen the other day.
Pushing away from the clothing rack, he stood behind her, tentatively placing his hands on her hips, and he leaned forward so his mouth was near her ear. She tensed, but her gaze was still locked with his in the mirror. “I have no objections to seeing your sexy little ass, but I don’t like the idea of you showing it off to everyone else.” He straightened.
Her jaw dropped, then she promptly snapped it shut. She playfully elbowed him, and he laughed, rubbing his stomach. “You say things like that to all your friends?”
“Nope. Just you.” He winked.
She spun around and faced him, and because he’d been standing so close behind her, they were now almost chest to chest. She gazed up at him, her eyes dancing with delight. Then she placed her hands on his biceps, and his arms tensed. “I’m going to go change.”
“Good idea.” Because if she stood there in that short-ass dress a second longer, he couldn’t promise to keep his hands to himself.
Once she was back in the fitting room, he grabbed his costume from where he’d draped it over the circular shirt rack. He checked his cell phone for messages—he had one voicemail that he’d listen to later—then shoved his phone into his pocket as Juliana emerged. She had both costumes.
“Did you decide on one?” he asked.
“I really want the dress, but I think the pants are more practical for skating.”
“I think you’re right.” She looked amazing in both, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed she wouldn’t be wearing the dress.
Once they paid for their costumes and were back in his car, she said, “Want to grab some food or something? I’m not ready to go back to my room yet.”
“Yeah, sure.” Like he’d say no to spending more time with her, but the fact she was the one to ask intensified his joy. Obviously playing it cool and not pushing for more was working in his favor. “How does pizza sound? I know this great place across the street from the community park.”
