Page 42 of Naughty and Nice
“Mia…”
“Come, they’re hanging in my closet.”
“Plural?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll send the ones you don’t want back. Heaven knows I can’t wear them.” She opened the closet door.
It was like walking into another room. I’d say it was small, but in all reality, I think my entire bedroom in my apartment was smaller than her closet. I stopped moving upon seeing the three gowns on display. “Mia, I can’t accept?—”
“I know you’ve been married before. Big wedding. I get it. If I had more time, today’s ceremony would be more. The very least you owe to yourself is a gown that makes you feel as special as you are to Nick.” She tilted her head. “Please try them on.”
Nick’s rule came to mind—I wasn’t to think of myself as unworthy.
“Okay.” I nodded with a smile.
I stood in front of a full-length mirror turning slightly from side to side. This was the third gown I’d tried, and I loved the way it hung from my shoulders from thin spaghetti straps. They were attached to a sweetheart neckline, and the silk gown was formfitting. Three bows on my back were held in place by fabric-covered buttons and separated by cutouts. Lower, fabric covered a long row of hidden eye hooks. As Mia fastened the back of the dress, she said, “Oh, Nick will want to rip these buttons and eye hooks.”
My smile fell.
She reached for my shoulders. “He won’t, honey. I know what you’re thinking. Be honest with Nick. He knows a little about what you endured. Jano and I didn’t have intercourse for nearly a week after we were married.”
I turned. “You told him no.”
Mia lifted her eyebrows. “I did. And more importantly, he listened. But Jano and I didn’t know one another at all. It was different. You and Nick know each other.”
“We do,” I said with a nod. “When he kisses me, I feel things I’ve never felt before.”
She lifted her hand to her lower stomach. “A twisting?” Her hands moved higher. “Your breasts feel heavy and your nipples bead.”
Heat filled my cheeks, and I lifted my hands. “Yes, that’s exactly what happens.”
“You never felt that before, ever?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I want to say no. I just want to…I don’t know how to explain it.”
Mia laid her hands on my shoulders and turned me toward the mirror. “You want to be with a man you trust. Do you trust Nick?”
There was no hesitation in my answer. “I do.”
She smiled over my shoulder into the reflection. “You’re gorgeous in this gown. It was designed for someone with your slender figure. Oh, I have a pearl drop necklace that would look amazing—something borrowed.”
Blinking, I willed my tears to stay at bay. “I love the dress.” I turned and hugged Mia. “I love you. Thank you for always being so supportive.”
“The best thanks is seeing you happy.” She gathered my hair. “How do you want your hair?”
Chapter
Eighteen
Liliana
* * *
Isabella was with me, preparing for the wedding in Mia’s bedroom. “I can’t wait for Nick to see you,” Izzy said, excitement bubbling from her being. “You’re stunning.”
I’d decided on the dress with the spaghetti straps. Earlier in the afternoon, after I had a long shower, Izzy arrived. Mia had a team of makeup artists and hairstylists invade her bedroom. My dark hair was pulled up on the sides, the length cascading down my back filled with loose curls. I rarely wore it down, but I remembered what Nick had said about my hair the day in my apartment.
By the time they were done, Izzy and I looked as if we could walk the runway of a fashion show.
