"Hey, guys!" Jill greeted. She'd taken all the braids out of her hair yesterday; it tumbled around her shoulders in waves emphasizing her high cheekbones and pretty features. "Did you have fun?"
"We did," Emma answered. "What about you guys?"
"It's a party wherever we are," Jill assured her.
"Very true," Emma agreed as she kicked off her shoes and placed them in the hall closet.
"There's some margarita mix still in the blender, help yourselves," Mandy offered.
"I'm good," Ethan said as he walked over to stand beside her.
"I think I've had enough for tonight," Emma told her and cast a shy glance at Ethan. "I'm ready for some sleep."
Jill and Mandy both smirked as they took another sip of their fruity drinks. "Sleep tight," Mandy said as they turned away.
"I don't think there will be much sleep going on in there," Jill whispered, and they both burst into loud giggles.
Emma shook her head but followed Ethan to her room.
"I have something for you," Ethan said as he ran his index finger in a circle around the small of her back. Her hair tickled against the bottom of his chin, but he didn't move to brush it away.
Emma had to force herself to lift her head to look at him. She was so thoroughly exhausted and satisfied all she wanted to do was lie there and never move again. "You do?" She stifled a yawn as she asked the question.
"I do."
He sat up and swung his legs off the bed with far more energy than she had right now. Emma put her elbow on the bed and plopped her head on her hand as she watched him walk across the room to his backpack. The light from the single candle on the nightstand revealed his skin was still slick with sweat as it played over his taut muscles and firm ass. Much to her surprise, she found herself growing aroused again as he dug into the bag.
He pulled something out and turned back to her. It looked incredibly small in his hands, but the sight of the dress she’d admired in the store earlier caused her to bolt upright in the bed. Her exhaustion vanished as the blanket fell away to reveal her breasts. Her mouth dropped as he walked over and sat on the bed beside her.
"You shouldn't have," she breathed.
"I saw you looking at it today; I hope I got the right size."
She finally tore her attention away from the beautiful dress and focused on his exquisite face. Something in her chest swelled as she met his eyes; she wasn't quite sure what the feeling was as she'd never quite experienced it before, but she knew she never wanted it to end.
"It's...it's beautiful," she stammered. "But it was so expensive and—"
"No ands," he said forcefully. "I wanted to get it for you, and that's that."
She was tempted to argue further with him, but she couldn't when he was smiling at her and holding that dress. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Come on, let's see if it fits," he said. He rose to his feet and gestured for her to do the same.
Emma stared at him for a second before tossing the rest of the blanket aside and climbing out of bed to stand in front of him. She tilted her head back and raised her arms for him to slide the dress over her head. The material felt like a feather caressing her skin as it settled over her. It hugged her curves before flowing out at her waist. The bottom of it spun out around her as she twirled in it.
"I love it!" she cried and stopped spinning to throw her arms around him.
Relief filled Ethan as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He hadn't been sure how she would react when he gave her the dress, thought maybe she would believe it was too much or he was moving too fast. He knew they needed to talk about everything, but his experience with conversations about relationships consisted of three words, don't get attached. Those were the last three words he would ever utter to her.
There was nothing more perfect than her, or the joy she radiated right now, he was certain of it. He was already growing erect again as he slid the dress up her body and pulled it over her head. Her pert breasts, rounded hips, and soft skin were bared to him once more. He draped the dress over the chair and began to edge her toward the bed. He was going to enjoy burying himself inside her for another couple of hours, relish feeling every bit of her all over again.
The sound of her laughter was contagious, and he found himself laughing with her as they tumbled onto the bed together. She had the most radiant smile he'd ever seen. He traced his finger over her lips and across her chin.
"It's a perfect fit," she whispered as she threw her arms around his neck.
"Just like you," he muttered against her lips.
Something flickered through her eyes; her grin turned playful as she wiggled beneath him. "I'll have to give you an extra special thank you for the dress and the flowers," she said as she nibbled his bottom lip.
Ethan was in the process of losing himself to her when her words registered. He propped his hands on either side of her head as he held himself above her. "What flowers?"
Emma frowned as the smile left his face and his eyes became as icy as the tundra. Her hand fell away from his cheek as he stared at her.
"What flowers?" he demanded again.
"The flowers in the kitchen. The ones you sent me this afternoon," she said hesitatingly. An almost lethal air surrounded him as he pushed himself off her.
"I didn't send you flowers," he said.
He turned and walked to the door so fast, she barely registered he was leaving before she was gaping after
