by Meghyn King
“What?” he hissed, struggling against the handcuffs Ethan was tightening over his wrists. “This is bullshit. I barely touched him.”
“But you touched him.” She shrugged.
“Gerroff me, Ethan.”
“I told you, it’s Officer Antonelli.” Ethan dragged a screaming Jeremy off the car, and after opening the back door, shoved him in.
“This is officer brutality. It’s all because I said I screwed that whore.” Jeremy’s scream was cut off by Ethan slamming the door shut.
He spun on his heel, facing the crowd. “What happened here today is a lesson. I was merely asking Mr. Harper questions. Touching an officer is assault, no matter how small of a touch it is. We may be a small town, but as officers of the law, we deserve respect nonetheless. Nobody should be egging him on.” His gaze scanned the crowd, taking a moment to glare at Jeremy’s friends, before he paused on Scarlett. His eyes widened and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “All y’all go on about your day now.”
The crowd murmured and dissipated. Scarlett heard some comments about Lois not liking the idea of her son being the gossip of the town, but their chatter was uninteresting to her. She couldn’t look away from Ethan, who shifted his weight from one foot to the other as she approached him.
“Scarlett,” he greeted, clearing his throat.
“What was that about?” She glanced at the squad car, where Jeremy was glaring angrily out the window at them.
“Mr. Harper was using foul language in the town center. I asked him to keep his voice down and watch his language.” His gaze flicked away from her and toward the female cop.
The female officer’s lips twisted in amusement, and she held out her hand toward Scarlett. “You must be the one I’ve heard so much about.”
“Rodriguez,” Ethan hissed.
“Heard so much about?” Scarlett’s brows rose. “What has he said about me?”
She laughed. “I’d rather not say. I prefer to have my partner protect my back.”
Scarlett glanced at Ethan. “What have you been saying about me?”
“Nothing.” It was said too abruptly, and she could have seen the lie from a mile away.
“Can I borrow your partner for a minute, Rodriguez?”
“Ashleigh. My name is Ashleigh, and yes ma’am, I reckon you can.”
“Thank you.” Scarlett grabbed Ethan’s elbow and tugged him away from Rodriguez and their cop car. She also made sure they were out of earshot of any nosy busybodies. “Was Jeremy talking about me?”
“What?” Ethan glanced toward the car. “Of course not.”
She snorted. “I’m not stupid, Ethan. I rejected the guy last night and now he’s gloating about a redheaded slut?”
His face seemed to brighten at her words. “You rejected him?”
“Yes!” It dawned on her quickly, and she laughed. “Did the punk tell you he slept with me?”
Ethan hooked his fingers in his belt, clearing his throat. “He didn’t tell me that. He was gloating to his friends that he had sex with a hot redhead with curves. That you were….” He pursed his lips in disgust. ‘“An animal that couldn’t get enough of his dick’.”
Well, that was a first for her. She’d never been called an animal in bed, especially not by someone she hadn’t even slept with. Laughter bubbled out of her throat, and soon she was leaning on a brick wall for support as she threw her head back and laughed. Ethan frowned at her, but his lips curled into a smile.
“That funny? He was being a little prick. If I was his mama I would whup his ass and—"
“I’d be very worried if you were Lois Harper, Officer.”
“I told you not to call me that,” he grumbled.
She touched his upper arm, making him freeze on the spot. His gaze jumped to where her hand was curled around his bicep. “I’m fine, Ethan. I’m not a delicate magnolia. I can handle an insult, much more than I could when I was a teenager.”
Ethan stared at her, eyes sad. “Scarlett, what happened when we were kids—”
“It’s fine. Like I said, I’m not a delic—”
“I wish you wouldn’t interrupt me.” Ethan’s voice grew stern and was the same tone he used on Jeremy, just a tad softer. There was something sexy about the dominant force of it. It made her stomach flip-flop. She wondered how dominant he would be in the bedroom. Would he demand submission from her? God, she hoped so. She loved a man who took control.
