Page 15 of His Scarlette Obsession
He stops abruptly, and I raise my eyebrows. “Thought I was what?”
Vaughn looks suddenly flustered. “You know. Focused on your career.”
Or hopelessly hung up on you? I almost say, but swallow the words.
“His name is Lykan Qahiri—”
Vaughn, who’s always been rather proud ofnotknowing anyone with more than four digits in their bank balance, actually cuts me off, asking, “Not the sheikh, surely?”
I blink in surprise. “Youknowhim?”
“Everyone who reads a newspaper knows of him.”
“Uh, right.” Says the same man who also used to be proud ofnotreading the papers because it’s all paid B.S. Or so he used to say. But maybe he’s changed recently, and I just didn’t notice?
“How did you meet him?”
“At work.” I work hard to meet his gaze as I say this. People look away when they lie, and this isnota lie...even if it feels like one. “It all happened pretty fast.”
“Fast, huh.”
The strange edge to his voice is impossible to ignore, but I’m not sure how to feel about it. Everyone who’s been a regular of this bakery—heck, maybe even the entire town of Chisa—knows I’ve been into him since forever. But he’s never even cared to acknowledge it. So why is he acting so weird right now?
“Like what, a whirlwind office romance?”
I almost laugh at how wrong he is. There’s nothing romantic about our arrangement. It’s a business deal, plain and simple. Except for the part where Lykan’s kiss turned my brain to mush and my knees to jelly...
Oh, dear.
“Something like that.” The memories have me mumbling and squirming, and even without Vaughn saying a word, I know he’s completely misinterpreting everything.
“This doesn’t sound like you, Scar.” Vaughn stares at me, his blue eyes intense behind his glasses. “You don’t do impulsive. You’re the girl who color-codes her planner and makes pros and cons lists before buying coffee beans.”
I know he means well, but does he notice how condescending he sound?
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Even though my tone is soft, it still has Vaughn stiffening, and I can’t blame him, really. I’veneveranswered him back like this. I’ve always bitten my lip around him, wanting to agree with everything he says in the hopes that it will, I don’t know, finally notice I’m a girl?
Pathetic,Scar.
That’s what I’ve been all these years, and I guess, if there’s one thing I can be grateful for about this engagement sham, it’s for opening my eyes to the truth.
“Is he pressuring you?”
It’s Vaughn’s abrupt tone, more than his words, that catch me by surprise.
“Is that what this is about?”
Oh, and he’s actually serious—
I hastily shake my head. “No, of course not, it’s nothing like that.”
“Because if you’re in some kind of trouble—”
“We’re in love!”
Vaughn freezes.
