Page 22 of Hollywood Humbug (The Naughty List)

I hoped he was right.

“And I’d love to meet your family.”

His words made me cringe suddenly, thinking about how my sisters were going to react. “You might regret it when you meet my sisters.”

He just laughed and kissed me until I was breathless. “I’ll win them over, eventually.”

I knew he would, and that made me feel much better.

We laid in silence for a while, just soaking up the peace of being in each other’s arms. But eventually, the heat between our naked bodies and his cock—which hadn’t softened much—pressing into my stomach filled my head with dirty thoughts.

“Kane?”

He opened his eyes and smiled at me. “Yeah, baby?”

“So…about driving you wild…”

Eleven

KANE

Iglanced up to see Scarlett poking her head around the corner, her eyes scanning my kitchen.

When we returned from our visits to our families, which had been more fun than I expected, I’d taken Scarlett straight to my house and informed her it was nowourhouse. I’d expected a little pushback, so I’d been overjoyed when she just shrugged and said, “Okay.”

We were moving her stuff in the day after New Year’s. I couldn’t fucking wait to spend every day with her for the rest of our lives.

I repressed a smile when she spotted me at the island, drinking coffee, and reading a magazine. She slowly entered, almost as if she were approaching a wild animal, and once she saw the title of the magazine, her expression fell. She was so damn cute, I had to swallow my laughter.

“You saw it?” she asked with a wince.

“Yeah, Red, I saw it.”

She glared at me, forgetting all her nervousness, which had been my intention when I used the nickname. She still got irritated when I called her that, but lately, it seemed like it was all bluster. I suspected she was actually coming to like it. Especially since she and I were the only ones who knew what it meant.

“Come here, Scarlett,” I demanded, though I kept my voice gentle. I held out my hand and she immediately shuffled over and let me pull her onto my lap. “Why are you worried, baby? I know it wasn’t you.”

She sighed and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my chest. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

“I get that,” I replied with a nod. “It’s only been a week, baby. But I’ll tell you as many times as it takes for it to sink in. I love you. I trust you. You are everything to me.”

Her muscles unclenched and she melted into me, then she spotted the magazine in my hand again and huffed. “How the hell did they find out already?”

I lifted her face to mine with a finger under her chin, then I gave her my best Cheshire Cat grin. “It was my fault this time.”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “Your fault?”

I winked before admitting, “I called Farrah.” Farrah was the editor of the magazine that had run a story about us. I’d met her a couple of times and liked her, so when I broke the news, I gave her the exclusive.

“Pardon?” Scarlett looked flabbergasted—not that I blamed her.

“Baby, I don’t want to hide this, us. You aren’t a dirty little secret—although I suggest we tuck that away in the fantasy box for another day.” She giggled, and her cheeks bloomed with pink, making me grin. “I don’t care if this article brings every reporter to our door. I’m head over fucking heels in love with you, and since this is forever, I see no reason to keep it private.”

She stared at me with something akin to awe on her face, and I kissed her on the nose. “Don’t look at me like that, Scarlett. I’m bound to break any pedestal you put me on.”

Scarlett burst out laughing and touched her forehead to mine. “Don’t worry, babe. I’m well aware of your flaws. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see you as my hero. And this”—she gestured to the glossy pages that had a spread about our relationship—“was a sweet gesture. Thank you.” She brushed a tender kiss across my lips before laying her head on my chest once more.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you, Scarlett,” I murmured into her hair.

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