Page 13 of Choosing Scarlet

Throughout the tour, I find myself watching her more than I probably should. The way her eyes light up is almost magnetic. I can’t seem to look away, no matter how hard I try.

By the time dinner arrives, I’m grateful for the shift in focus. We take our seats at the rooftop restaurant, since it has the best view in the building. Below us, the city glows, with its lights stretching far into the horizon. On the other side of the hotel, the forest begins, dark and endless. Two worlds meeting at the edge; the city and the wild. Opposites, yet somehow perfectly balanced. Like us. We’re different in so many ways, yet sitting here together, it feels strangely harmonious.

For dinner, we’ve both gone with the chef’s recommendation, a warm porcini mushroom risotto paired with a glass of Pinot Noir. The food is delicious, but my attention isn’t on the plate. I can’t stop watching her. Every time she takes a sip of wine, her nose scrunches just slightly, as if she’s still deciding whether she likes it.

“Tell me more about you,” she says after a pause as she catches me staring. “We’re spending the weekend together, so I figured we should get to know each other just a little better.”

Opening up has never been something I do easily. Over the years, I’ve built walls so high that no one has ever climbed over them. I’ve convinced myself that I like it that way. Being on my own is simpler, or so I’ve told myself for a long time.

“I work a lot,” I admit. “This hotel chain belonged to my mother before she passed away. I was twenty-four when it happened. I assume you already know that, since you did your research before we met.”

Her expression changes. The brightness in her face softens, and her eyes drop for a second. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” she says gently. “That must have been so damn hard. Do you have family around you? People who helped you through it?”

“Just my father, but I’m not close to him,” I say quietly. “Aside from all the drama he’s caused, he also believes I should marry someone ‘appropriate,’ but that’s not something I care about. My focus is on my work … at least, most of the time.”

I know she’s a distraction, and I should be more careful, but I can’t bring myself to mind. For once, I want to let go of all the rules I’ve made for myself and enjoy this moment, however fleeting it might be.

Scarlet remains silent. Perhaps I’ve shared too much. I can’t tell. I don’t remember the last time someone’s gaze had such an effect on me.

“Your turn,” I say finally. I’ve said everything there is to say, my entire life summed up in a few sentences.

“Well, I lived in Tennessee my whole life. I met my ex-boyfriend there, and he’s actually the reason I moved here. Before you ask, no, it didn’t work out. We broke up two months after I arrived. I started job hunting, and a friend of mine mentioned The Network. I applied, got in, and well … I’ve been there ever since.” She takes another slow bite of risotto before continuing, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “But I have to say, I’m not surprised you have commitment issues. Your Venus is in Sagittarius, and that’s never a great sign.”

I lean back, crossing my arms. “You can’t actually believe in that stuff.”

Her brow arches in amusement. “Of course I do. The stars have never lied to me. And right now, they’re saying that you avoid commitment because you’re afraid of losing yourself. Or, at the very least, the part of you that’s completely consumed by work.”

A flicker of irritation runs through me, mostly because she’s right. Change has always felt like a threat that I’ve avoided at all costs. And yet, sitting here across from her, I’m forced to wonder if change would be such a bad thing after all.

Still, I keep that to myself. I tilt my head slightly, studying her. “And what exactly are the stars telling you right now?”

Her lips curl into a smile. “That you’ll be getting laid in about half an hour.”

And she’s right.

We barely make it to our suite before the layers of our clothes scatter across the floor. I can’t get them off her fast enough; all I want is to feel her bare skin against mine and to hear the breathless little gasps that escape her full lips as I fuck her.

My hands are on her hips, pinning her back against the door. Her lips part as she stares at me, her hands trailing down my chest, until they reach the buckle of my belt, undoing it. She needs this as much as I do, I can tell, with the way she trembles underneath my fingers.

“Knox,” she murmurs, and the sound alone makes my cock hard. I want to claim every inch of her until she’s turned into a quivering, soaked mess. Just for me.

My lips find her throat, trailing hot kisses that have her shuddering against me. Her breasts press against my chest, and her hands fiddle with my pants until my cock springs free, hard and ready for her. Right that second, she wraps her hand around my shaft, stroking me in a slow, teasing motion that drives me insane.

With willpower I don’t even know I possess, I pull myself back. My hand finds her throat, wrapping around it firmly, and my gaze locks on her, stern and demanding.

“Beg for it,” I tell her. Her lips part, and my grip tightens around her throat, ever so slightly … to remind her who’s in control. And she submits instantly, melting into my touch.

“Please. Oh, God, please,” she pleads, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

“Please, what?”

“Please … fuck me. I need you to fuck me.” She means every word, I can tell, with the way she looks at me. Now, I’m no longer able to hold back, either. I reach for the dresser to my right, where condoms are placed in the first drawer. I figured I’d need them when I planned our stay here. In one swift movement, I roll the thin layer of protection over my cock before I press back against her. There’s no time to go back to bed, I realize as my cock slips in between her soaked folds.

She whimpers, like she needs me more than she needs air, and then, in one rough, quick movement, I shove myself inside her. I move hard and deep, yet her arousal makes the motion nearly frictionless.

A loud moan tears from her lips, echoing through the room, and I use my hand to support her body as pleasure undoubtedly tingles through her. It’s written all over her face—her lips part, her expression scrunches, and her eyes flutter. It’s a sight unlike any other.

Her inner muscles massage me as I continue to thrust, tightening around me and soaking me with each movement. Every muscle in my body is tense, aching for that sweet release that I can only find deep inside her.