I had a pile of good, solid reasons why wanting something more with Scarlett was a bad idea. And that was before I threw August into the mix. If this went bad, the fallout wouldn't just affect the adults.
All of that was perfectly reasonable. Sensible.
I didn't care.
I could take things slowly.
Really?
I'd moved Scarlett and August in after knowing her less than an hour and had sex with her only a few days later. Okay, I could start taking things slowly. I wasn't going to ask her to marry me, but I was done pretending this was just about sex.
Fucking Scarlett had been spectacular. I couldn't wait to do it again. A lot. As often as possible. If it had just been that, I would have been fine. Nothing wrong with some no-strings sex between two consenting adults.
The problem was, I also wanted to watch cartoons with August, Scarlett curled into me while we read the news and she rubbed his back. I wanted more picnics. More splashing in the pool. I wanted to take them hiking and show them the mountains. To bring them to my favorite barbeque place.
I wanted to show them my life. I wanted them to want to be a part of it.
I wanted Scarlett to tell me what put those lines of strain around her mouth and why she kept demanding to see her phone. What was she looking for? Who did she need to talk to? Why couldn't she trust me?
In the back of my head, I could hear someone, maybe Griffen, telling me I was rushing things. It sounded like the kind of thing an older brother might say. He'd probably insist that I couldn't possibly know I wanted something serious with a woman I'd met less than a week ago. Relationships are built over time. You can't just know another person is the right one.
And if Griffen did tell me I was being crazy? Did it matter? I didn't care about any of that. My heart, my soul, whatever it was inside me that operated outside of logic—that part said that when it was the right person, I absolutely could know in a few days. And Scarlett was the right person. She was why everything was different. Scarlett was why this wasn't just about fucking.
I was going to have to be smart.
First, she was up to something, and I had to know what it was before this went too much further. I needed her to trust me. And second, she didn't have a rosy outlook on relationships. What had she said that first day? That if she wanted someone else to take care of, she'd get a dog? Yeah, it was fair to say she wasn't angling for a wedding ring.
It was going to take some work to convince her to give me a shot.
When I pushed away everything else, that was what I wanted: a shot at winning Scarlett.
I finished my run, showered, and got to work. I couldn't keep my finger on the pulse of the Inn the way I liked from home, but Royal and Forrest had things in hand for now. I'd give West another week to track down Vanessa's killer and then I was going back to work. For now, I cleared my inbox, got up to date on a few projects, and made my plans for Scarlett.
I found her exactly where I expected: in the last guest room, finishing cataloging the artwork there. A master bedroom with an ensuite bath that connected to a set of rooms continuing down the hall, the room had a glass case of figurines that had been keeping Scarlett busy. It also had a locking door and a wide, velvet chaise lounge that was more daybed than sofa.
Her cheeks were pink when she turned to face me. Matching pink lips parted as if to speak, then pressed together. The color in her cheeks deepened. Yeah, she was hot, and smart, and amazing in bed. And sometimes, she was just fucking adorable. Did she notice me turning the lock on the door after I closed it behind me? I think she did.
"Are you going to run again?" I asked, closing the distance between us. "Because I think I told you what would happen if you did." Her cheeks flushed dark red as she remembered. Green eyes flashed to my empty hands. I took the tablet from her, tilting it away as I deactivated the hacked camera. I set it on a side table.
"I… uh… August had never… I mean…" Scarlett let out a huff of air and tipped her face up to the ceiling. Drawing in a breath, she finally met my eyes. "I'm sorry I was such a dork this morning. Last night was amazing and I wasn't thinking about August walking in. I freaked. I haven't dated much since I divorced my ex and I've never brought a man around. I didn't know what to do."