Only his shoes and socks were gone. “I thought…” Nico put his finger to his lips and said softly, “Don’t think. Don’t speak. Just let me look at you.” She stood there, hands to her sides, not knowing what else to do. She thought he might be disappointed she wore her white gown, buttoned up and tied tightly at the neck. She’d tried the one Grace had snuck into her bag, but she couldn’t do it, didn’t want to add to her nervousness. Wearing it, she felt too naked and exposed. The white gown was a touchstone of familiarity, of security, a bastion against the chaos raging in her body and her mind. Nico stared until her heart began to tremble and then he smiled. “You are the woman of my dreams,” he said a little breathlessly. This was not the place he would have chosen for her first time. She deserved plush carpets, fine furnishings, champagne served in crystal and silken sheets on her bed. She had no idea how beautiful she was standing there in that snowy gown, quietly offering herself to him.
