Page 112 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“Okay,” she rasped, her voice still somewhat hoarse from sleep and the events of the day.

Neither of them made to move.

After another five minutes, Theon said, “Ready?”

She nodded mutely, pushing herself off of him and clutching the robe closed before it could gape open. Theon slid from the bed, following after her. He had packed some cosmetics for after the assessment, or rather Pen had, and he pulled them from the bag along with various hair items.

“Do you want my hair done a certain way tonight?” she asked.

“You can decide what would look best with the dress. It is hanging in the closet.” He nodded towards the open door. He never gave Pen instructions on how to do her hair, so he wasn’t going to start now.

She crossed the room silently, forgetting about the items he held, and unzipped the garment bag. He couldn’t see much of the dress, but she apparently saw enough, and he followed her into the bathroom, setting her things on the vanity. He left her to it, going back out to the bedroom and putting his suit back on. Luka had ordered him a black tie to go with his entirely black suit and shirt. He took the dress from the closet and brought it to the bathroom.

She was perched cross-legged on the counter. He hung the dress on a hook before approaching, stopping directly behind her.

“Am I taking too long?” she asked, looking down to dig through the bag.

“No, beautiful,” he answered, pressing his lips to her neck, unable to help himself. She leaned back into him, her head immediately falling onto his shoulder, allowing him better access to her throat. He groaned at the action. “Why do we always have some place to be at times like these?”

Stormy eyes met his in the mirror, and a soft, almost-smile tilted up the corner of her mouth. That smile nearly undid him, and it could scarcely be classified as a smile. He’d never been on the receiving end of the real thing from her.

“Are you even a little interested in meeting your potential Match?” she asked, leaning forward and digging through her bag again.

“No,” Theon answered instantly, watching her dust some sort of shimmery powder on her eyelids.

Her eyes flicked to him briefly in the mirror before she returned to digging through the bag once more. “Why?”

“I have other things to worry about right now. My Match is not at the top of that list.”

She pulled some contraption from the bag and squeezed her eyelashes in it. “What other things?”

He paused for a moment. She’d never been interested in what he did or what he was working on. This was new. It was almost as if she was…trying. Trying to build something between them.

“Work for my father. My own plans,” he answered vaguely.

“You don’t have time to invest in a relationship then. That is what you’re saying?” Tessa asked, lining her eyes in black.

“No. I do not have the time to invest in a relationship with a potential Match right now,” Theon answered. “I have business alliances to focus on. Not to mention you.”

Tessa stilled at the last word, slowly dragging her eyes back to his in the mirror. She stared at him for a moment before not saying anything and applying mascara. When she was done, she spun around on the vanity, hopping down and walking over to the dress. She unzipped the garment bag, and before Theon had a chance to realize what was going on, she dropped the robe she was wearing. He could only stare at her as she stood naked before him, pulling the dress from the hanger. He had already been half hard just from sleeping beside her, but this added a whole new level to his arousal. It was almost painful.

Theon swallowed thickly, his voice gravel when he said, “Undergarments. I forgot to grab them for you.”

He made to leave the bathroom, but Tessa looked at him over her shoulder, that same almost-smile tugging at her lips as she stepped into the gown. “This dress isn’t made to be worn with undergarments, Theon. Lines would show.”

Fuck. Me.

He watched as she shimmied the dress up and over her thighs and hips. She rolled it up her torso and over her chest, sliding her arms into the fitted sleeves that stopped just above her elbows.

“Zip me?” she asked, pulling her hair off her neck so it was out of the way.

He stepped forward wordlessly, his fingers brushing bare skin as he zipped the dress. She turned when he was finished, looking up at him beneath her lashes. “I just need a few more minutes to do my hair.”

He reached for her, his hand cupping her cheek. His other hand gripped her waist, tugging her into him. She gasped when her front collided with his, his now fully hard cock pressing into her stomach.

“Are you really going to make me sit through an entire dinner I do not wish to be at knowing you are not wearing anything beneath this dress?” he asked, his voice low and rough because he sure as fuck wasn’t going to be able to think about anything else the entire night.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes darting to the side. “I don’t have any other dress options here.”

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