Page 28 of Grit & Glamour

“What do you want?” he demands.

Fuck, it’s now or never.

Without another word, I step up to him, biting m bottom lip nervously as my hands slowly reach up and rest on his shoulders. He gives me a curious look, but doesn’t pull away. I take a deep breath and try to expel the images of him in the shower from my mind, but it’s no use. I tug on his shoulders, pulling his head down to my level.

He takes the bait, his hesitance vanishing as he enraptures my lips with his own. I move my hands from his shoulders, running them over his body, feeling the toned muscles I’d seen earlier. I try not to enjoy it, but it’s impossible. He backs me up against the wall, pinning me there with his large frame. I should probably be afraid, but I’m not. I sneak the sticker into his back pocket, but continue to kiss him, reasoning that I don’t want to call his attention back to reality the second I’ve slipped the tracker in there.

Finally, I know I have to pull away. I know either I stop now, and he leaves, we won’t stop at all. “I just wanted to do that before you went,” I lie, hoping like hell I can fool him this time. I’m a little breathless, but I try to keep my focus. I need one more thing for this to work. For this to have not been pointless.

“That’s fine,” he responds quietly, looking a little too intensely at me. I turn away, hoping it comes off as me being shy or embarrassed rather than guilty. “I have to go, but we can finish this later, if you’d like,” he offers, his voice low.

“And here I thought you didn’t like me,” I joke, trying to keep it light. Why the hell is this so hard?

“I like you too much,” he admits, grabbing my wrist and tugging me back to him. He kisses me again, and then steps away. He snags a large bag from underneath the bed, and heads towards the door.

“Wait, do you have a phone I can use?” I ask. He pulls one from his front pocket and throws it to me. I just about catch it with the tips of my fingers.

“The lock code is 5678, because Three set it and he’s an idiot,” One explains in an exasperated voice.

“Thanks, appreciate it,” I respond with a smile. At least I won’t forget the code. He pauses in the doorway, giving me an unreadable look. “What?” I prompt him.

“Goodbye, Scarlett. Stay safe.”

I watch as he leaves, closing the door gently behind him. I wait for a few moments, before unlocking the phone and looking for anything that could be a tracker app. I pause over the icon of a cat and dog. They hadn’t mentioned pets. I click it, and a map pops up, with a little moving pinpoint getting further away from here. I grab Theo’s car keys, and head out of the door.

It’s time to find out what’s really going on with my mother, and like hell am I going to wait here while that’s happening.

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