Chloe crouched down to help me pick things up. When her fingers closed around the fabric, her movement paused noticeably.
I reached for it, but she didn't hand it over right away. Instead, she lifted her face and looked at me.
"Sweetheart," she said with a light smile, as if we were having the most ordinary conversation in the world, "let me give you a better idea."
She folded the lingerie and placed it neatly back into my bag. Then she stood and leaned close to my ear.
"There's something better than wearing old-fashioned lingerie like this, and that's wearing nothing at all." Her voice was very low, and her breath brushed my ear. "Trust me. Dante likes that best."
Sunlight fell across her young, pretty face. She looked harmless, yet a chill ran through me.
My hand tightened around t