“I’m sorry.” She stared at him from below lowered eyelashes and swiped a tongue over her bottom lip.
Ethan’s eyes followed the movement and his Adam’s apple bobbed again. “Scarlett….”
“Yes?” It sounded breathless even to her own ears, almost pleading.
“I think….” He cleared his throat. “I think I want to take you up on that offer.”
“You think?” She pressed herself against the wall and crossed her ankles. “Come on, Ethan, tell me what you want. I need to hear it.”
She was wearing tight leather pants today, with shin-high black boots. Her top was corset-style, strung together at the back with shiny cherry-red ribbon. Not that he could see that particular detail, though, because it was covered by her rich, bloodred jacket, but she could already imagine how easy it would be for him to get her top half naked. All he would need to do was pull at the end of the tight ribbon, and it’d all come undone—much like she would under his touch.
Ethan crowded her against the wall, his strong chest inches from her heaving breasts.
“Tell me,” she whispered, her lips so close to his own.
“I want to take you up on that offer. I want to get between your thighs.”
His words sent shivers of desire creeping down her spine. Her toes curled in her boots from the anticipation. God, yes. She wanted that so badly, more than she had ever wanted anything before. “Tell me more. I want to hear more.”
His breath tickled her lips. “I want to make you mine while you’re here. Have my name on your lips while I wreck you.”
Scarlett tilted her head back and moaned quietly. “Yes, please. Give me a time and place, and I’ll be there.”
“You’re at the Ritz, right?”
“Mhm.” Her gaze narrowed on his lips.
“How ’bout we meet there tonight? I get off work at nine. I want to make you mine tonight.” His voice lowered, the huskiness deeply entwined in his sultry words.
“Why the rush, cowboy? Afraid someone else in this godawful town will beat you to the treasure?” She grinned.
“Don’t make me spank you, Scarlett.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Is that something you’re into, Officer?”
“Not something I’ve done before. But that’s not to say I ain’t tempted.” He leaned closer still, until they were barely a half inch apart. All she needed to do was push a little forward….
“Y’all done yet?” Rodriguez’s voice sliced through their moment.
Scarlett let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as Ethan rounded on his partner, eyes narrowed. “Don’t you have something to do, Rodriguez?”
“And miss a good, hot eye-fucking? Nah. I’m good. Y’all put on quite a show.”
Ethan growled low in his throat. “Get lost.”
Rodriguez snorted with laughter, her thumbs shoved into her utility belt as she sauntered back toward the squad car.
Scarlett licked her lips, eyeing the expanse of Ethan’s neck. It was long and thick, and she wondered if she could trace the protruding veins with her tongue.
Ethan turned back to her, embarrassment flooding his face. “Sorry about her.”
She rested her hand against his chest. “She can’t interrupt us tonight, if that’s what you still want?”
His lips curled into a smile. “Tonight.” He leaned forward then and pressed a brief kiss at the corner of her mouth. “That’s a taste of what’s to come.”
Scarlett’s brows rose in surprise when he winked at her and strode away
, toward the car where Rodriguez was waiting. She sent Scarlett a two-fingered wave as she slipped into the passenger seat. Jeremy glared out the window at her, but Scarlett merely snorted as they drove away.
“Well that’s certainly a new development.”
Scarlett groaned. Of course, Shiloh had to see that. She looked at her sister, who appeared beside her.
“Are you secretly Houdini?”
“A magician never reveals her tricks.” Shiloh leered at her. “What’s going on between you and Officer Antonelli?”
“Nothing.” Scarlett pursed her lips and sidestepped her sister, heading in the direction of the Coffee Corner. But like always, Shiloh wasn’t far behind her.
“Liar. Tell me.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I regret to inform you that everything you do is my business. As your twin sister, you owe me all the intimate details.”
Scarlett huffed as she shoved the door to the coffee shop open and sauntered in, heading toward one of the few available booths. “I owe you nothing.”
She glared at her sister as she slid into the seat, with Shiloh taking the one opposite.
