Scarlet Fever

by Sable Hunter

“Nonsense.” Annalise waved her hand. “You’re gorgeous and so is he, a perfect match.”

  “We’ll see. Now, where is that dress I’ve been hearing so much about?” Cecile headed toward Annalise’s room.

  Scarlet worked for a half hour, pinning and perfecting.

  “This looks great on you.” Annalise complimented her friend. “You two are going to be the most beautiful attendants that a bride could want.” Scarlet’s hand stilled.

  “Attendants, plural?” She looked at her sister like she had grown two heads. “Cecile is your maid of honor, she is your only attendant.”

  “No.” Annalise emphasized. “Cecile is my bridesmaid. You are my maid of honor.”

  “No. I’m singing at the wedding.” Scarlet was panicking.

  “Yes. My maid of honor is singing at my wedding,” the bride insisted. “You’re scaring me Scarlet. What are you getting at?”

  Scarlet quickly covered. “Nothing. Nothing. Just giving you a hard time.” Shit!

  Scarlet picked up her scissors and pins. “Slip off the dress, Cecile and I’ll have it finished in no time.” What in the world was she going to do? Leaving her sister and her agent to catch up, Scarlet escaped to her room.

  * * * *

  Alex had been busy. He had spent the day at the library, learning everything he could about antigens and antibodies. Now, he knew that just being the same blood type was just the first hurdle in being approved as a viable kidney donor. Next, he would talk to his doctor. Right now, he was going home.

  To Scarlet.

  When he arrived, he found her in her room. She was scrambling through her box of sewing scraps, holding up the larger pieces, laying them on the bed, then picking them up and starting over.

  He went to her, picked her up and swung her up in his arms. “How’s my baby?” She never questioned his affection, she just returned it tenfold.

  Hugging him tight in return, she whispered in his ear. “Not too good.”

  Immediately, he sat her down and ran his hands over her. “Where does it hurt?”

  Realizing that she had scared him, she sought to put him at ease. “No, Alex. I’ve messed up Annalise’s wedding.”

  “You’ve saved Annalise’s wedding. What are you talking about?” She went back to examining the larger pieces of pink material.

  “I need to make another dress.” Turning to him, she wearily laid her head on his chest. “I thought that Cecile was Annalise’s only attendant.”

  Alex let a low laugh rumble out. “Let me guess. You’re supposed to be an attendant.” When she nodded, he laughed louder. “Now, how did you misunderstand that? Didn’t it occur to you that you would be her maid of honor?”

  “She never said. She asked me to sing, that’s all.” He hugged her tight. “Even when we talked about the dress, she never made it clear.”

  “Can you do it? Do you have time?” She turned around to face the bed again and Alex kneaded her shoulder muscles, offering his support.

  “I could. It’s just there’s so little material.” She laid one piece next to the other. “If I made a straight sheathe…”

  Dizziness forced her to sit down. Alex knelt at her feet. “What do you need? How about one of your pills?”

  “No,” she dismissed his question just a little too quickly. Picking up the material, she hunted for a pair of scissors. Alex walked to the bathroom, Scarlet tried to stop him.

  “Alex, wait.”

  He ignored her. Going to the vanity, he picked up one of the medicine bottles. It was empty. He picked up another. It was empty, too. Striding back to her, he said flatly. “You’ve let yourself run out of medicine.”

  “No, I just haven’t gotten around to getting it refilled yet.” She avoided looking at him.

  “I’ll drive you to town. You can buy more material.” This was a test.

  “I’ll make do.” She stared down at her hands.

  “You don’t have money for more material, do you?” He spoke gently. “You didn’t get your medicine refilled because you used all of your money on the wedding dresses and the cakes.”

  “It’s my responsibility. I am the bride’s family.”

  “Annalise has loads of money, she could have spent her own money for the dress and the cake and never looked back. And I have money. I’ll buy you anything you need.” He knelt by her.

