by Leila James
When I reach the top, I survey my options, seriously hoping I’m not about to open a door and get chased off by her aunt or uncle with a baseball bat—or worse. I creep forward as stealthily as I can, noting that the open door on the right is a laundry room. So, she’s either in the room on the left that faces the front of the house or the one at the far end of the hallway. I bank on the master bedroom being at the front and sneak past that door to the last one.
The knob to what I pray is Scarlett’s door turns easily but makes a small noise as I twist it all the way to the right. I freeze at the click of it unlatching, listening. Satisfied that I haven’t disturbed anyone, I swing the door inward. There’s a double bed under a big window on the wall facing the backyard. I cross the room and breathe a sigh of relief when there is one lump huddled dead center under the blankets and comforter and not two.
I stare down at her for a few seconds, my eyes finally adjusting. Her long red hair is fanned out over her pillow. I carefully sit down on the bed next to her. My fingertips skim up her arm until they get to her shoulder, and I squeeze gently. Her eyes flicker open and she yelps, jerking away from me.
“Shh. It’s me.”
She opens her mouth, and I can’t tell if it’s to scream or to say something, so I duck my head down, planting my lips on hers. The second I do, I groan. Her lips are soft and sweetly flavored with whatever peppermint lip balm she’d slicked over them before bed.
Her hands find my shoulders, and she pushes me away before sitting up. “What are you doing in my bedroom? How did you get in?”
“Shh. Do you want your aunt and uncle to find me in your bed?”
She eyes me warily and hisses, “I don’t know, do I?”
I chuckle. “There’s my sassy Red.” My eyes roam over her. She’s so fucking cute all sleepy like this, her beautiful hair tousled, face completely free of makeup, and damn, she’s wearing a spaghetti strap tank top. I run my hand over the stubble on my cheek. It is probably for the best that I can’t see what she’s wearing on the bottom. I squeeze my eyes shut for a count of three while I try to gain some semblance of composure. “The back door was unlocked.”
One of her brows quirks up. “I’ll mention that to Uncle David. You never know what psycho might sneak into the house otherwise. Maybe they should invest in an alarm system.”
I give her a rueful grin. “Sorry. I had to come see you.”
“You need a better reason than that for breaking in and giving me a heart attack.”
I press my lips together, taking in her every feature—a face that I know I won’t be able to live without. “It’s time I showed you something.” I watch as her expression goes from curious to wary. Her teeth sink down into her lower lip before she rakes them over it. It’s one of those things she does that makes my dick hard—like, insta-hard—and I have to ignore what’s going on in my pants for a few minutes. She needs to know. She deserves to know. She deserves my honesty.
“You’re freaking me out, Xander.”
I cup her face with my palm while I pull the letter Aria gave me out of the pocket of my jeans.
Scarlett frowns and it reaches all the way to her eyes. I hate it. I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “Will it wake your aunt and uncle if you turn on the light?”
She shakes her head, stretching over to the lamp on her nightstand and flipping it on to a low-light setting.
I hold the letter out to her, and she takes it, but doesn’t unfold it right away. “What is this, Xander?”
“Aria found it in her Aunt Christina’s yearbook.”
Her eyes dart to mine. “The head cheerleader the year my mom was a senior.”
I nod, but then narrow my eyes wondering how much digging she’s already done. “Yes. We don’t know why Christina had it. Go ahead and read it. It’s short.”
Her eyes skim the words, her eyes filling with tears. “So, it’s true.”
“What is it that you think is true?”
“My dad. It’s your stepdad, isn’t it?”
“I believe so. This doesn’t seem like news to you. How did you know?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you when I said ‘I know’ the other night, but you didn’t catch my meaning. Max and Daphne—they’ve been helping me track down my scholarship donor. And that, combined with the text messages telling me to track down who my mother was secretly dating—who my father is …”
My forehead creases. “I was confused when I read the text you showed me about the scholarship.”
