With that, he walked out the door, softly closing it.
I stood in my living room, staring at the door. I was sad to lose a friend, but I needed him to know, once and for all, where I stood with my heart.
I slowly made my way up the stairs, then stripped out of my clothes the second I hit my bedroom. A hot shower was exactly what I needed.
By the time I got back to Scarlett’s house, Eric was gone, and she was upstairs getting ready. As I made my way to the guest bedroom, I got the last reply from the group text I had sent out about dinner. I was bound and determined to make this day up to Scarlett and I needed my family to help me.
I headed to the bathroom off the spare room. The temptation to jump in and take a quick shower won over as I soaped up and rinsed off the day’s grime.
Turning off the shower, I opened the curtain and glanced around for a towel.
Damn it. I should have looked before jumping in. The door to the bathroom opened, and Scarlett walked in. She screamed when she saw me and then stood perfectly still. Well, most of her stood still. Her eyes slowly roamed my wet, naked body, and I couldn’t help smirking when I watched her lick her lips like she wanted a taste of what was before her.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a towel, would you, darlin’?” I asked.
Scarlett’s eyes lingered on my dick which was now growing hard from her gaze.
“Scarlett?”
Jerking her head up, she cleared her throat. “Um…what? Wait. Hold on! What are you doing in here and why are you naked…and wet?”
Fuck if I didn’t want to ask her if she was wet. I knew she was. The way this woman was giving me fuck-me eyes was testing my goddamn willpower.
But Scarlett wanted things a certain way and I was going to respect that. I needed to earn back her trust and if that meant ignoring the way she kept licking her lips and glancing at my cock, then that’s what I would do.
“You were upstairs when I got back, and the front door was open, so I came in. A shower was too tempting, but you don’t have a towel down here.”
Her eyes were now everywhere but on me.
“A towel?”
I laughed. “Just a reminder of what you said earlier. I’m standing here naked and wet.”
Her eyes swung back, except this time she kept her gaze on mine.
“Towel. Um. I, ah, have one, I think…”
My eyes moved up to the towel on top of her head. “Can I use that one?”
Her hand moved up to the towel. “It’s wet.”
“I don’t mind wet. I don’t mind wet at all.”
Did a moan just slip from those perfectly bee-stung lips of hers?
Like a robot, Scarlett lifted her hand, pulled the towel off and handed it to me. My cock jumped against my abs as I watched her dark hair fall around her shoulders.
Fucking hell. What I wouldn’t do to run my fingers through that wet hair and pull her head back so I could kiss the living shit out of her.
Not today, Trevor. Not today.
With a smile, I wrapped the towel around my waist, took a step closer to her and kissed her on the forehead.
“Thanks, babe. I’m going to get dressed now.”
When I walked around her, she mumbled something I didn’t understand, but I chose to ignore it as I walked back into the guest bedroom.
I could feel Scarlett’s eyes on me as I pulled the towel free, dried off quickly, then slipped my jeans on.
“Wait. You’re not wearing underwear?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I lifted my brow. “If you get to stand there and watch me get dressed, do I get to watch you?”
Her cheeks turned red and she walked back into the bathroom and quickly came out with a hair dryer.
“Forgot this was down here. I’m sorry I walked in on you.”
Scarlett rushed by me but not fast enough. I reached for her hand and pulled her to a stop. Drawing her close to me, she placed her hand on my chest and looked up at me with eyes that were silently begging me to kiss her. Her jaw, on the other hand, was firmly clamped shut.
I used my thumb to wipe away the white cream that was on her face.
“You had something on your face. Conditioner, maybe?”
Her entire body trembled as I held her. Her warmth disappeared when I stepped away. It took everything I had not to reach out and hold her steady when she wobbled a bit.
“Th-thanks. I’ll, ah, go get dressed and dry my hair some.”
I nodded, grabbing the shirt I borrowed from Cord. It was hard as hell to ignore the internal desire to beg her to kiss me. Beg her to let me feel her in my arms. Make love to her. But I had to. There was no way I was fucking this up.
“Sounds good. I’ll wait in the living room for you.”
Scarlett took a few steps back, her eyes still locked on my bare chest. The only thing that broke her gaze was me putting my shirt on. She spun around quickly and rushed out the door.
Once she was gone, I sat down on the edge of the bed and dropped my arms to my knees.
“Jesus, this is going to be hard,” I whispered to myself.
After taking in a few deep breaths, I pulled out my phone and sent Corina a text.
Me: You able to get something for dessert?
She responded immediately.
Sis-in-law #1: Of course, I did! Mrs. Johnson loves me and had something just for the occasion!
Me: Have I ever told you you’re my favorite sister-in-law?
Sis-in-law #1: Nope, never.
I took a screen shot of her name I had stored in my phone.
Me: See? It even says you’re #1
Sis-in-law #1: Could it just be that my name comes before Paxton’s in the alphabet and that is how you put us in your phone?
Me: Minor detail….
Sis-in-law #1: See you soon, jerk!
