Page 62 of Scarlett Thief (Criminal Underground 2)

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Scarlett

"I'd put that back if I were you, baby." Wolf's voice felt unnecessarily loud within the jet's cabin as he called back to me. "Unless you plan to use it on my cock."

The pretty blonde flight attendant lifted her head and jerked it toward Wolf's retreating back right before her gaze shifted to me. My cheeks flamed.That crazy mother—

"Is this seat taken?" Hadrian's question cut off my internal raging thoughts toward Wolf as he took the chair directly across from me.

I sighed. "It's your plane."

He shrugged. "A friend's," he clarified.

I rolled my eyes, looking back to the screen of my phone. "Sure it is." It was a lie. This jet was his; it had to be. No one had friends willing to lend them multi-million dollar jets at the drop of a fucking hat.

For several long seconds, I felt Hadrian's intense gaze centered on my face. I didn't look up, hoping that if I kept silent long enough he wouldn't ask. He would just leave it alone. I should've known better than that. When I refused to look at him, Hadrian stood up again and moved down the aisle toward the front of the cabin.

Curiosity couldn't keep me from peeking this time. I leaned to the side, watching as he stopped the attendant and leaned down, whispering something in her ear. She blinked, seeming surprised, but quickly nodded and handed him the two drinks she'd already made before she turned and disappeared into the cockpit.

I quickly moved back into position, training my eyes on my phone screen, though there was no way in hell I could focus on anything else with my attention set on the man slowly making his way back toward me.

"Put it away," Hadrian ordered as he set two glasses on the table in front of me. Not those cheap plastic cups—actual glasses made from crystal. "We're about to take off."

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I got our transport and lodgings arranged already.” I took the glass. Hadrian smirked, holding up his drink for a toast. “Hm, what are we toasting,Mr. Smith?”

The icy depths glittered at my blatant emphasis on his fake name. He didn’t scold me like Wolf would have, but I knew I’d get some sort of punishment, I could feel it deep in my gut. And I was excited too, I found. There was no worry or premonition that what I was doing was wrong. I wasn’t truly being reprimanded, not in the sense of being berated like I was used to.

“To this moment, right now,” he toasted, cutting off my thoughts. I echoed the statement and clinked the crystal to his just as the pilot started rambling off the pre-flight information.

Settling back, I made sure my seat belt was fastened and enjoyed the drink that had been poured. Hadrian stayed quiet as we taxied but I could feel his eyes on me, and it made me feel hot—as if he were caressing the planes of my face, the curve of my neck. Taking in every piece of me as if I really was a work of art like he’d claimed.

“It’s not polite to stare,” I murmured, shifting slightly as my body warmed.

“At strangers, but we’re not strangers, are we, Princess?”

The way he said that god awful nickname rolled through me, ramping up the heat that had been stoked from Wolf only minutes before. Finally prying my eyes from the jet’s window as we took off, I glanced over.

“No, we’re not.” He cocked a brow and I amended my statement. “No, we’re not,Sir.”

“Good girl,” he whispered, his praise muffled behind his glass as he took a sip. The signature burn of a blush washed over my cheeks, and I knew he could see how those words affected me. “What’s on your mind, Scar?”

The question was unexpected, but I kept my expression smooth.What’s on my mind? Everything,I thought, listening to the hundreds of scenarios, questions, concerns, worries, all swirling at once.

“You’re thinking so loud all the time,” he noted before I could answer. My eyes narrowed and my face scrunched up. How could he possibly know that? “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“It’s hard not to,” I muttered in annoyance, hating how much he couldseeme. Sighing, I continued. “We have a botched job to try and finish which takes a lot of moving parts. We have things to do to get ready. There’s—”

“Focus on right here, right now. What’s on your mind?”

Right here and now?I was horny and anxious but more importantly… “I’m enjoying this time. With you, I mean.”

“Me too, Scar. Though I’m sure Wolf will come back sooner than later, it’s nice to get time with you all to myself.”

Fiddling with the edge of my skirt, I let myself focus on right now, with Hadrian because he was right, we hadn’t gotten much alone time, and the last time we did, we were working recon.

“Speaking of alone,” I started, grinning as an idea formed. “I do still believe you owe me a sexual favor.”

“I do. Does that mean you’re ready to cash that in?”

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