“And lose that bra too!” he hollers after me. I respond by slamming my bedroom door.

So mature.

Back in the safety of my room, I stand in front of my mirror again, examining myself. The shirt is way too big on me. I roll the sleeves up to the middle of my forearms. That’s better. It’s kind of a baggy shirt dress now. Or, it would be if I took my pants off. With a defeated sigh, I unbutton my jeans and let them fall down my hips before kicking them off entirely.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The bottom hem reaches my mid-thigh. It isn’t as revealing as I thought it would be. My short, stubby legs are actually pretty cute peeking out from the bottom of the shirt. I feel a little naughty, one of those girls who has to steal a guy’s shirt for the morning walk of shame.

I undo the top few buttons and pull the collar open, exposing the top of my chest. I smile at my reflection. Embracing the adventure, I reach up the back and unhook my bra, pulling it off through the sleeve. The shirt isn’t quite see-through, but without a bra you can see my hard nipples peeking through the fabric.

I toy with the last few buttons at the bottom, debating unbuttoning them.

Why not? Just see how it looks?

I’ve come this far, I might as well go for it. I undo all but the three middle buttons over my chest, exposing my stomach. My skin is pale, but against the white of the shirt it’s almost creamy. I run my hands down over my stomach and up along my neck, taking a moment to marvel at myself. I’m not a kid playing dress-up. I’m not a joke. I’m a woman.

I feel good. I feel sexy. I feel confident.

Austin is going to be insufferable.

My stomach twists as I think about walking out into the living room. It’s one thing to feel sexy in private. It’s something completely different to stand exposed in front of Austin Jacobs. I can’t believe I’m doing this. This is only our second night and I’m going to be strutting around in almost nothing.

“You coming out or am I going to have to send a search party in after you?” His voice pulls me out of my reverie. I shake my entire body, trying to purge all the nervous energy that’s building up in my limbs. God help me, but I actually repeat ‘loosey-goosey’ to myself a couple of times, quietly enough that I’m sure Austin can’t hear me.

I crack the door, peeking out into the living room. Austin’s sitting on the couch, his back to me. I slink out of the bedroom and tiptoe toward him. I pause halfway, debating running back to my room and never coming out again.

Don’t be a chicken.

I take a deep breath and step into the living room, hoping for the best. As soon as I come into view, Austin snaps his gaze to my bare legs then up my body, devouring me. The caress of his stare is on my thighs, across my stomach and up my chest.