“Right. So were we. We did a little detective work. Sebastian was at Rosehaven and saw the bookkeeper the same day the money for my not-an-athletic-scholarship scholarship showed up. And there’s a whole separate file on me. I’m not even on the athletic scholarship list. It’s a coincidence that I happen to excel at cross-country, I guess—a convenient cover. Everyone else assumes they felt sorry for Kari and gave her the scholarship for a fourth year, but they knew I was better and gave me one, too.”
“Only that isn’t it at all.” I rub my hand over my jaw, thinking. “I didn’t know he had funded your scholarship. Not for sure, anyway. I thought about it when you showed me the texts that you thought were from Aria, but I had no proof.” I hesitate, wanting to drive that point home. “They definitely aren’t being sent by her. Promise. She and I had a long conversation about it. She’s messed with you plenty, but those texts aren’t from her.”
Scarlett’s eyes fill with tears, and she blinks them back.
“Hey. Come here.” I shift back against the headboard and reach for her. To my surprise, she willingly climbs onto my lap, curls into a ball, and tucks her head under my chin.
“My poor mother. Christina must have somehow gotten this letter instead of Sebastian.”
“I’m pretty sure she stole it. Kept it from him.”
“How do you know?” She swallows hard.
I sigh. “Aria got her hands on a yearbook from the library that had some prom photos she wanted to look at. She’s been trying to figure everything out, too.” I tuck Scarlett’s hair out of her face. “They were king and queen their senior year—Sebastian and Christina. We’re pretty sure Christina was into Sebastian, which is why she withheld the letter.”
She chuckles. “We looked for that damn yearbook.”
“Sorry,” I whisper against her hair. “Aria is sneaky sometimes.”
“All that time my mother thought Sebastian had abandoned her. That’s assuming Sebastian is S. There’s no way to be one hundred percent sure that Sebastian is the person referred to in the letter, but I don’t see how it could be anyone else.” She looks up at me as tears spill down her cheeks. “How long has he known do you think? My mother is dead, and I’m practically alone.” Her entire body quakes as she surrenders to her emotions again.
I don’t have the answer to her question. Assuming Amelia was the one to give him the photo that I now have in my possession, he has to have known for at least the better part of a year, but possibly as many as seventeen. I’m devastated for her, so I hold her as she sobs raggedly against my chest. I don’t know what to do other than try to offer her comfort. I drop kisses on top of her head and whisper, “I’m so sorry. So sorry, baby.” I run one hand up and down her back, over and over again, until eventually her sobs subside, her breathing calms, and she sleeps.
I guess I’d fallen asleep at some point, too. The next thing I know, I wake up curled around her body, her back to my front. My dick is hard, nestled against her ass. Grazing her neck with my lips, I drop soft kisses on her warm skin. My arm wraps around her middle, pulling her closer to me. Always closer. She’ll never be close enough.
I try to beat back the flood of lust rolling through me from holding her like this, but I can’t. My cock is painfully hard behind my zipper. It doesn’t help that Scarlett sleeps in just her panties and tank top like I figured she did. I groan, trying not to act like a total horndog.
She shifts against me, her ass pushing back against my erection.
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My hand splays over her abdomen, and my eyes shutter closed. She presses back against me again. Fuck. All I want to do is peel her panties down enough so that I can thrust inside her sweet pussy. I’m dizzy with desire, needing to feel her.
She rolls over and peers back at me. “Make me forget, Xander.”
Apparently, I have no willpower when she offers herself up to me like that. My voice is husky when I murmur in her ear, “You want me to touch you, baby?”
Scarlett nods, and I instantly skate my hand down her curves, from her waist to her thigh and back up. My fingers dip underneath her tank top, and she shifts to her back as I touch the soft skin of her stomach. My lips follow, and I love the way her body stretches, her back arching, urging me closer.
I nudge her tank top up further, and my mouth latches on to her very taut nipple, sucking it deep. I run my tongue over it in lazy circles until she writhes out of control. I climb between her legs to better reach the other breast, where I lick and gently bite until she’s moaning with pleasure.
