Chapter 37 A Bad Time to Be Away
POV Scarlett:
“What the... what the hell are you doing there?” I cry, panicking—because I’m not wearing underwear.
“You ran off, and we got worried,” Noah says, his eyes roaming strangely over my legs. Thank God the shirt falls to mid-thigh. “Are you okay?” His gaze lingers, and my cheeks burn from his blatant inspection.
“Yes, morning sickness,” I reply curtly. He keeps looking until a discreet cough from Liam snaps him out of it.
“We’ll give you some privacy,” Liam says, turning his back.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” Noah adds, leaving with his brother.
“Wait.” They stop and turn back to me. “Could you get me some other clothes?” I ask, embarrassed.
“Of course. I’ll bring them,” Liam says, but before he leaves, I gather the courage to ask one more thing.
“Liam… could you get me some… boxers?”
Both his and Noah’s eyes drop, stopping between my legs.
Oh, shit. Are they checking me out? Can they tell I’m not wearing any panties?
“I… If I lend you a pair of mine, Ethan will kill me,” Liam says, and I feel my cheeks blaze even hotter. “And who knows what Damian would do.”
“I’ll lend her some!” Noah shouts, running out of the room.
Liam stares at me for a few long seconds, and as soon as Noah comes back holding four pairs of boxers, he looks away.
“They’re all new,” Noah says, and relief floods through me. Better that way.
“Thank you. I’ll find a way to buy the things I need…”
“Make a list,” Liam cuts in. “I’ll buy them.”
I swallow hard under the intensity of his gaze.
“Okay,” I say softly.
“Okay,” he agrees.
They leave the room, and only then do I realize that nothing about this situation is okay.
What the hell just happened here?
(...)
POV Liam:
Damn it was a bad time for Ethan not to be home and for Damian to run away like a coward. When Damian asked me to keep an eye on Scarlett and help her with whatever she needed, I agreed immediately. After all, the woman needs help. But... hell, what the fuck happened in your room? Why couldn't my eyes look away from her body? Why did my fucked-up imagination picture her pussy naked under that shirt?
She’s pregnant by my brother and tangled up with another. The last thing she needs is to be tangled up with two more. It was hard not to notice the looks Noah gave her. And I don’t even want to know what was wrong with me for staring at her like that. With the list she gave me in hand, I go through the stores buying everything she listed. That was the way I found to get away from the house.
Ethan was clear before he left for the company: “Take care of her, and do everything to make her feel good.” She needs clothes, so my shopping run fits what he asked. I read the list again, seeing I’d already bought everything she asked for:
(Medium sizes)
3 simple tops
3 simple shorts
3 sweatpants
1 sweater
(Please, do not exceed $200. Thank you)
I laugh again at the absurdity of that request. Two hundred dollars was what I paid for one top. I’m a very pragmatic person, so why would I waste time going to Walmart—where she asked me to buy her clothes—when the mall is ten minutes from the house? Just because it would be cheaper? Does she know how rich we are? Spending eight thousand dollars on clothes for her was nothing. I bought everything she didn’t list too: shoes, sneakers... lingerie.
I never want to remember the shocked faces of the Victoria’s Secret salesgirls looking at me while I picked out panties, nor when I insisted on the lace line in every color. I can already imagine Miss Monroe wearing each one. I feel a twinge in my cock. Shit! What matters is that now she won't need to borrow clothes anymore, and she won’t be walking around the house without underwear.
...
“EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS!” she screamed again, holding the bills. “Are you crazy?” I look toward my bed piled with shopping bags and shake my head.
“You needed clothes,” I defend myself.
“Eight thousand dollars! Do you know how much that costs?” She waves the bill, her face red with irritation. Her lips are swollen from biting them while looking at my card statement, and noticing that makes an insane desire to kiss her grow inside me.
“Eight thousand dollars?” I shrug.
“Funny guy!” She stalks toward me, annoyed, banging the bill against my chest. “Tell me how I’m going to pay you back?”
Her eyes are two flames that make me swallow hard. Does she realize how beautiful she is? Now I understand why Damian is crazy about this woman. She keeps talking, but I don't hear anything—my heart is pounding too loud for me to think straight—and without thinking about the shit I’m doing or the consequences it will bring, I grab the back of her neck and shut her mouth with mine.