animal, watching its prey, stalking until it’s time to strike.
My gaze holds his for a moment before I focus on his mouth as he takes the spoon to his lips. The wetness from the soup causes a gentle glisten to capture and hold my attention. The deep red color reminds me of blood and just how predatorily he looks as he swallows, his tongue darting out to savor the taste of his kill. His throat works, the Adam’s apple under smooth, tanned skin has my body doing strange things. I’ve never really watched a man like I’m doing with him, and I’m not sure why.
“Scarlett?” Mother’s cool tone brings me back to the present, and I clear my throat, casting her a quick glance.
“Yes, sorry. I’d like to hopefully open my own media agency,” I tell him with confidence brimming in my tone. “The need for honest reporting is something that has become somewhat of a passion of mine. What do you do?” My inquiry causes him to chuckle, the sound low, rumbling through his chest, and I wonder what’s so funny.
“I don’t think little girls should be so curious,” he tells me, then sips another mouthful of his soup, but each movement he makes sends heat through me, and I can’t explain why. His use of the term little girl rankles me, but I don’t bite because he’s trying to annoy me. I can tell with how he’s watching, waiting for me to take the bait.
He’s handsome, classically so, with sharp features and a jawbone free of stubble, but there is a dark shadow over the otherwise olive skin, which tells me if he doesn’t shave, there’d be a beautifully thick beard. His lips form a tempting cupid’s bow, with the lower lip fatter than the top. A mouth I’m sure could do sinful things if given a chance.
I’m not overly experienced, but I know enough to recognize a man who can make women swoon with a mere glance. His dark brow arches, and I realize I’m staring again. Shaking my head, I drop my gaze and eat my soup in silence, unsure of how to take him. Or even why I’m here in the first place.
“And you’re planning on running it all by yourself?” he asks, and I feel his stare on me once more. The heat of it captures me, and I nod. “Words, little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl,” I bite out through gritted teeth, shoving my bowl away in frustration. “I’m twenty. I’m an adult.”
This causes him to chuckle, his head angled as he regards me with amusement. “Oh?”
“Scarlett!” My mother’s tone turns my name into a curse word. Her heated glare is scorching me, but I don’t look at her. I’m staring at the man before me.
“Yes,” I answer back, causing him to laugh once more. “It’s not funny. I’ll be twenty-one in a month, and when I complete my internship, I’ll have the necessary experience to start my own business. And I’ll be able to do anything a man can do, possibly even better.” Folding my arms across my chest, I don’t turn my attention away from Mr. Shaw.
He sits back, and I don’t miss the way his gaze flicks to my chest before meeting my stare as he regards me, the corners of his mouth upturned. His hands rest on the table, fingers tangled in between each other, and a thought of just how they’d feel touching me sparks through me for a split second before he speaks. “I like your fire, little red.” His tone holds what I can only deem respect with fire blazing in his eyes. “It’s refreshing. Most women cower in my presence,” he continues, pushing to his feet, which has both my folks standing as well.
But I don’t. Instead, I sit in my chair, my arms crossed as I watch his next move.
“Thank you for dinner, folks,” he says in a bright tone, which belies the darkness swirling in those forest depths because his gaze never strays from me. “I’ll have to get going if I’m going to catch the early flight to New York.”
“Of course, I’m so sorry you have to leave so soon,” Mom coos as if she’s about to kiss his shoes as he leaves our house. “Let us walk you out. I have to apologize for Scarlett. She’s feeling anxious about her future.”
“There’s no need for that,” Shaw says before stopping at my chair, his hand landing on the back of it, but