Chapter 10
TEN
SIX DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS
“Are you ready?” Felix shouts from the living room. “We need to leave in ten.”
“Just a minute!” I turn from side to side in the mirror.
The rich, forest-green velvet dress falls to the floor, with a slit up the left side that requires me to wear nude, fleece-lined tights since it’s freezing out and I am not one to suffer for fashion.
The dress clings to my body, and my ass looks fantastic in it.
One of my arms is bare, the angled neckline attaching to a wrist-length sleeve on the other side. At first, I was worried about how imbalanced it is, but Hazel insisted that it’s chic and lent me a diamond tennis bracelet for the bare arm to add balance.
My hair can’t hold a curl to save my life, so I’ve pinned it back into a classic chignon.
I spent ages on a nude glam makeup look, watching video after video to figure out how to get it just right.
I swear, makeup artists are artists in every sense of the word.
It takes serious skill to pull off some of these looks.
I feel gorgeous. More than I thought I could, honestly, and I’m almost giddy with excitement to see Felix’s reaction. Maybe seeing me like this will be what makes him realize he loves me?
Isn’t that how it happens in the movies?
When I open my door and head into the living room, he’s got his back to me. I take a moment to admire his tapered waist in a pair of trousers that perfectly match my dress.
Hazel must have had her hand in his outfit, too.
His slim shoulders, typical of Omegas, fill out the cream shirt, and I can’t wait to see what kind of tie he’s wearing with the gold suspenders he’s got on.
He’s pacing, almost as if he’s nervous. I bet he is, considering this will be the first time he’s spent any time around Gabriel when they’re not at work.
I’m nervous for a different reason.
“Ready?” My voice is breathier than I expected it to be, and I clear my throat, trying to rid it of the emotion that threatens to bubble over.
Felix faces me, and my mouth dries out. A single curl of his perfectly styled hair stretches across his forehead toward his left eye. A maroon bow tie gives him a festive look without being cheap.
God, he’s fucking gorgeous. How has no one locked him down yet?
“You look incredible.” He takes a step toward me, hands on his chest. “You’re so beautiful, Clara.”
My face heats, and I have to remind myself that anyone would tell their date they look beautiful, and that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
He takes my hand in his, and I’m surprised to find that he’s shaking.
I’m about to call attention to it, find out when he last ate, and see if he needs a snack before we leave, when he tucks my hand into the crook of his elbow and turns us toward the door.
“We should get going. The cab should be here any minute.”
“Right,” I say, keeping stride with him out of our apartment and down the stairs.
When the cab pulls up to the curb, he opens the door for me, and I slide in.
In the brief moment he’s walking around the cab, I steel myself for an evening watching the man I love interact, and maybe flirt, with the person he has a crush on.
I can do this.