“I think you’re a cute couple.”
Scarlett groaned. “We’re not a couple.”
“Liar,” Shiloh said in a singsong voice.
“We’re not.” Scarlett sighed. It wasn’t worth arguing with her sister. Shiloh believed what she wanted to. “What do you need to plan for your wedding? I thought you’d have everything organized.”
“I do, mostly. We’re having problems with the flowers. I wanted magnolias—”
“Of course you do. You and every other Southern bride.” She rolled her eyes.
“Scarlett, shhh!” Shiloh pressed a finger to her own lips. “Stop interrupting for once in your life and listen.”
She made a gesture of zipping her lips. “Go for it.”
“As I was saying, I want magnolias but there was a problem with their supplier.”
“Go with another supplier, then.” Scarlett pursed her lips under her sister’s glare. “Sorry.”
“So I need your advice on another flower. I was thinking maybe lilies?”
Scarlett shook her head. “Lilies are boring.”
“They are not. You can get different colors.”
A waitress chose that moment to interrupt them. They each ordered a coffee, before Scarlett refocused on her sister once more.
“Or roses?”
She snorted. “Roses are nice, but they’ve been overdone.”
“They’ve been overdone because they are beautiful.”
“Do you want your guests to get pricked?”
Shiloh growled and slammed her fist on the table. “What’s your suggestion, then, Your Highness?”
Scarlett shrugged. “You wanted my opinion, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m asking.”
“Then stop with the attitude, Shy.” She sighed in exasperation and rubbed her temple. This was one of the many things she dreaded about coming back to Ponchatoula. Shiloh was a drama queen in normal times, but she knew she’d be a bridezilla when it came to her wedding. Scarlett hated weddings. “Listen, I don’t know much about flowers. I’m not interested in flowers, but my roommate in New York has a cousin who’s a wedding planner. Let me talk to her?”
Shiloh’s eyes lit up. “You know you’re my favorite sister.”
“I’m your only sister. There’s no need to get riled up, Shy.”
“It’s my wedding. It’s hard not to.”
“And how is the husband-to-be dealing with this?”
Shiloh laughed. “He hasn’t figured out what to do with me yet.”
“Poor guy.” Scarlett shook her head but grinned at her sister.
Shiloh had always been considered the pretty twin. She was slimmer, with soft features and bright eyes. She had the confidence and charm that Scarlett never had, and the boys always fawned over her. Not that Scarlett blamed them. Like their mom, Shiloh had been a cheerleader in high school, and she played the role well. She’d had multiple high-profile players as boyfriends. Ethan, however, was an exception, which Scarlett was grateful for in that moment.
Shiloh tapped on her phone for a moment, before she laid it back on the table and stared at Scarlett. “Tell me what happened between you and Ethan. I saw him kiss you.”
She snorted. “That’s not what I call a kiss, Shy.”
Shiloh hummed. “Didn’t look quite innocent either.” She clasped her hands together and leaned closer. “Tell me.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Fine. We’re going to have sex.”
Her bluntness left her sister speechless. Shiloh’s mouth opened and closed, her brows knitted together in confusion. “What?”
Her reaction made Scarlett chuckle, and she reached over and patted her sister’s hands. “I made it known to Ethan that I don’t do relationships, but I gave him the choice to have no-strings-attached sex. Today, he agreed to it.”
Shiloh exhaled and fell back in her seat. She glared at Scarlett. “What the hell, Scar?”
Scarlett sighed. She knew what was coming.
“I know you take this no-strings thing very seriously, but don’t you want to find a man who’ll make you happy?”
“Jee-sus, you sound like Mom.”
“Only because we care.”
“And women shouldn’t act like sluts, right?”
“Now you’re just putting words into our mouths.”
“It’s not your mouths, Shy. It’s society.” She paused when the waitress brought them their coffees, then thanked her. Only once she was gone did Scarlett continue. “If a man gets laid on a one-night stand, he’s thought of as some kind of hero. But for a woman? She’s labeled a slut. That’s not fair.”
