Craving Scarlett

|11|. Dinner?

I couldn't wrap my head around this particular piece of information. "Audrey is engaged to you so you can have control over your company and not because she's in love with you?"

"Audrey is in love alright, but not with me."

I got up from the sofa, pacing the length of the room with Marco regarding every of my movements with hawk like intensity. "But, she... why didn't she tell Tom and what's in it for her pretending to be engaged to you? There must be something right and, and-why didn't she tell Tom, for crying out loud?!" I stopped my pacing as my voice rose several degrees on the last part.

I must be somewhat hysterical, a tiny, logical part of me considered, imagining the picture I was presenting to Marco in my living room; blue eyes wide and frightened, skin pale and ashen, with my hands flailing about at my sides like that of a dead fish!

Wait a minute...

"It's quite obvious, isn't it? If anyone even suspects that our relationship isn't real then the whole plan is ruined. The engagement is just going to last until control has been handed over to me."

I flopped down on the chair, my brows furrowed. "If it's such a big secret, then why are you telling me?" As far as I was concerned, the one who should be hearing this was Tom and not me. "Tom deserves to know, not me."

Purposefully, he strode towards my direction, only coming to an abrupt stop when he was before me and went down on his haunches. He took my hand in his big ones. I swallowed the urge to snatch my hands away from his. I didn't like the feel of it.

Liar.

"That's he and Audrey's problem. And you're wrong. You deserve to know too. Haven't you asked me the reason why I am here? It sure as hell isn't because I want to talk about Tom and Audrey."

"Well then, why are you here?" I asked in a not-so-steady voice as my heart leapt to my throat thinking of what those statements could imply.

I tried to control my erratic breathing. I was not so successful. What could he have meant? If he wasn't here to clear the air between Tom and Audrey, then why was he in my apartment? Could it mean that...? Was he here for...?

He brought our intertwined hands to his lips and I think my heart went on vacation to my tippy toes.

It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything Scar.

So why is my heart beating like I've just ran a marathon?

"I came here to talk about us. Me and you." My mouth gaped open. I couldn't even shut it if I tried. I could just see my feminist side rolling her eyes at how I was allowing a man to make me speechless. It should be the other way around!

"Us?" I squeaked, looking at our joined hands on my thigh.

"Look at me." When I still sat unmoving, he clicked his tongue and uncurled a tawny hand moving it to my chin. Pressing gently, he raised my head up until my eyes met his. His usually cold eyes were earnest this time. Sincere, imploring me to believe his words.

"You can't deny the attraction that we feel for each other. Hell, we just need to be within five feet of each other and it pulls us in. God knows that every time I see you, I want to touch you. To roam my hands in your thick, vibrant hair that seems to throb with a life of its own, to drown in the sapphire blue of those eyes," then his eyes dropped to my lips and my breathing stopped. "And those lush, peach lips that always leave me wanting more, so much more..."

I think it's safe to say that I was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. A trouble of dark hair and hypnotizing eyes paired up with a body to die for and that trouble became irresistible. I don't know if I even want to resist it.