Page 117 of Last Man Standing

“Yes,” she drawls playfully, her gaze coming to mine while her smile makes it all the way to her dimples. “I’m being safe, silly. I figured I’d extend my vacation and get away with a girlfriend.”

Stunned, I tilt my head to the side and try again. On her belly. Feet up. Drawing.

Not talking to her brother?

“Yeah, well, Linc is traveling for work right now, and I still had a bunch of time up my sleeve. I didn’t want to sit in his house all alone like a dummy, so I called a really special friend of mine and asked if she wanted to meet up.”

Curious, I blink, blink, blink, and when that doesn’t help, I move to the bed and simply drag her hand away from her ear until I catch the name on her phone screen.

Detective Mills.

Well, that makes way more sense.

“Yeah, I’m having a really nice time. I still talk to Linc every single day, since he’s clingy like that.”

She waits while Mills says something on his end of the line, then she barks out a delicious laugh and shakes her head. “Yeah. But we knew that about him. We can’t change him. We can only get through each day.”

Only half invested in her conversation, Scarlett silently rolls onto her back and looks up at me through those bright blue eyes God gave her. She grins, like she knows something I really should know, then she brings her feet to her butt, lifts her knees, and lets them drop open in invitation.

Mmm. Breakfast time.

Grinning, I consider the time and know I should be in the yard in less than an hour to get the guys warmed up. But when a beautiful woman lies across a man’s bed, he should be forgiven for fobbing his responsibilities onto his little brother. Again.

Fuck it. I crawl onto the bed beside her and ignore the ache of my hard cock being squished between me and the mattress. Instead, I peel her shirt a little higher and nibble on her ribs.

“Yeah, he’s with Nova. Oh my gosh, Mills. He’s stupid in love with that woman. It’s nauseating.”

I hear him. Chuckling. Teasing. All dad-like, even though she already has one of those.

“I’m waiting for him to pop the question.” Scarlett slides her fingers into my hair and scratches my scalp. From hornier than a teenage virgin, to a fuckin’ puppy, compliant and willing, I melt into her side and groan as her fingers make their way along the back of my neck. “Me?” Surprised, her voice jumps an octave or two, and for just a beat, her scratching fingers still. “Aw, nah. I’m just doing my thing. I don’t have time for men these days. They’re hardly worth it, don’t you think?”

Drawing my head up, I lock onto her playful eyes and say nothing of the ache her words put in my heart.

Scarlett leans forward, creating a double-chin in the silence while Mills says whatever he says to defend mankind—or not—then, like she knows of my pain, she lays her lips oh-so-gently over mine and soothes what she damaged.

“I dunno,” she murmurs for him. “Maybe, eventually. I figure whoever left that letter on my door was reminder enough to clean out the mess from my last relationship. Wherever Roy went after we broke up, he’s still causing me issues. So rushing into something new seems foolish.”

Mills says something, grumbled and fast.

“Linc? Nah. I know he flew to Denver to look into the letter for me, but nothing really came of it. Now, everything seems to have calmed down, so… I dunno. Maybe he got bored?”

Why are you lying to your friend, Princess?

And why, when I know you’re lying, do I let you roll me to my back and crawl on top?

Oh, I know. Because I’m a fucking sucker. But I’m a sucker who sets his hands on her hips the instant she’s up. I’m a sucker who exhales a contented grumble as she peruses her pile of markers, selects one, pulls the lid off with her teeth and spits it back to the covers, then she rests over top of my chest and colors between the lines of my ink.

“Mmm. I’m just gonna enjoy my vacation for the next week or two, then I’ll head back home and get on with life. Whoever left that note got what they wanted, I guess. They scared me. But it seems to be done now, so I’m letting it go.”

Too curious to wait, I place my hand over her wrist, the one controlling her pen, and halt her movements. So when her eyes come to mine, I ask a thousand questions without a single word leaving my lips.

“Well, anyway. I’m actually headed out shopping in a sec, so I really should go take a shower and…” She pauses for a beat while Mills talks, then she snickers. “My girlfriend? Her name is Serena. Very beautiful, very tan. She’s got these really long legs I know guys enjoy.”

I roll my eyes and squeeze her wrist hard enough to make her giggle.

“Give Martha and the kids my best. And wish Dani luck. That baby must be about ready to come out by now, huh?” She laughs at whatever Mills responds with, then shakes her head. “I’ll let Linc and Nova lead the way. I’ll make my own babies in…” Her eyes swing back to mine and hold. Warm. Dig into my fucking soul. “I dunno. A few years. Or decades,” she giggles. “Whichever comes first.” Twisting her hand from beneath mine, she nibbles on her bottom lip and continues drawing. “Be sure to let me know as soon as that baby is here. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you in a few days.” Her lips curl higher. “Uh-huh. Okay. Bye.”

The instant she drags the phone from her ear and ends her call, I grab her wrist and toss the device away so it lands on the carpeted floor with a thwump.