“It’s fine,” he answers, and I can’t bear to look at him. “You should get upstairs and get warm.”
“It’s not fine. Just… do you want to come up? I can get you some towels for you and the car. Make some tea, something.”
“Scarlett—” He sounds pained. I should probably just let the man go home, but I don’t want the night to end on this awkward note.
“Please, can we just call a truce? Let me do something. You did a lot tonight, and I want to make up for it. We’re going to have to keep being around each other because of Harper and Xander, and I just don’t want to have to wake up to being the complete bitch in all of this.”
“Okay…” he says softly after a moment and turns the ignition off.
He’s so reluctant, I almost tell him to forget it. Feeling like I’m asking him for another thing that’s too much. But he gets out of the car, and we both make our way through the rain up to my apartment.
SIX
Tobias
The last thingI should be doing right now is following her into her apartment. I should be leaving her alone. Shouldn’t have even intervened with Harper and Xander in picking her up. A thing that Harper might have been enthusiastic about, but I could tell by the look on his face Xander wasn’t excited by it. Because he knows what I know. I can only take so much around Scarlett before I crack and give into temptation where she’s concerned.
She’s shivering next to me, and I just want to get her inside right now. Her hands are shaking as she tries to put the key in the lock of her apartment door. I gently take them from her, sliding the key in, and turning it for her.
“Thanks. Sorry. Just so freaking cold still.”
We enter the apartment, and she flicks on the light, revealing a place that’s small but cozy. It can’t be more than one bedroom. A small hallway that looks to open up to two or three doors, a living room that’s about the size of the mudroom in my house, and a galley kitchen with a small island that juts out. The cabinets are dated, and the apartment looks older, but it’s comfortable and warm. She’s put effort into decorating the place. A combination of things that look new and vintage, probably thrifted or hand-me-downs if I had to guess. But it looks and feels like her. Like she’s put her magic touch on everything and somehow made all the ordinary bits seem like they add up to something more. The same way she does with everything she wears.
“I’ll turn the heat up a bit and put a kettle on. Feel free to sit at the dining table. The chairs are from college anyway. Won’t hurt to get a little water on them.” She offers a small smile as she heads into the kitchen, filling up the kettle with water before she puts it on the stove.
I watch her more closely than I should. Because the dress she has on is absolutely plastered to every curve of her body and her wet hair curls at the ends where it’s trying to dry. Her makeup is smudged but still looks gorgeous and that’s all before we get to the thigh highs that are still accentuating every long line of her legs.
“God, it almost feels worse in here. Colder. Are you okay? I can get some towels. Just give me a minute.” She doesn’t wait for an answer before she disappears.
When she returns, she’s got one dabbing at her hair and holds another out for me. I use it to get the worst of the water from my hair and down my neck. She watches me for a moment and her eyes drift down my body. I’m in a similar state to her, my clothes still soaking wet and glued to my body.
“You should take those off.” She nods to my clothes, and I go still. Trying to figure out if she’s saying what I think she is. “I can put them in the dryer really quick. So you don’t have to drive home like that. Between that and the tea, it’ll warm you up.”
So no. Not what I thought she was saying.
“Oh, I’m fine.”
She steps forward and presses her palm to my forearm. “You’re freezing. You’re not fine. Just let me have the clothes. I can see if I have a robe or oversized shirt or something if you’re feeling modest. It’s not like I haven’t seen you mostly naked though.”
I frown for a moment, trying to recall when that was and then it hits me. The photoshoot I did for Joss to help Scarlett with some museum thing she was doing. It’s followed by memories of the way she looked at me. Subtle appreciation she tried to hide. One that I can only imagine will be worse now that she’s had a bit to drink and trying her hardest to be nice to me. But I feel ridiculous refusing, so I just deflect.
“You should get out of yours first. Make sure you get warmed up and put something dry on.” I nod toward her.
“Fine. I’m going to go change in my room. In the meantime take those off. There’s a blanket on the couch if you want to cover up.”
“All right.”
She disappears then, satisfied with my answer, and I start undoing my belt and pulling my wallet out onto the table. Setting it next to my phone which is already out and safe from the water. I manage to get my shirt off and am in the process of stepping out of my pants when she returns. She glances at me and then away like she’s trying to be respectful.
“So, slight problem. The dress is wet and so is the zipper, so I’m having trouble getting it off. Can you try?” She turns her back to me and slides her hair over the front of her shoulder, exposing the long line of her neck and spine.
I finish taking my pants off and set my clothes on the chair before I move to take off her dress. My fingers feel icy cold and less than dexterous with the strain of it, but I make an effort. At first, it doesn’t budge for me either, but then I finally feel it start to give way. I tug gently, pulling it all the way down her back. It gapes at the sides, revealing the dimples at the base of her spine and the lacy edge of her panties just beneath it. And fuck me, do I want to rip them all off and run my tongue over her.
“Got it,” I whisper instead.
She turns her head, looking over her shoulder back at me, hesitating before she moves. I run my fingers over the base of her neck and across her shoulder, pushing the strap to the side as I watch it reveal more of her skin. She lets me, her eyes glued to the spot where I’m touching her before her lashes flutter suddenly, and she turns her head away again.
“Thanks.” She pulls forward.
