Page 61 of Framed

I sidestepped the roommate and bolted to Scarlett’s doorway. There, I froze, my brain short-circuiting.

She was right there in the middle of the room, wearing a tight black dress that hugged her curves in the most sinful ways. In a way that begged to be grabbed. To be defiled.

Inconvenient. I’d done a pretty bang-up job avoiding emotions, feelings, or whatever you wanna call it for the past six years. Casual hookups, one-night stands, and a bunch of meaningless relationships for show. I knew they could never go anywhere. I knew none of them could ever have me because I wasn’t up for grabs. I would always be Scarlett’s. She left with my heart the day she was locked up and I didn’t want it back. I refused to take what rightfully belonged to her since the moment I laid eyes on her.

“I thought we were going to do my makeup in your—” Scarlett turned, her words dying in the back of her throat when she realized it was me and not her redheaded roommate.

The sight of her in that fucking dress made my jeans uncomfortably tight. Uncomfortably aware of my attraction to this woman.

“What are you doing here? Did Briggs say something about the notes?” An inferno of red cascaded across her cheeks and crawled down the part of her neck that was visible in that low-cut. Her face alone could never show her embarrassment, but her neck? It, along with the thumping of her rapid pulse point, always gave her away.

Briggs wasn’t surprised when I told him about the note Scarlett got. In fact, it was like he expected it, but he hadn’t said anything else except “I’ll handle it.” To my knowledge, she hadn’t received another one, so I’d have to assume whatever he did worked. It was pointless to ask Briggs for additional information. The guy was a vault with an unbreakable code.

Everything with him was need to know and for some reason, he didn’t believe I needed to know.

I’d leave it alone.

For now.

“You need to stay away from him,” I all but growled into her face. I wasn’t sure where she was planning on going tonight, but from the look of it, it had to be a date. I didn’t like seeing her with him. Back in Tuscaloosa, everyone knew she was off limits, knew she was mine. She thought it was because she was different. Because shelookeddifferent from the rest of the school, no one wanted her. If only she knew about the countless number of boys who tried to challenge me, the number of fights I’d gotten into with boys who didn’t understand you don’t touch what’s mine.

Her eyebrows furrowed in the confusion and her brown eyes scanned my face. I wanted to see her real eyes, the real her. “Stay away from who?”

“You know who.”

“Are you talking about Kane?” I hated his name falling from her lips. It woke the irrational possessive beast inside of me. I’d never had an issue with Kane Rollins. He was a damn good wide receiver and the most tolerable person on the team, but he was wading into dangerous waters. Waters that didn’t belong to him.

“Don’t say his fucking name.” My voice was menacingly low and I could see Scarlett visibly shudder at the sound.

“You…” Her voice trailed off as her wide eyes took me in while I approached, causing her to take a step back with every step I got closer until she was jammed against the door of her bathroom. We were close, our foreheads inches apart, as I towered over her frame. That spot on her neck was a bright shade of red against her tan skin. Even with her contacts, I could see that her pupils were dilated. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Her words were strong but her body gave her away every time. She shuddered as I placed my thumb on her full bottom lip. The memory of how soft those lips were has been permanently tattooed into my brain. And her taste. Fuck, she was as sweet as I thought she would be. It made me want seconds, thirds, all of it.

“Wrong,” I said, my voice hard and unrelenting. Oh, how wrong she was.

She squared her shoulders, fierce determination shone through her brown-coated contacts and my dick stood at full attention. “What Kane and I do is none of your business. I’m sure you or Briggs would’ve stepped in if it was a problem or posed a threat to my safety.”

It was true. We would have. This had nothing to do with her safety and I had a feeling she knew that.

“Wrong again, ScarlettRose.Whereveryou’reconcerned, I make it my business.”I wanted to push her short little excuse of a dress and show her exactly how much. If I slid my hand up the fabric would I find her wanting this as much as I did?

My eyes scanned hers, hoping to see something to stop me from what I was about to do. Anything, but instead, I found something else in her eyes. Lust. Along with an intensity I felt in my soul. In my heart. Just like it did every time I saw Scarlett all those years ago.

Her gaze didn’t tell me to stop, it did the opposite actually. It was like she was challenging me to take the next step. To touch her. To kiss her. Toownher.

A clearing of a throat stopped any chance of that happening. An interruption. Again. I was half tempted to give the person a show but the sound caused Scarlett to jump back like I burned her, making her bang her head against thestill-closed bathroom door.

“Ow,” she muttered under her breath, trying to sidestep me, but I pressed into her harder. Trapping her body between me and the door. I could see who it was from my peripheral.

Speak of the devil and he may appear. Who was it that interrupted this moment? Kane fucking Rollins. Of course, it had to be him.

What the fuck is he doing here?

Then it hit me. My initial suspicion was right. Scarlett had been getting ready to go out with him.

It shouldn't have, but it made my blood boil. Scarlett should be able to go out and try to live the normal life she was robbed of. But, for the life of me, I couldn't let her go.

I couldn't step out of the way and let her go out on a date with Kane Rollins.

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