Page 52 of House of Scarlett
Her lips press together in a flat line as she blinks up at me. “I get you. But I would never insult you by coming in and throwing money at your problems to fix them. Still, you have to understand where I’m sitting, Gabriel.”
She pauses and sucks in a breath, like she’s gathering the courage to finish. I give her space, and she speaks again.
“It terrifies me to think of you stepping into a cage with a man who teaches me how to kill people. I didn’t just get a second chance at having somethingrealwith you to lose you just as fast.”
Fuck.
My chest. It feels like I’m having a goddamned heart attack.
But I’m not.
I’m falling for this woman who I have no business bringing into my life.
Then why the fuck are you sitting at her kitchen table, asshole? I thought we already made this decision. You’re in this. Now stop being a fucking pussy and man up.It’s that fucking conscience of mine, and it’s right.
Our gazes collide and hold for long moments, and I give her the most honesty I can.
“There are no guarantees in the cage. Once a fight starts, all you can do is trust the skills you’ve spent years honing.”
“But, Bodhi ... he’s—”
“I beat him once,” I tell her with all seriousness. “And if I fight him again, I’ll beat him.Again. I won’t have a choice. That fight will be do or die.”
Horror contorts her face, and I could rip my own fucking tongue out for saying it.Jesus Christ, man, she’s recovering from surgery. This is not how you handle shit. Keep it light.
But Scarlett doesn’t dissolve into tears. I should have given her more credit, just like I wish she’d give it to me.
“Whatever you decide, I’m done training with Bodhi. But you have to promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“If there’s anything at all I can do to help, without straight-up offering money, you will ask me. I might have been raised in an ivory tower, but I do understand the real world, and there are things I bring to the table that can be helpful.”
She’s right, and the promise should be easy to make, but my basic instinct is to keep her safe.
“I’ll make you a deal, ladybug. If there’s anything you can do to help that won’t put you or your business or your reputation at risk, then I’ll ask you. That’s the best I can offer right now.”
She holds out her hand, looking adorable with her rumpled hair and wearing a robe, but her handshake offer is official as fuck. “I’ll take your deal, bossy.”
A chuckle escapes my lips as I pretend to spit in my hand before I take hers to shake.
Her eyes are like saucers, but she doesn’t flinch and repeats the motion into her palm. Hearing her fake spit for a good-old-boy handshake might be the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.
But it’s official now, so we shake.
“Good. Butbossyis never going to stick.”
Her smile couldn’t be wider. “It might. You never know.”
Thirty-One
Scarlett
The next timeI wake up and slip out into the kitchen and living room, I stop short in the doorway. Flynn is laid out on my sofa, her phone in her hand and headphones over her ears. I scan my apartment, but there’s no sign of Gabriel.
What? Like you thought he was moving in and staying forever?
I’m not a fan of the reality check.