  She didn’t answer him. He continued reasoning, putting two and two together. “You couldn’t tell her the truth without explaining why it is that even though you have two jobs, you don’t have any money to spare. And let me guess, you canceled your hotel reservations for next week didn’t you?” Scarlet looked at him, she wasn’t mad. Running a hand through his soft hair, she simply said.

  “How did you get to be so smart?”

  Standing up, he directed. “Get your coat. We’re going to town. Our first stop will be to get your medicine. Next, we’ll buy whatever you need for the dress. Hell, let’s just buy you a boutique dress and then you won’t have to worry with making it.”

  “No,” she faced him adamantly. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down. She mirrored his movements. This made him smile.

  “Please,” he changed his tactics.

  “I won’t take money from you.”

  “This is nothing. Don’t you know what I’d give you if I could?” Time in a bottle. “Come on.”

  “You don’t realize how much this medicine is going to cost.” She hadn’t moved a muscle.

  “How much?”

  “Over five hundred dollars. I can wait.”

  He walked back to the bathroom, gathered her bottles, and then took her by the hand. “No, you can’t. You are too precious! Every moment is precious!”

  This time when he walked, she followed.

  “Sit close to me.” He placed her on the custom bench seat of his H1 Hummer.

  First, Alex got her prescriptions refilled. He didn’t blink an eye at the price. The more he found out about Scarlet and her medical situation, the more he hated the American health care system. Pre-existing conditions. No insurance. Paying full price for over-priced drugs. It was a crime. He wanted ten minutes alone with every Congressman who fought the health care bill.

  Next, they found a mall that seemed to look promising. Luckily, it had a Hancock Fabrics. Scarlet had insisted that this dress had to match the other one exactly, thereby negating his offer to buy her a ready-made dress. She had a sales clerk cut the material, while she gathered thread and a zipper. Alex waited patiently, seemingly oblivious to the open stares and gawks from the women, young and old.

  After the fabric store, he led her down the center of the mall looking for a shoe store.

  “I can make do. I have ballet slippers.”

  “No, we’re going to get some pink shoes, or whatever Cecile is wearing.” His stride was twice as long as hers.

  “Silver. Slow down, Alex.” She was doing her best to keep up. He stopped, abruptly. “Are you tired?”

  “No, your legs are long. I can’t keep up.” It bothered him that she was breathing hard. He slowed down, chastened. He would need to be more careful with her.

  They found a beautiful pair of silver pumps which cost three times more than they should have. It didn’t matter to Alex. “I feel like a kept woman,” she mumbled.

  “Good. Because I plan on keeping you.”

  On the way home, Scarlet fell asleep, and he was glad. She needed all the rest she could get. When they pulled up at the B&B, he woke her with a kiss. “We’re back, treasure.” She bounced out and insisted on helping him unload the packages. “I’m going to help you, just decide what you’ll let me do.” He was dead serious.

  “How would you like to be my dressmaker’s dummy?” She teased him and then cracked up at the shocked look on his face.

  “Watch it, Scarlet Rose! I’ll paddle that sweet ass of yours.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  Oh, she was gonna get it, and he was gonna enjoy giving it to her.

/>   Seed pearls. Seed pearls. Seed pearls. He was tired of seeing seed pearls. Finally, Scarlet had finished the bridal gown. Alex had been with her all the way. Cecile’s dress had been next. It hadn’t been hard to finish, a nip here a tuck there. Her own dress was a different matter. He had sat by while she worked on it for hours. Finally, he had to leave her and go to work, spending the afternoon in the field, straightening out one mess after another that Rick LeBeau had made. If he weren’t so preoccupied with Scarlet, he would call LeBeau in for a pointed discussion. That evening, when he found his Scarlet, she was curled up on the floor, asleep. He picked her up and laid her on the bed, throwing an afghan over her.

  “Alex,” Ethan appeared out of nowhere.

  “What?” Alex whispered.

  “You’ve got company.” Ethan raised his eyebrows as if he were trying to convey panic.

  Who in the world? With one more look at his Scarlet, he followed his brother out the door.

  Sandy.

