Page 41

Chapter 41

Scarlett

“You’re one determined girl, Scarlett. I’ll give you that,” Melissa comments as I close her office door behind me. “When I said you could take the week off, I meant it.”

“I know, but I need those hours,” I reply. “Otherwise, I’ll miss the deadline.”

“I’m sure your lecturer would be lenient, considering what happened to you.”

The comment earns her a sharp scoff, at which she raises her brows. “Trust me, he wouldn’t be.” Professor Green only extends such favors to his favorites. I’m on the opposite end, unfortunately.

“Well, on the bright side, you get to complete those hours at least,” she says. “I’m glad they cleared your name. I’m also sorry I didn’t believe you.”

With a smile, I fan away her apology. “It’s fine. I probably wouldn’t have believed it, too.”

She smiles back softly while sitting down. “With that all said, let’s get to work.”

The thought of running into Aiden triggers violent flutters in my chest. After spending two days blowing up my phone, he suddenly went radio silent. I dreaded coming here today, knowing I’d be seeing the guy who still has my heart, the guy who realizes now that he can do better than someone like me. I should be grateful that he has shown his true colors before more damage was done, right?

Instead, I feel empty.

Forcing a perked up expression, I flex my hands. “Where am I scheduled today, Melissa?”

She points to the chair beside her desk. “Right here. You’re going to help me record all the inventory we’ve received over the last week.”

As I gape, she gives me a puzzled look. “What, you didn’t think I’d have you doing manual labor after that attack, did you? No, you’re completing your internship in this office.”

“Thank you,” I breathe gratefully, taking the seat. This is good. The chances of me running into Aiden has been cut right down to the quarter mark. If I don’t see him, it will be easier to get over him.

With my mood slightly improving, I focus on my task for the next two hours, then sign out as soon as I’m done. Dad confiscated my bike when I insisted on riding to Hempton, so now I’m forced to call an Uber. I wave goodbye to Melissa, then leave the office.

And walk right into a pack of wolves.

My arms go lax as I breathe a frustrated sigh. What the hell do they want from me now?

They all stand in a cluster, arms folded, staring at me menacingly. I feel around in my bag for the pepper spray. How many can I put down before they get me?

The sound of ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ suddenly erupts from somewhere and I shriek with surprise as they all spread out and break into a dance. My eyes widen as Odean does a perfect pirouette, which is quite inappropriate for the genre of song. Even worse, Michael starts doing a chicken dance and another guy is twerking his ass off. Whatever the reason behind this bizarre sight in front of me, they clearly did not rehearse.

Well, they’re all doing a twirl right now, so it seems they rehearsed a little . They suddenly part on both sides, revealing Aiden standing there with a boombox on his shoulder. My breath catches on a shocked gasp as the reference hits me. Where the hell did he get a fricking boombox?

“What are you doing?” I whisper, still wide-eyed as he stops right in front of me.

“What does it look like? I’m getting my girl back, just like in the movies,” he replies with a cheeky grin that makes me want to smile, too.

But I don’t.

“How did you know I was here, anyway?” I ask sternly as he thanks the guys for coming and they walk away after wishing him luck.

He sets the stereo on the floor. “You weren’t answering the phone, so I decided to wait until you were in my territory. Lucky for me, your mom said you’d be here today.”

Oh, Mom, you traitor. I shake my head. “Aiden, this gesture is cute and everything, but we’ll never work.”

“Give me one reason,” he says urgently as I push past him.

“Other than the fact that I can’t trust you’ll be there when things get rough? I’m not interested in being your girl on the side or whatever you want me to be.”

“Girl on the side?” His thick brows lift with alarm. “What are you talking about?”

“Casey?” I fire back, my heart sinking as awareness sets in. He’d forgotten that I know about his longtime girlfriend, obviously.

“Casey and I were never a thing—not since we broke up over a year ago,” he finally replies.

“You seemed quite cozy at her party, though.”

He glances around him furtively. “It’s a long story.”

I fold my arms over my chest, staring at him firmly. “I’ve got all evening.”

Slight caution dances in Aiden’s eyes. “Can we talk in my car?”

This sounds serious. Curious, I nod.

He takes the boombox and we walk in silence to his car. Once we get settled in the front, he looks seriously at me.

“What I’m about to say can’t leave this space, understood?”

