Page 68 of Rags to Royals

We stare at each other for another long moment.

Then that dog barks again and I snap out of it.

Great. I’m probably falling in love with him while sitting naked on his lap right here on my back patio.

I climb to my feet and gather my clothes, pulling them back on, sans bra and panties. I’m just going upstairs to bed. Well, to shower, and then to bed. I can’t sleep all sticky and messy and hot from him.

Though I kind of want to.

When I’m dressed, I take a breath. I have no idea what to say.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cian says. He’s still sitting, just watching me. Though he’s zipped up. That’s good. I guess. Less tempting at least.

But…he’s not less tempting just because he’s fully dressed. Not at all.

I’m in a lot of trouble here.

Why am I so bad at interpersonal relationships? I can handle anything having to do with engines, transmissions, really even most machines. Brian taught me all about cars, but I’ve figured out blenders, toasters, and even a lawnmower once. Ifsomething like that stops working, I can figure out the problem and fix it.

But people? I can figure out how to help them interact with each other, it seems, butIkeep messing my own interactions up.

“Yeah.” I can’t help but smile, though. As if I could avoid him if I wanted to. And now that I’ve admitted that I don’t want to, I’m in trouble. But I’ll definitely be seeing him. “We have to see each other, right? Only seventeen days left.”

He chuckles. “Should we get a big wall calendar and mark off the days as we go?”

I smile. “No worries. I’ve got it all right here.” I tap my temple. Then I start for the back door.

“That sounds like you’re eager to get it over with,” Cian calls after me. “That’swickedwitch stuff, Glinda.”

I chuckle softly but as I make my way up the stairs and his words replay in my mind, my smile slowly fades and I’m frowning by the time I step into the bathroom.

I was definitely sweet and submissive and all in for all of that in New Orleans. And—I take a deep breath as heat hits me now, remembering then and just now on my patio—in the bedroom and other naked-together circumstances I think I still will be.

But Cian O’Grady needs to learn that I do indeed have a wicked side.

And not in the sexy spank-me-Your-Highness way.

Chapter 14

Scarlett

Ilet myself into my bedroom quietly after my shower. I’m in only a towel and thankful I didn’t run into anyone in the hallway. I pull on sleep shorts and a tank and try to slip between the sheets without jostling the mattress too much.

I close my eyes and try to think aboutanythingbut Cian and what just happened outside. Which is, of course, impossible.

God, why are things so hot between us? Sogood? Is it really because I let myself go when we were first together? Because I thought ‘what the hell’? Or is it something more? Is it something about him? That’s kind of depressing though, because I can’t replicate that. Whereasmaybe, possibly sometime down the road someday I couldhopefullyfind another man I could feel comfortable letting down my guard with and letting go so that…

“What did you and Cian talk about for so long?”

I look toward Ruby’s side of the bed. “I thought you were asleep. Sorry if I woke you.”

She laughs softly and rolls toward me. “It’s early for a bartender.”

True. She’s never in bed this early. “You okay?” I ask. “Have you talked to Henry?”

“I have not. And no, I’m not,” she says. “But nothing’s changed. There’s nothing to talk about. I guess he did tell me that he and Cian are going to get rooms at the B and B while they’re in town. I told him I thought that was averygood idea. He got huffy about thevery.”

I nod in the dark. It is. They can’t stay here. Not only because it’s risky for my heart, and there’s the increased chance of Mariah getting way too attached, but because the town can’t know that these two ‘strangers’ with a car in the shop are staying with us. That would be very odd and impossible to explain.

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