Page 75 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
“What’s that doing in here?”
Scarlett lifted her head and looked at it. “I asked Vivi if I could move it to my room.”
Her tone was nonchalant, but I was burning up with curiosity.
“Why? I thought you said it was only mediocre.”
“I didn’t say ‘mediocre,’” she said. “I said ‘decent.’ But I’ve changed my mind.”
I raised a sardonic brow. “It’snotdecent?”
“No. It’s much better than that.” She sat up, gazing at it now. “The more I look at it, the more I see in it. I study it every morning when I wake up before I get out of bed. It’s amazing. When the sun hits it, there are all these little details that you didn’t notice before. And the colors look different, depending on the time of day.”
Scarlett sighed. “To tell you the truth, I’ve kind of fallen in love with it. I’m going to be really sad when it’s sold at auction.”
Though it had been only a few minutes since we’d finished making love, I was getting hard again. Listening to Scarlett describing her admiration for my work was one of the most gratifying experiences I’d ever had.
I realized that in spite of all the people out there who weren’t my audience—shewas.
Shegotme.
I also realized I was falling in love with her.
“Maybe you should write Inksy a fan letter,” I teased.
“Oh no,” she crooned, turning back around and draping herself across my chest. “Are you jealous?”
Scarlett gave me a sultry smile as she ran her hand down the front of my body and becameawareof my condition.
“Hell no,” I said. “After all, I’m the one who’s here withyou.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
GUARDIAN OF THE WORLD
Scarlett
I woke up early the next morning, filled with energy.
Last night with Gray had been incredible. He’d slipped out before dawn, promising to come back this afternoon.
He had the day off and said there was somewhere he wanted to take me this evening. Knowing his penchant for surprises, I had no idea what to expect.
I had a little surprise for him as well. When he arrived, there would be a fresh batch of Sweet Scarlett’s chocolate chip cookies waiting.
Vivi sat in the kitchen with me, doing a puzzle at the island counter while I measured and mixed and poured. I had the recipe memorized, of course. I’d created it, and every August for the past seven years I’d replicated it several times a day during the Minnesota State Fair, baking literally thousands of cookies a day with my team.
“Something’s smelling mighty good over there,” Vivi said. “Your taste tester is ready and waiting.”
I laughed, pulling the first batch out of the oven. “They need to cool a few minutes, and then you can taste all you want.”
“Now there’s an offer that catches my interest,” a deep male voice said from behind me.
I turned to see Gray walking into the kitchen.
“You don’t even know what’s on the menu.”
He smiled and walked right up to me, kissing my cheek. “Whatever it is, Iknowit’ll be delicious.”