  He had forgotten all about his off-hand invitation. She was there and she was dressed to kill. Everyone else was standing, watching, and waiting to see what he would do. None of them had really talked about his relationship with Scarlet, but he knew that Annalise was somewhat aware. “Hey, big boy.” Sandy sauntered up to him and plastered herself to his front. “I’m here. Did you miss me?” She wasn’t shy at all, she wrapped her arms around his neck and was just about to lay one on him, when Alex looked up. Scarlet stood in the doorway. Her eyes were big and wide. It was the same look she had given him after he had been so cruel to her the first day they met. He froze. She stood there, just a moment, before she turned and walked away. He dealt with his problem.

  A few moments later, he found her. She was on the bed, her back to him, very still. Alex crawled in the bed with her, molding himself to her back, completely enclosing her in his arms. To Alex’s relief, she didn’t pull away. “She’s gone, love. I had forgotten she was coming. The arrangements were made before you came, sweetheart.”

  Scarlet interrupted him, turning in his arms, facing him. “It’s okay. You need to date. You can’t let me stand in your way. What we have is only temporary. In a little over a week, I’ll be gone…”

  This time Alex interrupted her. “I don’t want Sandy Moffett. I want you.” He slid down her body, finding her braless breast through her shirt. Taking it in his mouth, he began to suckle, softly. In just a few seconds, he had her squirming with delight. Before she knew it, he had her out of her clothes, flat of her back and he was making himself happy between her legs.

  “Alex, I’ve never…” Her breathing was erratic, her ability to lay still—gone. He kissed her from knee to thigh, up one side and down the other.

  “Lord, you are sweet. I can’t wait to taste you.” Scarlet grabbed the bottom sheet with both hands, clutching it in a death grip. His mouth and tongue began doing magical things to her private, pulsating core. He kissed her inner and outer lips, soft kisses that bespoke both desire and devotion. He licked the center of her cleft, making her hips levitate off the bed. Settling on her clitoris, he swirled it with his tongue, lifting the tiny hood. Scarlet’s head flung from side to side, cooing noises slipping from her throat. When he put his lips around the little button and sucked, she purred like a kitten. And when he pushed his tongue deep within her passage, in and out, in and out, he pushed her completely over the edge. As she screamed, he quickly rose up and with a laugh, covered her mouth with his own, trying in vain to quell her passionate cries before his family heard them.

  “Baby, baby,” he crooned. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

  “Make love to me, Alex. I need you.” She held him close.

  “Do you want to be on top?” He longed to give her every experience that he possibly could.

  “I just want you, it doesn’t matter about the position.” Scarlet held her arms out to him, and he arranged her astraddle of his lap, facing him.

  “Now lift up,” she held up her hips and he slid into the luscious, slick heart of her. Again, his breath was stolen in shock at how good it felt to be inside of her. It was like coming home after being away for a lifetime. Her sweet breasts were right there for the taking. He took such delight in her, mouth on her nipples, hands at her hips, helping her set a rhythm that would drive them both mad. She held on to his neck, locking her gaze with his. He knew what she was doing, she was memorizing every sensation, every iota, stockpiling memories that would get her through the hard days she thought lay ahead.

  When the pleasure became more than they could bear, they gave in to the blinding, pulsing burst of ecstasy. Unwilling to end the moment, he picked her up and placed her on the pillow, then covered her with the soft sheet. “When I came home, you were asleep on the floor, exhausted. You’re trying to do too much.”

  She didn’t quibble. Instead, she laid her head on his shoulder and spoke from the heart. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

  Now was not the time to tell her of his plans, so he just let her talk. “What are you talking about, babe?”

  “I’m going to miss your voice when you speak low and soft, just to me, telling me things only we can share. I’ll miss your warmth, how solid and strong you are, and how safe I feel holding on to you as if nothing could ever harm me.” He shut his eyes, fingers moving gently through her hair. “And I’ll miss your eyes, how they’re full of laugher and how hooded and passionate they get as you sink deep inside of me. But mostly, I’ll miss you. Alex, I didn’t know there was anybody like you in the world. I thank God that you came into my life.”

