Only For You (Forever and Always, Book #1)

by E. L. Todd

  I waited for him to make his move. He shoved the pointy weapon directly at my stomach, but I grabbed his arm and spun him around, pinning it behind his back then I kicked his knees out from under him, sending him to the pavement. He tried to resist me, but after a moment, he stopped.

  “Get the fuck off me!”

  “The police are on their way,” the host said. A few waiters came outside and restrained the man. The host looked at me. “You should leave.”

  I stared at him for a moment. He was right. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with the police. I walked over to Scarlet, grabbed her arm, and then pulled her away from the entrance to the restaurant. I put my arm around her waist and held her close to me. I wasn’t sure why I did it, but I needed to know she was safe and in my arms. We didn’t speak for several minutes as we put distance between ourselves and the restaurant.

  “Are you okay?” I finally asked. We stopped on the sidewalk and I looked at her. She didn’t seem to be injured in any way.

  “I’m fine,” she said calmly. “Are you?”

  I nodded. “I’m okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  I didn’t respond to her comment. I tried to lighten the mood. Smiling, I said, “I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know why I attract all the creepers.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What creepers?”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear then shifted her weight. “Where are we going to eat now?”

  The thought of food made me realize how hungry I was. “Do I still get to pick?”

  She smiled. “After that little fiasco, I think you earned the right.”

  I shrugged. “Pizza?”

  “We always eat pizza.”

  “I thought I got to pick?”

  “Once again, I never said I wouldn’t make fun of you for it.”

  I stared at her for a moment, awed by her ability to be so calm after such a horrific ordeal. When the guy was pressing his advantage, she actually looked frightened, but now she seemed fully recovered from it. I smiled. “Let’s go.”

  We walked down the street until we found a restaurant that served pizza and Italian food. We sat at a table in the back and shared a combination, which is what we always got. I ordered a beer but Scarlet just drank water. The act surprised me.

  “So, are you okay?” I asked. “What did he say to you?”

  She stared at her plate while she spoke. “Nothing interesting.”

  “Do you not want to talk about it?” I could tell how upset she was by her silence. Scarlet never shut her mouth even when I asked her to.

  “There is nothing to say.” She still didn’t look at me.

  “You know I’ll always protect you, right? You never have to worry about that.”

  She finally met my gaze. “I know, Sean.” She picked up her pizza and ate another bite. Scarlet wiped her mouth with a napkin then pushed her food away, clearly stuffed. She didn’t eat as much as she normally did, but I decided not to bug her about it. “Can you sleep over?” she asked.

  She didn’t normally ask me to. In fact, I couldn’t recall the last time she did. I was planning on it anyway, but her request tugged at my heart. If I could kill all the scumbags in the world, I wouldn’t hesitate. It would be Hiroshima part two. “Of course.”

  I paid the bill and we walked back to her apartment. She was quiet on the way, but I didn’t press her to talk. After we were inside the apartment, she locked the door and her attitude changed. Finally, she started to relax.

  “Wanna watch a movie?” she asked as she sat down on the couch. She pulled a blanket over her legs and grabbed the remote.

  “Yeah,” I said, sitting next to her.

  She put on another James Bond movie and the action made me smile. I knew she would never watch that if she was alone. She was still trying to make me feel better. After a while, she went into her room and changed into shorts and a t-shirt then returned to the couch. At some point during the movie, we both fell asleep on the sofa. I remember feeling her warm body lying on top of my chest and the feel of her soft skin against my hand. The smell of her hair ignited my nostrils and I dreamt of a field of flowers.

  9

  Scarlet

  When I woke up, I felt Sean’s neck against my face. I was lying on my side, my back against the couch, and Sean was facing me. His slow breaths fell on my forehead, and the cadence of his breathing made me want to fall asleep again. My leg was wrapped around his, and his hand was wrapped around my waist, resting on the small of my back. We had slept together often, but we’d never cuddled like that before. It didn’t bother me.

  Sean opened his eyes and focused his stare on my face. “Morning,” he mumbled.

  I yawned. “Good morning.”

  He didn’t move his hand from my back. In fact, he pulled me closer to him, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “I don’t want to get up.”

  I sighed. “Me neither.”

  “But I’m hungry.”

  I laughed. “So, is that your subtle way of asking me to cook breakfast while you go back to sleep?”

  “Did it work?” I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Not even a little bit.”

  He sighed. “Damn.”

  “Come on,” I said. “It’ll be fun.”

  He made a disgusted face. “Cooking isn’t fun. It’s a girly job.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked, offended.

  “I mean, it’s manly,” he said quickly. “I would be honored to cook with you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll cook.” I rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs. When I turned around, he was standing there.

  He took the carton from my hands. “Allow me.” He walked to the stove and started making the scrambled eggs. I brewed a pot of coffee and made the bacon and the pancakes. Working together, we made our meal quickly.

  We sat at the kitchen table and ate our breakfast in silence.

  After he shoveled the food into his mouth, he said, “You are an amazing cook, Scarlet. My eggs are pathetic.”

