by Liz Lovelock
His blue eyes flick between the rings and then land on my face. Butterflies take flight and swarm in my stomach.
He holds it out to me. “Here, you can have it.”
“No, I can’t take it. I don’t remember paying for these. I should be giving it back to you.”
Lachlan takes my hand and places the larger plain gold band in my palm. His skin warms mine, and sparks shoot through me. He closes my fingers over the rings and holds my closed fist between us. The urge to kiss him is powerful.
His beautiful eyes stare into mine and consume me. “I want you to have it,” he says.
My cheeks heat. “Why?” It’s a simple question, but a loaded one.
He leans over, and my head screams yes as he moves closer and presses his lips against mine. It’s a featherlight touch, but it’s full of promise and something else. Desire. I want him to hold me in his arms like he did back in Vegas. I want to make love to him all night long and wake up next to him again—without the hangover this time.
Lachlan’s arms slide around my waist and pull me tighter against his hard body. Electricity sparks between us. Before I know it, his lips have left mine, but he still holds me in his strong arms. I want to tell him to hold me like this forever.
I can’t, though.
“Sorry,” he mumbles while pressing his forehead against mine, then he quickly adds, “No, actually, I’m not. I realize what happened in Vegas was a mistake. But I can’t help but wonder what could have been if we’d gone about things the right way. We have something special. I can feel it. Can’t you? You can’t deny it, Scarlett.”
“I can’t commit to anything, Lachlan. Yes, I admit there are sparks between us, but what if it’s just the memory of what was that’s burning at the moment? What if it all goes wrong? I’ll be left picking up the pieces for the third time.” My fears slip from my lips unintentionally.
“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m simply asking you to give me a chance. To get to know me better and see where my heart lays. I’ve thought about you often. I really think that things could have been so different had we done things the right way.” He runs his thumb over my cheek and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
I reach up and take his hand, the rings clutched in the other. “Let’s have some fun and see where it takes us.”
The grin that spills across his face is contagious. “When the time is right, you can give me the ring back, or if things turn bad, you can toss it. The decision is yours.” He swoops in and plants another kiss on my lips, this one full of so much passion that I open my mouth, allowing him access.
Our tongues dance, and I groan, not wanting it to end.
As I pull back, my body aches for his touch. His kisses. Him. I can’t get too attached, though. Things could easily go wrong, and I’d be, once again, standing in this room, lonely, with nothing but my work to fill the ache in my chest. But this brief slice of happiness—the pure pleasure of his kisses—they’re worth it.
He’s worth it.
“Let’s have some fun, Scarlett. What do you say? Are you willing to take the leap and see what happens?”
Without hesitation, I reply, “Yes.”
“When you said, ‘take the leap’, this isn’t what I had in mind.” Scarlett laughs nervously beside me, her hand gripped in mine. I have no intention of letting her go again. I’m in this. Walk away once, shame on me. Walk away twice, hell no. That’s not happening.
“Well, this isn’t what I meant when I said it either, but it’s fitting, don’t you think?”
We stare at all the trampolines lining the room. There’s even a foam pit.
She takes a seat at a table we’ve claimed. The place is quite busy today. There are two kids’ parties on either side of us and lots of screaming teenagers bouncing off the walls—literally.
“I can’t remember the last time I jumped on one of these. We didn’t have one growing up, so I’d only ever use one at school or in class.”
“Gee, your childhood sounds dismal,” I say.
Her shoulders shake from laughter. “You have no idea. I was an upper-class girl. Everything had to be perfect. I’m glad I no longer have to rely on that man I call my father.”
“I hear ya. Though, my father got my brother and me a trampoline.”
She slips her shoes off and puts on a pair of socks. “I’m glad you told me to bring these.”
I smirk. “Well, the alternative was to borrow a pair from the center, and no one wants to wear socks other people have worn.”
“Eww, no way!” She points to her toes. “How do they look?”
I laugh. “Sexy.”
Scarlett playfully whacks my shoulder. “So, do you come here often?”
“Yeah, I come here with Jase when he visits.”
“You have a brother?”
“Yeah, he’s in college. Another soon-to-be pro-footballer in the family, I think. I wonder what Dad would have done if he’d gotten girls.” I give her a cheeky smile.
“He’d probably force her to do all the boy sports, and then she’d play in the women’s leagues in something.”
“You’re probably right.” I hold my hand out. “You ready?”
She stands and takes my hand. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Let’s enjoy the moment and the company.” I wink.
I love the way her cheeks pink when I do that. If I can cause this reaction in her, then why would I stop doing it? Making her happy is all I want.
I lead her out to the tramps, and the minute we get on, her legs collapse beneath her.
“Really?” I tease and haul her up.
The laughter that radiates from her lights up the room. I watch as she takes another step on wobbly legs.
“I’ve forgotten how tricky these are to walk on.”
“Well, you’re not supposed to walk on them; they’re for jumping.” I jump, and she bounces with me. I don’t miss the way parts of her body move as she jumps, but always the gentlemen, I avert my gaze back to her smiling face. You’d think she hasn’t had this much fun in ages. Even I feel lighter than I have in years; the stress of always performing my best can sometimes take a toll. Being here with her tonight erases all that built-up frustration. I’m loving this moment with her.
