Page 98 of Dirty Dix

Overall, I like what I see, but my huge pupils and heavy breathing indicate one thing—I’m so nervous.

Once the elevator dings, I take my first careful step toward—I don’t know. Nervously smoothing out my gown, I will my racing heartbeat to slow down. I gather whatever courage I can find and round the corner to see my Prince Charming.

The moment our eyes meet, I feel that distinctive, pulsating charge ricochet between us, but I ignore it and try my best not to fall as I walk toward him. He looks absolutely hot in a simple but elegant tuxedo, which has been fitted to his muscular body andimpressive height. His hair, which is styled into an orderly mess, complements his light, rugged stubble, and his incredibly blue eyes look electric while scanning down my body.

“I’m certain there was a lot more material when I picked this out,” he says when I reach his side, his mischievous gaze lifting to meet mine.

“You’ve got great taste,” I reply with a chuckle, ignoring how delectable he smells as I lean forward and kiss his cheek.

Dixon wraps an arm around my waist and draws me close. “Might I propose you borrow my jacket?”

“Whatever for?” I ask, gasping as he runs his nose lightly down my cheek and into my neck.

“So I’m not forced to gouge out the eyeballs of every male in this place,” he teasingly replies, his warm breath causing my skin to break out into tiny goose bumps. “But gouging aside, you look beautiful. Although, anything you wear looks stunning on you.”

I flush at his comment and turn into him, nuzzling into his embrace. The innocent action has Dixon growling low in his throat and tightening his hold around my waist.

“There they are,” a voice says, which has me pulling back, embarrassed to be caught out in such an intimate pose.

However, Dixon looks anything but embarrassed when I meet his heated stare. He gives me a quick once-over before addressing Chad. “Here we are.”

“You look positively stunning, Madison,” Chad says, his eyes lingering on my boobs.

I redden and turn to look at Dixon, who shrugs with an, “I told you so,” look on his amused face.

“Thank you, Chad,” I reply, my bashfulness obvious as I subtly cross my arms over my chest.

“You look…lovely, Rebecca,” Dixon says with a pause, and I wonder what he really thinks of Rebecca’s outfit, which resembles lingerie.

“Thank you. You look lovely, too,” she purrs, cocking out her hip, not concealing the fact she’s checking out Dixon.

A wave of jealousy overtakes me, but I smile and hold back my homicidal urges.

“Shall we?” Chad suggests, oblivious to the fact his fiancée is eye-fucking my “boyfriend.”

Pretend or not, I see Dixon as mine, and I know tonight will be a lot harder than I originally thought.

“Let’s,” I say in concurrence with Chad as I loop my arm through Dixon’s.

As we make our way toward the ballroom, all I can think about is the way Rebecca looked at Dixon. I played nice with her because I know how girls like her operate. If you stroke their already impossibly huge egos and not come across as a threat, then most times, they are happy to be friends because they have the upper hand. But tonight, since I’m all dressed up and on the arm of Dixon, the man she wants, she sees me as competition.

Well, game on.

Just before we enter, Dixon leans down and kisses the shell of my ear. “Thank you for remembering to wear clothes.” I burst out laughing, which is exactly what I needed to calm the nerves.

“Anytime. But it’s all thanks to you,” I reply, my breath catching in my throat as he lays a single kiss along the arch of my neck. “If it weren’t for this dress, I would be nothing special.”

Dixon pulls away, a look of horror on his face. “That’s not true.” Placing a hand on my cheek, he smiles. “You don’t know how special you are.”

His sweet words have me turning into his hold and nuzzling his hand. “Thank you,” I whisper, raising my eyes to meet his.

This shouldn’t feel so natural, but it does, and the thought of this being our last night together hurts. But Dixon said it’s all or nothing, and my fragile mind can’t give him my all until I get back to New York and confront my past.

Dixon must be able to read my thoughts because he says, “Even though you’re mine for only one night, I’m going to make it the best night of our lives.” He lays a single kiss on my lips before pulling away.

As we enter the lavish ballroom, he looks unruffled, and all other thoughts get put on the back burner as I take in the beautiful sight before me. The room has been transformed into an elaborate affair. The servers are zipping around the room, ensuring all seated guests have full glasses, while others escort patrons to their tables.

A server happily greets us and flicks through his iPad to see where we are seated. Thankfully, Dixon amended the arrangements, and I’m his plus-one. I can’t help but wonder who his plus-one originally was, as Chad mentioned they had pulled out at the last minute. Was it supposed to be the girl he was seeing when we first met? The thought has me shuffling uncomfortably, and Dixon slides his hand down my back, resting it above my ass.

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