I walked around the living room. I’d been in this room so many times, but I never really paid attention to everything in it. The sofa I already knew was comfortable as shit. I’d fallen asleep on it during the few nights I stayed with Scarlett when she had the flu. I smiled when a memory hit me.
I’d fallen asleep after watching some documentary Scarlett was into. It didn’t take much to wake me up when I realized my girl was crawling on top of me. Her warm body pushed down on the bulge in my jeans.
Slowly opening my eyes, I smiled when her chestnut brown eyes met my blue.
“What are you doing?” I asked, a smirk on my face.
“I think that medicine kicked in. I’m feeling better.”
Dropping my hands to her hips, I lifted up into her. Scarlett dropped her head back and moaned.
“Trevor, please.”
“Baby, you’re sick.”
She rotated her hips and dropped her gaze back to mine.
“Please. I want to feel you inside of me. I feel loads better, I swear.”
I closed my eyes and prayed for the strength I needed to tell her no, but I couldn’t. Scarlett was like a drug. And I needed a fucking fix.
She saw it in my eyes when I looked back at her. Lifting up, she worked quickly at getting my jeans undone. I lifted my hips and pulled them down, letting my hard cock spring out. Scarlett reached for my wallet on the side table and handed it to me. When I got the condom package out, I ripped it open with my teeth and slid the condom over my cock.
With a wide smile, she crawled back onto me and slowly guided my dick inside her warm pussy.
“Jesus,” I hissed, my head falling back against the sofa. “Scarlett, you feel so good.”
Leaning her forehead to mine, she smiled. “I’d kiss you, but I’ve got the flu.”
“Fuck the flu,” I grunted, wrapping my hand around her neck and capturing her lips with mine.
Scarlett moved up and down on my dick, slow at first and then faster.
Our kiss was heated and full of passion. I’d never come with someone on top of me like this. Never. Hearing the way Scarlett moaned, feeling her body tighten around mine, feeling th
is fucking connection that both thrilled and scared me to death, I let go when she started to come.
“Trevor,” she gasped against my mouth as I pushed in deeper with my hands on her hips.
“Christ,” I grunted and came so fucking hard I saw stars.
When our bodies finally came to a stop, our foreheads leaned against one another. My chest was rising and falling as much as Scarlett’s.
“What are you doing to me, Scarlett?”
Pulling back, she stared into my eyes. The question was serious, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what was happening between us.
With a smile, she replied, “I believe I just fucked the flu right out of my system.”
Laughing, I pulled the condom off, wrapped it in tissue and then dropped her onto the sofa. My body stayed barely off of hers while I kissed her until she was breathless. At that point I didn’t give two fucks if I got the flu or not. I needed her mouth on mine.
There was no way I could ever get Scarlett out my system and it took everything I had in me not to admit it to her.
“You look lost in thought.”
Scarlett’s sweet voice pulled me from the memory as I stared at the sofa.
“Thinking about something.”
She grinned. “Must have been something good. You have a huge smile on your face.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I nodded. “Yeah, it was. Really good.”
Her gaze fell to the sofa and she smiled before looking at me. We had fucked and made love on that damn thing plenty of times.
“So, do you think we should head on out?” she finally asked.
My eyes roamed over her body. The simple black skirt fell past her knees, but had a split that would show off her legs when she walked. Simple, yet sexy as hell. The white top she had on mimicked the look of her skirt, simple and sexy, as it dropped down her shoulders and was held on by two thin straps. Scarlett knew how to dress. Even in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt she looked amazing. But knowing she was carrying my baby made her ten times sexier.
“You look…beautiful.”
Dropping her gaze to assess her outfit, she said, “You’ve seen me in this before. I wear it to work sometimes.”
“You wear that to work? Oh, fuck no. You’re not allowed to wear that to work.”
Pinching her eyebrows, she placed her hand on her hip and tilted her head. “Is that so? Who says?”
“Um, the man whose baby you’re carrying. You look fucking hot in that outfit and the fact that you’re carrying our child makes you look even hotter, so I’m going to need you to dress in sweats and T-shirts from now on. Y’all have a casual dress code at the courthouse, right?”
Her laugh filled the room and the tightening my chest didn’t go unnoticed. I loved that I was making her laugh and not cry. I’d made her laugh plenty of other times, but for some reason, the times I made her cry stood out more. I needed to fix that.
When she stopped laughing, her teeth sank into that plump red lip of hers. “Did you really mean what you said?”
Keeping my eyes fixed on hers, I asked, “Which part? The sweats? Yes, I meant every word of that.”
Her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of pink as she chuckled. “No. The part about me looking hotter.”
My pants felt like they’d grown about two sizes too small.
“Of course, I meant it. You look beautiful, Scarlett. I honestly can’t wait to see our baby growing inside of you as you get bigger.”
Her nose scrunched up. “That is a lie!”
I made my way over to her and placed my hand on her stomach, causing her to pull in a sharp breath. My own damn breathing picked up, but I tried like hell to act normal.
“I’m not ever going to lie to you, especially about our child. Seeing your stomach grow bigger means we’re that much closer to meeting her.”
