Grinding his jaw, Jared vacates the stool next to me just in time as Scarlett reaches us and sets down the binder on the counter with a loud thunk. Cam watches us with amused eyes.
“Nice hat,” he says, giving me a meaningful look.
“Thank you,” Scarlett chirps. “I thought it’d look cute with my outfit.”
“I’ll be right back,” he says, giving me another meaningful look.
“What’s that all about?” Scarlett asks me. She removes her coat to reveal a green sweater she’s paired with a black pleated skirt, black tights, and tall boots. I want to fuck her when she’s wearing nothing but those boots and my hat.
“Baby girl, you walking around wearing my hat sends a certain message,” I say.
“What message?” Scarlett blinks at me, wide-eyed. I turn in my stool, Scarlett’s legs trapped between both of mine.
“It says you’re mine to look at,” I say. “Mine to touch, and please. My woman. It means when you wear that hat, you’re making yourself mine. I don’t have a habit of letting go of things that belong to me. I already made that mistake and I’m not going to make it again.”
Scarlett swallows roughly, resting her hand on my thigh as she leans closer towards me. I breathe in her scent, reveling in the heat of her palm seeping through my jeans.
“I’m not yours, Connor,” she whispers.
“Not yet, baby girl.”
I’m more certain than ever that before she leaves, she will be mine. I don’t know what the future will look like, whether we’ll both be in Silverpine or in New York. I do know that it doesn’t matter where we are. We will be together. We can figure out the rest later.
She hums thoughtfully. “In other news, I went by Butter & Bloom on my way here and got my deposit back.”
Suddenly, it makes sense why she’s wearing my hat, and it makes me laugh. She’s a menace, knowing exactly what it would mean if she wore my hat.
“Did you wear my hat on purpose, hellion?”
“How quickly I go from baby girl to hellion.” Scarlett pouts.
“If you act like a hellion, you’ll get called one.”
Looking at me through the corner of her eyes, she says, “Are you upset?”
Reaching under, I grab the legs of her stool and pull her chair forward. Scarlett gasps, her hand tightening on my thigh and the other coming to rest on my chest. Scarlett tilts her head back to look at me, mouth parted in surprise.
“I can never be upset with you, Scarlett.” I hold her gaze, letting her see the truth in my eyes. Slowly, I lean in and suck on her bottom lip. She moans softly, her hand fisting in my shirt and pulling me closer.
As angry as she still is with me, I’m also certain that she still wants me. I pull away from her, not wanting to push her too far.
“What’s this?” I ask, nodding at the binder.
Scarlett’s lashes flutter as she blinks rapidly and shakes her head lightly, as if trying to clear the brain fog. “This is the wedding book.” She opens it and reveals the contents. “It’s got everything. From potential venues, to flowers, to cakes,centerpieces, decor ideas, whether you want a big wedding or a small wedding, a built in guest list for the Monroe family.”
I’m fascinated by the thoroughness and the multiple tabs. I’m even more fascinated by the fact that it’s divided into three sections, one for each sister. Scarlett has a tab.
“This is your wedding book,” I say.
Scarlett runs a finger along the edge of the tab which has her name on it. “It’s not mine, specifically. It’s for all three of us and mom built it around our personalities.”
I reach for the book, lifting the page before her tab and Scarlett smacks my hand lightly.
“You can’t see that,” she admonishes.
“Why not? Considering I’ll be the groom, I have every right to know what my wedding will look like.”
Scarlett’s jaw drops open in shock. Fuck, how I love teasing her.