Shiloh shook her head. “That’s not what this is about. That’s your issue.” She pointed at Scarlett, clearly trying to make a point.
“My issue?”
“Yes. Clearly, you have an issue with it, but not once did Momma or I mention anything about you being a slut. We don’t care how much sex you have.” She lowered her voice, and Scarlett was thankful. There were too many gossiping old ladies in Ponchatoula. “We care about you. We want you to find your happily ever after.”
“And I have to have a man to be happy?”
“Ugh, why do you do that?”
“Do what?” Scarlett ground her teeth together. No one could get her more frustrated than her sister.
“Argue with us.”
“This isn’t arguing, Shy. This is me trying to make a point.”
Shiloh waved her hand. “By arguing.”
She sighed. There would be no winner in this argument, not when they were both as bullheaded as each other. “Let’s just leave this conversation alone, all right?”
“I think Ethan really likes you.”
“Ethan is like every other guy. They all like sex.”
Shiloh smiled smugly. “A bit hypocritical.”
Scarlett sent her a confused frown.
“You were just harping on about what society thinks and now you’re stereotyping men.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but then shut it again. It was the truth, wasn’t it? She had just been stereotyping men. Shit. She hadn’t even realized what she was doing, and having it pointed out by Shiloh only made it worse. Glaring at her sister, Scarlett took a large sip of her coffee. It burned all the way down her throat and she grimaced.
“Scarlett….”
She glanced at Shiloh.
“He’s a good guy and he’s been hurt before. Just take it easy on Ethan, okay?”
Scarlett thumbed her coffee cup and nodded.
Scarlett hated how nervous she looked. As she stared into the mirror, she realized she looked nothing short of anxious. There was no doubt about how beautiful she was tonight, but only because she had taken extra care in everything she did. Her long, scarlet hair curled over her shoulders and traced her back in gentle waves, an
d her face was painstakingly painted with expensive makeup. She had paid particular attention to her lipstick, which happened to be a vibrant cherry red that would leave very obvious marks on whatever she touched with her lips. Her body was adorned in a flowing satin nightgown that reached midthigh. The fabric was as dark as her soul, or so she felt on some days, and her skin was as soft as the day she was born, following a special trip to the beauty parlor in the hotel that afternoon. She was ready for her guest, which also meant the quiet time gave way to her anxiety.
She dropped onto the edge of the bed and closed her eyes, willing herself to stay calm. Confidence.
Questions ran through her mind, and she wondered if Ethan would turn up. Could this be another trick? The finale of the show, that would leave her all alone, emotions reeling? She shook her head. No. This had nothing to do with Sofia. This was between Ethan and her, and she wasn’t an insecure teenager anymore.
A knock on the door had her jumping to her feet. She glanced around the room. Everything was perfect, so she had no idea why she was fretting about it. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Scarlett opened the door, to the sight of a very handsome police officer standing in the doorway, hand poised as though to knock again.
Ethan was still wearing his black uniform, the gold star pinned over his left pec. His bodycam and gun were missing, though, but she expected no less from a law-abiding police officer. He looked good enough to eat, with his hair a mess but his gaze full of need and excitement. He smiled apologetically at her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to change. We had a late incident—”
Scarlett didn’t give a damn. She curled her fist into his shirt and tugged him into a rough kiss that made her thighs tingle and toes curl. She wanted nothing more than to get this man between her legs, and she didn’t give a damn what he looked like at that moment.
Ethan’s mouth was hot against her own, his tongue an invading force that had her moaning like a wanton whore. He was an expert kisser and she craved him like she’d never craved anyone before. She needed more of him.
Tugging him farther into the room, she slammed the door shut with her foot. He melted against her, his strong arms entwining around her body as he dragged her closer. Her body was pressed flush against his and she could feel every muscle, from the strong pectorals and abdominals hiding beneath his shirt, to his strong upper arms that held her securely against him. He was every bit as delicious as she thought he’d be and she didn’t want to let go.