“I know. It’s just been a while.” She lowers herself into her bounce and takes off over all the other trampolines.
I follow, but she whirls around, makes eye contact with me, and speeds up.
“I’ll get you, Scarlett. I’m pretty fast,” I call.
“But are you fast on these?” She powers forward; the muscles in her legs tighten, and her arms swing up and down as she maneuvers over the mats.
As I rush forward to catch her, she darts left and heads right for the tramps along the walls. I gain on her, but she hits the mat at full speed and flips herself backward in a somersault. I stop dead in my tracks and study her in awe. Her form is perfect as she lands.
Scarlett’s like a bag of prizes, and every time we come together, she pulls something new out to gift me with.
“Wow! That was perfect. Your landing was flawless.”
“Well…” She pants. “Coming from rich families meant rich schools and after school activities.”
“You said you weren’t allowed a tramp.”
“I wasn’t. But Mom put me in gymnastics and trampolining. You should see me on a balance beam. Although, it has been years. I’d probably smack my face on the bar if I tried some of the stunts I once did.” She bounces over. More surprises.
“Again. Wow! You’re full of tricks. I can’t wait to see what you pull out of your hat next.”
“Well, you’ll have to catch me to find out,” she sasses, and again, she’s off, laughter following in her wake.
“I’m coming for you, princess,” I mutter under my breath and surge forward with power in my legs.
She turns, releases a squeal, and bounds toward the foam pit. A little girl with blonde pigtails darts in front
of her, and she slows and stumbles slightly. She captures the kid with ease so she doesn’t knock her over. She helps her along and apologizes.
“YOU’RE MINE!” I shout.
Suddenly, she stops and turns. I can’t put the brakes on fast enough and collect her around the waist. We tumble onto the mat, a mess of limbs. I’m surprised we manage not to bang our heads together.
When we stop moving, her heated stare meets mine. The sound of screaming kids around us fades away, and it’s only our panting breaths I can hear. Her stare drops to my lips and moves back up to my eyes again. I don’t wait for permission. My hand curls around her and grips the back of her neck, bringing her to my mouth. She doesn’t reel away. The pull between us is a force neither of us can seem to fight.
Our mouths connect, and she tastes like strawberries and mint. My grip on her body tightens as does hers on mine. Every part of me screams for her.
“Eww . . . that’s gross.” A little boy’s squeaky voice reminds me where we are. We unlock our limbs and hop up. I assist her. We face the voice and grin, and I slide my arm around Scarlett and secure her against me, not wanting to let her go.
“Sorry. That probably did look a little gross,” she says.
The freckled-face boy, who’s about six, nods. “My mom and dad do that. I cover my eyes when they do.”
My body shakes from laughter. Scarlett backhands my chest. I cough.
“It won’t happen again,” she says.
The boy appears satisfied with that and takes off with a leap.
I pull her body in front of mine and tug her tightly against me, the heat between us a current we can’t swim away from. “Not going to happen again, eh?” I ask.
She rests the palm of her hands on my chest. “It probably shouldn’t, not while we’re out in public. Can we grab some water?”
Reluctantly, I release her, and we stumble off the tramps. She heads to where our stuff is, and I head over to the food court and purchase two bottles of water. Of course, the teenage male server recognizes me and then proceeds to go bright red and ask for a photo. I comply. This is all part of the job.
Taking the waters, I go back to our table. Scarlett is staring down at her phone, and then around the room, then back to her phone. Something’s not right. I speed up my pace until I reach her. She’s clearly bothered by whatever she’s looking at. Her brow is furrowed, and her cheeks are flushed.
“What’s wrong?” I place the drinks on the table and drop down in front of her on the seat.
Without a word, she turns the phone around, and I bite my lip to keep from cursing out loud in front of all these families. I drop my head and exhale.
Craig: Having fun, are we? Look at the cute couple.
Attached is a photo of us kissing on the mat not even ten minutes before. My eyes do exactly what Scarlett’s did and dart around the room. Nothing and no one seems out of place. If this Craig guy was in front of me right now, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from laying my fists into his face. He didn’t sit well with me from the moment I met him at the event last night.
“Why can’t he leave me alone?” Scarlett’s words rip at my chest when her voice cracks, and when I glance up at her, tears brim her beautiful dark irises.
I reach out, place my hand on her leg and rub it. “Did you send it to Vivian?”
“Yes. Do you mind taking me home, please?”
Whoa, what? We only just got here. Well, that’s what I want to say, but she’s clearly not in a good frame of mind, thanks to this loser.
I don’t try and change her mind. I don’t think anything could. “I’m sorry. I wish I could fix this for you.”
“Well, you can’t. This is my problem.”
Ouch. The vibrant girl I was just on the trampoline with has vanished, and now I’m left with a shell.
We pull up out front of my apartment building. The ride back home has been silent, but the tension between us is thick.
Again, Craig is ruining my life.
“I think he just wants me to be miserable. Why can’t he leave me alone? What am I supposed to do?” I blurt.