  “I think they are good, Sean.” I took a bite and tried to hide the disgusted look on my face.

  He laughed. “I’ll get better,” he said. “You’ve cooked for me so many times. I want to do it for you sometime.”

  I smiled. The gesture touched my heart. He never even offered that for Penelope. I wondered if getting over her was getting easier now that we were spending so much time together. I sincerely hoped that he hadn’t thought about her for the past few days. I hated seeing him so miserable. After the way he protected me the night before, pushing that thug to the ground, I had even more respect for him. Penelope had a man that would do anything for her, sacrifice his life to protect her, and she didn’t want him. I didn’t know who she was sleeping with, but I knew he was a lesser man than Sean. Sometimes Sean could be vulgar and sarcastic, but he had a heart of gold. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for me. I considered telling him about my boss and how he was harassing me, but I knew the knowledge would send him to the brink with rage. Besides, I couldn’t have my best friend fight all my battles for me, even though that seemed like the easier route.

  “Do you want to go to the gym?” Sean asked.

  If he was ready to start working out again, I knew he was improving. Even though I had absolutely no interest in going to the gym on a Saturday, I knew Sean needed it. “Sure.”

  “Good,” he said. “You need to go.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”

  “After all the popcorn you ate, your pants must not fit.” He smiled at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Hey, guys like having a little something to grab.”

  He laughed. “That’s true”

  “Do you think I’m too chunky?”

  He stared at me for a moment. “You are a fine woman, Scar,” he said. “No man can tell you otherwise.�
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  “Damn right.”

  He laughed. “Are you ready?”

  “Just let me change.” I walked into my bedroom and put on my spandex leggings, which made me look long and thin, in addition to making my ass look great. Then, I pulled on my sports bra and a slim fitting top. When I looked in the mirror, I nodded my head in approval.

  Sean stared at me for a moment, but then turned his gaze away.

  “Were you checking me out?” I asked.

  He smiled. “Just your ass.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go.”

  We went by Sean’s apartment and he changed into his workout clothes then we headed to the gym. When we walked inside, Sean turned to me.

  “I’m going to do weights.”

  “Okay,” I said as I walked over to the cardio machines. I climbed onto a treadmill and started my run. I tried to do low intensity cardio for an hour, five days a week, to burn fat, and sometimes I did a few weights. When I looked up into the weight area, Sean was lying on a bench doing bench presses. He was holding a bar with a substantial amount of weight. His arms were shaking. The guy spotting him looked up at me and smiled. It was Dan, the guy that Sean often worked out with. He was tall and thin, fairly toned, and very good-looking. He had blond hair that contrasted against his blue eyes. He was a popular guy, even in a city of seven million people. He was still a bachelor, and that knowledge surprised me.

  When I finished my workout, I walked to the water fountain and drank like a camel in the desert. When I pulled away, Dan was standing in front of me.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling at me. Beads of sweat were sprinkled on his chiseled physique. There were a few drops of sweat on his forehead, but he still looked as gorgeous as usual. “How was your workout?”

  “Really good now that it’s over.”

  He laughed. “That’s a good attitude.”

  “How was yours?”

  “Not so good,” he said. He leaned closer to me and smiled. “It’s not over yet.”

  I smiled. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  He laughed again. “Let’s meet up tomorrow,” he said. “We can suffer through the torment together. Then we can grab a bite afterwards.”

  I felt my heart race in my chest. Dan was asking me out. I glanced over his shoulder and saw Sean using the cable machine. He wasn’t looking toward us at all, focusing on his workout. I don’t know why I immediately looked at him. I didn’t feel threatened by Dan. He was a nice guy. Any girl would want him.

  “Sorry, I’m busy tomorrow,” I said. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “Let’s go to dinner this week sometime. I would love to take you out.”

  I felt my hands sweat more than they already were. There was nothing wrong with Dan. I just didn’t want to go out with him. I hadn’t had a boyfriend in so long that I couldn’t even remember that last time I had sex, but I knew it had been a long time—a really long time. “I’m sorry, I—I’m just really busy.”

  He tried to hide the disappointment on his face but I caught the look. He recovered quickly. “No problem,” he said with a smile. “Perhaps another time.” Without another word, he turned and walked away.

  I felt like a complete bitch for turning him down, but I didn’t know what else to do. I looked back at Sean and saw him wiping down the machine he was using. It seemed that he was done with his workout. He tossed the rag in the trash and walked towards me. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’m going to shower before we go.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “You do smell.”

  He leaned in closer to me and smelled my neck. The proximity made me shiver. “You smell worse.”

  “I do not,” I said. “Women don’t smell.”

  “Well, then you aren’t a woman.” He laughed.

  I tried to hit him on the shoulder but he avoided my blow. “Hey!”

  “I’ll see you soon,” he said as he walked away.

  A few minutes later, he emerged from the locker room and we left the gym. We walked to my apartment a few blocks down the road, moving through the crowds of people on the sidewalk.

