Page 27 of Hers to Keep

He let out a satisfying grumble.“Yes, and if you don’t stop shaking that fine ass at me, you’re not going to finish getting dressed, because I’m going to be bending you over the nearest horizontal surface.”

She grinned at him over her shoulder.“You’re the one who insisted on dressing me for the party.”

“Because if I let one of the others do it, you’d be in here all night and never come out.”

Chuckling, she reached for the mermaid dress.“You’re not wrong.I didn’t think I was going to get out of my office in time to shower, because Dante was giving me the eyes.”She held the dress carefully as she put in one leg at a time and then slid it up her legs.“You know the ones.”

Cisco stepped up behind her and carefully drew the laces of the bodice taut.“The ones that say tie me down and use me until I cry.”

The dress fit her like a glove all the way up, but left her décolletage exposed.“Exactly,” she said.“It was an effort of will to get out of there without using him exactly as hard as he wanted.”

He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder.“An impressive display of restraint.”His fingers brushed over the curve of the wings etched into her back in platinum and gemstones.

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror in front of her.He was right, this dress did make her look hot.It clung to her and emphasized her curvy shape in exactly the right ways.

He squeezed her hips.“Need help with your shoes?”

“Of course.”She pointed to the strappy sandals that matched both of her dresses—red, sequined, and sharp heeled, with bows that tied around her ankles.

He moved to pick them up and then sat on the lounge in front of her.With a small smile, he motioned her forward.

She daintily raised the hem to give her some room to move and lifted her foot.He cupped her heel gently, placing the sandal delicately on her toes before sliding it home.

With a finesse at odds with his thick, clawed fingers, he tied the ribbon around her ankle four times before making a perfect bow.When his work was complete, he leaned down to kiss the top of her foot in a gesture of such submission that it took her breath away.

Mari thought she would self-combust when he tilted his eyes up to look at her, the appreciation in his gaze obvious.He lowered her foot slowly, an amused expression curling his mouth, and then gestured for the other one.

She struggled to keep her calm when he repeated the same slow ritual with the other foot.Her cheeks were on fire by the time he had finished.Great, she was about to show up to her own party wound up beyond all belief because she couldfeelhis satisfaction.

Ever since her night with Dohal, she’d been able to pick up feelings from all her men, beyond just their arousal.Sometimes it even seemed like she caught stray thoughts when she wasn’t paying attention.She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone yet because she wasn’t sure what it meant.More than anything though, she knew he loved dressing her nearly as much as he loved undressing her.

“Stop flirting, Francisco.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a sexy smirk.

Saints, did he not have any idea how he was testing her right now?The answer was that he knew exactly how much he affected her, and helovedit.“I’m never going to make it through tonight,” she muttered.

“You’re the one who said no sex in front of the guests.”Grinning, he stood and walked to her vanity.“You know we’re all game for whatever.”He picked up the glittering platinum crown with inset rubies that would be her only concession to a costume on this night.She wanted everyone to see her for exactly what she was, though the guests were encouraged to dress up for Las Vegas’s favorite holiday if they wished.

She looked into the mirror as he placed the crown on her head and pinned it in place.Her dark hair was drawn up in a messily precise updo that, along with her dramatic makeup, had been magicked in place.Bless Pricilla for teaching her those tricks.

The rubies in her piercings and in her back all hummed when she threaded some magic through the gems in the crown, amplifying her already impressive store.Aside from a quick romp with Rio this morning, she’d denied herself all day, stoking her power in order to impress the masses.“I thought it would be a statement of how unlike my father I am, but now I’m wondering if it was a mistake.”

“Go with your gut.”He trailed one knuckle up the back of her neck.“You know we’ll back whatever play you want to make.”

“My gut wants to lay you out on that lounge and have my way with you right now,” she said with a bit of a growl.

He met her gaze in the mirror again with a twinkle of mischief.“Your wish is my command, mi diosa.”

She rolled her eyes.“Let’s go before I’m late for my own party.”

He laughed and moved to take her arm, grabbing her dancing dress on their way out.“You can’t be late for your own party.It starts when you get there.”

Dante and Rio waited for them outside on the walkway to the main house.She stopped to take them in.Unlike Cisco, they each had a leather collar fastened around their necks with a tag in the shape of a blood-red rose hanging from the rings.

Rio wore a modern burgundy three-piece suit cut to flatter his lean frame.His dark hair was drawn back in a smart queue.His eyes were warm with appreciation for both her and Cisco, and his lips curled in an easy smile.

Dante’s blond curls were as haphazard and perfectly sculpted as always.He wore a red vest with silver brocade over a white shirt just a bit undone to show a sliver of chest speckled with his trademark glitter.His smile was more impish, showing off his deep dimples.

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