Page 37 of Tainted Rose

“Right. So were we. We did a little detective work. Sebastian was at Rosehaven and saw the bookkeeper the same day the money for my not-an-athletic-scholarship scholarship showed up. And there’s a whole separate file on me. I’m not even on the athletic scholarship list. It’s a coincidence that I happen to excel at cross-country, I guess—a convenient cover. Everyone else assumes they felt sorry for Kari and gave her the scholarship for a fourth year, but they knew I was better and gave me one, too.”

“Only that isn’t it at all.” I rub my hand over my jaw, thinking. “I didn’t know he had funded your scholarship. Not for sure, anyway. I thought about it when you showed me the texts that you thought were from Aria, but I had no proof.” I hesitate, wanting to drive that point home. “They definitely aren’t being sent by her. Promise. She and I had a long conversation about it. She’s messed with you plenty, but those texts aren’t from her.”

Scarlett’s eyes fill with tears, and she blinks them back.

“Hey. Come here.” I shift back against the headboard and reach for her. To my surprise, she willingly climbs onto my lap, curls into a ball, and tucks her head under my chin.

“My poor mother. Christina must have somehow gotten this letter instead of Sebastian.”

“I’m pretty sure she stole it. Kept it from him.”

“How do you know?” She swallows hard.

I sigh. “Aria got her hands on a yearbook from the library that had some prom photos she wanted to look at. She’s been trying to figure everything out, too.” I tuck Scarlett’s hair out of her face. “They were king and queen their senior year—Sebastian and Christina. We’re pretty sure Christina was into Sebastian, which is why she withheld the letter.”

She chuckles. “We looked for that damn yearbook.”

“Sorry,” I whisper against her hair. “Aria is sneaky sometimes.”

“All that time my mother thought Sebastian had abandoned her. That’s assuming Sebastian is S. There’s no way to be one hundred percent sure that Sebastian is the person referred to in the letter, but I don’t see how it could be anyone else.” She looks up at me as tears spill down her cheeks. “How long has he known do you think? My mother is dead, and I’m practically alone.” Her entire body quakes as she surrenders to her emotions again.

I don’t have the answer to her question. Assuming Amelia was the one to give him the photo that I now have in my possession, he has to have known for at least the better part of a year, but possibly as many as seventeen. I’m devastated for her, so I hold her as she sobs raggedly against my chest. I don’t know what to do other than try to offer her comfort. I drop kisses on top of her head and whisper, “I’m so sorry. So sorry, baby.” I run one hand up and down her back, over and over again, until eventually her sobs subside, her breathing calms, and she sleeps.

I guess I’d fallen asleep at some point, too. The next thing I know, I wake up curled around her body, her back to my front. My dick is hard, nestled against her ass. Grazing her neck with my lips, I drop soft kisses on her warm skin. My arm wraps around her middle, pulling her closer to me. Always closer. She’ll never be close enough.

I try to beat back the flood of lust rolling through me from holding her like this, but I can’t. My cock is painfully hard behind my zipper. It doesn’t help that Scarlett sleeps in just her panties and tank top like I figured she did. I groan, trying not to act like a total horndog.

She shifts against me, her ass pushing back against my erection.

My hand splays over her abdomen, and my eyes shutter closed. She presses back against me again. Fuck. All I want to do is peel her panties down enough so that I can thrust inside her sweet pussy. I’m dizzy with desire, needing to feel her.

She rolls over and peers back at me. “Make me forget, Xander.”

Apparently, I have no willpower when she offers herself up to me like that. My voice is husky when I murmur in her ear, “You want me to touch you, baby?”

Scarlett nods, and I instantly skate my hand down her curves, from her waist to her thigh and back up. My fingers dip underneath her tank top, and she shifts to her back as I touch the soft skin of her stomach. My lips follow, and I love the way her body stretches, her back arching, urging me closer.

I nudge her tank top up further, and my mouth latches on to her very taut nipple, sucking it deep. I run my tongue over it in lazy circles until she writhes out of control. I climb between her legs to better reach the other breast, where I lick and gently bite until she’s moaning with pleasure.

She grabs at my T-shirt and rasps, “Off. I want to feel your skin on mine.”

I kneel and reach back, grasping my shirt with one hand and dragging it over my head with a jerk. My breath coming fast, my gaze roams over her as she peels her tank top off. With a flick of the button through the buttonhole of my jeans, I slowly draw down the zipper. Her hungry eyes watch my every move.

I lean down for a kiss as I kick out of the remainder of my clothing. Scarlett’s full lips are soft and warm and they nip at mine. Diving into a deeper kiss, we explore each other like we have all the time in the world. Each stroke of her tongue licks at me like the hottest flame. It’s sweet and agonizing all at once, and oh-so beautiful.

She breaks the kiss, pushing on my chest and rolling me to my back.

My brow furrows, confused until her hands begin to stroke my cock. “Fuck, that feels good.”

She runs her thumb over the head, collecting a drop of pre-cum. She looks directly at me, licking it off the pad of her finger. The breath whooshes from my lungs, and I drop my head back, closing my eyes. Her hand wraps around the base of my dick, and I feel her warm breath right before she closes her mouth over me, sucking, then sliding her tongue up and down my length. She traces over the veins, flicks at the tip, and sends my heart rate soaring. I can’t control the thrusting of my pelvis, I’m completely hot for her, so when she lets me sink into her mouth again, I go deep. She makes little moaning noises, and that turns me on even more.

I reach for her hair, winding it around one hand at the base of her neck. I pull on it a little, and she answers by scraping my dick with her teeth. “Ah, fuucccck.” Hurts. So. Good.

Her tongue flutters along my length, and it drives me out of my mind. I can’t think. I can only feel as she sucks on me like I’m her favorite treat. Her plump lips wrap around my dick, and I hit the back of her throat as I begin to thrust upward. With lust fogging my vision, I watch in disbelief as she lets me fuck her mouth like this. And from all the whimpers and sounds she’s making, I think she actually likes what she’s doing. I growl, holding her hair tighter, slowing as I get close. My legs tremble and my movements become jerky.

I’m struck by the blue of her eyes as she stares right at me, pupils dilated. She gives me as much of a grin as she can with her mouth full of my cock. It’s fucking hot. I pull almost all the way out and then slide in. Over and over. Slowly, I draw out the coming release. I feel a bolt of electricity rush down my spine, my balls tightening painfully. In. Out. In.

“Baby, I’m going to come.” The orgasm rips through me so fast and hard, I hardly have time to warn her before I shoot down her throat. I try to move, try to think, try to fucking breathe, but I can’t do anything for several seconds.

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