Chapter 6
Let’s get cozy.
Weston
S carlett hands me two large bowls of noodle soup and I carry them to the table while she gathers spoons and chopsticks.
“Do you want tea or water?”
The idea of drinking her green tea again nearly has me gagging. “Water’s fine.”
“Not a fan of green tea?”
I shrug. “I tried.”
She sits down across from me. “How’s your throat?”
Scarlett asking me about how I’m doing makes me feel all warm inside. Why? What is it with this woman? Why is she different? I’m not usually interested in getting to know women – except to sleep with them – but I want to know everything there is to know about Scarlett Harris.
“It’s better. Thanks.”
“Good.” She stretches her neck from side to side. “I wish I could say the same about my neck.”
“Too much sitting in front of your computer working?”
“More like I’m too old to be sleeping in a chair.”
I scowl. “You slept in a chair last night?”
She shrugs. “It wasn’t bad.”
“You should have slept in the bed.”
“I didn’t want to be too far away from you in case you were in distress.”
My heart flips at her words. I don’t remember a woman ever worrying about me being in distress before. Besides my mom, of course. It feels good to have someone worry about me. I’m usually the one worrying about everyone else.
“Thanks.” I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. Sparks fly from her skin to mine. What in the world? Judging by Scarlett’s wide eyes, she feels them as well.
I release her hand to pick up my spoon. I use it to dig around for the meat.
She frowns. “You should use your chopsticks for eating the noodles and chicken. The renge is for the broth.”
“Renge?”
“It’s the proper name for a ramen soup spoon.”
“Wow. You really do love everything Japanese.”
Her cheeks warm and I reach out to touch her hand again. The sparks could become an addiction. “I’m not teasing you. It’s merely a comment.”
“I know.”
I quickly squeeze her hand before reaching for the chopsticks. “I’m not sure I know how to use these.”
“You want help?”
I nod and she pushes to her feet. She comes around the table to stand behind me.
She grasps a chopstick. “Put this between your thumb and index finger.”
She places the chopstick in my hand. “Bend your ring finger and rest the other side of the chopstick on the tip of it.”
I bend my finger but she giggles. “Your ring finger not your middle finger.”
I try again. “Good job.”
“Now, use your thumb to grip the chopstick nice and tight.” I do as she says. “Great. Now the second chopstick.”
“Shit. I’m never going to manage another one.”
“Don’t be a baby.” She places the second chopstick on my index finger. “Use your thumb to hold it tight. If you bend your index finger, you should be able to grip now.”
I test out her theory and barely manage to not drop the chopsticks. “I never realized using chopsticks was this hard.”
“It’s only hard at the start. Once you get used to it, it’s as easy as using a fork and knife.”
“If you say so.” I attempt to pick up a piece of chicken. I manage to grab it, but I can’t keep a hold on it. It plops back into the soup. The liquid splashes over the edge of the bowl and onto my t-shirt.
She giggles. “And everyone says I’m the klutz.”
“Do I need to remind you of your swan dive on the driveway?”
She snorts. “A swan dive is a forward dive. I did a backward dive.”
“A graceful backward dive,” I add.
She rolls her eyes. “I never said graceful.” She points to my soup with her chopsticks. “Try again. Practice makes perfect.”
“Darling, I’m perfect in my ways but I doubt chopsticks will be added to the list anytime soon.”
“Always the charmer. Even when you were delirious with fever, you were feeding me pickup lines.”
I’d deny it, but she’s probably right. “What did I say?”
Her cheeks flame. “Why don’t I strip and join you?”
My cock twitches at the idea of Scarlett joining me in bed. I like the way she blushes. I bet I could get her to blush from her cheeks to her breasts in bed. Preferably while I played with her nipples. I wonder if they’re the same shade of pink as her lips.
“Body heat is a great way to stay warm.”
“Except you had a fever and were warm enough without me.”
I shrug. “It was a nice try.”
“Do you ever give up?”
“Nope.”
“Stubborn.”
“Resolute.”
“Pigheaded.”
“Preserving.”
“Obstinate.”
“I give up. Your vocabulary is better than mine.”
She bows her head. “It’s good you know when you’re beaten.”
“Hey! I’m recovering from an illness.”
“Oh boo-hoo. It’s not as if you’re recovering from the plague. You had a fever.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “How do you know it’s not the plague?”
“Maybe because the year isn’t 1347 and we’re not in Europe.”
“I’m never going to win an argument with you, am I?”
She smiles. “You can try.”
“I’d rather concentrate on using these chopsticks.” I put them in my hand the way Scarlett showed me but whereas she appears comfortable and is eating away at her noodles, I can barely pick up a piece of chicken. My stomach growls. “I’m going to starve. Have pity on me.”
She sighs before standing and walking to the kitchen. She returns with a big spoon and fork. “Try these.”
I immediately dig out the piece of chicken and pop it into my mouth. I groan when the flavor hits me. “I have no idea what you put in this ramen but it’s delicious.”
“Thank you. I took a lesson once when I was in Japan.”
“How often do you travel to Japan?”
“Usually twice a year for a few weeks.”
“When is your favorite time to visit?”
“I should probably answer when the cherry blossoms are in bloom but it’s crowded then.”
“I’d love to visit someday.”
“You would?”
With a start, I realize I’m not saying it to please Scarlett. The way she lights up when she speaks about the country intrigues me. She intrigues me.
I want to find out everything there is to know about Scarlett Harris.
Do her eyes darken with passion when she’s excited? How would her lips look when they’re swollen from my kisses? Is her hair as soft as it appears? Will she enjoy it when I fist her ponytail?
My cock hardens and lengthens as sexy idea after sexy idea floats through my mind. I don’t feel the pressure of my zipper and realize I’m only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. Shit. Now is not the time to get a hard-on.
But how can I not when there’s a fascinating woman sitting across from me moaning as she eats?