She grabs at my T-shirt and rasps, “Off. I want to feel your skin on mine.”
I kneel and reach back, grasping my shirt with one hand and dragging it over my head with a jerk. My breath coming fast, my gaze roams over her as she peels her tank top off. With a flick of the button through the buttonhole of my jeans, I slowly draw down the zipper. Her hungry eyes watch my every move.
I lean down for a kiss as I kick out of the remainder of my clothing. Scarlett’s full lips are soft and warm and they nip at mine. Diving into a deeper kiss, we explore each other like we have all the time in the world. Each stroke of her tongue licks at me like the hottest flame. It’s sweet and agonizing all at once, and oh-so beautiful.
She breaks the kiss, pushing on my chest and rolling me to my back.
My brow furrows, confused until her hands begin to stroke my cock. “Fuck, that feels good.”
She runs her thumb over the head, collecting a drop of pre-cum. She looks directly at me, licking it off the pad of her finger. The breath whooshes from my lungs, and I drop my head back, closing my eyes. Her hand wraps around the base of my dick, and I feel her warm breath right before she closes her mouth over me, sucking, then sliding her tongue up and down my length. She traces over the veins, flicks at the tip, and sends my heart rate soaring. I can’t control the thrusting of my pelvis, I’m completely hot for her, so when she lets me sink into her mouth again, I go deep. She makes little moaning noises, and that turns me on even more.
I reach for her hair, winding it around one hand at the base of her neck. I pull on it a little, and she answers by scraping my dick with her teeth. “Ah, fuucccck.” Hurts. So. Good.
Her tongue flutters along my length, and it drives me out of my mind. I can’t think. I can only feel as she sucks on me like I’m her favorite treat. Her plump lips wrap around my dick, and I hit the back of her throat as I begin to thrust upward. With lust fogging my vision, I watch in disbelief as she lets me fuck her mouth like this. And from all the whimpers and sounds she’s making, I think she actually likes what she’s doing. I growl, holding her hair tighter, slowing as I get close. My legs tremble and my movements become jerky.
I’m struck by the blue of her eyes as she stares right at me, pupils dilated. She gives me as much of a grin as she can with her mouth full of my cock. It’s fucking hot. I pull almost all the way out and then slide in. Over and over. Slowly, I draw out the coming release. I feel a bolt of electricity rush down my spine, my balls tightening painfully. In. Out. In.
“Baby, I’m going to come.” The orgasm rips through me so fast and hard, I hardly have time to warn her before I shoot down her throat. I try to move, try to think, try to fucking breathe, but I can’t do anything for several seconds.
She slides her lips from my dick, a funny little smile on her face.
“I like seeing you like that.”
“Like what?” I take her by the waist, easing her body back down to the bed at my side, then roll so I can hold her hands above her head.
“Out of your mind. Lost. All mine. Was it good?”
“You have to ask? It was fucking stellar, Red.”
Her cheeks flush bright pink at my praise.
“Your turn.” I smirk at her, then catch her lips with a passion so devastating, I feel her in my soul.
Mine.
Chapter 20
Scarlett
My turn? Hell yes. Xander has my wrists pinned above my head with one big hand, and once he gets his fill of my mouth, his lips coast over my torso, kissing here and there, stopping to lick and suck my nipples back into tight buds.
“You’re so damn sweet. I could do this all night. Taste your skin. Make you squirm around on the bed. What do you think about that?”
My breath stutters out of me as his tongue flicks at my nipple again. “I’ll take it. Even if this is all you did all night.”
He smiles at me, eyes half-hooded, as he glides his tongue over my nipple. “Are you sure this is all you want?” His rough hand slides along my skin before his fingertips graze over my panties and down between my legs, finding my clit. “I could touch you here, too, maybe.” He slowly rubs his fingers in circles, watching my reaction.
“Ye-yes.” I swallow, need pulsing in my core. My pelvis grinds against his hand of its own volition.
