Page 58 of Scarlett Thief (Criminal Underground 2)

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Hadrian

Scarlett was a soft kitten in my arms, so relaxed as I carried her out of the shower for what felt like the hundredth time that night. It seemed the three of us got quite dirty amidst our playful sex, but that felt just as right as having her plastered against my chest with her arms arched around my neck. Sex just wasn't right unless you got a little filthy.

"Are you okay, Princess?" I lowered her onto the mattress. Her body was languid and warm, her eyes opening to sleepy slits.

"I used to hate it when you called me that," she muttered. "I still kind of do, but not as much."

I reached forward and brushed a lock of dark wet hair from her face, cupping her cheek in my hand as I stared down at her. She was a beautiful woman, but then, I'd had plenty of beautiful women before. Her appearance wasn't what drew me to her. It was something inside. Though what, I couldn't tell yet. Whatever it was, it was like a magnet—drawing me in with inexplicable force.

"Why do you hate it?" In the background, I could hear Wolf shut off the shower and within a few seconds, he was stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. My head lifted as he strode to the bed, a small smile on his face as he looked down at the woman on the mattress. Then his gaze rose and met mine.

"I'm gonna grab a pair of sweats and double check the security before we head to bed," he said.

I nodded, letting him know that I thought that'd be a good idea and maybe it would also give me a few minutes alone with my girl—our girl. Like Wolf, I'd shared a woman or two before. They hadn't been relationships, just hookups and club subs. With Scarlett, I didn't want to leave though. As soon as he was dressed and out the bedroom door, I crawled into bed behind her, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her against me. Perhaps I should've grabbed a pair of shorts or at least some boxers, but I liked the feel of her on my skin, all over me.

"Why do you hate it?" I repeated the question she had yet to answer.

She shrugged, but snuggled down against me anyway, turning until her front pressed to mine. I willed my cock to behave. She was exhausted. "I'm no princess," she confessed quietly. "If anything, I'm the evil queen."

My sweet, sexy little thief. My poor girl. I smoothed my hand down her hair, leaning in to press a kiss to her temple. "I don't think so, love," I whispered. "I think you've been under a curse for a long time. I think you've been waiting to set yourself free."

She snorted, the sound adorable despite its rudeness. "Set myself free?" she asked. "I'm surprised; I thought you might've suggested that I've been waiting for you and Wolf to set me free."

Which only proved the kind of men she'd been with before. "No," I said, shaking my head. "If you truly do this with us—and make no mistake, we want you to—you'll realize that you are just as strong as we are if not stronger. Being submissive doesn't make you a doormat. You have to want to be saved. You have to want to change and do all of the things you haven't before. No one else can come in and do that for you. We're here and we'll support you, but Scarlett, we can't make those choices for you. That's all on you."

She was quiet for a long moment and in a spurt of panic, I wondered if I'd said too much, too soon. Maybe she wasn't ready to hear that truth, but just as that thought came to me, her arm wrapped around my side and a sigh escaped her. "Maybe," she began hesitantly. "Maybe you're right."

Joy lit me from within. This was a step in the right direction, and whether she realized it or not, those few words gave me so much fucking hope. Hope that this job wouldn't end in heartbreak or disaster. We would get that fucking diamond and our lives back and maybe, in the end, we'd get her too. It was a pleasant thought.

By the time Wolf returned and climbed into bed with us, scooting up to her back as he draped the sheets over his abdomen, Scarlett was sleeping. With her eyes closed, her lashes sent shadows arching over her high cheekbones.

Such beautiful skin, I thought trailing one hand over her side. It was the color of aged whiskey, light and dark mixed into something so uniquely her, and it made me want to do nothing more than lick her from head to toe. Tomorrow, we'd leave this bed. Tomorrow, we'd go back to the job. But for right now, I had her in my arms and I didn't give a shit if I had to share her. Any piece of this girl was a fucking treasure and I intended to enjoy it.

* * *

“Morning,”I greeted from the table as Scarlett slipped into the room. It was early, the sun barely having peeked over the horizon, so I was surprised to see her up so early.

“Morning,” she murmured sleepily, her brows drawing down as she pulled her slinky satin robe tighter around herself. “Why are you up already?”

“I was thinking the same about you, I figured you’d sleep the whole day away after last night,” I teased, reaching out and curling an arm around her waist. She didn’t fight me like I expected, but her gaze falling to the floor put me on edge.Does she regret it?I wondered, but as she melted into me, moaning softly as I hugged her, I pushed away the worry.

“Tired, but too restless to keep sleeping. You?”

“Wanted to check on my searches and get a head start on what our next moves should be,” I explained. Her body tensed slightly before trying to move back, but I continued. “Before we do that, do you want some coffee?”

“You’re going to make me coffee?” she questioned, stopping in her feeble attempt to pull away. Smiling, I leaned forward and kissed her stomach gently.

“If you want some, yes. No point in making any if you don’t want or like coffee.”

“I’d love some, thank you.”

I stood and smiled down at Scarlett, running my thumbs over her lower back where I held her in my arms. This was nice, having a simple morning with her—as if we were just two regular people with normal lives. It was perfect actually, and I hoped that after this was all said and done, it might continue. A warm smile touched her lips, her eyes crinkling around the edges, her expression lighting up in a way that only she could as I leaned down to kiss her. Soft lips met mine tenderly, and as much as I wanted to deepen the kiss, revel in what we had last night, I had promised to make her coffee.

“One coffee for the lady, coming right up.” I stepped away, moving into the tiny kitchen to pull out the items I needed. “Is Wolf still sleeping?”

As soon as I asked my question, Wolf’s deep voice filled the tiny flat. “No.”

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