Dressed in White, page 1
by
Jessica Gibson
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Amazon Edition
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Dressed in White
Copyright © 2013 by Jessica Gibson
Cover designed by Once Upon a Time Covers
Edited by Red Line Editing
Book formatting by JT Formatting
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Sneak peek of Till Death Do Us Part
Acknowledgments
About the Author
To my husband Matt,
thank you for the life that you have given me.
A thousand years would not be enough with you.
I love you with all of my heart.
should be working; I’ve been staring at the computer for the past fifteen minutes, willing myself to start. I’m so distracted. I blame the internet! How do they know that I’m secretly planning a wedding? The moment I log into my email, beautiful wedding dresses start scrolling past me and I’m flooded with special offers from The Knot, In Style Magazine and Martha Stewart Weddings. There are over 100 wedding magazines out there, if you count all the geographic publications. It’s so hard to concentrate on work.
“Lorelei?” Shelby’s voice drifted in the open door of my office. “You busy?”
“Come on in.” I sighed, taking a sip of my latte.
My assistant, Shelby, walked in with a stack of design magazines and swatch books. “These just came in.” She dropped the pile on the chair next to my desk.
I smiled at her. “Thanks, Shelby. Can you tell I’m procrastinating?”
Shelby’s green eyes twinkled “Who, you? Never.” She smothered a smile with her hand.
Shelby had been my assistant since I opened my small interior design firm, Peters’ Interiors, a year ago. She was a lifesaver. I couldn’t imagine trying to run this company without her.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” She ducked out of my office, her shiny brown hair swinging behind her.
I had a big job to complete in just a few weeks, so I really needed to buckle down and get my butt in gear. But, I’d been distracted; my four year anniversary of being with Dillon was coming up in a few days and I’d been dreaming of wedding dresses and rings.
I glanced at the photo in the silver frame on my desk. We were so good together. Our friends called us Ken and Barbie. We both had blond hair and blue eyes—we were the typical California beach couple.
Ironically, we actually live on the beach. In a giant house, with huge windows facing the ocean, that Dillon and his brother, Dane, built in Del Mar, a few years before we started dating. It’s time we sealed the deal and up until a few weeks ago, I was sure he would pop the question. But now, I have this feeling in my stomach. Intuition, maybe? Something just isn’t right; and I don’t know why.
One of the swatch books slid off the pile, jarring me out of my haze. I went to put it on top and before I knew it, I was flipping through the stack of magazines for a peak at the up and coming trends.
An hour later, the magazines were full of brightly colored sticky notes and it was time for me to meet my friend, Roxie, for our weekly lunch.
“Hey, I’m off to lunch. Want me to bring you back something?” I stopped at Shelby’s desk on my way out of the office.
“No, I brought mine; you go on and have a good time. I’ll hold down the fort. But don't forget you have a meeting at the Gable’s new house at 2:00.”
I walked out the back and to my shiny black Lexus SUV. It was the perfect car for me. I could haul anything I needed, but it was still a Lexus and fully loaded with all the bells and whistles. It was my first big purchase after my business took off. I was so proud to pay cash for it.
Roxie and I were meeting at a little Mexican place by the water, one of those little hole-in-the-wall places that only the locals knew about. She and I had been friends since High School; we had both tried out for cheerleading our freshman year and neither of us made it. That was the beginning of the end, it was love at first snark. She and I were polar opposites in looks; she was tall and leggy, with skin the color of a warm mocha, and had been modeling for some of the top agencies in Southern California since sophomore year.
I found a table by one of the windows and waited for her to show up. She was always late. Roxie breezed in fifteen minutes late with a slew of apologies.
“I’m sorry, I know, I’m late. I was getting my nails done and lost track of time. Did you order, yet?”
I smiled. “Of course I did. And I got you some fish tacos, because I'm just awesome like that.”
Roxie laughed. “Why do you think I’ve kept you around all this time?”
The waitress brought our food and soon we were digging into the best lunch special in town.
“So, do you think you’re getting a ring?” Roxie asked me, between bites.
“I hope so. Dillon has been acting so weird, lately. He’s either going to propose or break up with me.” I ran my fingers through my long blonde hair. “I really don't know what to think.”
Roxie looked at me. “Do you honestly think he’s going to break up with you?”
“No, maybe, I don't know. He’s been so secretive the past few weeks.”
Roxie smiled at me. “Dillon is so not going to break up with you. He worships the ground you walk on.”
“I hope you’re right.” I took a sip of my Horchata. “So, what’s new with you?”
We chatted for an hour about her latest trip to Borneo for a shoot and about her next big trip to China next month.
