Page 46 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
Winter ran her hands over the silky skirt of her dress. “What do you think?”
Say something, man. Anything.
She smiled sweetly and her hand, still placed gently in mine, slid over my wrist and up to my elbow. “You look handsome. This suit is very different from all the plaid and denim.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you. You look beautiful, Winter.”
“I’ve never worn anything so luxurious before.” She removed her hand from my arm to place her hand over her ribs, where the dress cinched and showed off her shape. “I feel like I’m having my princess moment.”
“Your what?”
“Princess moment.” She giggled. “You know, the moment in the movie when the ordinary girl gets to wear the fancy dress and everyone turns and sees her in a different light?”
Sure.
I offered her my arm. “Shall we?”
* * *
The whole driveway of the heritage house was packed to maximum capacity with cars. It seemed as though Justin had invited half the town, and perhaps he had, as well as potential buyers who were staying at some of the hotels. The Christmas lights shone down on us. We made our way from the car we had to leave on the street up to the front door, where we were welcomed inside by a greeter Justin had stationed there. He took our coats, and before we had a chance to get our bearings, another staff member was there offering us sparkly cranberry cocktails garnished with sprigs of thyme and orange slices. Winter took one, pressed her lips to the sugared rim, and sipped as we moved into the house, navigating our way through groupings of people milling around talking and munching on hors d’oeuvres.
Cami stood in front of the crackling fire in the living room and let out an excited squeak when she saw us enter. People made way for her as she charged toward us. Before greeting me, the man she’d known almost her whole life, she threw her arms around Winter’s shoulders, gave her a squeeze, stepped back, and gave Winter a little twirl like they were ballroom dance partners.
“Oh. My.Gosh.” Cami clapped a hand over her mouth. “You look incredible! Where have you been hiding that figure? And thoseboobs,” she gushed under her breath. “Wow. Just wow.”
Winter blushed and put a hand over her cleavage.
I’d noticed, too. How could I not? The dress was cut low in the front, almost to her ribcage, and showed off a classy amount of milky white cleavage. Her breasts were perky, and I’d had several fantasies already about ripping the straps of the dress down and freeing her.
“Cami,” Winter hissed, “you’re embarrassing me!”
“Oh please, some good tit décor never hurt anybody. And when you’ve got a set like that? Flaunt them, baby.” Her gaze wandered to me, and she winked.
Winter fanned her red cheeks and was about to say something when Justin spotted us and came over. He enveloped Winter in a hug, clapped me on the shoulder, and went on an excited tangent about how well the party was going and how many people had already inquired about his designer.
He informed Winter that he’d been passing along her name and talking her up. By the time she graduated, he assured her she’d have plenty of work to choose from just operating out of his client base. This seemed to get her over-the-top excited, leaving Cami and me on the sidelines to sip our drinks and observe.
“Seriously,” Cami said out of the corner of her mouth, “that dress is spectacular. Well done.”
“It’s just a dress. Thegirlis spectacular.”
She nudged my hip with hers, the same way she used to when she was a sprite of a teenager with braces and holes in her jeans. “Yes she is. Rare, too. The sort of girl who only comes around once in a lifetime, maybe. It would be a shame if she came and went, and nothing changed.”
I stared down the length of my nose at her.
“Don’t scowl at me, North Waylon. I’m just saying. Every man in this room wants her out of that dress, but you’re the only one she’d ask to help her with the zipper. Do with that as you will.” Cami gave my hip another bump. “I’m going to go track down my mother and make sure she’s not too deep into the cranberry cocktail. Christmas parties make her saucy.”
“Good luck.”
Winter indulged Justin a little while longer before seeking me out, hooking her arm through mine, and asking me to introduce her to some of the townsfolk. It wasn’t how I usually operated at parties. I preferred to pick a spot and stay there. If people came up to me, so be it, but ideally, I preferred to stand there until an acceptable amount of time had been reached before I could make my exit without being too rude. I had a feeling that would not be an option this evening.
Winter made effortless first impressions on everyone.
Justin’s fellow realtors asked her for business cards, which she didn’t have, and I told them I’d give them to Justin to pass along once they were done at the print shop. Murmuring to her that little white lies never hurt anyone, we moved along so I could make introductions to some old family friends who had gone to high school with my father.
I hated how they looked at me like I was finally “moving on.” Ever since Veronica died, I’d been getting sympathetic smiles everywhere I went from people who thought expressing their sympathy would help me somehow. It didn’t. It just constantly reminded me that I’d lost something precious—something I could never get back.
Winter must have sensed it. After making small talk for a while, she led me into the kitchen, where we stood off to the side by the large bay window in the breakfast nook, looking out at the landscaped yard trimmed in Christmas lights.
