Page 63 of Wild Card
“This awkward silence here is the other reason I didn’t want to bring it up.” She flicks her gaze to the ground, looking like she wishes it would swallow her whole.
THIRTY-FOUR
Scarlett
He bridgesthe space between us a moment later and his hand wraps around the back of my neck, pulling me forward and pressing his lips to mine. He kisses me with soft strokes at first, ones that become more insistent and pleading. His other hand wraps around my waist, pulling me flush against him. I kiss him back before I know what I’m doing. So easily swayed by just a few touches as his cologne envelops me, dragging me under by the hold he has on me.
“What are you doing?” I press my palm to his chest to create distance.
“Killing the awkward silence.” He grins, leaning forward and brushing his lips over mine in one last gentle sweep.
“Clever.”
“If we’re stuck in limbo until this is over… maybe we just call a truce.”
My heart skips in my chest and my fingertips press softly into his.
“A truce?”
His fingers slide down my throat and his mouth trails behind them. I already feel the kick of my heart rate speeding up.
“Yes. This one’s gotta last a little longer though. Might need to think about what a peace treaty looks like. How many bottles of rosé will I need to make that happen?”
I can’t help but laugh. But I don’t know if I’m understanding him the way my heart is hoping I do.
“A peace treaty sounds nice, but I just rescheduled my date.”
He stops kissing my neck and pulls back, grabbing my chin as he looks at me.
“He’s not here tonight, Spitfire. Right now, you’re mine.”
He kisses me roughly, wrapping his hand around the base of my throat and taking anything I’ll give him. He grabs my hand a moment later and tugs me along behind him. I follow blindly. It’s stupid, I know it is, to go down this path with him and start this all over again. But when it comes to Tobias, I don’t make good decisions. I make the ones my heart tells me to.
He takes us through to the library, and I realize now he wasn’t kidding about christening it himself. He walks us between the tables and pins me up against one, sliding between my legs as he presses me back against it. His hands slide up my thighs as he kisses me, his mouth on mine and over my jaw.
“Being with you in here has been torture. Watching you work. Bending over these tables to study things. Climbing that fucking ladder to where I can almost see up your fucking skirt. The way you tap your heel on the ladder when you’re thinking. Drives me fucking mad that I can’t touch you when I want to so badly.”
“It’s been hard for me too,” I confess.
“So hard you’re going out on dates with Nick. Wearing this fucking dress.”
“I wanted to look nice,” I say defensively. “I told you I was trying to move on.”
“Meanwhile for me, it’s only been you since this all started on your last fucking date with what was his fucking name? Cal… no…”
“Carter.”
“Carter. Right. And you were all fucking dressed up for him too, wearing that skintight dress and see-through fucking lingerie.” His eyes light and his hands slide up my thighs, hooking into the sides of my underwear. “What kind are you wearing tonight anyway?”
I swallow because it’s a similar pair to what I wore the last time. Just a different color and the dress I have on is one of my favorites. He pulls on the panties, and I let him take them off me. He holds them up, glaring at them, and throws them on the table, his eyes meeting mine again in accusation.
“I can wear nice things if I want.”
“Yeah, well I’m fucking tired of seeing the ones you wear for other men.” His eyes flash with something. “You came out here tonight in that dress and I thought…” He trails off shaking his head as he laughs.
“Thought what?”
“Maybe you were finally going to try to fucking seduce me. Maybe it wasn’t in my head that you’ve been fucking teasing and taunting me. That some part of you still wants me after everything.” He looks down at the floor.
