Page 33 of Tricking an Introvert

The whole thing was entirely unexpected and somewhat endearing. Underneath the oversized clothing and asocial behavior, she was so very feminine, and ready for a thousand parties. Like a part of her had wanted to get out of her cocoon, had prepared for it.

The shoes were classified by color, then height. He picked a pair of gold block heels that didn't seem too hard to walk in and tiptoed to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

"Come in."

She was applying lipstick when he pushed the door open. Her hair fell in a messy red halo around her face.

Fucking perfect.

"How about these?" he asked, lifting the shoes.

She nodded. "They'll do."

"You were pretty fast," he pointed out.

He'd expected her to stay in the bathroom for the entire time and end up late anyway, like any of the other women he'd gone out with. He had no clue what form of pagan sorcery the female sex accomplished in their pre-date ritual, and he didn't want to know.

She snorted. "Right. That's because I haven't attempted to tame the mane yet."

He laughed. "Your hair is great. Edgy. It doesn't need taming."

"Yeah, it's edgy, all right. I bet Mrs. Westbrook would approve of her son coming with a girl who looks like she stuffed her fingers in an electrical outlet."

She wouldn't. Good thing he didn't care about what Mrs. Westbrook approved of.

"Worth it to see the look on her face."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I don't like standing out."

Good luck with that. There was no way she wouldn't stand out, looking like she did in this dress. Edible.

Delicious.

"You look like a million dollars. Which is about the average worth of the portfolios around the room, so you'll fit right in."

She laughed, putting the lipstick down and grabbing a hair dryer first, then taking a brush from a drawer.As she ran it through her hair, blow-drying it, Cole found himself stepping forward.

"Here, let me."

He had no clue what he was doing, but he wanted to try. Touch her hair. It was as soft and silky as it looked and it smelled of fresh apples.

Mimicking her movement, he meticulously dried every bit of her hair.

Cole grimaced when it was done. "I miss the curls."

"Well, you're weird, and no one else does," Tessa replied, rolling her eyes.

He watched her put her hair up in a ponytail, then turn it into a complex updo. She looked absolutely gorgeous when she was done.

Just a little less like her.

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