Page 105 of A Better Place

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Carly

The second I open the door, all the air goes out of my lungs in a giant whoosh. I’ve seen casual James, date-night James, gym James, working-at-Balance James, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen dressed-up James.

The solid black suit looks like it was possibly made just for him, and the bright white shirt underneath makes his naturally tan skin look even darker. The thin shiny black tie looks perfectly knotted.

I realize my mouth is hanging open, so I close my mouth and swallow what little moisture I have.

“Holy shit.” I breathe out.

“I was about to say the same thing,” he tells me, his voice rough, his eyes roaming over every inch of me.

I’m more than happy Tess offered to help me pick out a dress for the wedding. James didn’t tell me how we needed to dress, but obviously, she knew.

After what felt like hours of dress shopping, we finally stumbled along this fitted bright red lace, floor-length dress. The long sleeves graze my wrists, shoulders are set wide, and the front dips just low enough, showing off a good amount of skin. The back is my favorite, though. It dips into a deep V, and as I spin around to give James a 360-degree look, he sucks in a breath and curses under his breath.

“Jack gone?” His voice is husky and deep.

“Yeah. He picked up Maggie, still not sure how she got the approval for that.”

I gasp when in one swift move I’m in his arms, his fingertips grazing over my lower back, dipping just under the material. Without any warning, his lips are on mine, and we stumble back until we hit the door of the closet by my front entryway.

His large body presses into mine, his hands running up and down my sides before sliding along my neck and into my hair. He puts pressure on my jaw before his hand trails down the front of my neck, over my breasts and down, until he’s cupping my butt.

I try to wrap my leg around him, but with the tight fit of the dress, I can’t lift it enough, so I settle for running my hands down his back and grabbing his butt, just like he’s doing to mine.

Our heavy breaths, moans, and sounds of our kissing fills the room, building a fire inside me. When we finally pull away, he rests his forehead against mine, obviously trying to catch his breath.

“You may need to change,” he says. “You’re gonna show up the bride.”

I giggle, feeling happier and lighter than I’ve ever felt, knowing what I do to him is a heady feeling, because he does the same to me.

“Alright. I’ll be right back,” I tease and start to move toward my room. He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me back to him.

“Not a chance, beautiful,” he growls. “But you’re mine, yeah? No dancing with anyone else tonight.”

“What if Jack wants to dance with me?”

“Tough shit.”

I laugh loudly, and he grins.

“Damn, Carly. You look beautiful every day, but now?” He takes his left finger, spinning it in a circle.

I slowly spin in a circle, showing him the back once again. He moans and pulls me back, pressing himself against me. I can feel his hardness pushing on my ass. I reach behind me and grab his thigh as he buries his face into my neck.

“You’re gonna kill me all night long, gorgeous. You look radiant.”

“James,” I whisper, turning my head so he has more access to my neck.

“Carly, we gotta get the hell outta here, or I’m gonna miss my niece’s wedding, and I’m here to tell you, my sister-in-law is sweet as punch, but she’d cut my nuts off and shove ‘em up my ass if I missed Em’s wedding.”

I shimmy against him just slightly, and he grabs my hips, holding me still until he lets me go. As I start to walk away, he takes a swat at my butt, catching me by surprise.

“Behave,” he growls, his eyes darker blue than I’ve ever seen them.

“Did you… did you just spank me?”

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