Was she wary about going down that road with anyone again? Yes, and she’d be crazy not to be. But she had to start to live again at some point, didn’t she? And having a full life didn’t only mean stolen kisses and crazy hot orgasms.
“Yes,” she said, smiling up at the man who had been waiting none too patiently for her answer. “I’d love to go on a date with you tomorrow night.”
Dylan sealed her affirmative reply with a kiss that was hot enough to melt what was left of their ice cream. At least until Mason climbed between them, planting wet, sticky kisses on both of their cheeks.
* * *
Grace was still smiling ten minutes later as she headed for their apartment with Mason falling asleep in his stroller. Before they’d parted, Dylan had quickly pulled out his cell phone and checked in with his mother about babysitting both tomorrow night and then again during their sail when Dylan returned from Australia in a couple of weeks. If Grace’d had any doubt that Claudia would be excited to see Mason again, his mother’s happy exclamations—loud enough for Grace to hear from the other side of the bench—put them to rest.
After Dylan had left to meet with a potential new client, she’d been walking around with a silly smile on her face. At least until she realized that she had absolutely nothing to wear!
Grace had a few nice dresses from before she’d gotten pregnant, but even on the off chance that they still fit her new post-baby curves, all of them had been dresses she’d worn for Richard. Deciding to box them up to give away when she got back to their apartment, she accepted that she was going to have to make a dent in her savings with a new outfit. She’d put every spare penny into her just-in-case legal defense fund for the past year and a half. With the money coming in from the cover story, she could let herself spend a teeny bit on this special night with Dylan, couldn’t she?
Fashion was yet another thing she hadn’t given much thought to since having Mason. Grace looked down at her jeans and striped blue and white top and knew that she managed to look pretty or professional when she needed to. But she hadn’t gone for sexy in a very long time.
Making a slight detour from her apartment building toward the nearby shopping street, she reminded herself that while sexy would certainly be exciting, she really shouldn’t break the bank, because simple and pretty would be good enough, right? Of course, that was right when she caught sight of a beautifully dressed boutique window, one that had the most incredible dress on display. The color was what struck her first—not red, not pink, but the best of both hues. The straps were braided lace and silk, a delicate pattern that continued through the bodice. A slim, shiny belt the same color as the fabric wound around the waist, further emphasizing the floaty skirt of the dress, which ended just below the knee.
It probably cost a fortune, but in spite of that, she still couldn’t stop herself from pushing Mason’s stroller inside the store.
“Welcome to Indulgence.”
It was, Grace thought, the perfect name for a store in which every single item on display made her yearn.
The woman’s face lit up as she looked down at Mason strapped into his stroller, clutching his stuffed giraffe in his sticky little fist. His head was turned to the side in sleep, his eyes closed so that his lashes looked a mile long.
“Your son is absolutely gorgeous,” the woman whispered, clearly in an effort not to wake him up. “If you’re thinking about trying on the dress in the window, I already know you’re going to look amazing in it. And I swear I’m not just saying that because this is my store.”
Grace knew what looked good on her. This dress would make Dylan’s eyes pop out of his head. That alone would be worth the dent it made in her savings.
The store owner, who introduced herself as Colbie, correctly guessed Grace’s size, and a very short while later was oohing and ahhing over how great she looked in the dress. “One more thing,” Colbie said, leaving the dressing room for a few moments and returning with what had to be the greatest pair of shoes ever made. The leather on the high-heeled sandals was a super-soft gold and braided in a pattern very similar to the bodice and straps of the dress. “You’re a size eight shoe, aren’t you?”
Grace was already reaching for the sexy sandals as she nodded. She felt like a princess straight out of a fairy tale in this dress, these shoes. She’d just close her eyes when she signed the credit card slip and wouldn’t let herself think about the bill until it came at the end of the month. She’d make it up by working doubly hard on the story about Dylan, doing such a great job with it that, hopefully, she’d turn this cover story into the first of many.
“I’ll take them both.”
Besides, even though being able to put money away for Mason was hugely important, wasn’t feeling like a sexy woman again—and proving to herself that her ex hadn’t stolen that from her—also something she should have prioritized long before now?
Which was why, when a luxurious lingerie set also caught her eye on her way to the register, she added it to her pile of goodies. Because really, what good were the gorgeous dress and perfect shoes if what Dylan found when he stripped her out of them at the end of their date wasn’t just as pretty?
Her entire body flamed at the thought, already revving with anticipation of her date with Dylan. A date that suddenly felt as though it couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dylan’s mind had been blown by Grace from the start, but when she opened the door for him the following night, he swore his remaining brain cells actually melted inside his skull. If he could have thought clearly, he might have been able to stop his hands from grabbing, his mouth from devouring. But he didn’t have a prayer of doing anything but kissing her until he’d managed to have at least a tiny part of his fill.
“I’m torn, Grace. So damned torn between staying right here to strip that beautiful dress off you and taking you out to show you off.”
The way she smiled up at him only made it harder to think straight. “You look really good in your suit, too.”
Mason crawled over then, grabbing fistfuls of Dylan’s dark slacks to pull himself up. “I didn’t forget about you, buddy,” Dylan said as he lifted Mason into his arms. “I’m just having a hard time dealing with how stunning your mommy is.” When Mason babbled something unintelligible, Dylan nodded. “You’re right, I don’t stand a chance of ever getting used to how beautiful she is, so I should stop trying.” He kissed Mason on the forehead. “And since my mom will never forgive me if we don’t bring you over, especially since she bought out the entire toy store downtown to spoil you rotten tonight, I guess that means we should head out.”