Glancing up, my eyes landed on the one person my mind hadn't been able to stop thinking about. Her hair was put up in a way that had her curls cascading down, a few curls escaping as they laid against her neck. My eyes traveled down her body, getting caught on all the tan skin she was showing, her legs looking extra-long in a short skirt.
She was talking to some guy I’d never seen before, laughing at something he’d said, and I'd never seen anything more beautiful.
A surge of jealousy swept through me as I wished I could be the one making her laugh.
If things were different, I'd be the guy she was standing next to with my arm around her, counting down the seconds until we could leave the wild crowd and be alone.
When the guy reached a hand up to wrap one of the loose curls on her neck around his finger, I had to tell myself to breathe. I didn't want him touching her. I didn't want anyone touching her.
But she's not yours, Rush.
I needed to get a grip. Watching her flirt with another guy wouldn't make anything better. She could flirt with whomever she wanted, and she should. She deserved to be happy with someone. Even if it wasn't me.
I hadn't liked it when she had been dating Mick, but she had looked happy, and that had made it a little easier to swallow.
Watching a single and flirty Scarlet would take more of my self-control, and I wasn't sure how much I had left at this point.
"Rush?" a voice said, interrupting my thoughts.
"Uh, what?" I asked, having forgotten she was there, even with her practically being glued to me.
"Never mind. Follow me." She took my hand and pulled me out of the room, apparently not caring that I hadn't been listening to her.
I wasn't in the mood to follow her, but getting away from watching Scarlet with that guy was probably a smart idea. Letting myself get distracted would be good for me.
She led me up the stairs to a small loft area. A dim floor lamp was the only source of light. A couple was already making use of the empty desk that had been tucked into the corner. She pulled me further into the open alcove, pushing me down to sit on the small built-in bench on the wall under the window, quickly straddling my lap.
"My name's Charlotte, by the way," she said, and then her mouth slammed into mine, her lips harsh and sloppy.
This wasn't an unusual situation for me, and typically it was more welcome than it was tonight, but now my mind was taking a few seconds to change gears. I'd been so wrapped up in Scarlet that I hadn't been paying any attention to Charlotte.
I pushed all thoughts of Scarlet out of my mind and worked hard to focus on the girl who was kissing me. I threaded my hands into her hair, but the straight strands had me wishing it was curly.
Stop it.
Taking my hands out of her hair, I slid them down her back, pulling her closer to me as I broke the kiss and started kissing down her neck.
"Rush!" she exclaimed loudly, but it sounded all wrong. It was supposed to sound breathy and sexy.
I made my way back to her mouth, wondering if it was even possible to get into this when the person I wanted straddling my lap was Scarlet.
Keeping my eyes closed, it was easy to picture that skirt of Scarlet's riding up to show off her strong beautiful thighs. I imagined my hands slowly gliding up them, making my way up to her waist. I knew exactly what her soft moans would sound like as I moved one of my hands up her back and into her hair while my other hand wrapped around her, closing any remaining space between us. My lips found the sweet hollow spot on her neck below her ear, her ragged breathing fueling my desire, knowing that I was the one who was making her breathless. Slowly I kissed my way back up her neck and along her jaw, but before I made it back to her lips, my shoulders were pushed back just far enough so she could start kissing my neck as well, her lips nipping and sucking, my head falling back.
"Scarlet," I let out, my voice gravelly with want.
Her lips left my neck and a high-pitched voice sliced through my hazy thoughts. "It's Charlotte."
My eyes fly open.
Crap.
I'd been so wrapped up in my daydream that I'd forgotten I wasn't actually kissing Scarlet.
"Right," I said, trying to sound apologetic, hoping she wasn't about to slap me in the face. "Charlotte. Sorry about that."
"I know I should care, but you're too good of a kisser for me to be upset about it," she said shamelessly, pushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. "And with how loud it is in here, I can see how you could confuse Charlotte with Scarlet."
Wow. She had talked me out of this for me.
