Page 56 of Wild Card

“Yeah. She hating it then? Telling Harper what a cruel and demanding boss I am?”

“No. Nothing like that.” Xander shrugs, turning his focus back on the TV.

“Then like what?” I ask because I don’t like the dismissive tone.

“Like nothing. Just says you guys get along as well as you can. That you’re getting better.”

“Nothing more than that?”

Xander’s neck slowly cranes back toward me, and he looks me over. He glances at the other guys, making sure they’re fully focused on the game on the other side of the room before he raises his brow.

“Is there more than that?”

“I guess not if she hasn’t said anything.”

Xander runs a hand over his face and looks up at the ceiling. “You just… remember she’s technically an employee right now, right?”

“Thanks to you. That wasn’t my bright idea.”

“She would have been my employee if you hadn’t been such an ass about it. And this is exactly why.”

“Relax. She’s not gonna sue me for workplace harassment. If anything I could sue her.”

“Do I want to ask?”

“Guarantee you don’t. It was once and hasn’t been repeated. Yet.” I smirk.

“Tread carefully, yeah? She’s a good person. She’s done a lot for you just by being here.”

I grit my teeth. “I don’t need a lecture where she’s concerned. I have zero intention of doing anything to hurt her.”

“The road to hell… and all that.”

“Yeah, well not all of us can be all in immediately. Some of us have fucking shit to work through.”

“Like I don’t have shit to work through?”

“You had years to figure it out first.”

“I didn’t need years. I figured it out the second I saw her with him. Unfortunately, that was already too fucking late. I don’t wish that fate on anyone. Especially if she’s got that unicorn thing going that you’ve been looking for.” He gives me a pointed look, and I shake my head.

“Noted.”

Scarlett is the closest any woman has ever come to possessing my long list of wants. The one I thought was so long that no woman could ever live up to it and therefore this whole conversation would be moot. But if there was ever a unicorn—Scarlett is mine. A thought that leaves me feeling more than a little adrift.

“All right. I fucking suck at this almost as much as I suck at throwing right now. Tobias you wanna take a turn? See if you can kick some ass?” Colt hands me the game controller.

“Yeah, I’ll give it a try. I haven’t played this game yet.”

“Always a first time.” Xander smirks.

And I proceed to glare at him before I start blowing things up on the screen.

THIRTY-ONE

Tobias

After we finish workingin the library for the day, she disappears to the bathroom for a bit and reemerges in a wine colored vintage dress, with her hair curled and heels that make her legs look even longer than they already are. I smirk at the sight of it, wondering if she’s finally trying to make her move to seduce me. Cause if she is, I’m in for whatever she wants to do.