  “So, you shot him down?”

  I raised my eyebrow. “What?”

  “Dan,” he said. “You rejected him.”

  “How did you know?”

  “He told me.”

  I felt suspicion cloud over me. “Did you tell him to ask me out?”

  He shook his head. “No, why would I do that?”

  Now I felt stupid for asking.

  Sean looked at me. “Why did you say no? He seems like a good guy.”

  I shrugged. “He isn’t my type.”

  Sean never dropped his gaze. “And what is your type, Scar?”

  I felt uncomfortable with these personal questions. I was never afraid to tell Sean anything, but for some reason this topic made me feel awkward. “I’m just not interested.”

  Sean continued to stare at me, but he said nothing more. When we arrived at my apartment, he stopped at my door. “I’m going to get ready at my place. I have to pick up my suit at the dry cleaners.”

  I stared at him for a moment. “Do you want me to go with you?”

  He shook his head. “I have to get used to it, Scar.” He looked down at the ground and avoided my gaze. Those past few days had helped him substantially, but I could still see Penelope’s destruction. Sean was still a ghost of what he once was.

  “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “Will do.”

  I walked to him and hugged him tightly, wanting to chase away his depression. I hated seeing Sean so upset. It killed me. I wanted to harbor all his pain and make it disappear.

  “Thanks for everything, Scar,” he whispered. “I can’t—talk to my boys the way I talk to you. They would never understand. They’d judge me for being so emotional and just tell me to fuck some chick and get over it.”

  “You never have to be strong for me,” I said. “You’re safe with me.”

  “I know.” He rested his chin on top of my head and held me for a minute longer. “I’ll see you soon,” he whispered. He released his embrace and walked away.

  “Sean?”

  He turned around. “Hmm?”

  “I love you.”

  He smiled. “I love you too, Scar.”

  10

  Scarlet

  I clipped the gold earrings onto my earlobes then checked my hair in the mirror one more time before I walked into the living room. I heard Sean open the door with his key earlier, and I knew he was sitting on the couch waiting for me so we could attend his charity gala for the office. The black satin dress I wore clung to the curves of my body perfectly and accentuated the curve of my breasts, making them jump out like a pop-up picture book. The gold bracelet my ex-boyfriend gave me reflected in the illumination of the bathroom light, and I deemed my appearance to be exceptional. I checked my makeup once more before I turned off the light and walked into the living room. Sean was wearing a traditional black suit and he looked up at me when I made my entrance, clearly mesmerized by my appearance, which made me smile. I loved having this effect on him. I never considered myself to be a bombshell. Whenever I was with Penelope, I always felt hideous. Knowing that Sean thought I was attractive helped my self-esteem. And his flattering comments helped too.

  “You look nice,” he said as he rose to his feet.

  “Nice?”

  “I mean pretty.” He smiled.

  “Try again.”

  He shook his head. “You look hot, sexy, alluring, etc. There, are you happy?”

  “Yes.” I smiled.

  “How about me?” he asked as he gave me a smoldering look.

  “You look fine.”

  “Fine?” he said as he impersonated my high-pitch voice.

  “I mean handsome.” I laughed.

  “Try again.”

  “You look like a wild, sexy beast.”

  He
nodded and ran his hands down his jacket. “I’ll take it.” Sean walked to the doorway and held the apartment door open for me. Then he locked the closed door with his own key, which was convenient because I didn’t have to carry any keys in my small clutch.

  “Thanks for coming with me,” he said as we rode the elevator downstairs. “There’s nothing worse than showing up to a party stag after you have just been dumped. It’s good to show up with a hot girl to stop the pity-fest.”

  “They’ve met me before. They know we are just friends.”

  “Yeah, but it’s still better than going alone.”

  “I suppose.”

  “You haven’t invited me to any of your work parties.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. I wasn’t sure what he meant by the comment. Was he offended that I never invited him?

  “What’s your point?” I asked. We walked out of the elevator and headed through the lobby until we reached the open sky. “Why do you assume that I would only invite you?”

  Sean waved down a cab. “Are you taking other dates to these work outings? I think I would remember you mentioning that.” I still didn’t understand where the conversation was going and almost felt interrogated.

  “Well, no, I haven’t.”

  “Why did you make a big deal then?”

  “I just get irritated when people assume I’m not hot in the dating world.”

  “Well, are you?”

  “No, not really,” I admitted. I watched the lights of Manhattan stream by us as we headed to The Plaza Hotel. I didn’t care for work outings, but I knew Sean cared about his reputation and his connections with his boss, wanting to stay in the loop in all the work functions.

  “What’s up with that?” he asked.

  “I just haven’t found someone I’m interested in.”

  “So you are waiting for the perfect guy?”

  “No. Like I said, I just haven’t found anyone I like.”

  “Well, don’t you need to get laid?”

  I hit him on the shoulder. “Don’t be gross.”

  “I’m not,” Sean said. “Women need it as much as men do. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It just seems like you haven’t been with anyone in a while. Don’t you, you know, miss it?”