At least I could say that he’d certainly distracted me from the threat that loomed overhead, because right now, that was the last thing on my mind.
17
Luke
Holy fuck.
Water rained down on me from the showerhead. My third shower in less than twenty-four hours. I wrapped my hand around my cock again. Not that it was helping me get rid of the endless feeling of arousal I seemed to be stuck with.
Scarlett’s long, fair legs. Her beautiful, untamed hair. The freckles that dotted her skin. Christ, I couldn’t get her out of my head.
When she shrugged her pants off last night, I was pretty sure it stopped my heart. Thank God her phone rang when it did. I was too damn close to doing something really dumb with my best friend—like grabbing her by her waist and hauling her to me. Kissing her until neither of us could breathe. Helping her out of her last remaining article of clothes so I could feast on her porcelain skin.
My grip tightened as I continued to stroke myself to the images in my mind. It didn’t take long before I was spilling cum down the shower drain, the sound of my orgasm masked by the noise of the shower. It never did now that I had letmyself picture Scarlett’s sky-blue eyes looking up at me from her knees or her toned body under mine.
I finished cleaning up and got dressed in the bathroom. I had left Scarlett alone for twenty minutes earlier today so I could swing home and grab some clothes. It was the most stressful twenty minutes of my life. I still needed to figure out who left that note on her car, but investigating would take me away from Scarlett, and I couldn’t do that. Not just yet anyway. Scarlett wasn’t due back to work until tomorrow night’s shift. I had called in a favor with Souza to cover my shift today, and I was scheduled to be off tomorrow anyway.
“Hey,” Scarlett called, knocking on the bedroom door. “I’m going to run to the grocery store. Is there anything you want me to pick up?”
I pulled the door open, leveling a hard stare at her.
“What?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“You’re not going anywhere. We don’t know who’s got it out for you yet. We don’t know if they’re following you. We don’t know what this person is capable of.”
“Luke, I can’t stay locked in the house,” she breathed out a sigh. “I’m bored. I need food, especially if you’re staying here for dinner.”
“We can order in. I’ll buy. And if you’re bored, we can always play War again.”
Scarlett’s eyes flashed with surprise as a blush crept up her cheeks. I didn’t know why I said that. Probably because it was the only thing that had been going through my mind for the last eighteen hours.
Scarlett was completely unaffected last night, stripping out of her clothes in front of me. She acted like she would hanging out with a friend—just a friend.
“Listen, Letty,” I said, softening my voice, “I need to keep you safe, and right now, staying in is the safest thing for you. It’s not for forever, and I promise that I’ll figure out who’s threatening you and put a stop to it. But right now, it’s still too dangerous. Make a list, and I’ll run out and get everything. I want to look into some things anyway.”
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to the businesses across from the diner to see if they had cameras that faced the street. Scarlett was right. I couldn’t put her in bubble wrap and shield her from everything, but I needed more time. That only worked if I used that time to actually investigate rather than fantasize about my best friend though.
Scarlett still looked apprehensive. She was an enigma of sorts. She liked to stay in; I knew that about her. She was never a big party girl. But she also fed off adrenaline rushes, doing crazy things that got her heart pumping. If it were a regular day in, she would be fine. But being told that she had to stay in… it was eating her alive, and I could see it.
“Please, Letty. Just stay in for the day,” I pleaded.
“Fine. I’ll stay here.”
“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She smelled like the vanilla lotion she liked to put on. Scarlett’s fingers lightly trailed down my back, and my arms tightened around her instinctively.
Shit. There were those images in my head again. I needed to get away from her, put some space between us so I could think straight. All I knew was that she felt so perfect against my chest and smelled so goddamn good. I pulled back with a friendly smile.
“Okay. I’m going to get out of your hair for a while so I can look into some things. Text me your list, and I’ll geteverything on it. I can call Wyatt or Reid and see if they can come hang out here for a while.”
“No,” she said. “I’ll be fine here by myself.”
My eyes narrowed, but she just smiled at me.
“Seriously. I could use a little me time if I’m going to be stuck in the house. I promise not to leave without telling you.”
“No,” I echoed her earlier sentiment. “Promise me you won’t leave at all.”
She rolled her eyes, but I didn’t care. It was hard enough to walk away knowing she was by herself, but the idea that she would be out and about in town with some fuckhead threatening her life made me break out in a cold sweat.
