Page 26 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

With a defeated sigh, she gave him what he wanted to hear. “Try harder for Scarlet.”

He nodded. “Good girl.”

Chapter 8

“Eat it, bitch!”

Malachi’s booming laugh filled the condo. Without looking at him directly, Scarlet could still see his arms jerking. He sat on the edge of his seat.

“Only Cross gets to call me bitch, Scarlet. Be nice or I’ll take my X-box and go home.”

“Awww. Sorry. Next time I’ll be more creative. If we play a few more rounds maybe I’ll let you win one or two.”

“Let me? Yeah, it’s on.”

Across the room, Reece looked up from her sketch and laughed. “This is the third time this week that you two play video games for hours. Scarlet’s been dragging her ass out of bed in the morning. Jude hasn’t complained about her falling asleep at work yet, though, or Sabrina would have told me. I think I should pitch this as its own sitcom. You’re too funny.”

Malachi quirked a brow, his dark eyes serious. “I think your kitten needs petting, Scarlet. She’s sounding neglected.”

“What? I’m fine. You two have fun. I have work to do. I’m just glad that Scarlet has found a little friend to play with.” Reece snickered and leaned over her sketchpad.

Scarlet cleared her throat. “Come here.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at the spot between her and Mal on the couch. As expected, Reece’s glare was tempestuous and foreboding. She didn’t take shit from anyone.

“Come on,” Scarlet coaxed. She patted her lap. “Come here. You know you don’t want to sit all the way over there if you can be curled up over here.”

“I’m not actually a cat, you know. Offering to give me catnip and pet me won’t work all the time.”

From the corner of her eye, Scarlet saw Malachi shake his head slightly as he frowned at Reece. She sighed and walked over. What was that about? Because it was her birthday?

Reece eased herself gently down between them as though she was afraid totouch anyone. Scarlet pulled her sideways until her head was in her lap. She ran her fingers through Reece’s hair, combing out little knots and running her short nails along her scalp. Reece sighed and shivered, snuggling in.

“Put your legs up on Malachi. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Scarlet’s gaze slid to him. He looked pained.

“But I’m wearing a dress.”

“Now, Reece,” Scarlet growled sternly. “Are you afraid he’s going to see your sexy blue panties?”

She gasped then blushed.

Malachi smirked. “Did she tell you she showed me her panties the other day?”

“Oh, did she?” Scarlet wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“I almost fell out of the chair. It wasn’t intentional,” Reece grumbled. She put her legs up on his lap then shoved her skirt down tightly so he wouldn’t see anything. “Leave it to the pirate captain, here, to take advantage of an innocent damsel in distress.”

“If I really was a pirate captain I’d keep you tied to the mast where I could play with you for hours. Can you blame me? Have you looked in a mirror lately? Besides, I only looked. I didn’t touch. That’s not against the rules, is it?”

It was obvious to Scarlet, at least, that Malachi wasn’t joking. He wanted Reece in a bad way, but was doing his best to be polite and hide it most of the time. His gaze strayed to the girl’s bare calves, and Scarlet saw his hand twitch. The heat in his eyes should have melted off her clothes.

“No,” Scarlet answered. “Especially not if she’s deliberately flashing you her cute underthings. You’re only human.”

His big hand came down on Reece’s ankle, swallowing it. How did a man with such big hands make such beautiful art? He’d shown them some of his sketches the other day and they were so colorful and expressive that Scarlet was sincerely moved.

The muscles in his arm played under his sleeve of tattoos as Reece tried to wriggle her ankle to freedom. “Let go!”

“Do you really want me to? I’m not hurting anything,” he said quietly. Reece looked up at Scarlet and she smiled back reassuringly.

“It’s only your ankle, beautiful. We aren’t Puritans. If you don’t like it tell him. I don’t mind his hand being there if you don’t.”

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