stop. He’d stroked himself, thought of Scarlett, and realized that he
wanted her almost as much as he needed his next breath.
And for once in his life, the thought of wanting a woman so much, so constantly didn’t scare him. It
thrilled him, excited him, made him want to spend all of his time with her and yet…
She didn’t want to spend any time with him. Behaved as if most of the time, she couldn’t stand him.
Then she’d gone and found out about his little interlude with Drake.
56
www.samhainpublishing.com
Tangled
Huge mistake, that one. He normally had no regrets. It was his motto. But he regretted fucking around
with Drake.
“I almost turned around and went home,” she said, her gaze meeting his. “I probably shouldn’t be
here.”
“I’m glad you are.”
She swallowed, he saw her throat work and he wanted to kiss her there. Drag his lips across her
whispery soft skin, lick the spot where her pulse throbbed. Nibble her neck, leave a mark and let everyone
know she was his.
His.
“So tell me.” She threw her arms up into the air and then let them fall slowly to her sides. “What do
you want to know?”
“About?” He cocked a brow.
“About me. You said you wanted to find out things about me. Go ahead. Ask your questions.”
“Okay,” he drawled, shock coursing through him. He didn’t expect this. He thought he’d be able to
fuck her first and get that out of the way. His dick was so hard it made it painful to walk. “Uh, what’s your
favorite color?”
“Red.” She waved her fingers toward her shirt.
Trevor smiled. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“One of each.” Her face clouded, grew somber and he wondered at that. “I’m the youngest. My
parents divorced when I was five. I lived with my mother while they went and lived with my dad.”
Interesting. “And you grew up, where?”
“Northern California. Extreme northern, like close to the Oregon border. Small town where it snowed
all winter and the most exciting thing to do was hang out at the local Sno-White burger joint.” She wrinkled
her nose in a cute gesture he immediately wanted to see again. “I hated it. Got out as fast as I could.”
“When?”
“I moved to L.A. a month after I graduated high school.”
“So you’ve been on your own for a long time.”
“Ten years. It was my high school reunion a couple of months ago. I didn’t go. I hardly ever go up
there anymore. I didn’t want to face them. None of those people liked me anyway.”
“Why not? You have plenty to be proud of.”
“I feel like a sham,” she whispered, her voice hollow. Her gaze flicked away from his, focused instead
on the wall. “Like everything I’ve ever done, everything I’ve ever accomplished, it isn’t real.”
“You’ve done a lot, Scarlett. Why do you feel like that?” He asked the question carefully, afraid he
might be embarking on dangerous territory.
www.samhainpublishing.com
57
Karen Erickson
“Because I feel like I’m not real. I haven’t figure out who I am yet or what I want. I play pretend all
the time, kind of like what I do in my job. Dress up, makeup, costumes, wigs. I can be whoever I want
whenever I want, but I never want to be me. ” Her voice choked on the last word. She turned away from
him, and her slim shoulders trembled.
Trevor took a step toward her, the slight tremor in her voice twisting his insides. Carefully he set his
hands upon her, his fingers kneading into her shoulders, wanting to offer comfort yet not knowing what to
say. “Show me the real you, Scarlett. Let me in.”
“You don’t care about the real me. You just want to have wild and crazy sex until you grow tired of
me, and move on to the next person. Besides, I don’t let anyone in.” She hung her head, her long hair
covering her face and he reached for her to smooth the hair away from her neck, trailed his fingers along
her soft nape. “I chase and chase, but I never catch. I never
wanted her almost as much as he needed his next breath.
And for once in his life, the thought of wanting a woman so much, so constantly didn’t scare him. It
thrilled him, excited him, made him want to spend all of his time with her and yet…
She didn’t want to spend any time with him. Behaved as if most of the time, she couldn’t stand him.
Then she’d gone and found out about his little interlude with Drake.
56
www.samhainpublishing.com
Tangled
Huge mistake, that one. He normally had no regrets. It was his motto. But he regretted fucking around
with Drake.
“I almost turned around and went home,” she said, her gaze meeting his. “I probably shouldn’t be
here.”
“I’m glad you are.”
She swallowed, he saw her throat work and he wanted to kiss her there. Drag his lips across her
whispery soft skin, lick the spot where her pulse throbbed. Nibble her neck, leave a mark and let everyone
know she was his.
His.
“So tell me.” She threw her arms up into the air and then let them fall slowly to her sides. “What do
you want to know?”
“About?” He cocked a brow.
“About me. You said you wanted to find out things about me. Go ahead. Ask your questions.”
“Okay,” he drawled, shock coursing through him. He didn’t expect this. He thought he’d be able to
fuck her first and get that out of the way. His dick was so hard it made it painful to walk. “Uh, what’s your
favorite color?”
“Red.” She waved her fingers toward her shirt.
Trevor smiled. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“One of each.” Her face clouded, grew somber and he wondered at that. “I’m the youngest. My
parents divorced when I was five. I lived with my mother while they went and lived with my dad.”
Interesting. “And you grew up, where?”
“Northern California. Extreme northern, like close to the Oregon border. Small town where it snowed
all winter and the most exciting thing to do was hang out at the local Sno-White burger joint.” She wrinkled
her nose in a cute gesture he immediately wanted to see again. “I hated it. Got out as fast as I could.”
“When?”
“I moved to L.A. a month after I graduated high school.”
“So you’ve been on your own for a long time.”
“Ten years. It was my high school reunion a couple of months ago. I didn’t go. I hardly ever go up
there anymore. I didn’t want to face them. None of those people liked me anyway.”
“Why not? You have plenty to be proud of.”
“I feel like a sham,” she whispered, her voice hollow. Her gaze flicked away from his, focused instead
on the wall. “Like everything I’ve ever done, everything I’ve ever accomplished, it isn’t real.”
“You’ve done a lot, Scarlett. Why do you feel like that?” He asked the question carefully, afraid he
might be embarking on dangerous territory.
www.samhainpublishing.com
57
Karen Erickson
“Because I feel like I’m not real. I haven’t figure out who I am yet or what I want. I play pretend all
the time, kind of like what I do in my job. Dress up, makeup, costumes, wigs. I can be whoever I want
whenever I want, but I never want to be me. ” Her voice choked on the last word. She turned away from
him, and her slim shoulders trembled.
Trevor took a step toward her, the slight tremor in her voice twisting his insides. Carefully he set his
hands upon her, his fingers kneading into her shoulders, wanting to offer comfort yet not knowing what to
say. “Show me the real you, Scarlett. Let me in.”
“You don’t care about the real me. You just want to have wild and crazy sex until you grow tired of
me, and move on to the next person. Besides, I don’t let anyone in.” She hung her head, her long hair
covering her face and he reached for her to smooth the hair away from her neck, trailed his fingers along
her soft nape. “I chase and chase, but I never catch. I never
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