“Ok, babe, I need to run. I have a job in La Costa. Again, next week?” I asked, grabbing my purse from under the table.
We walked to our cars together, her BMW was parked next to me. “Ok, honey, call me when you figure out if you’re getting a ring or your walking papers.” Roxie winked.
“Oh, shut up. Bye.” I waved.
SOME PEOPLE DON'T like driving in traffic, but I've never minded it. My time between here and there is usually spent thinking, plotting, and designing; so if I get to extend that time, I get more done.
I was excited about the job for the Gable’s. The house was huge, a mansion really, and I had free reign to do whatever I wanted to it. Miranda and Nick were both successful attorneys, so money was no object. A few more jobs like this one and Shelby and I could move into the new office we had been dreaming of.
I pulled up to the house just before six. Dillon’s truck was in the garage and I parked beside it. I got the mail, loaded up my arms with my new fabric swatches and design magazines, and made my way inside.
“Babe? Are you home?” I called from the door. Just as I reached the counter, everything in my hands slipped out and onto the floor. “Crap!” I bent down and began setting the mail and magazines in separate piles. There was a letter for Dillon and the handwriting on it was definitely feminine, as well as the stationary. I wanted to open it and see who it was from, but I didn’t. Instead, I put it on top of the pile and stacked it on the counter.
“Dillon?” I called from the stairs. I walked into our room and found him on the balcony with his phone pressed to his ear. He was wearing only a pair of jeans, and his hair was wet and disheveled.
“No, I don't want to come in. If I had wanted to come in, I would have just done it and we wouldn't be having this conversation.” His voice was gruff. I wondered who he was talking to.
Even with his back to me, he still made my knees weak. He was tall and broad shouldered with thick ropes of muscle covering every inch of his perfectly sculpted body.
He turned around and saw me standing in the bedroom and smiled before holding up a finger so he could finish his conversation.
He spoke softer and I could hear the cadence of his voice, but not the actual words. I slipped off my heels and went into the closet to change out of my skirt and blouse.
“Hey, baby, sorry about that.” Dillon walked into the closet behind me. His hands slid up my naked sides coming to rest on my bra.
I swiveled around to face him, bringing my lips up to his. “That’s ok, I just got home. Who were you talking to?”
“Dane. Something is going wrong on one of the jobs and he wants me to come in and take care of it.” They own the
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, I know we had plans, but I need to handle this before it gets too far out of hand.” His expression was odd, something in his eyes didn't read right to me.
“So how long will you be gone, then?”
“A few hours, I think. I’m going to get dressed and grab something to eat before I leave.” He kissed me, again, and left the room.
I got dressed, quickly, and headed down to the kitchen. Dillon was holding the suspicious letter in his hand and eating a sandwich. He frowned at it and stuffed it in his back pocket.
I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn’t. Instead, I made myself a salad and kissed him goodbye. I was itching to snoop through his stuff—that part of me that was irrational and childish wanted to read his emails. Something wasn't right and I just couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn't telling me something.
I was good, instead. I called Roxie in my desperation, who encouraged me to just let it go for now, and then went into the gym, off the kitchen and ran on the treadmill for an hour. I ran until I no longer had the desire to pry into Dillon’s personal things. He loved me; there was nothing weird going on with him. All of this was in my head. This was what I was chanting in my head for the rest of the night.
I fell asleep reading a smutty romance book about Princes and Ladies-in-Waiting. Dillon never woke me when he slipped into bed at some point during the night.
orning came way too soon for my liking. I had not slept well and when I woke up, Dillon was already in the shower.
“Hey, what time did you get in last night?” I yawned and leaned against the door.
“Sorry, I meant to call; but it got late and I didn’t want to wake you. I got home a little before 3:00.”
“Wow, that’s a long night. Did you figure out the problem?”
“The what? Oh, yeah, Dane and I figured it out and we’re good to go, now.”
The uneasy feeling in my stomach was back. Something was up with him, I just didn't know what. “Are you ok? You seem weird.”
He was silent for longer that I would have liked, the sound of the water hitting the tile was the only noise in the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just stressed about work. But I promise I will be focused totally on you, tonight.” He popped his head around the tile wall and smiled at me.
How could I resist those dimples? “What time should I be home?”
“By 4:30, we need to be on the road by 6:00 and I assume you’ll want some time to get ready, first.” He disappeared from view, again, and started humming as he washed the suds from his body.
