Page 36 of Tainted Rose

Xander

Liz and David really ought to lock up better. After not being able to sleep for shit for several hours, I’d driven back over to try to talk to Scarlett. I’m ready to meet this head-on. I could tell by the set of her jaw that she’d meant what she said—that she’s done with me unless I trust her with this. Worse, I could tell how much it hurt her to get out of the car, how much she didn’t want to. But she knew it was for the best. She’s stronger than she knows.

And it will break me if I let her go. I’m finally ready to put my growing feelings for her ahead of everything else. Easing open the unlocked back door to her house, I quickly slip inside and shut it behind me. I stand for a few seconds, allowing my eyes to acclimate to the darkness. Once they have, I steal through the bottom floor of the house until I reach the stairs near the front door. She’s up there somewhere. Just have to find her.

When I reach the top, I survey my options, seriously hoping I’m not about to open a door and get chased off by her aunt or uncle with a baseball bat—or worse. I creep forward as stealthily as I can, noting that the open door on the right is a laundry room. So, she’s either in the room on the left that faces the front of the house or the one at the far end of the hallway. I bank on the master bedroom being at the front and sneak past that door to the last one.

The knob to what I pray is Scarlett’s door turns easily but makes a small noise as I twist it all the way to the right. I freeze at the click of it unlatching, listening. Satisfied that I haven’t disturbed anyone, I swing the door inward. There’s a double bed under a big window on the wall facing the backyard. I cross the room and breathe a sigh of relief when there is one lump huddled dead center under the blankets and comforter and not two.

I stare down at her for a few seconds, my eyes finally adjusting. Her long red hair is fanned out over her pillow. I carefully sit down on the bed next to her. My fingertips skim up her arm until they get to her shoulder, and I squeeze gently. Her eyes flicker open and she yelps, jerking away from me.

“Shh. It’s me.”

She opens her mouth, and I can’t tell if it’s to scream or to say something, so I duck my head down, planting my lips on hers. The second I do, I groan. Her lips are soft and sweetly flavored with whatever peppermint lip balm she’d slicked over them before bed.

Her hands find my shoulders, and she pushes me away before sitting up. “What are you doing in my bedroom? How did you get in?”

“Shh. Do you want your aunt and uncle to find me in your bed?”

She eyes me warily and hisses, “I don’t know, do I?”

I chuckle. “There’s my sassy Red.” My eyes roam over her. She’s so fucking cute all sleepy like this, her beautiful hair tousled, face completely free of makeup, and damn, she’s wearing a spaghetti strap tank top. I run my hand over the stubble on my cheek. It is probably for the best that I can’t see what she’s wearing on the bottom. I squeeze my eyes shut for a count of three while I try to gain some semblance of composure. “The back door was unlocked.”

One of her brows quirks up. “I’ll mention that to Uncle David. You never know what psycho might sneak into the house otherwise. Maybe they should invest in an alarm system.”

I give her a rueful grin. “Sorry. I had to come see you.”

“You need a better reason than that for breaking in and giving me a heart attack.”

I press my lips together, taking in her every feature—a face that I know I won’t be able to live without. “It’s time I showed you something.” I watch as her expression goes from curious to wary. Her teeth sink down into her lower lip before she rakes them over it. It’s one of those things she does that makes my dick hard—like, insta-hard—and I have to ignore what’s going on in my pants for a few minutes. She needs to know. She deserves to know. She deserves my honesty.

“You’re freaking me out, Xander.”

I cup her face with my palm while I pull the letter Aria gave me out of the pocket of my jeans.

Scarlett frowns and it reaches all the way to her eyes. I hate it. I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “Will it wake your aunt and uncle if you turn on the light?”

She shakes her head, stretching over to the lamp on her nightstand and flipping it on to a low-light setting.

I hold the letter out to her, and she takes it, but doesn’t unfold it right away. “What is this, Xander?”

“Aria found it in her Aunt Christina’s yearbook.”

Her eyes dart to mine. “The head cheerleader the year my mom was a senior.”

I nod, but then narrow my eyes wondering how much digging she’s already done. “Yes. We don’t know why Christina had it. Go ahead and read it. It’s short.”

Her eyes skim the words, her eyes filling with tears. “So, it’s true.”

“What is it that you think is true?”

“My dad. It’s your stepdad, isn’t it?”

“I believe so. This doesn’t seem like news to you. How did you know?”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you when I said ‘I know’ the other night, but you didn’t catch my meaning. Max and Daphne—they’ve been helping me track down my scholarship donor. And that, combined with the text messages telling me to track down who my mother was secretly dating—who my father is…”

My forehead creases. “I was confused when I read the text you showed me about the scholarship.”

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