Page 35 of Jack Frost

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He rubs his jaw. "Fine. Sometime. But for now, don't worry about it. You have the day off tomorrow, right? Christmas Eve? I was thinking of taking you somewhere—"

But I shake my head. "I have to help out with prep for the benefit. I'll be busy most of the day. They'll give me a little time off in the afternoon, so I can get ready, but other than that—" I clap my hand to my mouth. "Oh my god. I don't have a dress! It's a formal occasion, and I completely forgot to buy something to wear! How could I be so stupid?"

"It's okay. You've been traveling, and they've kept you busy—"

"There's no excuse. It's sheer stupidity. And there's no time to find something now—"

"Hey." Jack catches my chin in his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"No."

He rolls his eyes. "Damn it, Emery. Do you trust anyone?"

"Maybe Karyl. That's pretty much it. People will screw you over the minute it's in their best interest. Even if you think they're your friends, they'll let you slide right out of their lives as soon as you become inconvenient."

His stare is half shock, half sorrow. "Is that what you think I would do?"

"I know it is. You're an immortal god-thing with a job to do—and if you don't die first, you'll get tired of fluttering around me."

His jaw flexes, hardening. "I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong, then. In the meantime, leave the dress problem to me. I'll need your measurements, though."

"I don't know them off-hand."

"Good." Eagerness sparkles in his eyes. "Then I'll get to measure you."

He's not kidding about the measurement thing. As soon as we reach my apartment, he creates a frosty measuring tape from thin air and orders me to stand still. I could object, of course, but I don't, and I refuse to let myself think about why I'm allowing Jack to do this.

"I should—take off some things—so you get more accurate measurements." I try to sound matter-of-fact, but my voice shakes on the last word.

"It's up to you."

My heart thunders as I unbutton my blouse and lay it aside. I slip off the dress pants too, reminding myself firmly that Jack has already seen me in my underwear and that it'sno big deal.

While I'm undressing, Jack looks everywhere but at me, his cheeks flushed a delicate pink, like the petals of a pale tea rose. How long has it been since he was with someone?

"Ready," I tell him.

His eyes look a little glazed, but he approaches me calmly enough. He measures the breadth of my shoulders first, then the circumference of my upper arms. Next he takes the distance from my shoulder to my knee, and from my shoulder to my toes.

"Lift your arms, please." He glances up at me from under that shock of pale hair.

Breathless, I obey.

Jack wraps the cold tape around my waist first. It's fine. I can handle this. I'm not blushing at all, not one bit.

"May I?" Jack says, and I nod.

He holds my gaze while he sweeps the frosty ribbon under my arms and around my back, pinning it across my chest. My breasts react instantly to the touch, and an urgent craving races through me, tingling in my core.

He's so close I could kiss that pretty nose of his, or those eyelids rimmed with inky lashes. His eyebrows furrow slightly as he focuses on the measuring tape.

This is taking too long. I need to say something.

"How will you remember all the numbers?" Oh hell, why does my voice sound so wispy?

His gaze flicks up to mine. "Trust me, I'll remember." Is it my imagination, or is his voice a little huskier than usual, too? "Just one more thing."

The tape encircles my hips at their widest point, and his fingers, where he holds it together, are much too close to the crevice between my legs.