05 Desperate Match by Lynne Silver Page A

said. “I didn’t mean to be pushy.”
    “No. I don’t have a dress,” she said, feeling relief Thea had made the offer, and she hadn’t had to figure something else out.
    Ten minutes later, Jill was back in Rowan’s apartment about to hop into the shower. Thea’s loaned dress hung in a place of honor over the closet door. The last fancy dress Jill had worn had been her prom dress, and this blew it out of the water. Her prom dress had been a girlish fantasy of pink satin and beading. This was a woman’s dress with its low neckline and tight fit. She loved the color of it. Not quite turquoise, not quite pale blue, it made her skin glow, especially with the new highlights in her hair. Thea had even loaned her shoes, since her only pair of sneakers so didn’t work with the dress.
    She couldn’t wait for Rowan to see her in it. She hurried through her shower, wondering where Rowan was. When she opened the bathroom door, he was waiting outside the about to knock. “Oh.” She jumped back, and tightened the grip on the towel around her wet body. “You startled me.”
    “Sorry. If we’re going to make it to the wedding on time, I need to hit the shower. Don’t mean to rush you.” He looked tired, and she wondered how he’d spent his day.
    “It’s okay. I’m done for now, but I’ll need to get back in to do makeup.”
    “Sure. I’ll hurry.”
    She grabbed the hairdryer and her hairbrush, and then they stepped around each other, her chest practically brushing against his as they switched places. She raced through drying her hair and styling it. She still wasn’t used to the length and its silky feel under her brush. The rush of shower water turned off, and she hurried into the dress, contorting to get it zipped.
    “Need a hand?” Rowan’s deep voice came from behind her. “Cause I got one.”
    She bit her lip and snorted at his deprecating humor. “Yes, please.”
    His large body stepped closer, and he brushed her hair off her back, tucking it over her shoulder. She held her breath at his nearness, although part of her wanted to back up into him and feel his body with hers.
    “Hold this bit,” he said, and she reached behind to hold the material steady. With surprising grace, given he was doing it single–handed, Rowan clasped the tiny metal clasp on her dress, then placed a kiss on the strip of bare skin above it.
    Her entire back broke into tingles, and she hoped he’d do it again, but he stepped back.
    “Turn around,” he said. She obeyed, and swallowed hard when she saw he wore only tight boxer briefs and his skin still glistened from the shower. “Gorgeous,” he said. “You look…amazing.”
    “Thank you.” They stared at each other, each wanting something more to happen, but there was no time. They had a wedding to attend. At last Rowan cleared his throat.
    “Go finish getting dressed. We gotta get moving.”
    She spun and practically raced into the bathroom to do her makeup. No need for blush, her cheeks were plenty pink enough, she thought, staring into the mirror. Her makeup didn’t take long since she only had the bare essentials.
    “Uh, Jill?” Rowan interrupted. He stood in the bathroom doorway. His pants were on, but a crisp white shirt hung open, revealing his taut abdominal muscles. “Can you button my shirt? I can do it, but—”
    “Sure.” Jill didn’t let him finish. He had no need to be embarrassed. Most of the time, she forgot Rowan operated with a big handicap. He was so strong and capable; it was hard to think of him not being good at anything. She stepped over to him, and found the first button, starting with the top.
    “Get the very top one,” he said. “I’m wearing a tie. And I’ll need your help with that too if you know how to tie a tie.”
    “No problem.” She shut her mouth and concentrated on closing his buttons without running her fingers against his skin. He had just the right amount of chest hair in her opinion. She was on button number four