“Understood,” I mutter.

My jaw drops when he starts talking. I don’t know what I expected to hear, but it’s definitely not that his dad’s cheating led to his mom’s attempt to blackmail him. No wonder she was so mad after walking in on us naked that morning. God, Mrs. Hunter is even worse than I thought.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re dating Casey to please your parents, but you want to be with me. Is that right?”

“No.”

I sit up straighter, perplexed. “Aiden, you just mentioned your dad’s plans to expose your medical records if you don’t take Casey back—”

“Let me finish, woman,” he murmurs, squeezing my knee. With a huff, I listen, jaw dropping when he mentions his mother walking in on the mistress. A telenovela could take notes from that angsty scene.

“Even before that incident, I already told Casey it won’t work,” he says, smiling fondly at me. “Do you know why?”

“Because you can’t stand two-timers?” I guess and his smile widens.

“That, and the fact that I’m in love with you,” he whispers, and my heart does a somersault. “I’ve been fascinated with you since that first day in Calculus, too.”

I snigger. “No, you weren’t.”

His expression goes serious. “That sassy little know-it-all with the baggy clothes and hair that looks like spun gold had a serious effect on me for some reason. Over the last month, I figured out why.”

My racing heart pounds violently in my ears as Aiden eases over the center console. “You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met, Scarlett,” he whispers against my lips. “With so many layers that I’m so intrigued to pull back and find what’s under there. Give me a chance. Let me prove I’m the guy you can trust with your life.”

With a conceding sigh, I kiss him softly. He moans, kissing me back, his hand gently cupping my cheek. “If you break my trust again, I’m cutting your balls off, FYI,” I mutter as we pull apart.

Aiden chuckles. “Why not just take the whole thing?”

“Nah, I love your cock too much to cut that off.” The words fly from my mouth and I cover my mouth, realizing I’d said them out loud.

“Don’t say a word,” I warn, and Aiden’s eyes sparkle with mischief.

“I’m quite curious, that’s all,” he says.

“About what?”

“That dress you’re wearing. There were no panty lines.”

I gasp. “You were watching my ass?”

“I’m always watching your ass, Scarlett,” he mutters, leaning in. “And those legs that feel perfect around my waist.” His fingers stroke my hair. “And these beautiful locks that give me the perfect grip. Those eyes that tells me everything you’re feeling when I bury my cock inside you—”

“Stop,” I whisper, panting softly. I’m already on fire since he mentioned my legs around his waist. Theresa’s dress gives me easy access and if he keeps going, I’ll end up doing something crazy, like pull my thong down and fuck him right here in this car.

Aiden grabs my hand and rests it on his lap. “Too late.”

I pull back with a groan. Even without rocking myself, I know I’m already wet. Three days of hating Aiden did nothing to cancel my need for him. I’ve never ached for anything like this.

Glancing outside at the approaching night, my inhibitions slip away. Aiden loves me and the feeling is mutual. Sex in a car with my boyfriend is quite okay, right?

His brows shoot up as I take my panties off. “What are you doing?” he asks.

“Do you have condoms around?”

There’s a brief hesitation before Aiden tentatively nods and points to the glove compartment. I pull one out. “Take your pants off,” I order.

A growing smile brightens his face. “I think I like this new Scarlett,” he says in a rush, yanking down his pants and boxers.

He sighs as I slip the condom on, then groans loudly when I sink down on his length. “No, I love this new Scarlett,” Aiden whispers, his hands slipping under my dress. “Mind, soul…” he squeezes my breasts, “…body.”

“I love you too,” I whisper back, riding him slowly, savoring his thick erection inside me. “No holding back, Aiden. At least until we graduate.”

He stops abruptly, pulling me back. “What happens when we graduate?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that with an orgasm building inside me. “There’s a high chance you’ll be heading to New York, but I want to study medicine in Seattle,” I reply, and his eyes widen.

“You didn’t mention studying in Seattle,” he says hoarsely.

I shrug. “It was kinda hard to discuss my future while my life was in danger, don’t you think?”

Aiden frowns, then attempts to reply and I press my finger on his lips. “No more talking. Just fuck me. We can figure things out when we’re done.”

“No, I—”

His words pause abruptly as I start moving again, grinding on him. Soon, we start moving in sync, and though his body is definitely in the moment, his gaze is somewhere else.