29. Scarlet
TWENTY-NINE
SCARLET
“Might as well of pissed a circle around her,” Atlas says after Clint storms off.
“Seriously,” Cara agrees. “Work’s gonna be awkward as a hell on Monday.”
“Ugh.” I cover my face with my hands. “I’ll go talk to him in a minute.”
“Or you could not,” Ellis says. “He’s a big boy. Surely he can handle a bout of rejection.”
“Oh my god, Sunshine.” I drag my fingers through the condensation on my glass and flick it at him. “Do you even hear yourself? No one was rejected. Clint’s my friend, that’s it.”
“Clint wants to fuck you,” he states plainly.
“Just because you want to fuck me, doesn’t mean every man wants to.” I turn toward the last person I ever expected to ask for back up. “Tell him, Atlas.”
“While I absolutely agree with you that not every man wants to fuck you, that one definitely does.”
“What the hell, y’all?” I ask, turning to the girls at the table for support.
Nora shrugs, but the pink blush staining her cheeks is answer enough.
“Surely you’re not this oblivious,” Sophie says. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I deadpan before tossing back the rest of my drink.
“Oh, no,” Cara says, “she’s absolutely that oblivious. I’ve only been trying to befriend her outside of work for two years now.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“That’s not…” Cara waves a hand in front of her face. “You know what? Never mind.”
“Yes, let’s change the subject, please.”
Cara snaps her fingers. “Oh, I know. What’s going on with your car?”
“What happened to your car?” Nora adds with wide eyes, alerting me to the fact that I never even told her about finding my car trashed at work.
“Long story short, someone slashed my tires and demolished my windshield this past Monday. Clint drove me home that day, but Ellis here has been my personal chauffeur since.”
“Damn straight, I have.” He pulls my hand into his lap, twining our fingers together. “Speaking of, your car should be ready to pick up Tuesday or Wednesday.”
“Oh.” I nod, and my hair falls into my face. “That’s great.”
“You know I’m happy to keep driving you, Princess.”
“Aw,” all of the ladies at the table swoon collectively.
“Enough about me.” Please, god, no more about me. “Nora, how are you doing being away from James?”
Atlas glares at me like he’s imagining feeding me to a pack of hungry wolves.
“Actually, I’m good.” She smiles brightly. “I was apprehensive at first, but Sydney has checked in regularly with texts and pics. Not to mention, it’s nice to have some adult conversation that’s not with my therapist or being graded.”
“The fuck, Pip?” Atlas gasps in faux outrage. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Nora grins up at him, all moony eyed. “You know what I mean.”
He grumbles under his breath, but it’s good naturedly. The man might be a bear, but he most definitely has a soft spot for his fiancée.
“Y’all ready to order?” The same server who took our drink orders appears seemingly out of thin air, her pen poised over her notebook.
“Yes, please.” I rub my hands together in anticipation. “It smells so good, I’m practically drooling.”
She goes around the table, and we all put in our orders. She reads them back to us, before heading for the kitchen.
“Speaking of my dude…” Ellis casually drapes his arm along the back of my stool. “Is he excited for his birthday party?”
Nora groans, which causes Atlas to smile.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, even though I have a sneaking suspicion of what’s upset her.
Atlas nods, but Nora says, “No!”
“Um…” Cara sends us all a pleading look. “Explain.”
“His party is this weekend, and I’m convinced I chose the wrong theme.”
Atlas looks down at her with nothing but love in his eyes. “And I told you, he doesn’t care—about the theme, the presents, the cake, any of it. Kid’s gonna be more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than anything else.”
Nora’s shoulders slump. “Logically, I know this…”
Reaching across the table, I give her hand a quick squeeze. “Everything’s going to be just fine. Let me know if you want me—”
Ellis cuts me off. “Us.”
I smile and shake my head. “Let me know if you want us to come over early and help set up.”
Nora lays her hand over her heart. “I’d love that, thank you.”
“And I’d love to dance.” Ellis skims fingers along my jaw, drawing my focus to him. “What do you say, Princess?”
“Lead the way, Sunshine.” I stand from my stool and slide my hand into his.
“Pretty sure I liked it better when you called him Jackass,” Atlas grunts, but his words don’t hold the same anger they did earlier. Now, he just sounds mildly disgruntled.