Her eyes pooled with tears, and she quickly started blinking to keep them at bay. “Her?” she whispered.
I shrugged. “Or him. I don’t care which. As long as they’re healthy and have your eyes.”
Scarlett looked away and cleared her throat. “We should probably get going.”
I stepped away, and my heart felt like it was about to be ripped from my chest. I hated that she was keeping a wall between us. She didn’t know it, but I was going to fight like hell to tear that thing down. Piece by damn piece if I had to.
“Did you want to follow me over there, so you’ll have your car? Or I can bring you back home. Totally up to you.”
Seemingly surprised by my offer of having her drive by herself, she paused for a moment and then shook her head.
“Would you mind if we drove over together? That way I don’t have to drive back in the dark. The deer and all.”
“I don’t mind a single bit. Let’s head on out.”
The drive to Laney’s Grill was quiet before I broke the silence. “Do you think I can go with you to your next doctor’s appointment?”
I felt her eyes on me almost instantly.
“Of course, you can. I have one next week.”
“Perfect. Should we meet there?”
Scarlett fiddled with her hands in her lap before answering me. “If that’s what you want.”
“It’s up to you. I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with or ready for.”
I saw her pull in a deep breath. “It might be better if we meet, that way you don’t have to bring me back to work and can head back to the ranch.”
Disappointment hit me hard. “Okay.”
The silence returned and when I couldn’t take it any longer I turned the radio on, drowning out the overthinking in my damn head.
When we finally pulled up to the restaurant, I parked and shut the truck off. When I went to get out, Scarlett grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
Turning back to her, I gave her a smile. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. No. Trevor, I’m not trying to hurt you by keeping a little distance between us.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?” she asked, her brows pinched together.
“I do. I’m not going to lie and act like it doesn’t hurt that you don’t want to be near me, but I respect that.”
She shook her head before returning her gaze back to me.
“It’s not that. I want to be near you, but when I’m near you I want more. A lot more of you, and I can’t do that right now. I need this to go slow, because God knows, Trevor, all you have to do is kiss me and I think we both know I’m yours.”
Taking her hand in mine, I squeezed it. “That’s why I’ve been stopping myself today. You have no idea how much I wanted to push you onto that bed today and make love to you. But I respect what you’ve asked from me. I’m not giving up on us, Scarlett, so don’t take my behavior as giving up because I’d love nothing more than to do just the opposite of what I’m doing right now. But I’m giving you space.”
She smiled.
“I’m going to fight for us. It might have taken me forever to figure out that what I had in front of me was what I needed, and I may have lost you, but I’m not giving up until you look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love me. I can’t live without you, babe. I’m not sure if you’ll ever be able to believe me, but I’m going to do my best to show you…and to show our baby.”
“I want desperately to not feel scared and unsure about us. To stop wondering if you’re in love with me…or simply in love with the feeling of us. My mind and my heart are all over the place,” she said.
We sat for a few seconds just staring at each other before she cleared her throat. “We better get in there before our folks come looking for us.”
With a nod, I climbed out of the truck. Every possible emotion felt like it was running through my body. I needed to get it under control in less than two seconds or Scarlett and our families would be able to see that her words had just rocked me to the core.
Trevor’s face wore an emotion I’d never seen on him bef
ore.
Fear.
“Damn it,” I whispered as I watched him plaster on a fake smile as he opened the door. If I kept Trevor at a distance for too long, would he give up? I’d heard so much conviction in his voice that I knew that wouldn’t happen. Then why was I so afraid to let him in?
Because if you give him your whole heart he’ll have the power to hurt you again.
My head was spinning. Trevor had hurt me more times than I could count, but he had also never promised me anything before. I knew how much he cared about me from his whispered confessions, but he hadn’t been ready for more. Was he truly ready now?
“Ready?”
The word made me stall for a quick moment. I smiled. “Ready.”
“Let’s go celebrate the fact that my super sperm got you pregnant on the first run!”
Laughing, I hit him in the stomach. “Super sperm? Okay, Clark Kent,” I said as my cheeks heated.
“What? It’s true. I’ve heard some people have to try for months or even years to get pregnant. We did it in one round and weren’t even trying. I think that says something about my sperm and their super-potent abilities.”
“We had sex at the right time of month is what that means.”
Trevor took my hand, and I didn’t pull it away. I needed to give him a little encouragement, and I liked the warmth of his body against mine in whatever small way I could get it right now. Trevor calmed me. And even though we had already told our parents, I was still feeling uneasy about this dinner. I couldn’t help but wonder if my parents were putting on a happy face simply for the Parkers.
“Good evening. How are y’all doing?” the hostess asked as she smiled at me and then Trevor.
“We are doing great! Here to celebrate. You should have a reservation for Parker.”
A bigger smile erupted on the young girl’s face. “Oh! Yes, the rest of your party is here. Y’all are in the back room we reserve for private parties.”
“Private parties?” I asked, looking up at Trevor.
He shrugged. “Mom must want to get drunk and loud.”
I laughed. “I can’t see that ever happening.”
Reckless Love Page 10