The Earl's Outrageous Lover Page 0,24

wrong with my cowboy boots?” she growled back at him. Her arms were no longer crossed over her body, they were by her sides, her hands fisted beside her while she tried to control her anger.

“Nothing is wrong with them. They fit your personality perfectly. So go put them on!” he snapped right back at her.

Jessica was so stunned by his command that she simply looked up at him for a long moment before she burst out laughing. “Red cowboy boots with a black crepe dress? Seriously?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You know what I mean,” he replied. A moment later, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up the stairs. It took him several tries but he finally located her bedroom. “Why aren’t you sleeping in the master bedroom?’ he demanded when he finally opened the door where she obviously was sleeping.

“That’s my parents’ room,” she said softly, standing in the middle of her bedroom, afraid of what he might deduce from the crazy riot of colors all over every available surface in her bedroom. “What are you doing?” she asked when he started picking up one dress after another. She’d had so much trouble trying to decide what to wear tonight, afraid of being too brash, but not wanting to look dowdy either. She wanted so badly to impress Edward and now he was staring at the results of her angst.

“I’m trying to find something that is more ‘you’,” he snapped. When he saw the green and butter yellow dress that had been tossed onto the back of a chair, he lifted it into his arms to survey the design and then nodded. “Here, put this on.”

Jessica absolutely loved this dress but knew it was slightly outrageous and the low V in the front might raise some eyebrows. “This isn’t really a charity ball kind of gown,” she said cautiously, looking up at him with concern as she held the soft material in her hands. “Are you sure that you want me to wear this one?”

Actually, he didn’t want her to wear it. He wanted her to be wearing nothing at all. He wanted to slide his hands over her figure and learn all the places on her body that made her gasp with excitement. “Yes. Go put it on. I’ll wait and see if it works. If not, then we’ll get something else.”

Jessica waited for him to leave her bedroom, but when he simply stood there waiting, eyebrows raised in challenge, she huffed and walked into her bathroom.

Jessica put the dress on, letting it slither over her figure. The top was a bit risqué, with her larger than average breasts pushing against the fabric, the low cut of the V neck revealing the inside swells before it flowed down in gentle waves to the floor. She loved the way the dress made her skin look soft and pale while it deepened the color of her hair. But wasn’t it too sexy for a formal charity ball?

She shrugged and decided to enjoy the night. If someone else didn’t like her dress, they could just gossip behind her back. She loved dancing and maybe there would be some man at the event tonight who would get her mind off of Edward’s obnoxious behavior. At the very least, she’d find someone who would treat her with more respect! He’d practically shoved her into the bedroom and ordered her to take off the dress.

She stepped out of the bathroom, taking a deep breath as she waited for his reaction. She was braced for him to tell her to change back into the boring, black dress. But as she stood in the bathroom doorway, all he did was look at her. From the top of her hair to the tips of her toes peeking out underneath the chiffon hemline. She actually blushed when his eyes hesitated at the cleavage revealed by the low neckline, but he only nodded his head when he was finished. “That’s better,” he finally said. “Let’s go.”

She pulled her hand out of his and shook her head. “Why didn’t you like the black one?” she asked, seriously wanting to understand this man. “I thought you would like it and approve of it, although why I would even want your approval is beyond me!”

He stepped closer once again, his eyes hot and angry. “Why are you trying to be someone you’re not?” he demanded with a low, terrifying voice. “You’re a beautiful woman. You