“Okay,” I whisper, confusion churning in my gut like a stormy sea. “That’s... nice.”
“When my grandpa fell in love—same thing.And his dad... you guessed it. French toast. It sounds asinine when I say itout loud, thatthere’ssome emotional significance on a common breakfast food, but for the men in my family, there is.”
“And Atlas got upset, because he mistook it to mean you loved me.” Clarity strikesme like a bolt of lightning—both painful and illuminating.“That makes sense, I guess.”
“Except he was right,” Ellis says, his knee bouncing a mile a minute. “I fucking love you, Scarlet.”
“What?” I croak. Surely, I misheard him. Becausethere’snowayEllis Wilder just told me he loved me.
“I love you,” he says simply, grabbing both of my hands and interlacing our fingers.
“Are you... sure?”Maybe he’sconfused. Or telling me what he thinks I want to hear.
“Very.” He nods once. “I think I’ve known it for a while, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I know I was a shit to you.”
“No,” I rush. “I do. I loveyou,too. So much. I just...”I blink rapidly, trying to stave off the tears threatening to fall. “I’mso confused andmaybe alittle overwhelmed.I definitely thought you were breaking things off, not confessing your love.My, uh, mybodyapparently needsa little time to catch up to my brain. My fight or flight is still working overtime here.”
“Say it again,” he commands.
And I’m all too happy to comply.“I love you, Ellis.”
He closes his eyes, something akin to rapture passing over his features. “Hell yes, you do. And you better always stay and fight when it comes to us.” Hebrings our joined hands to his mouth and kisses each of my knuckles. “Don’t you know, baby girl,there’snowhere you couldgo that Iwouldn’tfind you?You’reit for me—my end game, even if it took mehelluvalong time to get my head out of my ass to see it.I’m anenlightened man now, andyou’remine, to keep, forever and always.”
“Do you...” Iworrymy lip between my teeth. “Do you really mean that?”
“With every ounce of my being. Now, gofix your mascara so we can make our reservations.I’malready thinking aboutall ofthe ways I want to worship your body and show you my love once we get back home.”
“We could just stay home,” I offer, even as I stand and head for the bathroom. “Why wait?”My stomach choosesthatexact moment to growl.
“That’swhy. Let me feed you, thenI’llfuck you. As many times as you want,over and over again.”
“Promises, promises,” I call over my shoulder.
“Damn straight.” He reaches down and readjusts himself in his slacks. “Promises I intend to deliver on.”
THIRTY-ONE
ELLIS
Not a single partof this night has gone the way I envisioned, but as we walk back to my truck, hand-in-handwith full belliesand fuller hearts, Ican’tfind it in me to be mad.
Hell, how can I be? Scarlet loves me. She fucking loves me. If anything, I’m on cloud nine, and there’s nothing that can bring me down.
“That was really good,” Scarlet murmurs, licking her lips.
I spin her and yank her into my chest,crushing my mouth to hers, savoring the way the rum sauce from our dessert tastes directly fromherlips. “Even better like this.”
“Ellis,” she half laughs, half moans my name, causing my dick to turn to steel. “Tonight was perfect.”
“Night’s not over.” I flex my hips ever so slightly, pressing my erection into her. “Not by a longshot.”
She shivers in my arms, but something tells me it’s not from the cold. If anything, she’s burning with desire. I’d know, because I am, too.
“What the hell?” I mutter as my truck comes into view, the front driver’s side sitting a little lower than the rest. “Guess I have a flat.”
Scarlet freezes. “You don’t think...”
Itug her closer to me with one hand while fishing myphoneout with the other, unlocking the screen and turning onmy flashlight. A cursory glancedoesn’tshow anything alarming, but ifI’mbeing completely honest,I’m more worried about gettingScarlethome and into bed than my truck.
