Page 15 of Dark Knight

"Next." He hadn't passed judgment, so I wasn't sure what to do with it.

"Are we keeping it or not?" I asked with my hand on the curtain.

He looked me over once more. "No."

With no further explanation, I closed the curtain, only for it to be yanked open again a second later. Hud stood there, his gaze ferocious as he watched me with his chest rising and falling rapidly as though he hadn’t expected to be standing in front of me. "Blush."

I frowned. "What?"

"Blush. I want to see you blush while wearing that."

"I can't blush on command!" I complained.

He stepped close to me and turned me to face the mirror in the dressing room. We locked gazes in the mirror, and he bent his head to whisper in my ear, "What if I told you this makes me want to rip it off of you because it covers up the gloriousness of your body?"

I smiled in spite of myself. "Then I'd say you better be ready to pay for it."

"Always." He nipped at my ear. The blush that stained my cheeks moved toward the tips of my ears as well.

Hud growled appreciatively. "That's what I wanted." He turned and smacked my ass as he left, drawing the curtain shut behind himself.

My body was confused. Was I as attracted to Hud as I was to Dylan? Was that allowed? Or was I scared of Hud? Both were options, and I was getting this weird combination of the two that made me feel like my head was spinning.

I shook the confusion off. We were just shopping. That was it. There was no need to think about anything else.

The red slip practically fell off as I changed out of it.I set it to the side, separate from the others that had been approved so far. When I picked up the hanger for the next piece of lingerie, I practically choked on my own saliva.

It was just straps. What the hell was I supposed to do with that? I hesitated as I looked at what I assumed was the bust. I was so confused.

I slipped my legs through what I hoped were the leg holes and pulled it up. One set of straps went around my hips while three others went up, forming what would be the bones of a corset…you know, if there were actual material there.

Two more straps criss-crossed under the bra, but the bra itself only consisted of two pieces of material, one passing in front of my nipples and one forming the straps that went over my shoulders. There were two sets of hook and eye closures on the back that kept it all in place.

Another smaller set of straps came off the shoulders and connected to what was essentially a collar that went around my neck. They were covered in rhinestones that glittered under the light, as was the collar itself. Two other small chains came off the hip bands and attached to what I assumed were supposed to be wrist cuffs. Like hell I was putting those on.

The worst part was the nipples, though. The two pieces of material crossed over right where my nipples were, so in theory they should be covered. The problem was that the two pieces of material were riveted together with a hole that seemed specifically designed for my nipple to poke through. I didn't even care that the whole thing was crotchless because it wasn't like anyone was going to see that. I barely cared that the piece was almost too small for me and the straps squeezed me a little tightly but having my nips on display bothered me.

"Don't forget to show me," Hud's voice came from the other side of the curtain. Of course the bastard would say that, especially when the black of the material made my face look even redder.

I hardly ever used to get embarrassed about stuff, but it seemed like all bets were off around these guys. With a little maneuvering, I was able to cover one nipple with my wrist and the other with the fingers of the same hand so I could use my free hand to open the curtain, even though I just wanted to melt into the background.

To my surprise, Hud stood just on the other side of the curtain when I opened it, almost as though he'd been eager to see what I was putting on.

I stepped back, putting some distance between us, though my heart pounded in my chest once more. When I glanced up at his face, desire shimmered there. Heat was rising in his eyes, his pupils were dilated, and his lips parted as though he couldn't quite believe I'd managed to get something like this on.

"Well, keep or no?" I asked, though I sounded breathless.

Taking a step forward, he pulled the curtain shut behind himself, trapping us in the room. The dressing room was small enough that it made him appear even bigger, like he could fill the entire space himself. I wanted to tell him to leave, but I couldn't seem to get my mouth to work.

"Lower your hand," Hud said, his voice gravelly.

I lowered my free hand, knowing that wasn't what he meant.

He didn't even speak, he just let a low rumbly noise of frustration leave him. I lowered the other hand, exposing myself to him. "Good girl," he growled.

My body tightened in response. Why? Why was I reacting this way to him? He'd threatened to hurt me less than a few hours ago.

Hudson took a step closer and I took one further back. He continued that way until I had nowhere else to go and my bare ass was pressed against the dressing room mirror. He came closer still, until he was towering over me.

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