The Beauty of Us (Fusion #4)

“Finally,” I whisper.

“We could have reached this point a lot faster if you hadn’t been trying to kill me.”

“What goes around comes around.” I kiss his forearm. “You were trying to kill me all night.”

“But what a way to go,” he says with a laugh, and then there are no more words as he takes us both to paradise.



“So, I need a new outfit,” I tell him the following morning as we walk through the mall together. “Mac is throwing a surprise party for Kat’s birthday and it’s a rockabilly theme. I would usually just raid her closet, but it’s her party, so I can’t.”

“Okay, I’m game,” he says, and kisses the back of my hand. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“Yep, there’s a great spot here that Kat shops at all the time. We’ll start there.”

I lead him into the shop and we wander from rack to rack until I have five outfits to try on. The salesgirl leads us to the back of the store where the fitting rooms are, and Trevor sits on a chair while he waits for me to change.

The first outfit is a definite no, but I show him anyway.

“Take it off,” he says immediately.

“You don’t like it?” I turn to the mirror and scowl. “Yeah, this is a no.”

“Don’t ever put that on again,” he says, shaking his head.

“Wow, you feel passionately about this. Okay, this is a no.”

I return to the dressing room and change into the next outfit, which is much better. When I walk out to show him, his jaw drops and he just stares for a moment.

“Oh yeah, this is better.”

“Absolutely not,” he says with a scowl.

“What? It’s cute!” I turn to the mirror and admire myself in the fun red dress. It hugs me in all the right places.

“It’s too sexy,” he says. “I won’t be at this party to defend you from all of the other men.”

“Uh, you do know that all of the other men are taken, right? Not to mention that I’m also taken.”

“No way. Next.”

I roll my eyes and go back into the room to change. This one, a pretty light blue dress with a white collar, might be the ticket.

“Much better,” Trevor says with a nod. “Beautiful.”

I turn to the mirror and smile. He’s right, this one is classy and fun, perfect for a fun night with my friends.

“I like it too.”

He walks up behind me and hugs me around the waist, lowering his head next to mine.

“This didn’t take long.”

“I’m a quick shopper,” I reply, enjoying the way he feels pressed up behind me. “I’ll change and pay for this and we can go.”

“Great. I’ll help.”

He leads me back into the dressing room and kisses me breathless.

“We’re in a dressing room,” I hiss.

“Nothing slips past you,” he says with a laugh. “Yes, we are.”

“I’m not—”

“Excuse me, sir,” the salesgirl says in a bored voice through the door. “You have to come out of there.”

“We got caught,” he says with a whisper, and wiggles his eyebrows. “We’re a scandal.”

“You’re crazy.”

“About you,” he says, and kisses my cheek before opening the door to step out. “Sorry, she needed my help.”

“Uh-huh,” I hear the salesgirl say as she walks away.

“She’s not amused,” he says through the door.

“I wonder how many people try to have sex in these rooms?” I say.

“More than you want to know!” the salesgirl yells from the front of the store. “And sound travels in here.”

I hear Trevor chuckle, and I can’t help but join him as I zip up my jeans and gather my things. He’s leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, when I open the door.

“Hi.” I smile up at him and feel the butterflies stir in my belly when his eyes travel down to my breasts and back to my eyes.

“Hello. Would you like to accompany me home?”

I tilt my head back and forth, as if I’m giving it a lot of thought. “Okay.”

“Had me guessing there for a minute,” he says, and takes the dress out of my hands so he can link his fingers with mine. “Would have been embarrassing if you turned me down.”

“Humiliating,” I agree, and watch as the salesgirl rings me up, folds the dress, and stuffs it into a bag.

Before I can pass her my card, Trevor hands her his.

“You don’t have to buy me this dress.”

“I know.” He kisses the top of my head and rubs a circle on my back. “I want to. It’s really beautiful on you.”

What did I do to deserve this man?

Oh yeah, I dated assholes for more than a decade.

I totally deserve him, and every moment of happiness that comes along with him.

He’s carrying my bag, holding my hand, and leading me down the mall. We reach a gaming store, and he glances down at me.

“I’d like to stop in and see if there’s a specific game that I can preorder.”

“In Portland?”

“This store is in L.A. too,” he says with a smile.

“Let’s go, then.” He leads me through many rows of games to the checkout counter and the kid who looks like he might have just gone through puberty standing behind it. They talk games, specifically the one Trevor wants to buy, and I’m lost in the language that seems to be specific to the gaming world.

Ten minutes later, we’re walking back out and Trevor’s game will be ready for him in L.A. in about a month.

“I know it’s early, but I’m in the mood for some fro-yo,” I say as we pass the do-it-yourself frozen yogurt place in the food court.

“It’s always time for fro-yo,” Trevor says with a grin. We make our way down the line, filling our paper bowls with the frozen treat and adding bits of chocolate, strawberries, marshmallows and whipped cream.

I glance up at Trevor when I put the whipped cream back in its slot. “This could be fun sometime,” I say, eyeing the whipped cream.

“It’s a date,” he replies, and smirks as he leads me to the counter so the young woman can weigh our bowls and he can pay.

We’re quietly watching people pass by, eating our treat. The silence between us has always been comfortable. I love not feeling like I have to keep a steady stream of conversation going with this man.

He seems to need the same amount of quiet that I do.

“You have something right here.” He points to the side of his own mouth, and I stick my tongue out to search for it.

“Did I get it?”

“No.” He chuckles and reaches out to gently wipe some chocolate off the other corner of my mouth. I catch his wrist in my hand and lick the chocolate off his finger, making his eyes dilate. “Riley.”

It’s a warning or a plea, I’m not sure which. We’ve had so much sex in the past few weeks, it’s a wonder that either of us can still walk.

Every muscle in my body is sore. It’s a good sore, but it’s intense.

Satisfying.

“Riley,” he says again, and licks his lips.

“I didn’t do anything,” I reply innocently, and take a bite.

“You’re not innocent,” he says. “You can’t even try to fool me, I know you too well already.”

“Well, I may not be innocent, but I’m pretty, so there’s that.”

He laughs and tucks my hair behind my ear.

“You’re not just pretty, you’re beautiful. Inside and out.”