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Rueben starts rushing around the kitchen, clearly intent on cleaning up as quickly as possible.
I have a feeling I’m going to have to re-wash everything later.
He’s not too observant when it comes to that stuff at the best of times.
Having him clean while there’s something else he’d rather be doing in that same moment is just asking for a cupboard full of dirty dishes and a floor covered in soap suds.
Scout opens the lounge door and hits the switch for the lamps, dousing the room in a warm glow.
Scarlett looks up from the couch, where she’s hunched over, tying the laces on her sneakers.
“You’re awake,” I murmur. “How are you feeling?”
She straightens in her seat and gives me a vaguely guilty look when she sees the tray in my hands.
“Oh … Um … I’m a little dazed from napping, I guess.”
“I thought you might be hungry if you were up.”
Scout sinks into the seat opposite her, surprising us both.
She looks over at him, and then back at me. “Maybe I should …”
“Maybe you should eat,” Scout suggests, in a tone that suggests he isn’t asking.
She blinks and nods slowly. “I probably should.”
Wow. For a second there, I thought she was about to take whatever happened with Rueben as an excuse to go home for the rest of the day. Scout saved the day with that growly near-command.
I put the tray next to Scout, and I bundle the blanket up in my arms.
“I’ll put this away,” I start.
Scout nods, his gaze on Scarlett. “We’ll be fine on our own.”
I nod back, leaving without another word.
If he can get her to stick around, I’d best leave him to it.
Chapter fifty
Scout
Why do you feel like you’re mine? I gaze at the woman sitting across from me and I don’t understand the mixture of deep, primal urges that are surging through my body. The need to take care of her, to protect her and claim her as my mate is so strong that my teeth are tingling, ready to sharpen so I can make my mark on her slender throat, showing the world that she belongs with me.
I could accept these feelings if they weren’t such a far cry from how I felt about Scarlett before she came over here to pay off her debt.
Despite feeling that same strange, yet undeniable connection to her the same way Bishop and Rueben did on meeting the new girl next door, her behavior since that moment made it obvious she was nowhere close to ready for fated mates, and, to be honest, it killed any attraction I might have otherwise felt toward her.
Feeling so undeniably attracted to her now is … odd.
I clear my throat, and she blinks at me.
She looks so vulnerable, sitting across from me practically buzzing with nervous energy and a hint of concern in her bright blue eyes.
Everything inside of me wants nothing more than to take care of her.
Yet …