What was I going to wear? I rummaged through my side of the closet and laid out a few options on the huge chest of drawers in the center of the spacious room. I always thought Dillon built the master bedroom with his future wife in mind. The room was huge, probably bigger than the whole one bedroom apartment I lived in, prior to moving in with him. The suite had a fireplace, a sitting area, and the huge closet. The closet, alone, would have convinced me to marry this man. It was the size of a normal bedroom and separated from the rest of the room by a tile walkway that ran the length of the room and ended at the chest of drawers.
I couldn’t decide which dress would work best, so I put a pin in the decision, vowing to come back to it later and picked out my clothes for work. I chose a navy blue pencil skirt that hit mid-calf and had a slit up the back to just above the crook of my knee. I selected a white silk tank top with a light grey sweater to go over it. For shoes I went with white heels.
Dillon was out of the shower with a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, an easy smile on his lips. I dropped my pajamas to the floor and slowly walked past him into the shower, his eyes were on me the entire time. I soaped up, quickly, and then lathered my hair up on top of my head. Just as I was rinsing, I felt hands slide up my back.
“Hmm, I thought you already took your shower?” I smiled into the stream of water in my face.
“I think I forgot to wash behind my ears.” He murmured into my neck as he pressed his naked body against mine. His lips were roaming from my ear to the hollow of my throat, his hands reaching around to cup my breasts.
“As nice as this is, I can’t be late today, if I want to get out early. I have a ton of work to get done.” I sighed.
“I can be quick?” His fingers reached down to ready the way and he swiftly joined us together. “Put your hands against the wall.”
I placed them just above head height. “Like this?” I looked back, lust clouding my vision of anything but him.
His pace was merciless; he drove us both to the edge a few times before letting us tumble over, together.
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, I was in the car on my way to work with a huge smile on my face. Shelby was just getting out of her car with an armful of wood samples and a coffee, her purse in the other hand.
“Need some help?” I ran over to her and relieved her of the wood samples.
“Thanks Lor, I’m off my game this morning. My car got a flat on the way to work and as you can see I’ve spilled coffee all over my shirt, so I’m all discombobulated.”
“You know you could have called out, today.” I patted her shoulder as we walked up to the back door of the office.
Shelby laughed. “Right, like I’m going to call out when you have three off-site appointments. I’m fine, just a little off my game. I’ll get into the groove as soon as the day gets going.”
I followed her into the office and flicked the lights on, as we walked. Shelby continued on to her desk and I stopped in my office. Shelby was right, this was going to be a busy day. I had to be on my time management game if I wanted to be out on time for dinner with Dillon. “I’m going to leave in an hour for my first appointment. Can you get me the floor plans for Melania’s house?” I called from the doorway.
I immersed myself in floor plans, color schemes, and emails for the next hour. I had a pen in my mouth and was on hold with one of my furniture wholesalers when Shelby poked her head in.
“You need to leave or you’ll be late.”
I glanced at the clock and saw she was right. “Can you take over this call? I’m on hold with the people for Melania’s couch set. I need to get them in under cost, work your magic for me and there’s a bonus in it for you.” I snatched my purse from under my desk and dashed out to my car.
My phone started ringing the second I got on the freeway; I dug around in my bag for my headset. “Hello?”
“Hey, Lor, where are you headed, now?” Roxie’s voice chirped in my ear.
“I’m on my way to meet with a client, why?”
“Oh, I wanted you to meet me for coffee, but that’s ok. So, did you succumb to your desire to snoop?”
“No, I worked out, instead.” Roxie laughed “Probably a good idea.”
“I know, and he was totally normal this morning. We even had a quickie in the shower, before work.”
“Get it girl! So, what are the big plans for your anniversary, tonight?”
“Dinner somewhere, I think. He’s been kind of vague on it. What did you end up doing last night?”
“I went to that new club that just opened downtown, with Pete.”
“Oh? Are things getting serious with you guys?” Roxie and Pete had been casually seeing each other for eight months; Roxie just was not ready to commit to one man, yet.
“If he had his way, yes. He’s a great guy, and I do like him, a lot, I’m just not ready to settle down with just one man.”
“Is he seeing anyone else?”
“I don’t know, I never ask. It’s not my business if he is or not. We don’t owe each other anything.”
I could hear the edge in Roxie’s voice. “You keep telling yourself that, Rox. That poor guy is going to get sick of waiting for you to come to your senses and will find someone else.”
“Hey, whose side are you on?”
“I’m on the side of love.” I laughed.
“Don't make me throw up, I really liked this breakfast going down and I doubt it will taste the same coming up.”
“Whatever, Rox, just think about it will you? Pete’s a great guy. You could do a whole lot worse. I need to run, I’m just pulling up to my meeting.”