  He listened. And it took every ounce of restraint he possessed to not tell her he didn’t intend to be apart from her long enough for her to miss him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Seven days before the wedding…

  “Can I help you with those?” Bobby had driven up at the same time that Cecile was unloading her car.

  “Sure, thanks.” She didn’t quite meet his gaze. “You’re not shy are you?” He took the bag of groceries from her arms and another one from the seat of the car.

  “I thought that if Scarlet could cook, at least I could go get the supplies. So, you’re a senior at UT?” That came as a shock. He was so tall. And built. He made her feel small. And nervous.

  “Yeah, I graduate in May.” His smile was the cutest thing that she’d ever seen. “Is that a problem? I can’t be much older than you.”

  She ignored his comment about her age. “Are you planning a career in football?” It wouldn’t surprise her, he certainly had enough talent.

  “Who knows? I don’t know if I have what it takes or not. We’ll have to see what happens. If it doesn’t come to pass, I have other things I can do. I’m talented…in lots of areas.” He smiled a wicked smile at her.

  “I bet you are.” Cecile could feel the heat rising in her face. She was blushing.

  “God, you’re cute when you blush.”

  Cecile knew this was fast getting out of hand. They were going to be paired up at the wedding. If the truth be known, she wanted to pair up with him in every way that counted.

  “What other things can you do, Bobby?”

  He let her walk up the steps of the B&B ahead of him. “Damn, you’ve got a fine ass.”

  She glanced back at him and he winked, her face flamed with color. “Behave.”

  He didn’t apologize, only laughed. “My repertoire is vast.” When she gave him an exasperated look, he got serious. “I’ve got a job offer in Dallas at Raley and Sheridan.”

  “The engineering firm?” She was impressed. Doubly. She lived in Dallas.

  “Yeah.” He held the door for her. She smelled like Heaven. “Cecile, would you drive in to Austin with me for a steak?”

  The look of surprise on her face said it all. “We need to talk about this. You don’t want to go out to dinner with me. Don’t you know how old I am?”

  “No, not exactly. But whatever age you are, it’s the perfect age. Because you’re damn hot and I can’t
wait to make love to you. How’s that for honesty?” They stood and faced one another. She swallowed hard, and mumbled something.

  “So, is that a yes?”

  She couldn’t help it. She smiled. “It’s a yes.”

  * * * *

  “Did you know that Alex’s birthday is the day after tomorrow?” Annalise whispered.

  “He hasn’t mentioned it.” Scarlet thought as she spoke. His birthday! How perfect! She would get to spend his birthday with him. Her mind whirled. She wanted to give him the world, but since that wasn’t possible, she would give him the next best thing. Her most prized possession—the sword.

  It would be a perfect gift for Alex. It wasn’t like she was going to need it, and she wanted him to have it. He would appreciate it. Walking quickly out of the room, she called her neighbor to get the valuable relic sent to The Lost Maples by overnight mail. And a cake, they would need a cake. She had to ask Ethan about Alex’s favorite flavor of cake. And she had to hurry.

  Ethan filled her in and she got busy. German Chocolate. He loved German Chocolate. Checking the pantry, she decided that she had all that she needed to make the rich, coconut-chocolate pastry. Annalise slipped up behind her. “Did you know that Bobby and Cecile are going out on a date tonight?”

  Scarlet whirled around with a smile. She was happy and she wanted everybody else to be happy. She only had another week with Alex, but she planned to live a lifetime in that week, packing it as full of happiness and love as she could. He had worked this morning and she had finished her maid of honor dress. Physically, she was feeling great, probably due to the tender loving care that she was receiving at night. And the medicine that he had bought for her, it had done its job, also. “Good for them.”

  “What are you doing?” Annalise parked herself on a kitchen stool and looked at her beloved sister.

  “I’m going to cook something for Alex, and the rest of you. A big pot of chicken and dumplings and a coconut pie.” The smells that soon started wafting from the kitchen brought everyone else into the room. Including Alex. They were far from being alone, but that didn’t stop him. He went right up behind her and pulled her back against him, kissing her on the neck.