Lachlan reaches across the center console and laces his fingers between mine. A simple gesture, but it speaks volumes.
“Scarlett, I’m going to be honest.” He pauses for a moment. “Every time he sees you having fun, he gets jealous. He’s trying and succeeding at bringing you down to his level of unhappiness. Don’t let him win.” He squeezes my hand, and it calms my erratic nerves.
“I know. I don’t know what to do, though. Tell me, how do I not let it affect me?”
“I don’t mean become like a robot and have no feelings about it. Just carry on. We could have stayed and continued having fun, but the minute you got his message, you froze up and shut down. When he sees that, he knows he’s winning. You’re stronger than that; I have no doubt about it.”
He’s right. I let Craig take my happiness away today; he sucked it from me like a leech. “I’m sorry for doing that. Did you want to come up, and we can order some food?”
His grin is infectious. “I’d love nothing more than to spend more time with you. But I have a better idea. Do you trust me?”
“Okay, I’ll leave the day in your capable hands, and I’ll sit here trying not to ruin it.”
“You could never ruin anything. In fact, you make things so much better. Your dick of an ex ruins everything. You’re amazing and deserve so much more than that jackass.”
Why did I walk away from this man? “I know. I can’t help it when he weasels his way into my head; I can’t get the negative out. I suppose that’s what our relationship has been for a while now—just negative and unhealthy. He needs to learn to let go. I hope he can one day soon.”
“It’ll take him some time, but he has no right to be stalking you. What did Vivian say?”
“She wants to rip him another breathing hole and do some horrible things to him. She can be quite spiteful when she wants to be, but she’s contacting his lawyer again and informing him that if Craig doesn’t back off, we’ll proceed with a court order for him to keep his distance and cut all connection with me. I thought for sure he’d go running to the girl he was cheating on me with. I guess that turned bad as well, or she didn’t have the money to support his ass.” The words are bitter on my tongue.
Lachlan shoves the car into drive and is silent, his knuckles white as he grips the steering wheel. “That man deserves all the unhappiness he’s got. He’s filth, nothing, scum. He doesn’t, and never did, deserve you.”
“I know.” I don’t know what else to say.
“Let me show you how a man is supposed to treat his lady.” He turns the car out onto the highway and puts his foot down. I’m forced back into my seat.
“This car is powerful. I like it. I might have to get myself one.”
“I don’t think you can handle the power,” Lachlan teases with a sideways glance in my direction.
I remember our kiss, the strength of his arms pulling me against him. The way his mouth moved with mine is nothing like the kisses I shared with Craig. Being with Lachlan is different. We have something special—a fire, a connection. One difference between Craig and Lachlan is the way they’ve grown up. Craig comes from money, and Lachlan has worked hard to get to where he is now. That builds character rather than getting everything handed to you.
Playfully, I slide my hand over his thigh and slowly glide up his now tense leg.
“Oh, princess, if you keep doing that, I’m going to pull this car over and devour you on the side of the road. I don’t think you want that, do you?”
I remain silent and stare at him.
When I say nothing, he turns my way for a split second, and I think he might actually pull over. “You minx.” He chuckles.
I leave my hand where it’s stopped. Being with him feels natural. Like this is where I should be.
It’s too soon.
The voice in my head is loud. And it is, too soon. We’re only having fun, tak
ing it one day at a time—that’s all I can handle right now. Anything else, and I risk having my heart broken one more time.
What am I going to do?
I have no idea where he’s taking me when he suddenly pulls into a parking spot in front of a park. It has green, lush lawns so bright and full. It ignites my wounded heart. People are walking, and kids are playing on the playground equipment. One day, I’ll have my own kids doing the same things. I wonder if Lachlan will be there.
Wait. What am I thinking?
Always getting carried away in daydreams. It’s dangerous. One day at a time—that’s all this will be.
“This is the second part to our date. At least now I don’t have to enjoy it on my own, like I thought I was going to.” He reaches over and squeezes my hand then releases it and is out of the car, walking around to my door. “Come, my lady. Your lunch is waiting.”
I can’t help the laugh that erupts from my chest. “Your lady, eh?”
He lifts one shoulder and shuts the door after I get out. He slides his large arm around my waist, tugging me against his equally large frame. “I’m not giving up on you. I want a chance to prove to you that I’m not a Craig, and I’m not the stupid Lachlan from four years ago. I’ll keep trying until I’m old.” His gaze turns heated, and his words wiggle their way into a place in my heart.
“Keep doing what you’re doing, and you might have a shot.”
He raises his free arm into the air and then tugs it back to his side, and a “yes” escapes his lips.
“A shot when you’re old and broke,” I say, joking.
He drops his arm and peers in my direction. “You can’t tease me like that.”
“Why not?”
Without a word, he scoops me into his arms and runs into the park, a scream leaving my chest followed by a sea of laughter. When he finally stops and puts me back on my feet, I reach over and take his arm until I feel steady again. His hand cups my cheek. I close my eyes, soaking up his warm touch. The lightness of his fingers on my skin sends sparks shooting down my spine.
