“Why are you damn near naked?” I return, through gritted teeth.
Her brows furrow as she glances down and then back at me. “What in the hell are you talking about? I’m completely covered.”
“Covered?” I toss my wet and soapy hands in the air, sending droplets of water everywhere. “I can practically see your ass.”
She scoffs and crosses her arms, pushing her tits up, which really only proves my point. “Pretty sure you’re projecting, you know, since you’ve beenshowing your assall night.”
Fucking hell, it’s like she’s trying to kill me. Is death by lingerie a thing? It has to be.
“Projecting?” I whisper-shout, angry but unwilling to wake James. “You look like you’re about to walk the damn runway at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show!”
“Holy shit,” she whispers, her cheeks taking on a rosy glow as she bites down on her bottom lip. “You’ve lost the plot.”
“What does that even mean?” My eyes stray from her face, from where they’ve been glued to her lush lips, roaming down the contours of her body.
I usually prefer my women on the softer side. Short, curvy, and sweet is what usually does it for me. But here’s Scarlet, slightly taller than the average woman, fit as hell, with just a hint of curves, and a tongue sharper than any blade, and, I can’t look away.
“I’ll tell you what it means.” She drawls, advancing me until we’re toe to toe. Well, as much as we can be when I’m still in my well-worn boots and she’s in fuzzy slippers. “I am standing here, fully dressed… fully covered, and you’re acting like I’m walking around in my birthday suit. You. Have. Lost. The. Plot.”
She’s standing close enough I can smell her—hints of orange blossom and amber. It’s… intoxicating. I can’t stand Scarlet Armstrong on a good day, but right now, in the dimly lit kitchen,I’m thinking things I have no business thinking. Like if her skin is as soft as it looks… if she tastes as sweet as she smells.
I should take a giant step back, put some much-needed space between us. Unfortunately, what Ishoulddo and what Iactuallydo are two very different things.
“We’ll just have to agree to disagree,” I mumble, reaching out to skim my fingers up the side of her thigh. “Because from where I’m standing, you’ve just about got all the goods on display.” Her skin is warm and soft, and I damn sure don’t miss the goosebumps left behind in the wake of my touch.
She swallows—gulps really—and takes a step back. “Then m-maybe you should stand somewhere else.”
She’s gone before I can formulate a reply, once again hauling ass to get away from me. We weren’t even fully touching, but I feel cooler without her in my space.
“Where are you going?” I bark, my tone giving way to every ounce of frustration I’m feeling as I take off after her.
She infuriates me, and if I didn’t think I’d end up with a black eye, I’d like to take her bratty ass over my knee and teach her some manners.
I jerk to a stop, my own traitorous thoughts rooting me in place.What in the hell was in that pizza?I don’t know what’s got us both so wound up. Maybe it’s a full moon. All I know is I’m thinking all kinds of outlandish things.
“Away from you!” she snaps back as she begins pulling the cushions off the couch.
“What… what are you doing?” I sound like an idiot, shouting out questions with obvious answers, but it seems Scarlet’s robbed me of my common sense.
“Going to bed.”
“You’re sleeping out here?”Look at me, three for three now.
“Obviously.” She cocks one hip to the side, all suntanned skin and attitude. “Is that okay with you, Officer Jackass, or are you expecting me to sleep on the floor?”
“What?” I glance down at the couch and back at her, my mind going a mile a minute trying to figure out a way for us to share the pullout bed without bloodshed or something worse. “No, of course not.”
“Good.” She leans forward and grips the handle, but all I can focus on is her tits. Her cleavage is front and center. Hell, there may as well be a spotlight shining down from the heavens, I’m so entranced. “Then it’s wide open for you.”
Dumbfounded, I stare after her as she pads into the hall to grab the pillows and quilt Atlas and Nora keep in the closet. She tosses them onto the mattress and grabs a tablet from her bag before spreading out the quilt and making herself right at home.
“I… are you being serious?”
She sets her tablet down and glares at me. “Serious about what?”
“Making me sleep on the floor.”
She taps her index finger against her lower lip twice, pretending to think it over. “I should, but I won’t.”
