Page 7 of Vermilion Desire

I watch her chew with rosy cheeks and a soft happy hum while the nagging feeling of being watched at the side of my head makes me turn to look at Cal. He’s judging the shit out of me with his eyes as he tears out a piece of the bread.

He’s a smart man; he knows about the attraction I have for Scarletta, and it goes beyond obsession. I’m in love with this naïve and too innocent woman who has no idea that I want to do naughty things to her.

She teases, unaware that the line she treads on leans more towards the predatory side of me than the disciplined detective aspect.

“I have to stay at the research facility, uncle.” Scarletta swallows her food.

Cal pulls his gaze away from the file in his hand and nods. “Call me when you’re done.”

Then he pauses, casting me a knowing look before I know what he means. “If I don’t pick up, call Wolf. He’ll come to get you.”

She grins. “Okay!”

Scarletta works as a research student in the rare disease department of the privately-funded research facility that works with a lot of renowned and famous medical professionals to bring good to the world.

Her goal is to be a researcher for rare diseases so she can help people, but she is also interested in the mysteries that surround many illnesses. She’s working towards it, and I’m proud of her for being able to tell the male-dominated workplace stereotypes to fuck off.

“I have to go now,” she says with a muffled voice from her waffle. I want her to have a bit more breakfast before she leaves, but she is looking for the backpack that she left here the other day.

“I’ll drive you.” Snatching the keys off the counter, I walk to the door with her waiting for me as I hear the Cal’s scoff.

I look over my shoulder and playfully shoot him a glare; he nonchalantly purses his lips at me as if he is asking me what I’m going to do to him. I have no time to entertain his childish whims as I unlock the car for Scarletta.

I wave back to Cal and mention that I’ll be back to go through the box of evidence again. We still have a long way to go because we’ll be called in as witnesses and professional statements in court when both sides get to cross-examine us.

As the main detectives on the case, we can’t push aside court appearances just for the hell of it. Sometimes it takes one opinion or fact to change the outcome of the jury’s verdict.

“Mr. Wolf!” Scarletta waves her hand out from the open door. “Quickly!”

I step towards the car and drop into the car seat while she secures her seatbelt. “I can’t be late.”

The car purrs and slides out of the driveway. “Maybe you should put your alarm thirty minutes earlier.”

She huffs, clawing her nails through her hair to make the messy strands go down. “It’s not my fault that your bed is so comfortable, and you smell good too!”

It’s dangerous driving with her next to me. I almost put pressure on the gas pedal when she said that, and my heart swelled in accomplishment because I was able to help her sleep. What kind of strange ass man am I to be happy about the prettiest little thing having a good night's sleep?

She doesn’t notice as she blabs on. “Beth Senior and Beth Junior aren’t very keen on tardiness.”

“Why do you call them that?” I ask as we stop at the red light.

She taps her chin with her other hand curled around the gray seatbelt. “One of them is Bethany, and the other is Elizabeth, but they both grew up with Beth as their nickname, so we went by seniority—as in age, but no one wants to trigger a woman’s wrath when their maturity is called into question.”

“Your maturity needs to be called into question,” I remark plainly.

She slaps her hand onto my thigh with a pout, her nails dig into my pants, and it does nothing but makes my cock press harshly against the zipper. She’s going to kill me with her innocent gestures, and she has no idea what she is doing to me when she huffily scrunches her nose at me.

Too fucking cute, I think, as the steering wheel imprints on my palms.

“I’m sorry, baby. You’re perfect,” I hiss out, and my eyes dangerously flicker to her as I catch myself with the pet name.

Fuck. This isn’t the time to make a mistake on a damn highway where cars are flying down the stretch of road.

“Good!” she exclaims. “I want to be perfect for Mr. Wolf and Uncle Cal.”

I have to remind myself that she’s too damn young for an old man like me to put moves on her. It should be illegal for me to have these thoughts, but it’s these images of her in my head that gets me through the days that are extra tough.

Being able to push aside the blood and gore pictures from crime scenes, I can go to sleep with her sweet smile and playful touches.

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