Page 41 of Savage Princess

I glance up at her, momentarily startled. The way she says it, as if it should be obvious that she trusts me, stabs at my heart in a way I hadn’t expected. I don’t feel deserving of that kind of trust. Not after all the ways in which I’ve screwed things up over the years.

The cab ride to the better part of the city is mostly quiet. Elena changed into the silky sundress again to keep from looking too out of place in the stores we’re planning to go to, after we draped it over the railing outside the motel to try to air some of the cigarette smell out from the bar last night. I keep hearing the sound of her laugh in my head as we tried to keep it from floating off in the breeze. As I watch her lean towards the window of the cab as we drive, eagerly taking in all the sights, I feel that tightness in my chest again.

I need to get her back to Boston. She deserves a life of happiness, in a place where she can be with her sister and decide what her life will look like for herself. I have no doubt that once she’s there, she won’t want to go back. Living with Isabella and Niall, she’ll be able to choose any life she wants for herself.

“This should be fun!” Elena says with a smile as we get out of the cab, stepping into the downtown area of Rio. As I expected, it is extremely crowded, and I feel the tension in every muscle as I look around, ready to act if it looks like anything is going wrong.

A moment later, I feel Elena’s hand on my arm. “Relax,” she says softly, a hint of laughter in her voice. “You said yourself it would be hard to find us in all these people, and no one will think to look for us here. We’ll befine.”

“The fact that you’re so blasé about it is exactly whyIneed to be paying attention,” I tell her tightly, but I let out a breath, trying to relax a little bit. It feels as if something could go wrong at any moment, and I very much want Elena to be back in the hotel, tucked away, where she’s as safe as she can be.

We walk down the sidewalk towards one of the stores, and I’m very aware of how close Elena is to me. She’s sticking right next to me, exactly as I’d asked her to, and as it turns out, it’s something of a two-edged sword.

Having Elena close to me is a remarkably distracting thing.

The moment we step into the store, I feel myself relax a fraction. It’s filled with shoppers, nothing nefarious, and the air is cool and laced with some herbal scent. It’s unlikely that we’ll be tracked here, and as I look around quickly to see where the exits are if need be, I tell myself to try and take a page out of Elena’s book. I need to be watchful, but maybe notsoon edge.

A tall blonde woman wearing a black suit and a white shirt with a frilly lace collar walks towards us, a smile plastered on her rose-lipsticked mouth. “Are either of you in need of some assistance?” she asks, glancing between Elena and me, and I nod.

“We’re looking for a few cocktail dresses.” I tilt my head towards Elena. “If someone might be available to help her–”

“Of course! I’m available right now.” The woman turns her smile on Elena, guiding her back towards the fitting rooms as I follow a little behind. “We’ll get you all set up in a room, and then I’ll bring you some things to try on. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful.” Elena smiles at her, relaxing easily into the role of a girl out for a day of shopping.

“I’ll just get you both some champagne,” the woman says as she walks quickly away after depositing us in the open seating area near the fitting rooms. Elena looks over at me with a smirk.

“Do you think she thinks you’re my boyfriend, husband, sugar daddy, oractualfather?” Elena asks, a giggle of laughter escaping on the last word, and I glare at her.

“I’m notthatold, Elena.”

“You’re right,” she says with another giggle. “You’re not. And besides,I’mthe one who initiated sleeping withyou.”

And then, before I can stop her, she goes up on her toes and presses her lips against mine with her hand on my chest, just as the woman returns.

I’m pretty sure she almost drops the champagne flutes she’s holding.

“Would you both like champagne?” she asks, recovering quickly as she sets down the bucket of ice with the bottle in it and the two flutes. “I’ll have some dresses brought for you to try on momentarily.”

“I’d love that,” Elena says with a smile, and as the woman walks off again, she takes a sip of the champagne, grinning at me.

“You’re having too much fun with this,” I tell her as I sit down in one of the black velvet chairs, my own champagne flute untouched.

“And why not?” Elena shrugs. “There’s no reason for itnotto be fun, is there?”

I let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over my mouth. “I suppose not.”

“See? It’s going to be fine. Just sit there and drink your champagne, and tell me which of these dresses you think is best for what we need to do. I’ve never been to anything like this, so I’m counting on you.”

She gives me a wink, turning around with a flourish and disappearing into one of the velvet-curtained rooms. I watch her go with a distinct feeling that this is going to be a test of my willpower more than anything—and when she comes out in the first dress, I’m absolutely right.

The first one Elena tries on is a fitted red dress made of some slinky material that clings to every perfect curve of her body—with a thin slit on either side at her waist to show a sliver of tanned skin, another slit up one leg that stops a little above her knee, and a v-neckline that showcases her cleavage. Just looking at her as she steps out makes my mouth go dry. I have a sudden vision of backing her up into the dressing room, lifting that skirt, and bending her over in front of the mirror that’s undoubtedly inside of it.

My cock swells against my fly, and I grit my teeth. The last thing I need is an erection that won’t go away while we’re in the middle of this very expensive store. But Elena spins in front of me, hips swaying as she turns back and forth, and it feels like a battle I’m rapidly going to lose.

“How do you like it?” She turns around again, tilting her head over one shoulder to see the back view in the mirror.

“It’s gorgeous,” I tell her honestly. “You’d be a distraction, that’s for sure. Maybe a little too much so.”

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