Work In Progress (Red Lipstick Coalition #3) - Staci Hart Page 0,83

waiting.

“Tommy…”

The tone of the word hooked my heart. I couldn’t tell if it was with permission or denial. So I didn’t let her finish.

Instead, I gave her a smoldering smile and kissed her nose.

“Don’t worry. You’ll see it soon enough.” I let her go and took a step back. “And in the meantime, I’ll be waiting.”

She chuckled like I was kidding, her eyes sweeping the ceiling and smile relieved or disappointed—I couldn’t tell. And I gave her a wink and left my heart in there with her when I walked away.

Big Bad Wolf

Amelia

We stepped out of the Mercedes to chaos.

I couldn’t see anything for the flashes, couldn’t think straight for the screaming of our names. But Tommy had me solidly against him, sweeping me into the club, my red cloak snapping behind us.

My legs felt a trillion miles long—which was funny, considering I barely cleared five feet. The combination of the thigh-highs and patent leather mid-calf boots with the fact that I was wearing nothing else but underwear and a cape had me feeling brash and badass and utterly unstoppable.

And here I thought I’d be self-conscious. But I wasn’t.

On Tommy’s arm, I didn’t know how I could.

Bea had done me up with the works—winged liner, ruby-red lips, my hair shining, tumbling out of my hood in gleaming Hollywood waves. I looked like an innocent dominatrix. And oddly, I didn’t hate it at all.

When I saw my reflection in the mirror earlier, I almost chickened out.

Charity, I’d told myself. Books! A party for books—there’s nothing bad about that. This is what the young and beautiful do. They put on their underwear like it’s outerwear and get publicly drunk. Think about the photo ops. Think about Tommy.

To be honest, I’d worn sluttier costumes than this at Halloween.

Okay, that was a lie. The closest I’d gotten was a square dancer. But there had been some very risqué knee going on with that one, and in this, you couldn’t even see my knees at all.

The thought had made me feel better even though I didn’t know that I’d ever looked so…sexy. But the truth was, I was nervous, uncomfortable—not because of how I looked, but because I knew people would be looking at me. And I wasn’t sure they’d like what they saw.

Until Tommy whisked me out of the car. And I realized I had nothing to worry about, not one little thing.

Tommy’s naked arm was around my waist, covered in goosebumps, and his nipples were tight and hard from the freezing temperature.

It was a lingerie party after all. But given the fact that lingerie wasn’t really a thing for men, he’d gone with mostly naked. His jeans were black as his hair and fitted to his gorgeous thighs and calves, the band hanging low enough on his waist to see that V. And trust me when I say everyone saw that V. Even the bouncer took a second to stare in curious wonder at the depth of the valley as we hurried inside. His feet were clad in his combat boots I’d come to love, half untied and tongue gaping like he’d just thrown them on and headed out the door. Which was exactly what he’d done.

But on his head and slung over his shoulders was a wolfskin, the mouth of the beast capping his head, his dark hair spilling out and brushing his shoulders. The legs and paws hung down his chest, the hind legs and tail down his back.

He looked savage, like a warrior from another time, another place. Another existence, where he’d clutched a knife made of obsidian to take what he wanted and to protect what was his.

The wolfskin was a fake—there was a moment after I’d gathered my wits from the sight of the wild, primal man I’d married and looked into the glass eyes of the wolf with anguish. But Tommy had shown me the underside, which was fake leather, the fur synthetic.

And thank God for that. I’d almost burst into tears at the thought that it wasn’t.

Inside, the club was thumping, the bass so deep and loud, I could feel the waves pass through me, thrumming my bones and flesh in pleasant pulses.

Through the mostly naked crowd we wove, Tommy first and me in the wake created by his massive body. Every face followed us, cataloging everything, but my heart was beating too hard and fast for me to pay them any mind. I just wanted to get out of the crush of the crowd, and