“We’ve been over this—no one cares what you think,” I call over my shoulder as Ellis guides me to the dance floor.
He finds us a spot in the center and pulls me in close, plastering his front to my back. The man moves out here the same way he does in bed, with precision, grace, and purpose. It’s honestly unreal how smooth he is, not that I’m complaining.
“I don't think I'll ever get tired of how good you feel against me,” he says as we move in perfect harmony, our hips rocking in time with the deep, pounding base.
“It's definitely… unexpected.”
He twirls me around to face him, wedging his thigh between mine and pulling me in close. “Is it really, though?” His voice is low as he runs his hands down my sides, settling them on my hips. “I mean, let's be real. We've always had explosive chemistry.”
“True…” I hedge, too distracted by the way his muscular thigh is pressing the seam of my jeans directly against my clit. “It was just misplaced.”
He laughs under his breath, and I swear I feel it all the way down to my toes. Ellis is effortlessly sexy. “That's one way to say it, Princess.” He drags his lips up my neck, nipping at my jaw before drawing away.
“That's my story,” I say, whimpering at the loss of his mouth on me. “And I'm sticking to it.”
“Bet I could get you to change your tune.” He leans back in, hovering just close enough to tease me.
He probably could, too, but there’s no way I’m giving in that easy. “You could try.”
“Fuck, Princess, don’t tempt me.”
I snake a hand between us, wrapping it around his denim-covered erection. “What if I want to tempt you?”
He lets out a rough exhale, that I swear I feel all the way down to my pulsing core. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Scarlet.”
I pop up onto my toes, dragging my lips over his as I say, “I’m not scared.”
He pivots, looping his fingers through my beltloops, all but dragging me behind him like a man possessed as he bobs and weaves around other patrons.
“Where are we going?” I stumble to keep pace with him.
“Somewhere private.” He walks faster, a man on a mission.
“What about dinner?” I ask as understanding dawns. He’s about to fuck me in The Creek’s bathroom.
“Fuck dinner,” he clips out. “I’d rather eat you.”
Except before we can step off the dance floor, the noise of the crowded bar drops away.
Ellis turns back to me and mouths something, but I can’t make it out over the ringing in my ears. My eyes ping around the bar, discreetly checking every darkened corner, as I try to make sense wrongness suddenly blanketing me.
“Scarlet,” Ellis shouts, jolting me back into the here and now. “What’s going on? We don’t have to—”
“I think someone's watching me.”
He pulls me close, resting his chin on the top of my head. “Stay calm, I’ve got you.” His eyes scan the bar, the same way mine did, only I know he’s looking as former law enforcement. “I don't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary.”
“God.” I run my hands through my hair, lifting it off my neck as my entire body heats with embarrassment. “Maybe I'm just paranoid.”
“I’m not saying that. But, given everything you’ve been through, you have the right to be. What do you want to do? You’re in control.”
“I...” A part of me wants to go home, put on my pajamas, and curl up with Ellis. But that feels like letting my stalker win. Plus, it probably is all in my head… tonight, anyway. “Let’s go back to the table. I could use some water.”
“Anything for you.”
His proclamation sends a dizzying rush of emotions through me. “You’re too good to me.”
“Not good enough.” He whistles low. “Trust me, I know I’ve got a lot to make up for, but I’m willing to put in the work.”
“I know you are.” I wrap my arms around his waist. “I am too, you know?”
“You are what?”
“Willing to put in the work. You weren’t the only one who was awful.”
“Maybe not, but I think our motives were pretty different. I was an asshole because I thought you chose Atlas over me and my fragile ego couldn’t handle it. Anything you threw my way was because I was a dick first.”
I shake my head, but a small smile lifts the corners of my mouth. “So emotionally mature.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll give you my therapists address so you can send him a thank you card.”
“Looks like our foods out,” I muse, as our server sets plates in front of our empty seats.
“You go sit,” Ellis tells me. “I’m going to run and get you an ice water.”
“Thank you.” His thoughtfulness stirs something deep inside of me. I’ve never had a guy take care of me, ever, and damn if I don’t love the way it makes me feel. Like I matter... like I’m valued... cherished, even.
Like I’m someone worth keeping...