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“It's urgent,” Taylor growls back. He doesn’t wait for me, just disappears, expecting me to follow.
Scarlet turns away from me, leaning against the rails. Her fingers curl into the wood. I run a hand along her back and kiss her temple.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Her eyes follow me all the way back to the house, and I realise what it is about her that makes our pack feel different when she’s around. She’s so strong, a solid, calm strength that at times seems to carry an underlying note of danger, not like Taylor’s explosive, raw strength and command. Not like my deep depth of stability, not like Jet, who is like notes of music that pull us all together, or even Gold’s menacing presence that loves as passionately as it would cut whoever dared harm us. She’s the smooth surface of an ocean on the calmest day. She makes our pack feel safe, like a missing piece finally slotting into place. Complete. I glance back over my shoulder, feeling her eyes even when I’m inside. It leaves a warmth in my chest.
Yes, she’s the one.
Now, I just need to get Taylor to see it, too.
twenty-two
Scarlet
I’m in too deep with this pack, but one thing hasn’t changed. I’m not staying. I can’t. Not while Taylor hates me the way he does.
Acton disappears inside the house, but Taylor’s still here. I’m surprised Acton missed it. I wait as Taylor moves towards me, not turning away from the rail I’m standing against or allowing my breathing to become choppy.
I feel hunted. I should be afraid, but my body’s responding to him, anyway. Liquid pooling between my legs, feeling his eyes boring into me from the darkness.
I turn slowly, and my breath seizes in my lungs. He’s so beautiful it hurts to look at him. He leans back on the wood railing, his hands in his pants, and watches me.
I tilt my head to the side. “So, there isn’t urgent business?”
“Not anymore than usual.”
I close the space between us without meaning to. His draw is so strong, so powerful. I stand there before him, waiting. The frigid night air causes goosebumps to rise on my skin.
He stands up and steps towards me. I step back but pause when he holds out his hand.
“Dance with me?”
My eyes jump to his face. There’s a part of me that totally understands Taylor, that gets him on a level that’s different from my connection with all the others. The burden of caring for the pack falls on him. The responsibilities can be heavy, especially when you feel like you’re failing.
I tell myself that’s why I take his hand and move into his embrace.
He pulls me in and spins us around. We move to inaudible music, one only the two of us can hear.
“Where did you learn to dance?” He murmurs, the soft tenor of his voice sounding like the finest bourbon.
“Corporate events, I needed to know how to do everything to make sure that I could fit in, so I took lessons.”
“Stand out.” He corrects.
“No, I was just trying to blend in.”
“And yet, you stood out like a flower in a field of weeds.”
I frown and tilt my head up at him. “Have we met before? In the city, I mean?”
He smiles. “No. We were never officially introduced.”
I’m relieved because there’s no part of me that wants to think I could have overlooked this man.
“Your reputation precedes you, Miss Scarlet. I’d heard of you. So I made it my mission to see you.”
“And you did?”
