Page 192 of Shade
Do you see us there? Scarlet and me?
Do you see the way her body curves to mine? The way there’s never more than an inch of space between us? Do you see her wearing my hat backward, not caring about her hair or the fact that she’s plastered all over national television with curls all over the place and a boy clinging to her side like his goddamn life depends on her living and breathing?
I kiss her again, never able to stop. When I look into Scarlet’s eyes, she has an expression I’ve never seen on a woman before.
Love? I think it’s there.
Lust? Sure.
I don’t know the expression, but I’m positive it mirrors mine in some way. There are probably fifty people surrounding us, but I can’t look away from her. When Rhya killed herself, I told myself I wouldn’t or couldn’t have a relationship with a woman and not compare it to her. I assumed anything I had with another woman would be jaded like that relationship. I failed to realize I could have something with Scarlet because she was nothing like Rhya.
I wonder if she understands just how much she’s breathing life back into me with simple looks?
Scarlet sighs beside me, a slow, drawn-out breath, her eyes shining under the lights of the Rose Bowl.
“What?” I ask, my eyes focused intently on hers, searching for an indication as to what she’s feeling, and hoping to God she’s ready to leave.
“Nothing,” she says, then she winks. “You’re ready to go, right?”
Thank fuck!
“You have no idea,” I whisper against her neck, pressing a suggestive kiss right below her ear, just as I’ve done all night. I can’t pry my lips away from her skin.
“Yeah, well, let’s go. It’stortureseeing you in those riding pants.” Her hands reach for mine, intertwining our hands together. “I might have you keep them on. Just unzip them and fuck me against the wall.”
Jesus Christ.
“I’ll fuck you anywhere you want,” I whisper, she has to feel my erection against her—shehasto. I should be concerned at the obvious display we’re putting on in front of the cameras and my brothers, but I can’t help it.
Tiller looks at us, disgusted. “Fuck man,stopthat.”
“Why?” Scarlet asks, laughing, but never parting herself from me.
Tiller shrugs and tugs at the front of his pants, handing his helmet to Auden beside him. “Because you’re giving me a chubby. It’s like watching porn.”
“What’s porn?” Camden asks, at Tiller’s feet.
I forgot he was even here tonight. Shit.
Scarlet goes to say something to him, the rousing around us continuing, but I pull her face back to mine, kissing her deeper, with meaning. Removing my hands from hers, I trace them down the lines of her hips, my fingers digging into her skin and I draw her even tighter against my hips. “Ignore them.”
At the contact, she gasps and closes her eyes as though the sensation is exactly what she wants. “I’m trying to, but there are people all around us,” she points out.
Right.
“Let’s go. I can’t wait any longer. I’ll die.” It’s dramatic, I know, but fuck, look at me. I’m standing with forty thousand people in the crowd, and they probably have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing with her.
I can’t take this teasing any longer.
“YOU REALLY DON’T remember, do you?” she asks once we’re in the car on the way back to the house, curious if I remember anything from our first time together in the hotel room.
Sadly, I don’t. At least I don’t think I do. “I don’t. I’m sorry.”
“Why don’t you remember me?” Her eyes soften. “You didn’t even make eye contact with me.”
“More than likely I was too drunk and you know this, but I have a terrible memory.” I didn’t want to be talking about this. I wanted to be kissing her and reminding her that the first time, it didn’t matter. I’m going to make it up to her, or at least I have plans to. “It had nothing to do with you. I was just in a bad place at the time. You wouldn’t havewantedme to make eye contact with you. Believe me, Scar. I still feel like an asshole for not remembering.” Our hands find one another on the center console. I grip her hand a little tighter, winking.
“You should,” Scarlet says, her face somber. “It was the best night of my life until you couldn’t get it up.”