Xander tucks his head down next to mine and sucks the skin of my neck into his mouth. He bites and then licks, soothing the sting, as his fingers slide inside my panties. My legs automatically widen for him, needing his touch. He teases me, his fingertips slipping through my wetness, parting my folds, tracing around and around my entrance. At the same time, he kisses me slowly, his tongue rubbing against mine.
I throw my head back against the pillow, moaning loudly. “Oh God, oh fuck. Keep doing that,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down as I hear some movement in my aunt and uncle’s room.
My face reddens with the reminder that they are right in the other bedroom—barely ten feet away, really. They’d been on the other side of the wall while I sucked Xander’s dick. He’s got me so wound up that not only have I forgotten where I am and who is nearby but I’ve almost forgotten my own name. I’m a quivering, needy mess, captivated by Xander’s touch, unable to think of anything but how good he’s making me feel.
He pushes two fingers deep inside me while his thumb boldly strokes my clit. His mouth comes down on my nipple again, and I detonate as I ride his fingers. Waves of pleasure—so intense I fear they might ruin me—crash down, and I cry out his name.
Sounds of movement come from the other room, then soft footsteps outside my door. Oh, crap! I roll quickly to turn off the light on the nightstand, and as I roll back, Xander throws the comforter over both of us, leaving only my head peeking out above the covers on my pillow. He’s half-lying on my stomach as he scoots downward. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing whoever it is to go back to their room.
A light tap sounds at the door, then it’s quiet for a few seconds while I die inside.
Oh my God, please, please don’t open the door. My heart pounds frantically, and I wait unmoving.
Xander, on the other hand, slides further down, taking my panties off as he goes. My chest clenches. His face hovers so close to where I want him so badly, but I’m terrified that door’s about to fly open and catch us in the act. My fingers grasp a handful of his hair, warning him not to move.
“Scarlett?” My aunt’s voice is whisper-soft outside my door.
Warm breath coasts over my sex, and my body pulses with need. With desire.
A very wet tongue flattens and licks slowly over my already sensitive skin from back to front. Lips close over my clit. Oh God. I shudder, letting out a little sound from the back of my throat.
“Are you okay in there, sweetie?”
Xander lashes at my clit with his tongue, and my back bows up off the bed.
Oh shit. Oh fuck. No, I’m not okay. I’m in a hypersensitive state already, and Xander is down there t
ouching me in ways that make me unable to think straight. And I’m desperate for him to use his tongue in every filthy way he can think of.
I spread my legs open wider, encouraging him, and he really gets into it, lapping at me like a cat devours cream. His tongue sweeps inside me. A strangled sound rasps up out of my throat as I grab and clench the sheets in both of my fists.
I swallow hard before I squeak out, “I’m fine. Just a little restless.”
His teeth scrape over my clit, and I buck against his face.
“Ahh, I’m trying to go back to sleep.”
Fuck. I grip his hair again, this time with both hands.
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
His tongue is everywhere again. Oh my God. I think I’m coming apart, like he’s tearing me open at the seams and putting himself inside before he stitches me back up again.
He flicks at my clit. My brain turns to mush as a shimmering sensation starts to slide through my body, and my vision tunnels. I’m right there. Right on the edge. Oh, Jesus. This is so wrong. He pushes two fingers inside me, curling them just right, and—
“Scarlett?”
“Ye-yep. I will.” I’m coming. I’m coming. Dirty heat whips through my body, wave after wave of it sending me under as her footsteps pad back to her room and the door clicks shut behind her. I go limp.
Xander crawls up my body, lying on top of me. He kisses me hard, stroking his tongue into my mouth, and I taste myself on him. My core throbs with powerful aftershocks.
“That was so fucking hot,” he groans next to my ear.
I giggle quietly. “What the hell, Xander?” I try rather unsuccessfully to breathe normally. “What if she had come in?”
“Then she’d have gotten an eyeful if she’d pulled back the covers, I guess?”
“My heart was seriously about to come right out of my chest.”
He nips at my earlobe and whispers, “Then why didn’t you make me stop? Why’d you spread your legs wider for me?”
“I never said I didn’t like it.”
