Page 33 of I Choose You
Yesterday was the first day I hadn’t seen her in a week. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like not being able to make sure she wasokay. And I really didn’t like that her ex was still circling her despite her being very clear that it was over between them.
Claire’s smile lit up her face. “Seriously? You came. You’re here.” Her hands wrapped around each of my forearms as she stared at me in disbelief. I understood the feeling—I couldn’t really believe I had woken up this morning and decided to drive four hours out of town to be her date to this wedding extravaganza either.
“Did you happen to bring anything else to wear?”
“Nope,” I smirked. “Are you saying this isn’t what everyone wears to these things?”
“We’ll find something for you.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the stairs. I let her go first since I didn’t know where I was going. Her ass swayed in my face, and I had to resist the urge to reach out and grab her hips. What was up with me?
Her bedroom was large but bare of any personality. I walked around the room, taking stock of what was there—and what was missing. There were no photos of any kind, no books, no girly accessories. Just a bed with a beige bedcover, a dresser, and a mirror.
“You’re not going to find anything juicy on me in here. This isn’t my room, just a guest room.”
“Did they buy this place after you moved out?”
“No, I had a room here at one time. But that was a long time ago. Made more sense to make it into a guest room when I went away to college.”
“Where are you living now? Besides Wyatt’s house.”
Her eyes flicked to mine in the mirror, a panicked look on her face. But it passed quickly, her bright smile back in place in the blink of an eye.
“I’m not actually sure. Will and I broke up while he was on a business trip, so I had a little extra time in the house. After that, I crashed at my friend’s place for a few days until I packed up and went to Calla Bay.”
This woman… I was starting to think I may have pegged her wrong. She clearly came from money, I was right about that, but that didn’t seem to translate into some idyllic life. The ex, the boss, the parents, the lack of housing. She’d toughed it out at the fucking decrepit motel for weeks. She didn’t have it easy, at least not from what I could tell. I hoped she knew how strong she was.
She handed me a suit jacket out of the closet. My brow rose skeptically. Did she think that was supposed to fit me? Her laughter started small, gradually getting more and more unhinged until she was in a full giggle fit.
“Just try it on. Please?” Her sweet-as-pie smile was clearly designed to manipulate me. It worked. I grabbed the suit jacket from her, laying it on the bed while I took off my hoodie. Claire took it off the hanger and held it out for me to put my arms into it, dressing me.
The shoulders were too tight, and buttoning it, that was a joke. But I was able to get it on, stretching it across my back.
“Who’s is this?” I tried to roll my shoulders, but I felt like I was going to tear the thing open.
“My father’s. He’s tall like you, so I figured it would at least be the right length.” She shrugged, a smile still playing across her lips. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, biting on it. Fuck. I was staring. I blinked hard, trying to clear my head.
She told me to stay where I was while she went in search of a pair of dress pants and a button-down shirt. I sat on herbed while I waited for her. It was comfortable, that was for sure. When Claire came back a few minutes later, she found me lying face down, directly down the center of the bed.
“Are you sure you don’t mind coming with me? You look exhausted.”
“Claire,” I mumbled into the pillow, then rolled my head to the side so I could speak more clearly. “I just drove four hours to get here. Yes, I’m sure.” Reluctantly, I got up from the bed, taking the clothes that she offered me.
“You can stay in here to change. I’m going to use the bathroom. Better lighting for my makeup.” She took a dress bag with her and closed the door to the adjoining room.
I changed into the borrowed suit quickly. Looking in the mirror, all I thought about was how ridiculous I looked. Everything was too small. Hell, you could basically see the outline of my junk it was so damn tight. Claire was going to take one look at me and tell me to just stay here.
My grouchy ass was just getting ready to bitch to her about it when the bathroom door opened. My mouth went dry.
Claire was stunning. Her dark blue dress was the perfect match for her midnight eyes. The skirt was full but relaxed. A sheer fabric was layered on top of it, small sparkles scattered throughout that made her look like she was twinkling. But it was the deep V-cut neckline that stole the show. The curves of her breasts were on display, along with her entire sternum.
“You look breathtaking.” I was vaguely aware that I was staring, but she didn’t seem to mind. A light pink crept onto her cheeks, and when she smiled, her eyes shined.
“Thank you. You clean up well yourself.” She came up to me and started pulling on the jacket, trying to get it to sit right. Her hands on me were making it hard to think. Thesepants were not the forgiving type, and the last thing I needed was to give Claire a show. I stepped back on the pretense of giving Claire more space, gesturing for her to spin around.
She swished to the left, then to the right, before finally twirling around in a circle. The dress was entirely backless. Claire’s soft, creamy skin, the delicate line of her spine, her slim waist flaring out to her fuller hips… every aspect of her in this dress was pure perfection.
She went to spin around again but managed to get her feet tangled up. She stumbled back and landed against my chest. My hand caught her hip to steady her. She looked over her shoulder at me, and I was surprised to find my face so close to hers. From this angle, I could see directly down her front. Fuck. I was going to need to get past her and into the bathroom without her noticing the semi I was sporting in these tight-ass pants. I dropped my hand and took a step away from her.
There was no way I was going to make it through this night, not with her looking like that. Her ex was a real idiot. I could almost understand why he was still circling her. Almost.
